Building A House

[jubby]

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the pro's and cons of Building materials (probably too much time).

Above all I want a Cool House, the look or design is a second for me.

The Quality Housing seems to be built with the small red brick & then rendered, I've also seen the lego bricks. not decided on which is best, suspect that the lego is cooler in the day, but warmer at night as its got more chance to store heat as its thicker. Does anyone know of any bricks available that don't take on the heat during the day ?

Also , the Roof, Quality modern Houses seem to have the concrete tiles instead of the cheaper thin fibre type roof tiles, I was in a friends bungalow last week which has the concrete roof tiles but no insulation, It was a lot hotter than my bungalow which has the fibre roof tiles and no insulation. I know the thin insulation with a foil backing is popular here, but does it really work ?

What changes would you make to your existing house if it was feasable to make it cooler ?

[chownah]

The climate varies from place to place in Thailand and there is probably not one design that is best everywhere. In the north the difference between day and night time temperatures is enough that thermal mass can be a benefit if used properly...but in Bangkok and further south the day and nite temperatures are not so variable which makes it much more difficult if not impossible to get benefit from thermal mass.

Everywhere you do want to build large eaves to keep sunlight off of the walls and especially you dont' want any direct sunlight coming in the windows. I have found that even direct sunlight on concrete walkways around the building can cause them to heat up and the radiated heat and rising air from them can heat the building so its even best to keep these shaded....some bushes and trees perhaps....awnings and screens too....the more shade the better really.

These and other related issues have been discussed here before so use the search function and I think you'll find alot to read to help you in your thinking.

Chownah

[jubby]

Thanks Chownah,

Your not wrong about the search. keep me busy for another few years .

As for Thermal Mass, I'm thinking I could do something with that, were in the north also, not sure at this stage wether I need a lot or a little of it. Keep the heat out altogether - Thick walls or thin walls to take advantage of the cooler evenings and let the heat out quickly.

[ratchabuild]

Thanks Chownah,

Your not wrong about the search. keep me busy for another few years .

As for Thermal Mass, I'm thinking I could do something with that, were in the north also, not sure at this stage wether I need a lot or a little of it. Keep the heat out altogether - Thick walls or thin walls to take advantage of the cooler evenings and let the heat out quickly.

Yeah man sounds far out I can dig that.

[chownah]

Thanks Chownah,

Your not wrong about the search. keep me busy for another few years .

As for Thermal Mass, I'm thinking I could do something with that, were in the north also, not sure at this stage wether I need a lot or a little of it. Keep the heat out altogether - Thick walls or thin walls to take advantage of the cooler evenings and let the heat out quickly.

One idea is to have a wall with the insulation near the outside surface and the masonry on the inside surface. During the day the insulation should keep the heat confined to the outer surface mostly and at night if cool air is brought inside and circulated then the masonry on the inside will be cooled and will thus provide cooling in the daytime. Ideally you want as little thermal mass as possible outside the insulation and as much mass as possible on the inside. I suppose that it is possible to construct a masonry wall with preinstalled wire hangars all over its exterior surface and then to use the hangers to attach white foam board to the outside surface of the wall...then apply a rendered (plastered) surface onto the foam as a hard outer surface...probably need to use some metal mesh for the plaster to stick to. This would give you only the thin plaster coat to hold heat outside the foam insulation and thickness of the masonry wall as thermal mass on the inside. Don't know how hard it would be to do this and have never heard of anyone trying it. A time tested method, though, is to do a double masonry wall with either insulation between them or even just a dead air space....this tends to trap heat in the outside layer of masonry and allows the use of the inner layer of masonry as thermal mass. Either of these systems relies on circulating air at night to cool the interior thermal mass.

Also, do remember that if you intend to use air conditioners then you need to rethink things completely.

Chownah

[kamalabob2]

I suggest you meet with several architects and even some builders in your area to get a tour of completed homes they were involved with. I just toured four different homes in Bangkok and they all had two levels of insulation. One level was just under the roof tiles (perhaps with a small air space) and the other level of 6 inch fiberglass insulation was above the ceiling gypsum board. One of the homes actually had a one foot airspace between the gypsum board ceiling and the 6 inch fiberglass. I was only looking at the quality of the window fabricators as two vendors showed me each two different levels of quality from their respective firms.

