21 Oct 2015 Cedar Louvres / Kitchen

Western Red Cedar rainscreen cladding

Master craftsman Steve fixing centre panel with template in place below

On return from holiday in France the perfectly timed weather was dry and sunny for a whole week, allowing me to strip off the all protective black Tyvek, applied without ventilation top and bottom (and becoming brittle in the sun).

The battens were checked for plumb and flatness and packed up to 18mm using birch plywood continuous packers in 1mm increments. New Tyvek 'Facade' with matt black outer face was stapled into place with double sided tape lap joints and 40mm air gaps for ventilation to the cavity. This membrane is weatherproof but vapour permeable allowing the cavity and wall to breath.  

Vertical 15x50mm light gauge galvanised steel angles were screw fixed to the perimeter battens with a Compriband sealing strip between the edge of the Tyvek and brickwork.

Compiband though expensive can be installed in a very precise manner and will slowly expand after installation to form a weather proof seal.  The edge of the Tyvek was 'hemmed' using a narrow double sided tape to conceal the white cut edge and give a sharp black line.  The exposed face of the galvanised angle and the aluminium  input and extract grilles were painted matt black using bitumen emulsion weatherseal.

Fortunately the Lindab downpipe was able to be swung out of the way to allow access for installation and fixing of louvre panels without totally dismantling.

The Youngman Boss scaffolding tower is well designed,  easy to erect and dismantle by one person and pretty stable when full height; highly recommended!

The upper 3 sections of cedar cladding were prefabricated in the workshop in accordance with full sized templates all using the same lozenge profile cedar sections. The top and bottom louvres fixed flat onto battens and the middle section edge-on.  All louvres generally fixed using concealed decking screw fixed from the rear.  The edge-on louvres allow sufficient gaps to allow airflow to and from the ventilation system and also allow a view out of the first floor window and giving visual interest from the street at dusk.

The lower section of louvres will now be completed, though not requiring scaffolding they are more fiddly, incorporating door intercom, gas meter box and and internal insulated letter box yet to be detailed!

Kitchen 

The kitchen  has been complete for some time with shelves and tiling as the final details, (kickspace upstand still outstanding!).  The floor tiles worked well as wall tiles though a black grout was used to mimic the gaps between cabinet doors and drawers.  Careful and time consuming cutting of tiles was necessary because they are monolithic fired material as opposed to glazed tiles.

27 August 2015 - Photo Voltaic Installation

Local News

Healthy scepticism?

The state of over-gentrification can be judged by the number of sample pots?

PV Installation
 

In May 2015 I naively clicked a banner ad on my laptop promising comparative prices for PV installation, I was curious because it was always 'in the plan' but just not a high priority.  What I realised the following day was that this was just a sales-lead gathering website for contractors and some of whom also install double glazing, roofing, cavity wall insulation etc.......

Since only a handful of contractors phoned me, I made appointments with 3 or 4 for no obligation quotes.  It became apparent that most PV contractors are used to quoting for pitched roofs, where apart from the kit there are 2 fixed variables; roof pitch and orientation, so the 'surveyor' has only to work out how many panels can be fitted.  My roof is flat and fairly limited in size, with the pitch and orientation of panels almost infinitely variable - a clean sheet so to speak.

One contractor offered a totally flat layout, which would have necessitated regular cleaning, another proposed a south facing pitched arrangement but by my calculation the arrays were larger than the available roof space.  All contractors majored on Warranties,  which I found off putting because I wanted a company I felt I could trust, without relying on guarantees that should only be a last resort.

Since I was now fully up to speed on Photo Voltaics from initially very little knowledge, it seemed logical to continue through to an installation.  I did a bit of research mainly through trusted Electricians and came up with 3 likely PV Installers.

I had an intelligent 2-way conversation with the surveyor from Solarsense, rather than a sales pitch, who understood that I was after value for money that could be expressed in the payback period and was able to consider all the variables in a flat roof installation. 
Solarsense were also experienced and confident in specifying flat roof installations that relied on ballasted frameworks.

