PERMACULTURE
EVALUATION
CENTRE
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New eco-house on plot adjacent to 9 Priory Park Road, Dawlish, Devon
Notes 3/5/05
Main area approx 25m x 8m, rises approx 5m in 25m
About 50m above sea level, 400m from sea on E facing coast, site faces SSW
Plot continues above house site to higher level sloping garden area
Road access via existing gate/ parking area for 9PPR
New detached house with three bedrooms plus garage/ storeroom.
Option A:
Rear house wall on line of existing retaining wall
Retaining wall (rebuilt) up to top of ground floor level
Above that a room with a door opening to the upper garden
House extends downhill to approx level with front of 9PPR
Allows garage to be separate from house and therefore views over/past the garage (?) – but views of sea blocked by white house
Option B:
Front line of house on line of front of houses either side
Can be slightly wider than with Option A as plot narrows by existing patio
Provides better all round views
If say 10m long rear wall would be level with middle of 9PPR back door leaving approx 4m wide area between rear of house and retaining wall: how much light/sun would this get, what could it be used for ?
In both cases
(a) consider more than one floor level to follow slope of plot to minimise need for excavations and avoid rooms with little natural light (and to create an interesting appearance?)
(b) prefer living room/s and kitchen on first floor, bedrooms on ground floor: upper floors easier to warm in evening, more light?
(c) will need new garage and driveway: minimise paved area to provide for max growing space, but some parts of lower front garden of 9PPR can be appropriated if necessary
Requirements to be considered:
Minimise fossil fuel inputs for house in use, and avoid construction materials with high embodied energy or pollution in manufacture.
High levels of insulation throughout, avoid air leakage and cold bridges.
Solar panels on roof for water heating.
Trap and store solar heat at front (big windows, concrete slab floor?) with means of distributing to other areas at night to reduce need for additional heating.
High efficiency wood burning stove for space heating of living room/s with back up water/space heating system – tbd.
Some interesting features of external and internal design – preferably not just a rectangular box with conventional room layout eg open to roof with sloping ceilings?
Capture and store rain water from house roof for use in garden.
Need access from path around house to top garden.
Interested in roof garden on garage as will be below house and therefore very visible.
Create pedestrian access to top garden from lane above?