The next stage is the piping that is embedded in the floor slab to provide the heating for the home.
Here the site has all of the mesh down and ready for the piping. The plumbing for the whole DSHH system is being carried out by Alan Davies from Davies Plumbing and Gasfitting Ltd, Porirua
Most of the piping now attached to the floor slab mesh - starting to rain!
Still some pipe runs to complete - hopefully finished on Wed 31st
Fine day and the rest of the piping is down and complete. Now needs to be pressure tested before the concrete slab gets poured.
Note the areas not covered by the pipes that include where the walls are going or areas where no heat is required. Wine cellar, pantry and garage.
After pressure testing the concrete floor goes down and is to be polished in the wet room areas of entrance, kitchen, bathrooms and laundry.
This week is the start of the layout of the first significant sustainability feature for the home, the Digital Self heating Home system from Energy Efficient Homes Ltd. This system uses a solar heating system to heat all hot water, the home through the in floor heating system and all spare heat is then stored in the in ground system under the floor slab which stores heat and is digitally controlled and returned to either the hot water or the floor slab as required. The system once installed and up to heat will provide all requirements year round. The system requires a very good thermal seal of the whole building and insulation of the walls and roof is increased to ensure minimum leakage of the heat.
This first photo shows the sand base on which the under floor piping system is going to be laid. The colors designate one of the six 90 metre runs of piping for the hot water system.
In this photo the different pipes have been run and concentrated at the point in the laundry where the hot water tank and digital switching will occur. This is also where the floor slab pipes will also be terminated when the floor slab is poured next week. See the video at the end to see the overall marking of the site prior to the pipes being laid out.
The pipes are all laid out and sand is now being laid to cover the pipes and to provide the base for the heat system.
The colourful layout of the pipes
The concentration of pipes where all of the switching between the in-ground pipe system, the in-floor system and the hot water cylinder will occur through the digital system.
With the pipes all covered by the sand the polystyrene insulation then goes on to provide the thermal seal and then the reinforcing is being installed to hold the floor slab and the pipes for the in floor heating part of the system
All of the polystyrene is down and the mesh is ready to be finalised along with the pipes for the in floor heating system.
Brief video on the layout of the pipes.
Also see the separate page on the DSHH system and links for further information on this system.
Week four (8 Aug) had the foundations being poured and completed, however the weather then set in and the snow and rain arrived causing a one week delay to the work. (See the last picture in this blog set of the snow starting on Sunday 14th)
Photo taken on the 20th of the resulting concrete pour ready now for the plumbing and in ground heating system to be installed.
Site on the 20th August
Start of the snow and rain on Sunday 14th which led to a week delay in the next stage of the ground works.
Week two (25 July) had the retaining walls in place and the site levelled off ready for the start on the foundations.
The foundations for the digital solar heating system require a deeper footing to allow for the under floor heat bank system.
Week three (1 Aug) commenced with the foundations being poured and preparation for the foundations themselves
Here you can see the foundations being prepared with the reinforcing and polystyrene sides
You can see the final floor level at the top of the polystyrene compared with the under floor system (the inside level).
See the steps needed to build a sustainable and environmentally friendly home from scratch.
This build started on the 18th July with the levelling off of the site, but the planning started much earlier with many decisions made to ensure that the home would maximise sustainable features while staying within 15% of the standard build for a home of this size.
The house is 248 square metres, on a site of 951 sqm, with the house all on one level and is being built and was designed by Hayward Homes Ltd.
The home includes the following features:
Full digital solar heating home system, with below ground heat bank system, hot water heating and in floor heating system provided through the Digital Self Heating Home (DSHH) system from Energy Efficient Homes Ltd.
Powersmart 2.07kW photovoltaic system connected to the grid via Meridian.
PVC windows and door frames with double glazing and with a wooden front door.
All lighting being LED throughout
Polished concrete floors in kitchen, laundry and bathrooms,
In ground Watersmart 4700 litre tank connected to toilets and outdoor taps.
Watersmart lille system from bathrooms for in ground watering system.