A couple of layouts were explored in outline and the favoured one analysed in more detail.  The installed layout dispensed with the desire to face due south at an angle across the roof and instead lined 2 rows of panels, pitched back to back and square to the roof layout.  This gave a dense layout and the low pitch of 10º (to aid self cleaning) and meant that the panel surfaces would receive light for a wide part of the day with only a small reduction in efficiency due to the low pitch.   This arrangement also had the advantage of a fairly streamlined profile, so ballast to prevent uplift and movement could be kept to a minimum, though still weighing a tonne!

In an effort to reduce installation costs I suggested that the house stairs and rooflight could be used to transfer materials to the roof, as an alternative to external scaffolding, in addition I offered to move ballast to the roof. 

After some rather lengthy discussions with the framework manufacturer in Germany and checks by the Engineer the ballast layout was agreed. 

The most convenient and economic form of ballast I could find was concrete path edging,  61 were required each weighing 16kg.  These were cut as necessary at ground level, carried to 2nd floor and then by an ingenious sledge contraption dragged onto the roof;  thanks to Miles, Gillian & Webster for lending a hand!

Safety scaffolding was erected and the installation took a little over a day, the layout fits the roof area neatly with walkways to get to all roof areas.

 

I am especially pleased with the electrical installation, where switches, a meter and the large inverter all fit snugly into the available space next to existing electrical equipment.

Today is the first day of generating electricity, monitored via WiFi and smartphone app.  

In a couple of days I will have the necessary paperwork to allow my electricity supplier to pay me every 3 months depending on electricity generated...... after I have paid for the installation. 

Kitchen & Solar Panels

Kitchen awaiting tiled finish and sockets.
Pleased with grey Hexboard finish, although the reverse face was not smooth grey as promised but a standard dark brown phenol.  Thankfully and by a stroke of luck the cabinets are black and not the normal white so the finished combination looks 'OK'!
The front panel on the dishwasher was pretty tricky and almost impossible to finely adjust.
Lighting is a bit disappointing, I decided that the space above the wall units was a bit dark so wanted a linear light, so experimented with LED tape.  Very neat components but the colour match is very poor with a green tinge although the colour temperature is the same.  May take this up with the LED supplier when I have a moment but can't see me getting far.
I need to come up with a neat solution to disguise the extract grille

The bracing to solar panels was installed some time ago.
The neatest solution would have been to rely on ballast to prevent uplift and horizontal movement but the loads proved too high for the roof structure.  The only practical solution was to use ballast to resist uplift and restrain the frames from horizontal movement.  Rather than bespoke metalwork off the shelf scaffold type components were utilised.  Fixings were only practical at parapet height for weathering reasons and the top of the timber framed construction offered practical fixing locations.

Purpose made U-bolts connect the frames to tube structure

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MVHR - Remedial Work

MVHR

The MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation & Heat Recovery) seems to be working well and silently. The automatic programme works continuously and is currently set with fan speed 2 at night and 1 during the day, these can be altered to suit occupation   A temporary 'boost' fan speed 3, can be switched on when cooking or after the shower is used to purge spaces of smells or excessive humidity and operates for a set period - currently 45mins, via a bell-push switch in the kitchen.

Spot the typo

Filters

The frequency of filter changes (recommended between 3 - 12 months) depends on several factors;  intensity of use of ventilation system and amount of internal and external contaminants.  The purpose of filtering is to remove airbourne contaminants from entering the dwelling; fumes, dust, pollen etc. and most importantly to protect the very low power fans from clogging up.  

I read that an MVHR user had installed a power meter to measure watts used by fans to help determine when to change filters that are quite expensive (3 filters @about £12 each).

