New House Build. Help/Suggestions please(HVAC, Cinema, Electrics, Cladding, Timber etc)

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20164 posts

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#1333048 28-Jun-2015 19:25

Contact Leap for underfloor heating, as I have heard they are good. The cheapest heat source is likely to be heatpump hot water. Gas I imagine will be very pricey.
Have a look at Bradford gold for insulation, as they had the highest R value / thickness when I last looked for ceiling. If you are using IC downlights, you need to make sure you are using insualtion that is compatible. I would also look at using wool in wools, as it is good for reducing mositure transmission through the walls I read. Teralana do wool insualtion.

Aredwood

3885 posts

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#1333084 28-Jun-2015 21:55

Don't use underfloor heating in rooms with good solar gain. As the response time of underfloor is way to slow to compensate for varying solar gain. You will have annoying temp swings.

Also that claim of ground source heatpumps achieving a COP of 7 sounds very suspect to me. I would like to see some links to heatpump units that claim that.

And piped natural gas is very cost competitive with heatpumps and in some cases cheaper. As the colder it is outside, your heatpump has to either run at lower efficiency, have less heat output, or both. Gas doesn't have this problem. If you do go with gas heating, make sure you get condensing gas heaters. They are often around the 95% efficient mark. And if you go with gas hydronic heating, Don't use an infinity as the boiler. As they are not very efficent when used for this. Get a proper European central heating condensing boiler. And make sure it is not installed with a blending / mixing mainifold. As those type are used with a boiler running at 80deg. And the mainifold reduces the temp down to 45deg or so. This is inefficient compared to just having the boiler set to output the correct temp.

mattwnz

20164 posts

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#1333106 28-Jun-2015 23:29

If you want a quick place to compare Insulation and R values vs the wall/ceiling thickness try http://www.designnavigator.co.nz/CRC.php . I would also suggest 140 timber framing around the wall perimeter, as you can increase you R value up to 3.6 with batts (generic insulation, not a brand).

billgates

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#1333591 29-Jun-2015 17:33

pipe60: We will be building north of Hamilton later this year. We are doing 140 framing as well and using the R4.0 batts in the walls and R5.0 in the ceilings.

Under floor heating design was done by Waitoki engineering(Cant post links) supplied from a 850l cylinder heated by a Marshall boiler.

Currently looking in to the the UPVC option as well.

Do you mind sharing the web site for tapware?

All bathroom/kitchen taps and shower systems from here.

http://www.insani24.de/

VAT gets excluded at checkout. HansGrohe stuff is really good.

If you want really good uPVC supplier then contact Euro Windows

Will be upgrading my ceiling R to 5.0 from 4.1

Do whatever you want to do man.

billgates

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#1333592 29-Jun-2015 17:36

mattwnz: Contact Leap for underfloor heating, as I have heard they are good. The cheapest heat source is likely to be heatpump hot water. Gas I imagine will be very pricey.
Have a look at Bradford gold for insulation, as they had the highest R value / thickness when I last looked for ceiling. If you are using IC downlights, you need to make sure you are using insualtion that is compatible. I would also look at using wool in wools, as it is good for reducing mositure transmission through the walls I read. Teralana do wool insualtion.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have contacted Leap for Hydronic and Hot Water system recommendation/quote. I have sent them my house designs etc. Looking at Bradford Gold as well. I see R 6.0 product for ceilings from Bradford in NZ but max R2.8 for walls.

From what I have also read and have been recommended by Leap is to for Air to Water heatpump for Hydronic in comparison to gas which is non-renewable. Heatpump will output many more kW to it's 1kW input. I am thinking of dropping Infinity gas for water as well if I go with Air to Water heatpump. Keep it all electric and in future Solar PV it.

Contacted MaxRaft and Fantech HRV today as well and supplied them with my house designs for a quotation and system recommendation.

Certainly getting a slab edge insulation put in. Will see if my budget/price allows for Hydronic heating though. The Fantech HRV system from estimate will come around to $15k incl install + GST for 8 ~ 9 ducts

Do whatever you want to do man.

billgates

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#1333601 29-Jun-2015 17:48

Aredwood: Don't use underfloor heating in rooms with good solar gain. As the response time of underfloor is way to slow to compensate for varying solar gain. You will have annoying temp swings.

Also that claim of ground source heatpumps achieving a COP of 7 sounds very suspect to me. I would like to see some links to heatpump units that claim that.

And piped natural gas is very cost competitive with heatpumps and in some cases cheaper. As the colder it is outside, your heatpump has to either run at lower efficiency, have less heat output, or both. Gas doesn't have this problem. If you do go with gas heating, make sure you get condensing gas heaters. They are often around the 95% efficient mark. And if you go with gas hydronic heating, Don't use an infinity as the boiler. As they are not very efficent when used for this. Get a proper European central heating condensing boiler. And make sure it is not installed with a blending / mixing mainifold. As those type are used with a boiler running at 80deg. And the mainifold reduces the temp down to 45deg or so. This is inefficient compared to just having the boiler set to output the correct temp.

