St Luke St Retrofit Complete!

Great turn out at the open day held at St Luke St for our Retrofit for the Future project for Sanctuary Housing, which shows the level of interest in the realities and challenges of retrofitting our existing housing stock.

Presentations from contractor's Seddon, and Fran and Jennie from ATA gave all present a great insight and overview into all aspects of the project from design to completion on site.

Click here to view ATA's presentation of how we designed to reduce the CO2 emissions at St Luke St by over 80% using Passivhaus Enerphit approach

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

During the past week, we have completed the decoration, commissioned the boiler and solar panels, commissioned the MVHR and are completing the external works.

David (Sanctuary's Clerk of Works) and I have just returned from St Lukes and the MVHR is running and the rads are off, the temp in the bedrooms is almost too warm! The ext temp is 13deg and the attached photo shows the solar panels heating to 59deg.

Solar Thermal Info Panel on Rotex Unit

Decorations Complete

MVHR wall mounted outlet to front bedroom

Insulation in Loft & Insulated MVHR intake

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

Over the last 4 days we've been decorating , testing the MVHR and completing the glazed tiling.

Radiators moved closer to wall for more space

Small 'back-up' radiator for very cold days

Rear Bedroom showing MVHR cupboard & outlet

Insulation to MVHR intake

Water meter for monitoring installed under kitchen sink

Smart meters installed for 2 year monitoring 

New cupboard built to house meters

Building Control Viewpoint on Retrofit

Senior Building Surveyor Phil Booth, of Building Advisory Services at Stoke On Trent Council has contributed his comments on the retrofit project at St Lukes St so far. Phil Booth has been inspecting the works as they've progressed, and we grateful that he's offered his comments and views below.

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

This last few days we have finished the plastering, fitted the kitchen and had the gas and elec meters fitted.

Bathroom now plastered 

Wall-mounted radiators for more space 

Kitchen Installation Begun

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

The works completed from 2/2/11 to date has been the f/fix joinery and membrane to the extension, plastering to the same and 2nd fix mechanical and electrical to the f/f.

Additional air-tight sealant to cable grommet

Air-tight taping to triple-glazed rooflight 

Patteresses to take WC to insulated wall

Wall-mounted ventilation outlet to bedrooms

MVHR unit in cupboard

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

Today we are finishing the membrane to the extension in preparation for the plasterers tomorrow. As you can see from the photos the elec connection was made today and contact with the smart metering company has been made. We have also started decorating the f/f and will be starting the 2nd fix M&E from the 2/2/11.

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

Since Christmas we have fitted the floor to the rear extension, studded out the extension walls, the slab to the rear step of the extension, patch plastered some and started to fit the last of the windows and doors today.

Triple-Glazed Rooflight Installed 

Membrane taped to floor DPM

Sheepswool wall insulation

Wall membrane taped to floor

Architect Post: Thermal Bridge Heat Loss for Dodgy Wall

We are rebuilding the new extension against the neighbours party wall, and insulating with a small amount of insulation.

Site discovered a section of brickwork approx. 1.2 x 1.2m square that sticks out 70mm from the wall, as it looks like a section of the old garden wall was simply built into next doors extension.

Mish-mash of brickwork to neighbouring rear extension party wall

We intend to insulate the party wall slightly in this area with 70mm insulation to minimise heat loss to next door, so this protruding brickwork cuts into our insulation, and we don't have any tolerance in the extension to insulate around, as a narrow site!

The clerk of works for the housing association does not want to cut back this brick, as next doors wall build-up is unknown, so I've done two calculations on this section of wall to consider the effect of forgoing party wall insulation to the square of wall:

Difference in Heat Loss for Party Wall to next door: 
 A x  U1 x ft x Gt
 = 1.08 x 1.769 x 0.25 x 68
=  32.5 kWh/yr
=  0.5 kWh/sqm.yr

Difference in Heat Loss for Party Wall to below ground: 

 A x  U1 x ft x Gt 

 = 0.36 x 1.769 x 0.59 x 68

=  25.6   kWh/yr

=  0.40 kWh/sqm.yr

TOTAL HEAT LOSS = 0.9 kWh/sqm.yr

Would increase heat demand from 23 to 23.9 kWh/sqm.yr

A = Area (m2)
U1 = Difference in U-Value between insulated & non-insulated party wall (W/m2K)
ft =  Temperature correction factor for party wall assuming 15oC low next door & 21oC interior temp & -3oC external temp
Gt = Heating degree hours per year (kKh/a) - used manchester weather data

