13 Feb 13 10:30 PM
Sorry for the delay. I am trying to get in touch with someone interested in helping, and will post info as soon as I can. ...read more
1 Dec 12 10:49 AM
The type of system you can use will depend on the size of your site, how close the water table is to the surface, the soil type, the slope of your site, and proximity to boundaries and water bodies. S......read more
16 Nov 12 2:31 PM
Another issue is that very few light fittings that suit a low ceiling are at all attractive, so the recessed downlight is a default solution for those who do not want to have to spend time searching f......read more
16 Oct 12 2:52 PM
Hi SumnerBoy, Just a quick answer to your comment regarding the reflective wrap you used. It will be of benefit thermally if: - the reflective surface is not in contact with anything - the reflective ......read more
2 Oct 12 12:38 PM
To ask for a valuer that "values accordingly" implies that you would get a different value from different valuers, but the idea of a registered valuer is that their valuation can be relied o......read more
24 Jul 12 2:18 PM
If anyone is interested in being part of a cohousing group, or intentional community in Christchurch could they please contact me. This could be to form a new one with new buildings or to modify exist......read more
26 Apr 12 11:15 PM
If you get a large enough dumper, they can span a few steps and can cope with them fine. They are skid steer so go around reasonably tight corners if you don't mind a chewed surface. If loaded careful......read more
26 Apr 12 8:04 PM
Plan well ahead and stack materials that can be left out in the weather near the start of the track. Each time someone goes up the track they must carry one item. This makes a big difference. Athfield......read more
12 Mar 12 1:35 PM
Ah ok. Those are anti-cupping grooves which allow the underside of the board to expand and contract without the board becoming cupped across the grain, so the floor stays flat and smooth. Fairly stand......read more
12 Mar 12 11:37 AM
Tongue and groove boards have always come in many widths. But narrower boards are more expensive, because they cover less floor than wide boards for the same amount of handling in manufacture and layi......read more
5 Jan 12 10:31 PM
With a concrete or earth floor you may have sufficient thermal mass without needing any in the walls or elsewhere. The calculations to work out whether more will be needed involve looking at your insu......read more
5 Oct 11 12:51 PM
Beacon presented the results of their NOW hme research a couple of years ago. They are going to have 10 Build Back Smarter demonstration homes in Christchurch, which will be used to investigate differ......read more
25 Sep 11 11:40 AM
There is not really a simple answer to your question Kal, because there are so many variables in what you can do to your house and how you can build. This talk, although based on American building, et......read more
11 Aug 11 2:43 PM
That is great news. Well done. Make sure as pointed out earlier that the measurement is to the cladding, not the foundation, as the cladding will be further out than the foundation line....read more
9 Aug 11 5:37 PM
It looks like your spouting may end up touching the retaining wall. Approach them builder in a non-confrontational way, and explain that there needs to be a metre between the retaining wall and the ho......read more
9 Aug 11 4:51 PM
What other drawings do you have showing the retaining wall position and design? What distance(s) between the house and the wall does the site/floor plan show? Is there a section through the retaining ......read more
18 Jun 11 2:48 PM
A simple solution to this is to have the ceiling set below the bottom chord of the truss by the depth of the insulation. Trusses are a very efficient use of material. ...read more
17 Jun 11 11:09 AM
I would certainly not install a vapour barrier in a wall of that construction. Why are you using half inch thickply? 7-9mm well fixed to the studs would usually be adequate, both for bracing and as a ......read more
17 Jun 11 9:30 AM
Sorry, I forgot to say theat the reason the The location and R value of the insulation is critical when a vapour check is used is to do with avoiding having the dew point within the structure. Also, m......read more
17 Jun 11 9:28 AM
Hi Guess what, Have a look at the link in my earlier post. It answers those questions. The majority of constructions suitable for our climate, where because of the different seasons vapour needs to dr......read more
17 Jun 11 12:02 AM
Yes the climate can be cold but I was trying to make the point that it is not cold enough to suit the use of vapour barriers for most buildings. In fact it it the sort of climate where vapour barriers......read more
16 Jun 11 10:56 PM
New Zealand is actually largely a maritime climate, and only a tiny part of New Zealand qualifies as a cold climate. The number of heating degree days for our major centres (including Invercargill at ......read more
16 Jun 11 2:47 PM
Plywood on the inside wall can be use, and has the advantage of being on the right side of the insulation for much of NZ. It can act as a vapour barrier because it is restricting the movement of moist......read more
13 Jun 11 10:12 AM
I suspect that coloursteel would not be appropriate as the pipe will need to be of a material that is approved for drains, as it is part of the system. What are you using for your drains? Polybutylene......read more
31 May 11 4:32 PM
If macrocarpa timber is fully seasoned it will not move much at all, but if it has not been, it can move quite a lot. Make sure you only nail/screw in one place across the width of the board. If you h......read more
