Main Structure

The house is a patented Edward Englander Design; a very simple design based upon a timber A-frame roof set upon dense block walls that provides large, open spaces on both floors. The designer, David Marshall, held several very constructive meetings with us in 2003 to ensure that we were agreed in detail before the drawings went for planning.  David also met the planner responsible for the project to answer technical questions.

140 dense blocks have been used for the external walls with 100 dense blocks for some internal partitions. The transverse wall is 215 (100s laid on their sides) to give a solid support for the spinal steel beams and increased sound insulation of the living room.

The external walls will have 50 cavity and 200 inner stud filled with Warmcel.

The south wall includes 3 large patio doors on the ground floor to maximize solar gain. The south facing bedrooms also have large windows opening onto balconies.  The north facing rooms have small windows to reduce heat loss.

External walls will be rendered using a through coloured, 2 coat render: K-Rend.  U-values below 0.2 should be achieved, apart from glazed areas.

The ground floor is a cast in-situ 200 thick concrete slab reinforced with B785 steel mesh.  Trenches were cut through the existing floor slab as it was too massive to remove.  The result has been to increase the thermal mass, which should take advantage of the solar gain through the large windows in the south facing walls.

Heating will be electric under floor in the dining room and bathrooms as they will have ceramic tiled floors.  A Stovax Stockton 8 multi-fuel stove with back boiler supplied by Steve Everett of Canterbury Fireplaces Blackburn will be fitted in the living room. The back boiler will heat 4 radiators in the bedrooms.

A MVHR system (including an inline duct heater and cooler) designed by the very helpful Richard Davies at Johnson and Starley Ltd. will provide a comfortable environment in what should be a fairly airtight structure. http://www.johnsonandstarleyltd.co.uk

Aluminium powder-coated windows will be purchased from HB Aluminium Ltd. of Leeds. HB operate mainly in the commercial and retail sectors, supplying customers such as Marks and Spencer and the MacDonalds restaurant chain with powder coated windows.  The large, south-facing doors will be glazed with coated toughened glass giving a U-value of 1.3.  The remainder of the windows will be glazed to give a U-value of 1.7.  HB survey, design and install the windows and are an excellent company to deal with. Contact Mr Ian Dewhirst (MD) 0113 243 8195 hb-aluminium.co.uk

The Yorkshire sandstone will be cut and supplied by a local company

The first floor will have an 18 mm plyboard deck set on sound strips, and the gaps between the joists filled with Rockwool to deaden sound.  The ground floor ceilings will be 15 or 18 mm skimmed soundblock board.

Internal doors are to be supplied by Dooria of Sweden.

The dormer cheeks will be heavily insulated and clad with cedar shingle.

The roof will be insulated using Actis Tri-ISO Super 9, Xtratherm board and Warmcel.  

The cover will be Villar del Rey best Spanish blue/black pre-holed slates to be supplied by Yates & Company Ltd Clitheroe Lancashire Tel 01200 427711 yateslate