I installed a meter measuring power in watts, but  the increased consumption hardly registers.  The fans are constant volume so as the filters become blocked the fans work a little harder to move the same volume of air.  We are now approaching 1 year of occupation so I have changed filters.  The main filter that protects the frost heater was pretty dirty, fairly black from city pollutants.

Insulation

It is very important to insulate the incoming and outgoing ducts to avoid condensation which would form if warm humid air inside came into contact with steel ducts that could be approaching freezing temperatures.  

The MVHR system is provided with a heater battery (contained in the dark grey square polystyrene box), to warm air during very cold periods and a condensation drain in the MVHR fan unit.

The original insulation installed around the incoming ducts was an incorrect specification, (foil covered mineral wool) and the insulation was not in contact with the external wall insulation. For some reason the correct Armaflex insulation went missing towards the end of the contract, so I elected to install the replacement materials myself.

I stripped off the MDF patris around outgoing ducts  and found that the holes through outer walls were a bit hit and miss and were not sealed airtight, or fully insulated.

Externally some 'making good' was required around ducts and fortunately I was able to get a sufficient offcut of the insulation board.  The voids were neatened up, and tight-fit infill pieces cut on the bandsaw and finished with expanding foam.   The external aluminium grilles were relying on friction fit so I made some birch ply panels and drilled the grilles to secure them.

Insulation repaired

External duct inlet

Cutting insulation from template on bandsaw

Internally I made some thin birch ply surrounds, close fitting around ducts to give support and close the gaps around OSB.

                               

Plasterboard damage was repaired, missing Rockwool insulation replaced and enlarged holes cut by hand around duct and silencer. These holes were cut 60mm larger than ducts to allow the total thickness of 50mm Armaflex to be in close contact with the wall structure.

Walls were filled and plasterboard re-painted. 

Ductwork was reassembled, with addition of a small shelf to support the frost heater.   Armaflex, a lightweight and flexible insulating foam with a skinned surface, was added in two 25mm thicknesses.

Cutting schedule

Armaflex is fairly easy to work with with a sharp kitchen knife and careful measurement, although the surface is pretty fragile and snags quite easily with finger nails for example.  

I did spend some time plotting out how each section was to be cut to ensure I had enough material and reduce wastage. 

Printed pattern transferred to cardboard template

The corners are made by using 90º or 45º templates transferred onto cardboard and gluing 2 sections together to make pre-formed corners.  

All butt joints are made using a very runny contact adhesive with a consistency of golden syrup and the finished joints neatened and reinforced with self adhesive foam tape.

A few missing ductwork seals were installed

Preformed corners made from 2 pieces of Armaflex with curved butted joints

Finished job

Kitchen Progress 5.3.15

Resemblance of a kitchen!
This has been some time in the making because IKEA had a 4 for the price of 3 on appliances before Christmas so I ordered slightly prematurely, so good to see the boxes now opened and those appliances installed!                                   So far I can only set the clock and switch them on and off, need to study the manuals when I have a moment.

DESIGN
The overall design is as originally intended with a few minor modifications.
The intention is to have a very simple design that will sit well in a relatively small kitchen/diner/living space.  Whilst I would much prefer an eye level fridge this would have compromised the linear design so I have gone for an under counter appliance with back-up freezer elsewhere.
To maximise the available worksurface and give flexibility in use the drainer is built into the worktop.  I have never had a dishwasher before so I guess the need for a draining area is limited.  I do feel a bit reluctant to use the drainer though it looks so precious!
The underslung sink is an IKEA model and is not entirely successful because it is principly intended for top mounting so the edge has a chamfer detail which is difficult to clamp without distorting from the underside.  Better quality sink would avoid this problem but the aim is a fairly low budget, if experimental, installation.
The mechanical ceiling extract is lower than intended because the ceiling void is small and a tight duct bend is necessary just above ceiling level.  The original plan was to build a lowered ceiling above the wall units with a pelmet downstand and lighting at the front edge.  This all now seems like too much hard work for limited result, so I now plan to build a floating ceiling panel incorporating the extract grille - a bit like a 'cloud'.
I wanted to incorporate a microwave in the design but there was no logical upper level space and I wished to keep the worksurface uncluttered.  So the compromise is a combined oven+microwave, the oven is relatively small, but it gives a neat solution.
The original plan was to incorporate a gas hob but I wanted a flush underside to the wall cabinets and integrated hob extract and found the minimum height for gas a bit limiting.  So I switched to an electric induction hob which allows the extract unit to be mounted slightly lower.
 
