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I wish more municipalities would mandate tighter homes with good ventilation. Recently when searching for a new home it was so dishearting to see brand new deve

by mcot2 5y ago

I wish more municipalities would mandate tighter homes with good ventilation. Recently when searching for a new home it was so dishearting to see brand new developments where the homes had standard insulation, bad orientation for things like solar and passive heating and giant fossil fuel based heating systems instead of heat pumps. I decided to instead go the oppostie direction and buy a 1960’s split level that I am modernizing. It’s been quite a challenge to retrofit, we really need to be building to a higher standard for new stock. While renewable energy is all the rage this rarely gets a mention.

jsiaajdsdaa 5y ago
In America the latest building craze seems to be a veneer of beauty over bad functional design, and a strong mentality of "fuck you pay me" from the seller.
- theshrike79 5y ago
  Also: It's illegal to build multi-storey housing in large parts of America. You know, the kind where you have stores on the ground floor and apartments above. Illegal and actively NIMBYed against. A grocery store for a neighbourhood, within walking/biking distance? Illegal, against zoning laws.
- gambiting 5y ago
  What do you mean "latest"? Hasn't it (almost) always been like this?
  - jsiaajdsdaa 5y ago
    Some houses used to be built on nice plots of land with non-shoe-box design, but I would argue that paying 1.5M for a "new" home depot material house on a postage stamp of land that will literally collapse when the particle board that supports the drywall gets wet... is not very good value for money. It happens, youtube has the proof of it sadly!
    - gambiting 5y ago
      >>Some houses used to be built on nice plots of land with non-shoe-box design, Yes, but I feel like even "back then" that was an exception rather than the norm. There is a LOT of very poorly built houses around, and it's not just the problem with modern construction. Modern house prices and scarcity has made it worse, sure, but it feels like "built to the cheapest possible standard" was always a thing.
- uoaei 5y ago
  Yep, the flippers and the cash-hungry are riding this high as long as they can. It's bred quite a bit of entitlement but with the bonus that their poor attitudes are rewarded with large sums. This will happen (and has been happening) as long as housing is an investment vehicle with profit potential.
  - jsiaajdsdaa 5y ago
    I can live with flippers and the cash hungry, since they mostly just do cosmetic repairs and they take some considerable financial risk. But I absolutely despise big corporate builders who hire junkies as laborers and conmen as project managers. They will cut every corner, deliver late, charge a gigantic premium, and not answer your calls after you've taken delivery.
mdp2021 5y ago
> with good ventilation Mandate windows?! > heat pumps That means (if I understand you correctly), fans. That is noise pollution - some will not have it, and some will not bear it. And (after experience), heat pumps can be inadequate for heating: they can raise a temperature, not warm the environment.
- jaclaz 5y ago
  A well insulated house needs some sort of mechanical ventilationm otherwise you will have problems with humidity and - in worst cases - mould. The ventilating units are usually placed in the basement and are not noisy (but need some maintenance and cleaning). There are heat pumps that simply heat water and are suitable for underfloor heating, no fans. Underfloor heating is usually "slower" (compared to air heating) but works just fine, actually better.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- adev_ 5y ago
  > That means (if I understand you correctly), fans. It does not always means fans. Geothermal or aquathermal heat pumps are fan-less, very silent and performs amazingly in cold climate. I have one home.
- perceptronas 5y ago
  Windows> Heat exchangers can be up to 90% effective at saving heat, while window ventilation will be 0%. Noise pollution> In my cold climate, whoever goes with heat pumps - they usually go with "air-water" systems. Meaning only outside you have fans and inside you have your typical floor heating.
  - dx034 5y ago
    Much higher than 90%. The one I had in the passive house I lived in was specified to 98% at most temperature ranges. I guess most of the time the temperature difference isn't that large anyway (<20C) so they will lose next to no heat.

by mcot2 5y ago

jsiaajdsdaa 5y ago

In America the latest building craze seems to be a veneer of beauty over bad functional design, and a strong mentality of "fuck you pay me" from the seller.

theshrike79 5y ago
Also: It's illegal to build multi-storey housing in large parts of America. You know, the kind where you have stores on the ground floor and apartments above. Illegal and actively NIMBYed against. A grocery store for a neighbourhood, within walking/biking distance? Illegal, against zoning laws.
gambiting 5y ago
What do you mean "latest"? Hasn't it (almost) always been like this?
- jsiaajdsdaa 5y ago
  Some houses used to be built on nice plots of land with non-shoe-box design, but I would argue that paying 1.5M for a "new" home depot material house on a postage stamp of land that will literally collapse when the particle board that supports the drywall gets wet... is not very good value for money. It happens, youtube has the proof of it sadly!
  - gambiting 5y ago
    >>Some houses used to be built on nice plots of land with non-shoe-box design, Yes, but I feel like even "back then" that was an exception rather than the norm. There is a LOT of very poorly built houses around, and it's not just the problem with modern construction. Modern house prices and scarcity has made it worse, sure, but it feels like "built to the cheapest possible standard" was always a thing.
uoaei 5y ago
Yep, the flippers and the cash-hungry are riding this high as long as they can. It's bred quite a bit of entitlement but with the bonus that their poor attitudes are rewarded with large sums. This will happen (and has been happening) as long as housing is an investment vehicle with profit potential.
- jsiaajdsdaa 5y ago
  I can live with flippers and the cash hungry, since they mostly just do cosmetic repairs and they take some considerable financial risk. But I absolutely despise big corporate builders who hire junkies as laborers and conmen as project managers. They will cut every corner, deliver late, charge a gigantic premium, and not answer your calls after you've taken delivery.

mdp2021 5y ago

> with good ventilation Mandate windows?! > heat pumps That means (if I understand you correctly), fans. That is noise pollution - some will not have it, and some will not bear it. And (after experience), heat pumps can be inadequate for heating: they can raise a temperature, not warm the environment.

jaclaz 5y ago
A well insulated house needs some sort of mechanical ventilationm otherwise you will have problems with humidity and - in worst cases - mould. The ventilating units are usually placed in the basement and are not noisy (but need some maintenance and cleaning). There are heat pumps that simply heat water and are suitable for underfloor heating, no fans. Underfloor heating is usually "slower" (compared to air heating) but works just fine, actually better.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
adev_ 5y ago
> That means (if I understand you correctly), fans. It does not always means fans. Geothermal or aquathermal heat pumps are fan-less, very silent and performs amazingly in cold climate. I have one home.
perceptronas 5y ago
Windows> Heat exchangers can be up to 90% effective at saving heat, while window ventilation will be 0%. Noise pollution> In my cold climate, whoever goes with heat pumps - they usually go with "air-water" systems. Meaning only outside you have fans and inside you have your typical floor heating.
- dx034 5y ago
  Much higher than 90%. The one I had in the passive house I lived in was specified to 98% at most temperature ranges. I guess most of the time the temperature difference isn't that large anyway (<20C) so they will lose next to no heat.