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kc8ual
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 2:56 am Post subject: Need help with designing a home |
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Hello,
My name is Nicholas Clark and I am living in Cebu City Philippines.
I am married with 1 kid on the way and I think it is time we move out of the boarding house and build our own home. The problem is that the building materials (excuse my language) suck.
The power goes out at least 1 time a week so I will need to incorporate a battery backup system but since it is so so so hot here...I need air conditioning...or a way to keep the house cool and not use a lot of energy.
The electrical here is 220 60hz and the main available building materials is concrete and steel...there are annites here that are pretty much microscopic termites (more like flies) that eats wood like it is nothing so wood is out of the option. There is very little insulation but I can get it just not like back home.
My property is small only 150 square meters but I can handle living in a small home but I can't find any good info on how to start planning a small home.
1st off all rooms will use "Murphy beds" to utilize space the best and no more that 2 floors since stairs take up a lot of space. I can purchase a Kalvinator here which is an LPG powered air con and it is the same price as an electric. Lights are great too. In my boarding house...which has 2 rooms, I am using an 8 watt fluorescent light bulb in each room which is more than enough light. Back home the light bulbs would be $20-$30 each but here they are $2 for a 25 watt bulb.
I have been looking at a lot of design plans online but what I am realy looking for is like what my friends dad built back in Lansing Michigan.
The house was pretty much all roof. It had a 2 foot space between the roof and ceiling for air to move around the house and in the crawl space he had a big pile of rocks. I think he called it a convection home but I am having problems looking them up on line cause if you use the term convection...all the results on the search engine are for ovens and heaters...both of witch I definitely do not need cause it is hot here...right now it is almost 30 o Celsius outside with about 90% humidity.
I hope that someone can help point me into the right direction cause the architects here in Cebu City just look at me like I am stupid when I ask them to design the house...
Pretty much all homes look alike here. they are concrete 3 - 5 floor homes since land is expensive and a steel roof but never any insulation.
I want a home that can convect the cool air from and air con around the house and well insulated so that 1 air con is enough to lower the temp in the house by at least 5 o Celsius.
LED's are cheap here so I plan on installing an LED lighting system in the house to also save energy since the cost for electricity here is the same as if I were in the States but the average yearly income is only $1200 USD.
Thank you for your time and for this forum being here.
Best Regards,
Nicholas Clark |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1776
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:11 am Post subject: |
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Hi kc8ual,
You have good ideas. I am very surprised that you can't find someone there who can help you.
I suppose we could dig up some reading suggestions if you are going to have to take this on yourself. While I do live in a somewhat hot humid climate myself and have some general recommendations on my website, I would not presume to know what is best at your location.
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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kc8ual
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:20 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Texas, I am checking out the site now.
I also came up with some more Ideas after reading around.
I am still thinking of the convection home like we had back home in Michigan, but in place of the bake box on top to heat up the home in the winter I was thinking a windcatcher of sorts.
The winds here travel from either north east or south west only. If I face the tin roof to the southwest keeping the sun facing the roof and not entering the house but waking up to the sunrise.
There would be a wall style vent on the roof the length of the house with a vent on each side. I would open the vent facing away from the wind to cause a vacuum the air would be sucked from the inside ceiling around to the window side of the house then through the crawl space where it will cool slightly then up the roof side where hopefully it creates fast heat expansion turning the original vacuum at the roof vent in to a pressure area forcing out the hot air. This should keep the roof cool...I hope and also move the vacuum to the crawl space area to increase the draw of hot air from the inside ceiling.
Has anyone tried this? Or is there another option...I know I am limited because of humidity...the average humidity here is around 80%-90%
right now it is 65% and feels like 31o Celsius....or very hot in Fahrenheit.
Best Regards,
Nick |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1776
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 7:48 am Post subject: |
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I'm not sure I understand the idea. To move large volumes of air would require wind speed. It is difficult to capture much energy through small temperature gradients.
There are several books available on passive heating and cooling.
That is the problem in hot humid climates. Things we can do to maximize efficiency in this type of climate is interesting to me.
All the things that work are pretty well understood and written in books the trick is to apply them well.
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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kc8ual
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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I do plan on utilizing wind as much as possible by using the force induction on the wind side and the vacuum created as the wind passes over the non wind side. As for books I should have grabbed one last time I was state side cause there is no Barnes and Noble here nor will they ship here. I have been looking for books but unfortunately the whole country is a big government conspiracy to keep the people poor and stupid.
The government owns the electrical companies and the public schools have no funding most parents have to pay the school even a public school to teach their kid. I was thinking of wind or solar power but the electric company said that they do not understand the idea of purchasing extra power from me. Those that are smart usualy make realy good money or they just leave the country. Even my wife's parents said that the way they vote is based on which candidate gives the biggest gift to the community but then complain when they give themselves a pay raise.
I hate saying it like this but it is the way it is here that is why I can't find books on the subject. I am stuck having to look up info online.
I just want to design a house that helps cover costs, using a 2 foot air space between the inside and out side of the house to create an air insulation 2 feet wide around the house that is constantly moving as long as there is wind pushing air into the house and sucking it out on the other end of the loop. I will try to get some time at the internet cafe that I can draw what I mean because I can see it in my head but in words it just does not come out correctly
Best Regards,
Nick |
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fathom.this
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: upstate NY
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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i believe what your friend/friend's dad built is what atleast USED to be referred to as an envelope house.. or a double envelope house.. the air space and gravel below sound exactly what i was just reading about in my book the sun/earth buffered super-insulated house *not the exact title*
these are a pretty good way of regulating heat *so long as they are built properly* maybe if you search under that name you'd be able to find more info..
also you may want to look into a "super-insulated" house.. which would help to regulate heat..
<3 hope that helped
Elle |
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