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.

my barn conversion
Latest Posts

BREEAM ~ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method by mbc on May 11th, 2008

Microgeneration installations now 'permitted developments' by mbc on May 6th, 2008

Transition Town Llandeilo by mbc on May 4th, 2008

My Favourite Things ~ ‘Stone Wall’ by mbc on May 1st, 2008

Building Progress ~ April 2008 by mbc on April 29th, 2008

Latest Comments

On Peak Oil ~ what is it & what bearing does it have on green building? by Transition Town Llandeilo | my barn conversion on May 4th, 2008

On Where have all the builders gone? by mbc on April 28th, 2008
That's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question miss dee ennis and obviously depends on location, the approach you take to the project (architect / main contractor / self-managed with sub-contractors etc.

On Where have all the builders gone? by miss dee ennis on April 28th, 2008
I am thinking of buying a barn for myself and would be gratfull if someone could give me a ballpark figure as to how much this is likly to cost .

On Project Management ~ Basecamp by Attention to detail… April 2008 update | my barn conversion on April 15th, 2008

On Heating & Hot Water - a solution? by Building Progress ~ March 2008, week 3 & 4 | my barn conversion on April 8th, 2008

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Building Progress ~ April 2008

April 29th, 2008 by mbc

I can’t believe that April is drawing to a close and I’ve not managed an update since the end of March. On the basis of my laziness I’ll save time a update the whole month in one go.

scaffolding

The first fix electrics are now completed and plumbing is to follow over the next couple of weeks. The scaffolding that is needed for inserting the velux windows into the roof, patching up the few slipped tiles, sorting out the gutters & ventilation and working on the two upstairs windows is in place. It’s really looking like a building site now.

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

Where have all the builders gone? on July 17th, 2006
Having embarked on this crazy journey I thought we should try to firm up on exactly what it will cost.

Green = Mean ? on November 12th, 2007
I've spent the day practicing my version of precision carpentry cladding openings of my .

Oak Beam ~ The Movie on January 14th, 2008
Inspired by my first outing onto YouTube and dazzled by the 143 people who've so far taken the time to watch the minute long tour of the ground floor of the barn that I've subjected treated them to, I thought I'd give it another go.

Gas Pipeline Woes on June 23rd, 2007
A rainbow rose over the pipeline today! I must admit I loathe the thing.

Offer for Barn accepted! on June 28th, 2006
The ball starts rolling.

Posted in Journal of my barn conversion | No Comments »

Peak Oil ~ what is it & what bearing does it have on green building?

April 27th, 2008 by mbc

Peak Oil is a notional point in time. It is reached when the rate of global oil production hits its maximum level from which the only way is down. In these terms downs means escalating costs of extraction & production, restricted supply, unfulfilled demand and increasing prices.

The foundations of the peak oil concept lie in the Hubbert peak theory of Marion King Hubbert that accurately predicted that United States oil production would peak in the early 1970’s. The term Peak Oil currently usually used in relation to world oil production as a whole. Conservative estimates place the date at which Peak Oil is reached at between 2020 & 2030, whilst more pessimistic commentators will suggest that the point has already been passed.

Whilst much of the comment and speculation around the subject reads like Princess Di or JFK conspiracy theorists letting their imaginations run wild, there are tracts of thought that can help us in consideration of designing our homes and living environments sustainably.

So what has this got to do with barn conversions?
Most obviously, restricted oil supplies lead to expensive energy. We are already being subjected to soaring energy costs and uncertainty (whether or not this is related to Peak Oil I’ll leave to you to decide). Under these conditions sustainable, self-contained energy solutions become attractive not just from a isolationist perspective, but also a financial one.

We must also consider the wider impact of oil supply as it extends its tendrils into so many other aspects of modern life. The plastics, chemical fertiliser & pharmaceuticals industries all rely heavily on oil. What alternatives are there and how can we insulate ourselves from the impacts of change? This question when coupled with the challenges of climate change has lead to the transition town movement.

A Transition Initiative is a community working together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address this BIG question:

“for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?”

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

Grrrrrand Designs... on January 31st, 2008
I love Grand Designs, it's been an inspiration to me and is at least partially to blame for this project.

Gothic Grand Designs Redemption? on February 12th, 2008
I'm determined not to keep going on about Grand Designs, so this is the last I'll say on it (at least for the moment), but it was nice to see Kevin find his old critical eye again - I guess he lost it somewhere on the way to .

Cash Incentives for 'Green' Installations on August 28th, 2007
A recurring topic that has kept popping into my consciousness over the past few weeks has been that of financial incentives to encourage of adoption of green technology in buildings.

The Greener Homes & Buildings Show ~ Builth Wells, 8th & 9th March 2008 on March 7th, 2008
As I write the .

Lack of Government support for solar power on January 17th, 2008
As this project progresses certain features become core to the overall design whilst others fall onto the 'B' list.

Posted in News | 1 Comment »

Photovoltaics

April 21st, 2008 by mbc

Photo = light & voltaic = electricity

Photovoltaics is a technology that utilises light to generate electricity. As such it is an essential tool in the development of more sustainable methods of electricity generation. Simplistically, electricity is generated by the photons from sunlight colliding with electrons within the solar cell.

