Constructive criticism please!

Conor · Constructive criticism please!

I've drawn a crude blueprint here of a house, one I think I could build when I make the leap to the smallholding. Of course, I don't know a bloody thing about building anything past tree houses and this "blueprint" is based off of absolutely nothing reliable whatsoever. Well, almost. I did consult a few blueprints of similar houses.

So, with that said, I invite anyone with any knowledge of building to eviscerate my drawing here. It seems straightforward enough on paper, but, as with most things, I suspect there are all sorts of loopholes lurking in the shadows of reality, that will lash out at a more inconvenient date.

Better I find out now and alter the blueprint accordingly. So I ask you all, help me fix this house!

(Needless to say, this is not to scale.)

1. Originally, the wooden flooring and concrete slab was intended to be level with the ground, though I was corrected in short order by a friend and have since elevated it. That would have been ever so stupid.

wayland

I think your roof is more than ok, but to put straw bales in between blocks might not be so cleaver. The cavity wall construction requires S S steel ties connecting the block corses. I think the width of a straw bale would be too great for this to be effective. Having said this I am no builder but I have built a house of conventional construction. What you discribe is not conventional and an Architect would be able to put you right. I have seen an ECO house that used straw bails for insulation, but this was of timber frame and the bales were tied into the frame and each other. Then rendered to keep the weather out. This construction was live and would move about a bit. this would of course crack the render from time to time. Daub would be more forgiving and could be easily repaired.

Conor

Could you explain the S S steel tie concept?

another question I have is: Would the concrete reduce the effectiveness of the straw bales as insulators?

quarryman

Yes.
Create a cavity between the outer leaf and the straw bales, best get rid of the inner block leaf and shape and render directly to the inner bales. You can run fireproof conduit through the bales for power/srevices etc. Remember to put a breathable damp-proof membrane on the cavity side of the bales. Sheeps wool will make a great insulation material for ceilings, walls and under floor.

You could use timber beams as a wall plate instead of ss and go for a lower pitch of roof for insulation purposes unless you want to use the space in the future.

Conor

I greatly appreciate this info, Wayland and Quarryman! I'll be updating the drawing in a bit, to make sure I've got you right.

Now, the roof plan itself is the build for a thatched roof. Referring to your comment on the pitch, I read that a thatched roof needs at least a 45 degree angle (which I guesstimated the pictured one is) to deflect rainfall most efficiently. How drastic is the loss of insulation value with steeper pitch?

Which brings me to another point: is a thatched roof a decent insulator?