Type of Houses

[Barcombeboy]

It does depend upon the type of newbuild. Criminally the UK still builds very energy inefficient houses.

INMHO the best type of house is mostly built into the earth and can be built very cheaply using wood and stuff like straw and tyres (if you like). If designed well a four bedroom eco house would only need a *very* small woodburning stove to supply heat and hot water.

[Skean Dhude]

I wouldn't same criminally. The UK doesn't get extreme weather normally. SO making the house for a -30 would put the cost up a bit. We just take the averages and a variance around that and leave out the outriders. I'd hate to see the cost of a house that catered for -30, +100, drought, floods, etc.

So it means as preppers we have to make sure we are insulated. It's just another thing to do.

[Barcombeboy]

I am comparing the UK against other Western European countries on the same latitude.

[MCavity]

(14 June 2013, 12:19)Barcombeboy Wrote: It does depend upon the type of newbuild. Criminally the UK still builds very energy inefficient houses.

I work in an Architect / Design practice and new building projects are all about energy ratings, energy efficiency etc. It's almost as important as cost these days. The planning applications are full of energy saving ideas and innovations.
Hence my old house was warm through with the heating being on for 15 mins rather than an hour+ now, and thats with a new heating system in the new pad.
I would rather buy a new house in the UK than in Spain or Greece tbh- just look at some of the bad practices that happen on those ' holiday nightmare' TV shows.

I'm not saying one is better than the other overall, but energy inefficient- no.

Grumble over.

[bigpaul]

i'd like to meet the architect who designed our house, built 20 years ago, i'd make him and his family live in it for a month and see how they like it! this 2 bed house is supposed to be big enough for 2 adults and 2 children, my old 1 bed council flat-built in 1949- is bigger than this place.

[MCavity]

(14 June 2013, 17:14)bigpaul Wrote: i'd like to meet the architect who designed our house, built 20 years ago, i'd make him and his family live in it for a month and see how they like it! this 2 bed house is supposed to be big enough for 2 adults and 2 children, my old 1 bed council flat-built in 1949- is bigger than this place.

Ahh now roomsize is an issue for new builds. My comments were to do with energy efficiency.

[bigpaul]

(14 June 2013, 18:19)MCavity Wrote:

(14 June 2013, 17:14)bigpaul Wrote: i'd like to meet the architect who designed our house, built 20 years ago, i'd make him and his family live in it for a month and see how they like it! this 2 bed house is supposed to be big enough for 2 adults and 2 children, my old 1 bed council flat-built in 1949- is bigger than this place.

Ahh now roomsize is an issue for new builds. My comments were to do with energy efficiency.

I don't think this place is energy efficient only, we're all electric, on economy 7 which is of no use to us dosent fit our lifestyle.

[Lightspeed]

(14 June 2013, 13:27)Barcombeboy Wrote: I am comparing the UK against other Western European countries on the same latitude.

Assessing same latitudes is not quite a fair comparison. Continental Europe gets continental climate. The further east you go the more extreme the temperature extremes become.

But I agree with your main point though Baracombeboy. Continental houses are far better insulated, and guess what, they cost less than the equivalent sized lesser-insulated properties in the UK.

So yes SD, greater insulation does push up the cost, but the base line starting cost in the UK is comparatively excessive.

[Steve]

Insulation starts with your underwear. My current solid wall house is much colder than my previous cavity house, but an extra layer in the daytime and a lovely thick duvet at night sort that out. There's also a lot to be said for the four poster bed, blankets around it in winter and mossie nets in summer.

[bigpaul]

I DO hate modern houses, I think if we realised just how SMALL this house was and just how LITTLE storage space it has we wouldn't have moved here, its hard to see what size a house is with someone elses stuff in it.