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my barn conversion

Keep track of what's happening with my Progress Updates.

If you read only one book before designing your conversion or renovation, then I recommend that you make it this one. I love patterns!

Location, Location, Location! pah, that's old hat we all know that the new mantra of home-building is Insulation, Insulation, Insulation.

Read more about - Lime mortar, VAT on conversions and managing woodland for fuel.

Tiling tips - learn from my mistakes!

Around an ongoing barn conversion project, this website draws together advice, information and references to aid all would-be and current barn and non-residential building converters and renovators.

Our approach takes on board 'healthy house', sustainable, ecological & environmental concepts to as great a degree as timescales and budgets allow.

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On White-washing? by Whitewashing update 2010 | my barn conversion on March 16th, 2010
[...] wall. After finding it was ‘infested’ with stalactites and stalagmites, I considered whitewashing the wall, then eventually it was...

On We have stalactites in our walls! by Whitewashing update 2010 | my barn conversion on March 16th, 2010
[...] do about the leaky, south facing gable end wall. After finding it was ‘infested’ with stalactites and stalagmites, I...

On Boxing Clever? by Built in bed | my barn conversion on March 12th, 2010
[...] of practicality and desire. Practical because part of the construction can be used to solve my tricky carpentry challenge...

On Travertine tiling - pictures by Downstairs tiled floor | my barn conversion on February 18th, 2010
[...] time and money in planning, sourcing and then fitting. It’s been completed for a while now (since August 2009),...

On Gas Pipeline Woes by The four new English “eco-towns” | my barn conversion on February 10th, 2010
[...] my first thought was ‘glad they’re not on my doorstep’ , but then I have a bloody big gas...

On Building Progress ~ August 2009 by Building Progress ~ January 2010 | my barn conversion on February 8th, 2010
[...] foray into the world of tiling can be quicker and more effective than the last one, the thought of...

On Insulation by Logs | my barn conversion on February 5th, 2010
[...] Location, Location! pah, that's old hat we all know that the new mantra of home-building is Insulation, Insulation, Insulation...

On Logs 2 by Future Fuel | my barn conversion on February 5th, 2010
[...] Logs 2 [...]

On The Healthy House by Green Business on February 2nd, 2010
Thank you for this checklist - I might use it in future when building a green house of my own!...

On Air Source Heat Pump by Feed-in tariffs … coming soon to a roof near you!? | my barn conversion on February 2nd, 2010
[...] On Air Source Heat Pump by Pete on January 12th, 2010I'm in a barn conversion with a GSHP supplied...


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    What is Thermal Mass?

    Category: Eco-Architecture August 6th, 2007 by mbc

    One of those frequently occurring eco-building terms, thermal mass is often mentioned but rarely defined.

    The thermal mass of a building is an assessment of the ability of its internal fabric to absorb and store thermal energy. Through absorption of heat, the temperature of a material increases - the amount of heat that must be absorbed to raise the temperature of a material by one degree varies by material. This ability to absorb heat is measured by the Specific Heat Capacity of the material (SHC). The SHC is a measure of the amount of heat energy required to raise 1KG of the material by 1 degree Celsius. Those materials that require most heat to increase in temperature have a high thermal capacity (also know as high volumetric heat capacity), such materials are typically dense in composition and ideal for storing thermal energy - these are materials such as brick, concrete and stone.

    Heat Capacity Examples: Soft Wood 730kJ per cubic metre per degree Celsius
    Brick 1360kJ per cubic metre per degree Celsius
    High Density Concrete 1760kJ per cubic metre per degree Celsius

    As a major element of our heating and cooling strategy, through passive solar design, we will seek to employ thermal mass in harnessing the energy of the sun during the day and releasing it during the night when it is needed.

    In the Summer, the thermal mass will provide a buffer to over-heating, absorbing thermal energy and reducing the peak temperature whilst moving the time of the peak later into the evening.

    In the Winter, high thermal mass buildings will take longer to initially heat up, but with regular occupation will retain the heat for longer and will reradiate heat comfortably overnight when it is required.

    If you enjoyed that post, then read these...

    Peak Oil ~ what is it & what bearing does it have on green building? on April 27th, 2008
    Peak Oil is a notional point in time.

    category: 'Eco-Architecture' title (3)

    Wales' Zero Carbon Dream on December 31st, 2008
    Zero Carbon is a term that 'haunts' me a lot (I need to get out more).

    category: 'Eco-Architecture' (1)

    Zero Carbon to be redefined on January 26th, 2009
    My concerns over the ability of Wales to achieve its zero carbon dream by 2012 appear to be shared by the political community.

    category: 'Eco-Architecture' (1)

    The sustainability of old buildings on December 19th, 2008
    An interesting short article on green futures states that: Our historic buildings need not be unsustainable.

    category: 'Eco-Architecture' (1)

    No Batteries Required... on August 17th, 2008
    In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year.

    category: 'Eco-Architecture' (1)

    Posted in Eco-Architecture |

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