dpb

What makes it stay upright if you had a severe deluge of rain / earthquke , there didnt appear to be foundations ( unless i was making tea at the time ) ?

If you couldnt con innocent climate protesters to pound earth couldnt you use some sort of compactor like you see for roadwork

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

does this kind of thing keep you awake at night ?

If so I suggest you worry about other things

Leslie

What house?

Les

nik52wrx

The house on Grand Designs last week....

dpb

channel 4 , well for mere terrestrial users anyway

skoobidude

Grand Designs has gone too "eco" for me. Whilst some of the creations are still amazing, Kevin McLoud can't help ramming the E word around.

More converted barns, chapels and water towers please!

dpb

To be totally honest id rather this than contibuting to Beanies mansion fund rebuilding exploits or that other tart Kirstie ...(whatever her face is ) country house mokeover
no offence

corradoboy

Agree, and from a former TVR owner His Cerbera was often lurking in the background in the first series, these days he seems to always be shown in a rented Vauxhaul making you wonder if he's so green he doesn't own a car

It's the 'revisited' shows that p!$$ me off though. They used to do GD Revisited as a show in its own right, but now a 'new' series usually has a couple of new and loads of old ones with 7 minutes at the end showing him calling in for a coffee (Fairtrade of course ). This last season was better than most with only the last two shows being recycled, but it was supposed to be 13 'NEW' episodes, and somehow it became 9 new and 2 regurgitated

Leslie

Oh thanks, I missed it.

Les

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I did like the tyre house as it was a "true" eco house in sorts as it was mostly reclaimed or natural materials. But I belive the foundations was a concrete pad, but its hard to say (underfloor heating is a clue - as its often contained in a screed).

But what really did concern me was no obvious form of damp-proof course. Especially seeing the tyres are full of mud as is the plaster, what is stopping damp rising and permeating into the house? UNless they tanked it on the ouside where the ground is built up and the ground pad has a membrane. Otherwise I bet after a few winters it'll be a mouldy mess - a toxic mouldy mess at that And the money they spent...holy crap even after using free labour! They are some rich lentil munchers about these days

I agree GD is far too eco these days: And I don't catorgorise an eco house as one made using thousands of tons of poured concrete or thermal blocks - its no different or inventive than any other modern structure, just with more insulation, some solar panels and no proper central heating.

And most using "thermal-mass" heat storage techniques appear to lack any form of managed fresh air ventilation to prevent accumulation of stale air in colder months - a dirge that affects majority of UK houses since regs forced so much draughtproofing measures. Leading to somewhat unpleasent and stuffy living environment (christ, my old job as an air-con tech is starting to show now ).

dpb

As far as i can see most 'eco' posssible would be stones out of the earth plugged together with lime mortar

And funnily enough france is stuffed full of such places