Floors and walls in second home

Finishing the walls and floors in our second home made a significant difference to the internal appearance. Polishing the reclaimed floorboards and concrete slab brought out the character of both surfaces. Plastering the walls highlighted the distinctive shapes and angles in the rooms.

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Outdoor and indoor temperature graph

Testing outdoor versus indoor temperature

While the indoor temperature felt comfortable during hot summer days, I was left with the nagging feeling that wishful thinking was keeping me cool. Passive solar design should minimise the need for mechanical cooling for everything but a run of very hot days. Temperature monitoring data confirmed this is the case for our design.

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Exposed slab edge on concrete foundation

Insulating concrete slab edge

Insulating the concrete slab edge reduces the heat lost from the thermal mass during winter. There are a variety of ways to install the insulation along with the termite barrier. After considering the likely cost/benefit, our design uses a garden bed to cover exposed concrete edges.

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Ceiling insulation installation underway

Glasswool insulation installed

Once the house was weatherproof, the focus shifted to interior work. Thoroughly insulating the walls and ceilings is a critical component of passive heating and cooling design. Putting plasterboard on the walls has clearly defined the rooms.

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Choosing the right insulation to reduce heat loss

Insulation choices

After sorting out the cladding options for our homes, we started to think about insulation.  What material should we choose to do the hard yakka of reducing heat flow through the ...

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