IKEA SPECIFICATION
The base units are IKEA black woodgrain finish, not as readily available as white but the same price.  They give a crisper appearance and show white dust rather than dark marks, so you take your choice. Another drawback is that the drawer units only come in white, but when drawers are closed the black units and details give neat finish with lines around the appliances and doors etc.
All appliances are IKEA apart from the hob extract.


IKEA DETAILS
IKEA have recently completely upgraded their kitchen design worldwide including a rail system for mounting cabinets to walls and a much smaller kickspace beneath the units from about 150 to 80mm.  I guess this is to maximise the use of space in base cabinets but it does necessitate a sliding mechanism on the dishwasher to enable the door front to be accommodated when the dishwasher is opened. 
Dishwasher - Unfortunately the 450mm dishwasher does not come with an integrated mechanism (unlike the 600mm appliance) so an adapter has to be applied to the front and the whole dishwasher pushed back into the opening. (This adapter would be also be used where appliances other than IKEA are incorporated). The instructions for fitting this are pretty useless and offer an impractical way of making a neat job, so this took 2 attempts.
Oven - Again I followed the IKEA installation instruction which was a mistake.  Their assumption is that the oven shelf support utilises only the pre-drilled cabinet holes and a blank filler panel is fixed above the oven.  By customising the shelf height the gap is closed at the top edge whilst allowing for all the required ventilation dimensions. Since the drawer fronts below will be custom made rather than IKEA standard off the shelf, this will not present a problem.
Services - I have mounted the base units away from the wall with sufficient space behind to accommodate all plumbing and drainage. IKEA assume that all services will be drilled through the cabinets which can be messy.  I also painted out the rear wall below the sink in matt black emulsion to give a neat appearance.
Lighting -  The low voltage lights are wired up but not yet fitted.  I need to mock them up beneath the cabinets to check the lighting effect - normally they would be towards the front of the cabinets to give even distribution over the worksurface and minimise shadowing on the rear wall.  I am installing a narrow shelf with lighting to the right of the wall units so not sure how alternating the light from front to rear will look.
I did plan to install lights above the wall cabinets to avoid a shadowy area but have deleted this for the moment as too much lighting and unnecessary expense, it can all be added later if required but I want to avoid a 'blingy' effect.

OTHER
A check of existing walls showed that the area around the window was not level with the general wall; up to 12mm out.  This would be impossible to tile and not practical to pack out with adhesive so I scabbled back the finish and applied several coats of plaster to level the area.  During this exercise I also confirmed defective emulsion paint application which I had suspected during the construction phase.  The kitchen walls were so wet when the room was painted that a watered down primer coat did not not 'key' into the plaster surface.  So now the emulsion 'blisters' when splashed with water and tape or blu-tac efficiently removes the paint finish without effort - this will need to be rectified at the end of the defects liability period.

Hob extract - I did a lot of research to find a quiet but powerful unit and came up with a Smeg model.  It is quite difficult to compare different manufacturers data and impossible to see one in action in a showroom so in the end I had to trust that I would be happy with details and construction etc.  The extract cannot exhaust to the exterior otherwise the airtightness would be compromised, so it must be set to recirculate.
This required a purchase of charcoal filters that are extremely expensive £40+, it would be possible to refill with charcoal pellets in the future though in practice this may be too much hassle.
I felt that a low noise output was crucial - in my experience, if the appliance is noisy it will not get used and since the unit can only recirculate it is REALLY important that it is used whenever the hob is used.  The noise data from all manufacturers is lacking but the general rule is that when set to recirculate it is noisier than exhaust to outside via duct. 