I have not moved into our new home yet, but now that the cement roof tiles from CPAC Monier are installed with a small air space and then the CPAC ultra Kool 3" insulation it seems to be cool in our home. The CPAC blocks which are similar to Q-Con, Super-block and Smart Block must make a difference. The COLOR of the roof tile and the Pitch of the Roof design does make a difference according to the www.PGE.com web site. An experienced Architect will not cost a fortune or percentage of your building costs in Thailand. Shop around, get written quotes and SEE EXAMPLES in person. I went "over the top" and had a 3.5 meter wide covered terrace for most of the ground floor. Then another 1.5 meter overhang for the "two step" roof design.

You can spend the money while building a home properly at the beginning to save energy costs for the long term, or give the money every month to the electric company and live in a hot uncomfortable home. I think if you read the brochures and web sites for the Light Weight Cement wall blocks you might consider the extra initial expense well worth the cost. Similar to using a compact florescent bulb instead of an incandescent bulb. One costs more initially, but in the long run is much less expensive to "own". I hope this helps the OP.

[Kf6vci]

I like SIPS as material for homes. Building times of a few days is another advantage. And buy windows with a good k-value like 1.0

[tjo o tjim]

Typically, the best design for the tropics is light materials, so heat is not stored. Keeping the thermal mass indoors will only work well if you have significant temperature variations between day and night -- your temperature comfort point needs to be equal to the average daily temperature for the system to be completely passive. Unfortunately, termites and other pests make building in concrete more attractive.

If you were to do a plaster-insulation-brick wall section, make sure that the wall detail includes an air gap to allow the outside surface to cool faster.

Using active design strategies (such as radiant cooling pipes in the walls) can improve the efficiency of night-time cool-down, but generally an "attic fan" system will do more for you. (A 2-story house can also work really well this way if cold air is brought in low and hot air exhausted from the top.)

The best advice is as kamalabob states-- get an architect's help. Basic decisions on materials, orientation, and landscaping play as important roles as choosing the correct wall details, waterproofing, etc.

[incubus]

I produce & build with what OP refers to as "Lego Blocks", not the massive old blocks of yore, but state-of-the-art Interlocking Compressed Soil Blocks with large vertical holes through them which lign up when the blocks are set in a wall. This space remains hollow, or is used for electric wiring, water pipes, or where vertical rebar & concrete reinforcement is required , instead of concrete pillars. I live in a house in Surin which is comfortable all year round without A/C, relying instead on appropriate design which provides natural ventilation.

To keep a house cool, it is indispensable to insulate the roof, but a reflecting aluminum sheet is enough; better yet, gypsum panels with this insulation affixed to the top side. They are more expensive than regular panels of course, but if you add up the cost of aluminum sheet insulation + plain gypsum panels + the waste of dealing with 2 separate operations, you'll find you come out ahead doing it in one clean operation. The gypsum board should be flush against the rafters for best effect. It's a double advantage to have peaked ceilings, as you don't waste space which would be lost (except to the critters) by fitting a flat ceiling, plus you benefit from the natural heat trap a peaked roof constitutes. This heat trap should have ventilation openings to relelase the hot air and to allow convection to draw warm air upward from your living space down below. I think it also permits some very elegant designs, although I speak from my European perspective.Being quite tall myself I like high ceilings anyway, and I appreciate the possibilities for subtle lighting that this creates. Thais generally don't like peaked ceilings, which they associate with temple architecture. Hence, they build their houses like ovens, then spend the rest of their lives paying heavy electric bills for all the A/C they need to rely on, and if there's a power failure they just have to sweat it out. Instead, our ceiling fans tend to turn even if they're not switched on, due to the constant breeze flowing through our house. Of course, we had to fit all openings with mosquito netting and closable windows, but that gives us a large, bug-free living space, which we can completely seal off in case of a storm.

The house walls are sheltered by a large roof overhang, and we have planted some teak trees in strategic places for additional shade. Teaks make great shade trees; they grow very fast and very tall, but if you prune them they will grow out and spread out low. I planted seedlings less than a year ago which are now 5 metres tall, with a trunk the size of my upper forearm.

Our regular building blocks are 30x15x10 cm and come in full size or half blocks. But we also make narrower blocks, 30x10x10 cm, which were originally designed for property walls. These come in 3/3, 2/3, 1/3 sizes, permitting them to be laid with see-through gaps, if desired. But they can also be used to build double hollow house walls, with openings at the bottom and top, which allow cooler air to be drawn in from below through convection and hot air to be expelled at the top. The outside wall absorbs the sun's heat, warming up the space between the walls, which then sets in motion the convection cycle, causing your inside wall to remain cool through the constant air flow between the space of the 2 walls.

