building theory..

[ColJack]

I like designing houses from time to time for fun ( hey we all have strange hobbies )..

what is the maximum thickness of outer wall that you can / should build?

is 600mm to deep? will the windows look funny?
is there any benefit to wider cavities with more insulation?


a little flat / double garage that I played around with..
View media item 10367 View media item 10368

 

[joinerjohn]

Hmmm , Bathroom straight off kitchen/dining room. only one door in between.
You may have a lot to learn there.

 

[hotrod]

You been on them painkillers again Col?

600mm is a lot wider than standard typical external walls*. Things to consider are window and door reveals and that cavities filled with insulation are subject to laws of diminishing returns!!!!

*Although it's not unknown to get solid stone 2 foot thick walls on old properties in the lakes and the like.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Keep your walls to 300mm wide and for Gods sake start using Sketchup, free for the basic version, a peace of p*ss to use and a lot more fun!

Untitled

• freddiemercurystwin
• 4 Jun 2010
• 1

Untitled

• freddiemercurystwin
• 4 Jun 2010
• 1

Wish I could just use Sketchup all day long!

 

[hotrod]

Ditto. Even I can use sketchup (free version) took about 4-5 hours to get used to it and now love it! And I was scarred for life by Autocad at Uni!

 

[ColJack]

Hmmm , Bathroom straight off kitchen/dining room. only one door in between.
You may have a lot to learn there.

quite.. that's what this post is for..

I know I can't learn everything from a forum, but the basics of good design so that I'm not creating completely useless drawings would be a good start..

it's not done on autocad, program called cadstd.. free program.. easy to use but no 3d..

used to draw it out pencil and A3 paper..

got detailed plans for a 6 bedroom, 2 storey house with useable loft space ( office / play room etc ) and basement with guest room, double garage ( need slightly sloping lot ) and the all important "bar / party" room..

 

[Static]

Nothing wrong with AutoCAD it is still the industry standard for CAD.. but sketchup has improved vastly over the last few years.. may even use it one day myself.. maybe

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Nothing wrong with AutoCAD it is still the industry standard for CAD.. but sketchup has improved vastly over the last few years.. may even use it one day myself.. maybe

Nothing wrong with AutoCAD as you say, its the best IMO, but very daunting to a new user without training and not free either! Whereas Sketchup, whole different story! Sketchup is used by many a top Architectural firm at a very professional level for huge schemes.

 

[ColJack]

can you go from plan to 3d in sketchup?

I actually "built" one of my houses with the halflife editor so I could walk round it.., I've lost the files now though..

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You can, but Sketchup allows you to draw in 3d and very quickly and easily too. Just download it and give it a whirl man!

 

[ColJack]

yeah I see now.. it was the "straight to 3d" that threw me a bit, wanted to draw floor plan first, I see now that's exactly what you can do, draw the floor plan then pull the walls into 3d..

now..

someone mentioned the toilet straight off the kitchen.. i take it that this is a no-no.. what's the rule regarding this then..

next question would be bout the floor..
what's the max span I can do block and beam flooring at?
I'm re-planning the above as something to do to learn sketchup.

 

[ColJack]

looking at the above picture, is it on to have the door at the bottom of the stairs like that?
what I mean is do i need a return on the outside corner or is it ok to stop the wall like that?

 

[Steve]

There used to be a building reg I think, that prohibited having only one door between a toilet and kitchen area. There had to be two. Hence my neighbours have the bathroom off the kitchen, and within the bathroom is another door to the toiler.

However, now AFAIK, the building regs state one door is ok as long as the toilet room contains a wash hand basin (there may also be requirements for ventilation etc but this was the main change)

 

[jeds]

Hmmm , Bathroom straight off kitchen/dining room. only one door in between.
You may have a lot to learn there.

There's no technical reason why you can't do that but it wouldn't appeal to a lot of people.

I don't understand the 600mm thick wall question. What would be the purpose of that? If it's for additional thermal efficiency then it doesn't fit with the overall concept. Small flats above a garage is going to be low cost low value. The design should therefore be based on the minimum required to meet minimum standards. Otherwise you end up with a unit that nobody will pay the money for.

 

[ColJack]

these will never be built, just trying to get them out of my head and onto papare to clear some space

they're my "what would I do if I won the double rollover lottery" fantasies..
so in effect, money is no object so I'm not aiming for minimum acceptible spec..

the 600mm wall was my thinking of 200mm outer leaf ( rendered block / stone clad etc.. ), 200mm cavity consisting 100mm air gap +100mm insulation to innner leaf, then 200mm for inner leaf ( block wall, 2x2 battens internal with plasterboardover, leaving a void for electrics + pipework )..