It is difficult to determine if the additional noise is due to the fans working harder to push the air through the carbon filters or because the duct is effectively open at the top of the cabinet or maybe both.

In an effort to reduce the noise from the exhaust I made a plenum box for installation above the extract with a baffle, lined with an absorbent disposable material and space for a large grille to reduce airspeed where the air re-enters the room above the wall unit.
The box is designed to be removable to replace the 'acoustic' lining in the future.
It is difficult to determine how much improvement I have made, my hearing is not perfect and it is really difficult to detect where the noise is produced. If there was ever a product that would benefit from a new Dyson approach this is it!!! A quiet or even silent hob extract









The Iroko worktop is a superb construction by Steve, we worked closely on the details which incorporate a reduced leading edge and drip to give a refined look.  It is long for a single piece and required some dismantling of the temporary staircase balustrade, though the avoidance of upstands or changes in direction makes it quite a simple construction.
I have applied a specialist 2 part Timbertect wood treatment by Conservation Chemicals that should preserve the appearance and protect the timber as an alternative to Danish Oil.

Very pleased with the tap, spotted at a friends house, an old IKEA design that was discontinued some years ago, I suspect because either it did not meet water saving standards or a slight (but easily remedied) design fault evident when fitting to stainless steel worktops.
I managed to buy 2 taps on eBay and have fitted a 'WaterMagic' water saving device which slighty detracts from the clean lines of the design but works beautifully. 

Electric switch positions have been roughly located and pockets cut into blockwork these will be adjusted to suit tiling layout, these are set 300mm from hob/sink in accordance with electrical regulations.
Minor hassles along the way were coincidental faults on the RCD switch in the consumer unit that caused me a couple of minor electric shocks  before I invested in a new current detecting screwdriver and a faulty 30A cooker switch that led me to believe that I had a duff induction hob.

Solar Panels

 

Referring to the boiler and solar collector manufacturers literature it was discovered that the ballast installed beneath solar panels was inadequate.  The system used relies on the solar panel frames being securely bolted to concrete or similar materials of sufficient weight to prevent panels from being lifted and moved in strong winds.  Calculations showed that the roof structure would not cope with sufficient weight to prevent the panels being lifted and moved horizontally so a separate framework will be added to attach the  frames to the parapet.

Another problem encountered has been damage caused by seagulls pecking through the insulated sleeve to the pipes to the solar panels, exposing the stainless steel pipe
and control cables.  It is thought that seagulls that are used to scavenging food from black waste bags instinctively peck at anything black, plastic and shiny.

The slightly experimental solution has been to disguise the insulated sleeve by wrapping with insect and bird mesh.

GLASS!

As the days shortened and the sun go lower in the sky, while I admired the view through the windows imagine my horror when I spotted a scratch on a window and then another and another....

The sun was refracting on multiple external scratches that were evident when the sun was low and the background sky was dark.

It would appear that the glass was left unprotected when rendering and other trades were finishing and that windows were then 'cleaned' by rubbing the gritty material or using a metal scraper   eeekkk1

The odd scratch on a window might have been overlooked but so many scratches on the huge sliding door was a disaster and filled me with dread.  Getting the large sliding doors installed during the construction phase was difficult enough but now that planters, balcony and brise-soleil metalwork was in place this area was almost impossible to access.

After alerting the contractor, a miraculous process of polishing  was carried out over a few days and was successful even on heavily toughened glass.

 

The work by a specialist uses quite secretive abrasive pads and compounds.  The rule is that if a finger nail does not engage into the scratch then it can be polished out, otherwise the defect is too deep and polishing will distort the glass.