All our walls are self-supporting, so no need for pillars. We simply reinforce corners, wall junctions or ends, and openings with vertical rebar & concrete, whereas horizontal rebar & concrete is used for window sills and lintels, as well as ring beams every metre hight of wall, as well as in the footings and under the roof. Ours is a 2-storey house, and we chose not to use lintels at all, opting instead for arches, which spread the mechanical stresses of openings throughout the entire wall, so no need for reinforcement. Also, windows can easily be transformed into doorways later on, simply by removing the independent sill breast. These are architectural and masonry concepts which are widely applied in Europe, but virtually unknown in these parts. Traditionally, the Thais and Khmers had no knowledge of arches, and it's an art my workers discovered with delight. The overall effect is strikingly elegant, in an otherwise deliberatly subdued house. All exterior and interior windows and doorways are arched, allowing for more subtle plays of light and shadow throughout the structure. And this house is airy, bright, clean and COOL!

Incubus

[stevejones123]

You want a light roof, either Bangalore tiles or asbestos sheeting with cover tiles on top. You also want a flat ceiling as the idea is that the hot air is trapped between the ceiling and the roof. On top of the ceiling, which should be light, you want a tar sheet, and on top of the tar sheet aluminium sheeting to reflect back heat.

If you want to do without air conditioning, then make sure the ceiling is high; eleven feet is best but make sure you have the windows and doors eight foot high instead of the standard six foot ten, or things will look out of proportion.

I don't know about Thailand as I live in Lanka, but instead of glass windows I have wooden shutters; the windows have burglar bars, but you can get them in a nice pattern. The glass is an additional expense (unless you have A/C in which case it is necessary) and when you have the shutters open you have fine cross ventilation.

[sleepyjohn]

I'm with you Incubus

High unobstructed (insulated) ceilings with large peak vents....and equally large ingresses below..... are the way to go. The higher the dimension the more the convection effect.

Not so sure about having as much masonry as poss inside the wall insulation Chownah. Wouldn't it act like a radiating storage heater? Given convection changing the air wouldn't the least radiation from the least thermal mass be preferable?

SJ

Edited September 9, 2007 by sleepyjohn

[chownah]

Why the tar sheeting? and what's a Bangalore tile?

[incubus]

You want a light roof, either Bangalore tiles or asbestos sheeting with cover tiles on top. You also want a flat ceiling as the idea is that the hot air is trapped between the ceiling and the roof. On top of the ceiling, which should be light, you want a tar sheet, and on top of the tar sheet aluminium sheeting to reflect back heat.

If you want to do without air conditioning, then make sure the ceiling is high; eleven feet is best but make sure you have the windows and doors eight foot high instead of the standard six foot ten, or things will look out of proportion.

I don't know about Thailand as I live in Lanka, but instead of glass windows I have wooden shutters; the windows have burglar bars, but you can get them in a nice pattern. The glass is an additional expense (unless you have A/C in which case it is necessary) and when you have the shutters open you have fine cross ventilation.

I'm with you, Steevejones123, on the light roof. But the flat ceiling is a waste of space and provides a breeding ground for all sorts of pests. You can trap the heat in the space between the tiles and the gypsum boards, or asbestos if you don't mind that (we used asbestos only under the outside portion of the roof). Also, in Thailand tar sheet (tar paper or felt, as well as bitumen shingles) are not widely used/available and expensive if imported.

Wooden shutters are good, but can't replace glass panes. You need the light, but you don't want the bugs. The best solution is heat-reflecting glass windows inside, adjustable wooden shutters with mosquito netting and steel bars embedded in the wooden shutter frame. But that can be a very costly solution, depending on where you are.

We tried to make the most of the space we were covering, and as a result we have a nice, airy loft with beautiful light and a spectacular view on the second floor. This floor will be completed with a staircase and banisters running all around the edges of the tile floor. A window on every side provides excellent cross-ventilation throughout the entire house when any of the ground-floor vents are open. The only drawback with this design, so far, is that sound reverberates sharply against the sloped ceiling panels, but that way you always hear what's going on in your house.

[Iolare]

I’m about to begin building a house and this information is both timely and valuable to me. I had decided on Q-Con light weight concrete blocks as the wall material after posting on this forum a few weeks ago, and getting good information from many folks. But now I’m curious about the material that Incubus is using. I’m very interested in the double wall arrangement with the openings that allow a convective flow of air that exits through vents at the top of the roof.