Solar cells are solid state devices that produce direct current electricity from light. They are arranged into interconnected groups to form a module. In turn photovoltaic (PV) modules are connected together into photovoltaic arrays. A module is big enough to power a single device with larger applications such as a family home requiring an array. PV arrays can be built into the fabric of a building, in its roof or walls, or developed as a stand-alone system as we see connected to street lights or on caravans.

PV cells use both direct light and indirect or diffuse light and so are effective even in temperate climates and operate under grey overcast skies, not just on bright sunny days.

As in most cases they constructed largely from silicon, the manufacture of PV modules has relatively green credentials, although the need for batteries for storage in off grid situations can somewhat sour this.

Most UK implementations of PV will be grid connected PV systems. In these systems there is no need for battery storage. The PV system is connected to the local electricity network (grid) and any electricity not consumed locally can be sold to the electricity supply company. Where the local PV system is unable to provide all electricity demanded, for example at night, then electricity is bought from the grid. The ‘grid’ acts as the storage system.

One of the leaders in the new thin film technology that allows cells to be printed on a aluminium film at low cost is based in Wales just like MBC!
The company is G24 Innovations who have a fabrication plant in Cardiff.

An inverter will be required to convert the low voltage (12 volt) DC electricity generated by PV to high voltage (230 volt) alternating current (AC) consumed by most UK appliances.

How much?
A typical domestic system will need between 1500 and 2000 Watts peak (Wp)
Typical modules have power output of 75 to 120 Wp.
Therefore, 10 to 20+ modules will be required.

I have ‘tirelessly’ searched the internet for illustrative costs from various sites and articles of various ages I’ve come up with the following:

£4,000 to £9,000 per kWp installed.

£8,000 and £15,000 on a typical domestic installation of 1.5 kW.

…this works out at £12 000 - £14 000 for a 2 kWp system for a house.

To provide a PV power supply capable of meeting the demand from a typical domestic energy efficient house costs in the region of £20,000.

…costs can be around £5,000- £8,000 per kWp installed with most domestic systems usually between 1.5 and 3 kWp.

Which gives an average of somewhere around £6,000 per kW so £10,000 for a typical domestic installation of 1.5 kW. As this will save you several hundred pounds a year on electricity costs the financial payback is long. The overall cost-benefit will only tip into the positive if you personally value the ecological benefits highly.

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

Super Insulation on April 18th, 2007
Through recent technological innovations it is now possible to insulate buildings to such an extent that no heating system is required to maintain comfortable temperatures.

Air Source Heat Pump on July 10th, 2007
The younger sibling of the ground source heat pump (GSHP), the air source heat pump (ASHP) is an exciting development in heating technology.

Solar Water Heating on March 13th, 2008
Solar water heating systems use energy from the sun to heat water for use in the home.

Ground Source Heat Pump on June 28th, 2007
The basis of heat pump technology is something that we are all familiar with as it is the same as that used in refrigerators or air conditioning units.

Underfloor Heating on May 7th, 2007
From the Romans to present day, underfloor heating has been a good idea.

Posted in Systems of interest to barn converters | No Comments »

Cables

April 17th, 2008 by mbc

Beautiful things electrical cables… especially when they mean that you’re making some progress with the first fix.

If you enjoyed that post, then read these…White-washing? on January 10th, 2008One solution I’m considering for the seemingly porous stone gable-end wall is to repoint and dub-out the joints between stones where necessary then whitewash it to provide a […]

Posted in Journal of my barn conversion | No Comments »

Attention to detail… April 2008 update

April 15th, 2008 by mbc

Being a fan of lists, we’ve been using one to keep track of those items that we need to specify and decisions we need to make in regard to the detailed design of the conversion ~ attention to detail.
This is the current position:

Ground or Air Source Heat Pump that is the question. >> Answer = […]

Posted in Journal of my barn conversion | No Comments »

Building Progress ~ March 2008, week 3 & 4

April 8th, 2008 by mbc

Progress has become a rather abstract term recently.
Nothing has physically changed at the barn, but plans are being made and wheels (hopefully) put in motion. I’ve not helped things by changing plans for the heating … hopefully we’ll get things out of the doldrums and moving again in April…
If you enjoyed that post, then […]

Posted in Journal of my barn conversion | No Comments »

Project Management ~ Google Documents

April 7th, 2008 by mbc

I now organise nearly all my documents for the project using Google Documents. These are mainly letters and the spreadsheets I use to juggle finances and it works well for me. As I access the internet from at least two different places most days the ability to store documents on the web is perfect for […]

Posted in Products | No Comments »

Paid to recycle

April 3rd, 2008 by mbc

Love him or hate him or just find him amusing, I read with interest that Boris Johnson is advocating a positive encouragement to recycling in the environmental manifesto that is a part of his candidature for election as mayor of London.
He is inspired by schemes such as that run by RecycleBank in the USA that […]

Posted in News | No Comments »