Thanks for that. If I do go gas, will get the Condensing boiler. When you say don't use 'infinity as the boiler', do you mean the boiler system where it does your hydronic heating and also heats your water for showers etc at same time? And Vaillant is a good brand for condensing boiler? Any outfit in Auckland or Hamilton you can reocmmend for Hydronic heating?

http://www.waterware.co.nz/central-heating

When I spoke with Leap today for hot water needs for showers etc they mention using mainifold to get the 3 bathroom taps quick access to hot shower from a 270L hot water tank that they install outside which runs off the heatpump (same heatpump as Hydronic)

Do whatever you want to do man.

akmodi

26 posts

Geek

#1333614 29-Jun-2015 18:40

The best gas based condensing boiler is a Bosch one -- take any model that will give you adequate heat.

If you go with hydronic underfloor heating : Bosch --makes one for hydronic heating directly : http://www.bosch-climate.co.nz/products-bosch-hot-water/bosch-heating-systems/hydronic-heating-boilers/

Without a doubt these are the best, with the least of the problems. Valiant are middle of the range boilers.

Bosch also make excellent heat pumps. Their ground source heat pump technology is from IVT of Sweden whom Bosch bought out 8- 10 years ago. IVT has the worlds largest number of installed system in sweden , where roughly 90% of houses in the last 15 years have a heat pump installed at construction.

Both of them will give you hot water for normal kitchen and bathroom use.

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akmodi

26 posts

Geek

#1333619 29-Jun-2015 18:53

I had built my house in UK with the ground source heat pump -- I have extensive research and experience with the IVT/ BOSCH ones. I can even discuss the sizing of the heat pump etc. In total I have used a ground source heat pump for over 8 years and researched for 2 years prior to that.

I can show you calculations that show that an air source heat pump is certainly not recommended unless you can get a guaranteed COP of over 3. This is not common in an air source heat pump. The air source heat pumps also struggle to maintain efficiency when the outside temperature falls below 7*C: Which is really when you want the heat. Thus during the day you may get a COP of 4, but at night, you will struggle to get a COP of 2 at which point the gas is certainly better. Most of the electricity will be used at this point: defeating any benifits over a gas based heating.

The ground source also works well upto a temp of -2*C.

When you had a gas combi bioler you got an efficiency of 60-65%, but with a condensing gas boiler 95% efficiency can is standard.

I would not recommend a air source heatpump over gas heating esp since you can get very efficient gas systems today.

Yes, a ground source heatpump with a minimum in use COP of 3 will be best, but has a higher install cost and a payback time of about 7 years. Most Bosch ones will easily achieve this.

billgates

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#1333643 29-Jun-2015 19:24

My estimate from the builder included the 50mm Resene Integra Rockcote cladding with 20mm styrene battens. After much researching today, I found out that it is a aerated concrete panel like the EZ Panel from Specialized which is good. Although it is not a full AAC block, it does have good STC rating for sound proofing and build strength. Still trying to find out how much extra $$ will it cost to go full AAC blocks.

https://reseneconstruction.co.nz/assets/uploads/systems/documents/RC%20Integra/STC%20Opinions.pdf

Do whatever you want to do man.

bfginger

1269 posts

Uber Geek

#1334304 30-Jun-2015 16:31

HRV is usually the V in HVAC. The systems sold in New Zealand that pump air from the ceiling aren't true HRV systems but are PPV, positive pressure ventilation systems although there are companies selling them under the "HRV" name which has people confused. A house of this size does need some kind of climate control system to be comfortable.

Not all HRV systems are the same. Some can recovery heat from rangehoods and shower fans. Some keep incoming and outgoing air separate while others mix them to perform humidity exchange. Some systems won't be suitable for our climate.

If the house has a heat pump for cooling it could make another heating system a duplication. Some hot water heat pump systems can be used for cooling too. More efficient R32 based air to water heat pumps should start appearing in 2 or 3 years. If the house is properly insulated and glazed I think cooling will be a bigger issue than heating.

Solar panels can be installed on a nearly flat roof and have brackets to slant them to the sun. Having some panels facing to the evening sun would help evening electricity use.

The server rack is 1 metre away from your bed. That doesn't look healthy.

Bradford Gold does have an R4.0 product for 140mm walls as does Pink Batts. Knauf doesn't go past R3.2 for walls in NZ.

If you get one, go for a slightly bigger than 270 electrical litre hot water cylinder as you have all those baths and showers that could be used simultaneously. The price difference is small and an insulation wrap can deal with heat loss on larger cylinders if they aren't already well insulated. A larger tank allows heat storage from a PV system with the right setup.