I’ve also designed high ceilings into my house, and have a cathedral ceiling in the middle with a thermostatically controlled mechanical vent planned. I’d like to know where these openings are placed to allow the thru the wall convectional airflow. Are the openings like heater wall grates used in forced air heating and cooling systems?

[sleepyjohn]

I’ve also designed high ceilings into my house, and have a cathedral ceiling in the middle with a thermostatically controlled mechanical vent planned. I’d like to know where these openings are placed to allow the thru the wall convectional airflow. Are the openings like heater wall grates used in forced air heating and cooling systems?

Is the thermostat necessary Iolare? Why not save money and hassle? The temps rarely low here. If you're in a quiet area you could use open ground floor windows (with screens) as the ingresses. If you felt chilly you could simply close them if they have glass. The egress could simply be the old fashioned large triangles at and under the ends of the peak.

I think simplicity is the key and no more is necessary.

Don't believe what they tell you size makes a difference. Don't skimp on vent area especially as you'll slow flow with fly screen. Several sq m I'd say if you can and have ingress to match.

Let us know how it works out.

[incubus]

I’m about to begin building a house and this information is both timely and valuable to me. I had decided on Q-Con light weight concrete blocks as the wall material after posting on this forum a few weeks ago, and getting good information from many folks. But now I’m curious about the material that Incubus is using. I’m very interested in the double wall arrangement with the openings that allow a convective flow of air that exits through vents at the top of the roof.

I’ve also designed high ceilings into my house, and have a cathedral ceiling in the middle with a thermostatically controlled mechanical vent planned. I’d like to know where these openings are placed to allow the thru the wall convectional airflow. Are the openings like heater wall grates used in forced air heating and cooling systems?

Yes. Did I mention that both the bottom and top openings are only in the outside wall? They are 10x10cm, one every metre along the footings where they're well off the ground and not liable to get flooded. They must be covered with steel mesh and well maintained to remain effective and critter-free. The top openings are below the roof, also fitted with steel mesh. Note that the double walls must be interlinked to prevent buckling.

Edited September 9, 2007 by incubus

[chownah]

I’m about to begin building a house and this information is both timely and valuable to me. I had decided on Q-Con light weight concrete blocks as the wall material after posting on this forum a few weeks ago, and getting good information from many folks. But now I’m curious about the material that Incubus is using. I’m very interested in the double wall arrangement with the openings that allow a convective flow of air that exits through vents at the top of the roof.

I’ve also designed high ceilings into my house, and have a cathedral ceiling in the middle with a thermostatically controlled mechanical vent planned. I’d like to know where these openings are placed to allow the thru the wall convectional airflow. Are the openings like heater wall grates used in forced air heating and cooling systems?

Yes. Did I mention that both the bottom and top openings are only in the outside wall? They are 10x10cm, one every metre along the footings where they're well off the ground and not liable to get flooded. They must be covered with steel mesh and well maintained to remain effective and critter-free. The top openings are below the roof, also fitted with steel mesh. Note that the double walls must be interlinked to prevent buckling.

Since you say the a double wall of the bricks you sell must be tied together to prevent buckling does this mean that a single wall construction using your bricks is not adequat to stand alone? If a single wall is adequate to stand alone then there should be not need to tie the two walls in a double wall to prevent buckling.

Just wondering,

Chownah

[incubus]

I’m about to begin building a house and this information is both timely and valuable to me. I had decided on Q-Con light weight concrete blocks as the wall material after posting on this forum a few weeks ago, and getting good information from many folks. But now I’m curious about the material that Incubus is using. I’m very interested in the double wall arrangement with the openings that allow a convective flow of air that exits through vents at the top of the roof.

I’ve also designed high ceilings into my house, and have a cathedral ceiling in the middle with a thermostatically controlled mechanical vent planned. I’d like to know where these openings are placed to allow the thru the wall convectional airflow. Are the openings like heater wall grates used in forced air heating and cooling systems?

Yes. Did I mention that both the bottom and top openings are only in the outside wall? They are 10x10cm, one every metre along the footings where they're well off the ground and not liable to get flooded. They must be covered with steel mesh and well maintained to remain effective and critter-free. The top openings are below the roof, also fitted with steel mesh. Note that the double walls must be interlinked to prevent buckling.

Since you say the a double wall of the bricks you sell must be tied together to prevent buckling does this mean that a single wall construction using your bricks is not adequat to stand alone? If a single wall is adequate to stand alone then there should be not need to tie the two walls in a double wall to prevent buckling.