24 May 11 11:15 AM
Arkmay, Is your Kent wood burner an older model? It is only very recently that people have been installing fires with a "balanced flue", where the air that goes up the chimney is drawn from ......read more
23 May 11 8:23 PM
The air-tightness of cladding varies among different cladding types, so some claddings are quite air-tight and act as a wind barrier, while others are "leaky" to air. For example, a "sh......read more
23 May 11 4:19 PM
With only 90mm framing depth you cannot easily achieve adequate insulation with standard building materials. You will need to add depth, and the best way would be to add a layer of framing (at right a......read more
18 May 11 2:44 PM
That is very true. Unfortunately, a lot of building is done without considering how long it will be in use, how it may need to adapt, and what maintenance and energy it will require in its lifetime....read more
18 May 11 1:31 PM
His comment regarding there being only Rolls Royce houses around, and no VW is odd. I would not class the general standard as that high! He appears to want deregulation so that there is flexibility, w......read more
12 May 11 5:12 PM
Ground sourced heat pumps are much more efficient if the ground has good thermal conduction, in other words, there is a good amount of ground water to conduct the heat around the source pipes. If you ......read more
16 Feb 11 9:06 AM
This is an interesting site, but several of the elements in the details need to be investigated before use. For example, what is the purpose of the layer of MDF? Is this material with its formaldehyde......read more
11 Feb 11 1:30 PM
I also meant to say that to avoid splitting in macrocarpa boards, do not fix them in more than one place across the width. eg. For boards running vertically only have one line of nails vertically. If ......read more
11 Feb 11 1:26 PM
I have been advised by several people in the industry that macrocarpa does move, but only when initially seasoned, and that once it has moved it stays. If you can get seasoned macrocarpa, (1 year + si......read more
10 Feb 11 11:09 PM
One of the most important points (from a safety/regulation point of view) is that there must be *no way* for power from your generator to be fed back into the grid! This is to prevent the power lines ......read more
10 Jan 11 7:59 PM
It is a little more primitive than the tumbler version mentioned above, but I found info on a washing "machine" made from a large bucket with a lid, a small bottle as a gasket and a plumbing......read more
3 Jan 11 12:13 PM
You can direct fix the plasterboard rather than strapping and lining if you wish to use the thermal mass and have a plasterboard finish....read more
3 Jan 11 12:10 PM
A search found a few NZ suppliers of Gram. They seem to be off grid power specialists who sell low energy fridges. There may be others: http://www.quadrixenergy.co.nz/gramM60.pdf http://currentgenerat......read more
1 Jan 11 10:40 PM
Award Appliance Group 388-390 Blenheim Road PO Box 6269, Upper Riccarton Christchurch 0 3 348 0556 sales@award.co.nz www.awardappliances.co.nz are listed as the New Zealand agents for Liebherr applian......read more
31 Dec 10 11:46 AM
As Steve points out, the Risk Matrix is for timber construction, not masonry. The reason I suggested it, is although the system you are proposing is structurally masonry, it relies on the timber and w......read more
30 Dec 10 10:24 AM
There are a few things that affect whether this is suitable cladding system. Is your building a house? Different rules can apply to housing and commercial buildings. See the link to the most recent Cl......read more
20 Dec 10 8:33 AM
If you have a grid-tied system and there is a power cut - what happens? You have no power. Grid-tie inverters are designed to shut down immediately if power is lost. This is a safety issue and is call......read more
19 Dec 10 10:00 AM
Ooops, got something around the wrong way. I was thinking 25kW was a huge array :-) Thanks for the correction....read more
18 Dec 10 3:54 PM
Hi, I would treat this as 2 separate (but related) problems. The first is setting is a grid-tie solar PV or wind system. Don't bother with wind unless you have a good site. If you are using around 300......read more
13 Aug 10 9:54 AM
Batts can sag when there is nothing supporting them from the sides, which means they will be mostly ineffective as insulation. I would suggest using batts that matches the thickness of the framing, or......read more
13 Aug 10 9:43 AM
A wet back must be connected to a low pressure water circuit that is "open vented" so that if the wetback water gets heated to boiling there is no possibility of a closed circuit exploding w......read more
5 Aug 10 10:15 AM
Hi Ratsny, One issue to be aware of when looking at a relocated house, is that it is in effect a new house on the site you move it to, so needs to comply with all current requirements of the Building ......read more
26 Jul 10 1:09 PM
Hi, If you are considering a block wall that is exposed to the interior, then it may benefit your thermal mass, depending on the amount of mass elsewhere, and the proportion of mass to insulation,but ......read more
17 Jul 10 5:35 PM
If you are replacing wooden framing in a wall, then you are doing work on the structure of a building. This means you need to understand what is required by the Building Act so that you can ensure you......read more
8 Jul 10 2:01 PM
The makers of the Little Cracker do not have any recommended minimum distances from combustibles for house installation because that is not their market. If you install one in a building, you will nee......read more