Internal Wall Surface Temperature of section of wall below neighbours floor level

(Bottom corner):

= Room Temp x (U x Rsi x (Room Temp - Outside Temp)

= 21 x (2.205 x 0.13 x (21 - 10)

= 21 - 3.15

= 17.85 oC (So no mould growth risk)

U = U-Value of non-insulated party wall (W/m2K)

Rsi = Internal Surface Resistance for wall

Outside temp = 10oC as below ground

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

The last few days have been difficult with the weather being so cold, we have however pushed forward as far as we can with the roof and today we will fit the vapour barrier which will make it water tight over the Christmas holidays. The setting out of the roof lights has proven difficult as we had to align them in such a manner so when they open they do not foul on the steel beam. (hope we get this right)

It is unlikely that we will do anything else this week after today as the sub-contractors are finishing after today.

Merry Christmas to you all and a happy new year.

Rebuilt I-Joist roof to rear extension to increase insulation

Rebuilt roof to rear extension

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

Today we have completed the block work to the extension and started the plaster skimming. We have routed the solar panel pipes from the roof to the kitchen boxing which proved to be more complicated that it looked at first. The problem was that the pipes are in one long length and to thread them through walls and floors without using any sharp bends was quite difficult. 

The house is significantly warmer that the other houses we are renovating for Sanctuary, we noticed this when we put on some temporary heat and within five minutes we had to turn off the heaters as it was to warm to work.

Minimal boxing for MVHR supply Ducting in Bedroom

Visible return for internal insulation to party wall

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

The weather has finally warmed up enough to allow us to start the rear extension, the front door has been fitted and when shut you can tell the difference in sound insulation compared to a standard door.

New Front Door

Re-building rear extension blockwork

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

Today we have inserted the foamglas packer to above the steel beam, the windows have been completed and the intello tape fitted to the frames. The temperature has finally got above 3deg and work has started on the rear extension.

Foamglas bearer for steel

MVHR Kit in cupboard

Triple-glazed window installed 

Woodfibre insulation returned at party wall

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

Yesterday and today we have been fitting the windows and started the fibre board to the f/f, the fibre board has been difficult to cut and needs a hand saw to do this. We tried to cut it with a power saw but the fibres clog up the saw. The windows so far have been easy to fit even though they are quite heavy, the membrane has been attached to the windows as per the manufactures detail and has had extra tape applied to give a better seal.

Woodfibre lining board to external walls 

Plasterboard ceiling with air-tight grommets for cabling

Air-tight taping to triple-glazed windows

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

Today we have had a pre plaster air test, the result was 4.5 which leaves some room for improvement. The main areas of leakage were as follows;

• Through the electrical back boxes. We hope to remedy this by sealing the inside of the box with intumescent mastic. For future projects it would be better to use airtight back boxes.

• The junction between membrane and plaster in corners and around joists. This will be rectified with the use of the Orcon F mastic to form a better seal.

• All penetrations through the g/f membrane. More attention to detail around the pipes.

• Walls in general that are plastered and need patching, the air test engineer has stated that a continuous plaster covering as opposed to patching will be better for a lower result.

• The staples to the membrane although we have fixed them as specified would show a collective hole of approx 50mm when added together. To rectify this we will apply the Tescon No1 tape over the staples. (see photo)

Staples taped over on airtight membrane

Ceiling membrane with tape applied over staples

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

Today we have patched the plaster and sealed in the rear elevation prior to the air test. The MVHR ducts have been taken as far as we can go and the membrane has been completed to the main part of the house.

Services and ventilation supply duct within first floor

MVHR system specified with double plastic pipes to each terminal to reduce flow speed

Stoke Site Snowscape...

Site Manager Ian Davenport's Site Progress Diary

1st fix ductwork and electrics, fit rear steel internal flooring to g/f, plaster intello membrane in. The main problem we have come across over the past few days is that the instructions for the MVHR products are in German. My highschool grasp of the language is limited to ordering coffee and getting a hotel room with a shower.

MVHR ducts within first floor for living room supply

New steel beam to rear wall opening

Cabling through ceiling airtight membrane

Cabling through ceiling airtight membrane

MVHR Baffle boxes to spilt ducts

MVHR Baffle boxes to spilt ducts