Just wondering,

Chownah

Chownah, we're talking about 2 different blocks. In my earlier post I explained:

Our regular building blocks are 30x15x10 cm and come in full size or half blocks. But we also make narrower blocks, 30x10x10 cm, which were originally designed for property walls. These come in 3/3, 2/3, 1/3 sizes, permitting them to be laid with see-through gaps, if desired. But they can also be used to build double hollow house walls, with openings at the bottom and top, which allow cooler air to be drawn in from below through convection and hot air to be expelled at the top. The outside wall absorbs the sun's heat, warming up the space between the walls, which then sets in motion the convection cycle, causing your inside wall to remain cool through the constant air flow between the space of the 2 walls.

The blocks can support >100 kg/cm2, so whereas a 10 cm block couldn't be expected to support a massive roof, two 10 cm blocks would, provided they're interlinked.

[jubby]

Thanks a lot guys, given me lots more to think about. I was favouring a light roof with asbestos tiles , as they are much cheaper and have less thermal mass than the concrete tiles and considerably less weight to hold up so less steel also. As they can crack and let water in I was favouring a concrete slab ceiling on the 'lego' bricks. But now the idea of a very high roof & pitched ceiling with the possibility of using the roof as a living space is beginning to appeal, So I'd need to go with a concrete roof as it appears more durable, especially if using gypsum ceilings. I'm still not sure about the lego bricks, I like the easy of use and you could probably build a house very quickly and therefore cut down on labour costs and the accompanying stress of watching them build it. I did a destruction test on a few lego bricks a few years ago, I've still got one laying around in the garden. I took a Large hammer and a drill to them and also placed them in a bucket of water. I was impressed by there strength but they did seem to take on a lot of water so I think they need to be rendered to make water proof. The one in the garden does look a bit weathered now. I don't know if its true or not but a friend once told me that concrete blocks get stronger with age , I'm not sure about ageing for the lego blocks. There does seem to be a lot of people producing these now also so I would be concerned about finding a quality brick.

I'd better go now as I'm rabitting on a bit and it does appear to be a block of text with no paragraphs and little punctuation , don't want to upset the 'puctuation police ' on here ;-)

[batami]

a couple of comments:

the double wall is exactly the style of wall that has been used in the UK for a very long time - it is a cavity wall. Two walls with a 20mm gap are build and tied together with a wire butterfly brace at frequent intervals. at one time the gap was left as an air gap but in recent years (decades) the gap is filled with a foam insulation. our house in chiang mai has a single skin of brick between concrete pillars and rendered - and, knowing what I know now, as they say, - i would have spec'd a cavity wall al a UK design. I doubt that it would have increased the price marketdly and the long term isulating value would have been immense

although it is only partially effective all the windows in our current house have "black out curtain" behind a fine net - if the sun is on the window then the blackout is drawn and if not, then just the net is closed. the black out curtain is white - if that makes sense - i.e. it is spec'd for blacking out light but is white in color.

we are having a second bugalow built and i have spec'd and had built "cathederal" ceilings in all room (except bathroom) so have removed wasted loft space. I have fitted an electic fan in the apex of the living room and the kitchen (And thanks for the tip about a therms switch - will use that too). the over hang is not solid timber soffits but the ventiallted version - so there is a airflow through the gap between the ceiling and tiles - the gap is about 200mm

Ok i am waffling now - time to go....

[jubby]

I had thought about a cavity wall with insulation but I can recall we had a problem with rats in the attic in the UK. they were living on the stuff. I do think we would have allsorts living in it over here. I think the main purpose of a cavity wall is to keep the heat in for the winter in cooler climates, It would keep the heat out as well but I do recall that you need heating or cooling (Air-con) to make a big difference. Without Aircon I would have thought a overhanging roof would be just as effective, keep the sun off the walls and in the shade. Someone mentioned Using Teak trees for shade, a good Idea, but I have alot of teak around the House and I do recall it sheds its leaves in the hot dry season up here, so not very effective, may be different down south.

[Sir Burr]

1. Put the house on stilts (stops ground heat conducting).

2. Large eaves (stops heat radiation on walls and windows).

3. High ceilings (hot air rises to above head level).

4. Large volume roof with vents (less chance of air in roof heating up by conduction and good ventilation).

5. Orient house with the longest side facing predominant breeze (ensures good air circulation).

6. Lots of windows at front and back you can open to let the breeze in.

If you get the design right, types of building materials doesn't matter.