Mains gas isn't needed for a gas cooktop. They can run off a gas bottle outside the house. There are double bottle systems which automatically switch over to the other bottle when one runs out.

Gas cooktops usually have the elements sticking up in the air. Some like those from Smeg are flush with the benchtop which I think is safer as the pots and pans aren't elevated.

Replacing the swing doors on the wardrobes with sliding or French doors would free up more space in the bedrooms.

I would remove the window on the upstairs "gallery" and place a solatube or skylight with triple pane heat reduction glazing there for sunlight so the unusual indented area could be included into the house. The space between the 3.4x1.9 wardrobe and 3.2x3.2 bedroom could have the two adjacent "Linen" and "CLOSET" areas moved there which would free up more room for the bedrooms. Where the "CLOSET" area was I'd place a small south west facing window. I don't think a south west window would work in the other 3.2x3.2 bedroom as it'd look directly into the bathrooms but if the south east window was a bay window it would have a wider viewing angle without privacy issues.

MikeAqua

7785 posts

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#1335161 1-Jul-2015 16:31

I'm a keen cook and pay a lot of attention to what works and doesn't in kitchens. All the clever thinking seems to come out of Europe where space is often at a premium. Here are few random observations that may or may not be useful: -

Cooktops: Induction is the king in safety, and for tech appeal and aesthetic but IMO gas is still king for actual cooking. It works on any pot or pan material and has a constant variable heat. Even top end inductions I have seen are still on/off cycling devices, and touch controls however cool (depending on type) can be problematic if hands are wet and/or cold or you move pan over top of them. The only thing gas is not great at is very low levels of heat. I have always used a simmer mat to get around this. If I was getting gas plumbed and like to use a wok crazy hot, I would consider a bayonet fitting (with an isolator valve) to allow a plug in wok ring. I've never seen any residential hob that can throw out enough heat for a big wok.

Joinery: Make sure any laminate is fully sealed - especially along the botom edges of the cupboards draws etc. exposed fiberboard can absorb water and blow out. Avoid fibre-board window mouldings near work surfaces in the kitchen for the same reason. They can blow out in time unless sealed very well on all edges (which builders almost never do).

Good quality hinges and runners makes huge difference to how enjoyable the kitchen is to use. We went with Blum soft-close everything and never regretted the expense. By contrast the cheaper hardware in our current house isrubbiush

Draws are fantastic, even in the pantry if the design is suitable. Draws behind bi-fold doors are a fantastic use of space for smaller items up to eye level. Dual layer draws near the cook top for implements and spices are handy as is a vertical pull out drawer for sauces, oils etc.

Get a quality extractor and make sure it is installed to deliver it's maximum extraction volume.

You can never have too many power points.

Open plan vs seprate kitchen - open plans is more social and great for entertaining, but noise can spread into the living area and any smells the extractor can't deal with.

Mike

billgates

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#1335168 1-Jul-2015 16:40

Had a long meeting yesterday with Jennian and got the updated floor plans. The wall between the family and kitchen is now gone. Kitchen layout has changed. There is a good size (3.6M x 1.3M) Island that will also host the sink. Not sure if I want to get rid of the slider door in front of the island or not as it seems to be of no use now. Windows have been removed from above the beds in all bedrooms and have long/slim side windows on each side of the bed. Laundry's entrance has changed a bit. I now have 3M from northern boundary to family/living/dining walls. Main gallery is 1.7M wide.

Few other little changes. Click on images to enlarge and then zoom. Please pass any suggestions for this new floor plan.

Do whatever you want to do man.

lxsw20

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#1335175 1-Jul-2015 16:47

The Kitchen looks way less cut off in your new plans. Big improvement IMO. The only small thing I would say is maybe swap around the ground floor bathrooms, as it would be easier to point guest to a bathroom just past the kitchen rather than having to go down a small hall. (I'm guessing guest would go to a bathroom with out a shower in it).

billgates

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#1335180 1-Jul-2015 16:55

Good point and spotting. Thank you lxsw20. Will request this change as well.

Do whatever you want to do man.

mattwnz

20164 posts

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#1335189 1-Jul-2015 16:59

lxsw20: The Kitchen looks way less cut off in your new plans. Big improvement IMO. The only small thing I would say is maybe swap around the ground floor bathrooms, as it would be easier to point guest to a bathroom just past the kitchen rather than having to go down a small hall. (I'm guessing guest would go to a bathroom with out a shower in it).

I agree that it does look less cut off, but the introduction of the island bench creates a lot of wasted space. With an island kitchen, they are best suited to open plan designs where you have enough space for a dining table on the other side . You maybe able to fit one if you reduce the distance of the kitchen between the kitchen benches and island. It is a good idea anyway not to have a big distance when you are working between the two benches.

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