MY SPACE: Builder and architectural technician Stephen Young shows Emma Cullinanthe eco house he built near Drogheda, Co Louth, which has solar panels and a wind turbine
How did you come to build this house?
As a builder I had tried to promote the idea of a passive house but people would ask, “what’s that?” They didn’t trust it. Then the opportunity came along for us to build one: when Sandra was pregnant with Bérach, we thought, let’s move out of Dublin.
We found this site and decided it would work for the passive house principle. The house layout would suit the topography of the site: it enabled us to have a south-facing courtyard.
Then we had to decide what technologies and materials would be involved. I had seen a lot of concrete floors throughout houses in architectural magazines, particularly in America, and thought they were fabulous.
My dad – Henry Young – had a building company and when I began working with him we changed the company from purely providing tender prices and building to other people’s specifications, to actually taking on clients and giving them a service from inception to completion.
We do what they require but try to steer them towards a low energy and passive solution. We try to show them the benefits and how it does not cost a huge amount extra – maybe just 10 per cent more than a standard build – with clever use of technologies.
We tell them that, with the running costs drastically reduced, by the end of 30 years they will have saved the amount of money it cost them to build the house.
Really?
Yes. A lot of people buying homes don’t take a great interest in the energy rating but after the first winter they find the bills stacking up. Banks should take energy efficiency into account when giving mortgages.
So how did you choose the technologies for this house?
There was a learning process that started right from when we originally had permission to start building. We took the guts of nine months to think through everything. I wanted to get it right from the start. The thing with a passive house is that everything must be considered, from the fireplace to the windows: not just the type of window but how the external wall fits with them. You are looking at reducing cold bridging and creating air tightness.
I gather that holes such as cat flaps can upset the airtightness?
Yes. We followed all the principles down to having no letter box but we do open the windows on sunny days.
The walls have a breathable membrane to allow vapour to transfer in and out which is important in a timber frame because, if moisture gets trapped, you start to have problems with the frame degrading.
I tried to use as much green materials as I could but on a few things I compromised. I could have gone for carbon-neutral concrete but there is a concrete supplier four miles away who I went with. It’s a question of, do you use a green product further away, or something less green right beside you? I liked using timber frame because there is an efficiency in the speed of construction. We used I-joists, which is a type of timber frame that was already here, but traditionally those elements were just used on floor slabs and large roof spans; never on an external wall. We put 300mm, in depth, of cellulose insulation in, made from recycled newspapers. A lot of these systems are standard in mainland Europe.
So was the house created for you or to show clients?
It was to practice what I preach, and is partly for us, partly to show clients.
We’ve shown a lot of people around the house, to show them what a passive house is like. There is nothing like seeing and touching to understand it.
People thought we were mad not putting in underfloor heating or a carpet over the concrete. The concrete was so cold to touch at first but now the slab feels so warm. It acts like a heat sink. On cold nights it just equalises out into the room and the next day it picks up more solar energy.
We have no heating bar the fireplace and the mechanical ventilation system which uses heat recovery.
How was it last winter?
It was cold to start with, which I knew it would be, but I wasn’t aware of just how cold it would be. It really takes a year for a home of this type to warm up.
We got warm by having the fire on. When we invited people over for parties, very quickly all of the windows had to be opened because it got too hot: that’s how quickly it can turn around so, whenever it gets cold, we say let’s have a party.
Do the solar panels provide all of your hot water?
In the summer, yes. In the winter we are relying on the immersion but we are going to change that and I am looking at heat pumps rather than introducing oil or gas.
And the wind turbine?
It is not providing all of the electricity in the house: once you put on a kettle there is a huge consumption of power. Having the turbine does make you start to think about how you use power and you begin to stage when you use different things: you put on a wash at night when there are no other electrical requirements.
We are connected to the grid and take straight from the ESB and, if we are overproducing, it goes back into the grid. We get 19 cents for every KWh of electricity and get paid yearly – so haven’t had our first cheque yet.
Why did you take an interest in sustainable building?
When I read about passive homes it made perfect sense. Building things so that you become self-sufficient really appealed. I have a bit of a bug for renewables. Once the bank loans us more money I want to get PV (photovoltaic) panels.
I nearly view it as my pension plan rather than putting money into stocks.
How did you choose the colour scheme?
We have been collecting paintings over time and always found that they look fantastic against a plain white background.
We started from there and compiled a palette of materials: the concrete grey floor and white walls and ceiling. For the internal doors, skirting and architrave we introduced rich wood with the walnut.
Then we looked for suitable pieces of furniture. It is taking time to find things we are happy with and we still can’t agree between different light shades – yet there is nothing worse than taking a week of holidays looking for lampshades.
We saw the Jenson 66 chair at an interiors show and then looked on the internet for it and had it sent straight from a domestic supplier in Sweden. Even with the cost of shipping we saved €600.
Where did you get the rest of the furniture?
A lot of it is from Bo Concept. They have simple fabrics, nice colours and sizes. We tried putting in a sofa from our apartment days but it was completely wrong. The one large piece from Bo Concept worked.
We drew up the kitchen ourselves and got a local joiner to put it together. He built furniture throughout the house.
We got the fireplace direct from a local supplier in Holland and saved about 30 per cent on Irish prices. My company could install it and I wouldn’t recommend buying it like that if you can’t put it in.
Where did you get the tree?
In Black’s garden centre just outside Drogheda. It’s a tree fern which takes water from the air: its roots are at the top.
What is it like living here?
It is lovely and will benefit the children because we have got clean air coming in all the time and it is a nice living environment without huge heat fluctuations during the day.
It is a gem of a place. There are great views, country lanes, little forest walks.
I didn’t know how quiet it could be. The M1 motorway is over the road and when the triple-glazed windows are open you hear it but, when they are closed, you feel you are in the middle of nowhere. Similarly you don’t hear the wind turbine.
The living space is separate from the sleeping end of the house which is great.
You live in very close proximity to cows?
Yes, they graze outside the window and when the pictures change in a big way on the television they look up to watch it.
Young Design Build
041 9865100