[ignis]

Most important if you have a house built is to be there EVERY day,

I am not at all sure builder understand plans, even if you draw what you want clearly then miss a day or 2 on site, then expect to have them redo what they did in the missed days

Somehow common sense appear to go out of the window

[sleepyjohn]

Whoops

Edited September 11, 2007 by sleepyjohn

[sleepyjohn]

I am not at all sure builder understand plans, even if you draw what you want clearly then miss a day or 2 on site, then expect to have them redo what they did in the missed days

I would recommend anyone to learn Sketchup, which in a fairly short time will give you pictures that can be easily comprehended by anyone......free and fun too.

[incubus]

1. Put the house on stilts (stops ground heat conducting).

2. Large eaves (stops heat radiation on walls and windows).

3. High ceilings (hot air rises to above head level).

4. Large volume roof with vents (less chance of air in roof heating up by conduction and good ventilation).

5. Orient house with the longest side facing predominant breeze (ensures good air circulation).

6. Lots of windows at front and back you can open to let the breeze in.

If you get the design right, types of building materials doesn't matter.

Sir, I agree with most of your other points, but not the first one. An empty space under the house is just a guarantee that you'll have vermin and pests scurrying around and nesting under your house. As for your stated purpose, I think putting the house on stilts is self-defeating, as this will ensure your floor will be near ambient air temperature. If air temperature at 1m is 40 C, your floor will be near that temperature too. Whereas if you build your house in direct contact with the earth, your floor will be as cool as the surrounding earth is 2-3 m below the surface, i. e. a fairly constant 24-26 C in these climes. The fact is, ambient air temperature and solar radiation heat only the top layer of the earth. (If there's a house covering the top layer, the earth beneath that house won't get heated up by the sun, remaining instead at or near the mean temperature of soil at a depth of 2-3 metres.)

I recommend instead that you fill your footings completely with damp clayey soil, which you then tamp down with a vibrating compactor. The compacted fill-in should be flush with your footings. Then put down a layer of waterproof material as a damp barrier--waterproofing cement, Thinset cement, bitumen, vinyl sheet are all acceptable alternatives. Cover the upper surface of the entire footings/foundation, including the in-fill, then build your walls, pour your slab, and you'll be dry and cool all year round.

If you doubt this info, check the facts for yourself. Step bare-footed on a raised platform floor when the weather's very hot. It will be hot. Then, do the same on a floor that's in direct contact with the earth (most wats, I believe, are like this, but I may be mistaken). The floor is cool, and as no heat radiates from the floor, the house will be cooler.

Just my opinion, based on observation.

Incubus

[kamol]

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the pro's and cons of Building materials (probably too much time).

Above all I want a Cool House, the look or design is a second for me.

The Quality Housing seems to be built with the small red brick & then rendered, I've also seen the lego bricks. not decided on which is best, suspect that the lego is cooler in the day, but warmer at night as its got more chance to store heat as its thicker. Does anyone know of any bricks available that don't take on the heat during the day ?

Also , the Roof, Quality modern Houses seem to have the concrete tiles instead of the cheaper thin fibre type roof tiles, I was in a friends bungalow last week which has the concrete roof tiles but no insulation, It was a lot hotter than my bungalow which has the fibre roof tiles and no insulation. I know the thin insulation with a foil backing is popular here, but does it really work ?

What changes would you make to your existing house if it was feasable to make it cooler ?

[kamol]

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the pro's and cons of Building materials (probably too much time).

Above all I want a Cool House, the look or design is a second for me.

The Quality Housing seems to be built with the small red brick & then rendered, I've also seen the lego bricks. not decided on which is best, suspect that the lego is cooler in the day, but warmer at night as its got more chance to store heat as its thicker. Does anyone know of any bricks available that don't take on the heat during the day ?

Also , the Roof, Quality modern Houses seem to have the concrete tiles instead of the cheaper thin fibre type roof tiles, I was in a friends bungalow last week which has the concrete roof tiles but no insulation, It was a lot hotter than my bungalow which has the fibre roof tiles and no insulation. I know the thin insulation with a foil backing is popular here, but does it really work ?

What changes would you make to your existing house if it was feasable to make it cooler ?

[Bpraim1]

Try this company

www.freshflowservice.com

It is a prefab house, you can pick a design and go from there.

Not made of brick , will not soak up the heat all day and keep the house hot at night like brick.