Seintwar | Modular Timber Frame House
Llanfaes, Anglesey, 2018
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Often a new build project in a rural location requires some grit and tenacity, as the planning process is more onerous. Fortunately our client had this in spades, as they have undertaken construction projects before. The planning authority prefer retrofit to new build and often we do too, as it can be the more sustainable approach. However, sometimes the existing structure can be of such poor quality or bad state of repair, that there is no other sensible option than to start again. After providing this evidence to the planning authority through the pre-app progress, we were allowed to proceed with a new bungalow design, which was in-keeping with the scale of the surrounding houses.
As we were demolishing the existing house, we were keen to keep our carbon footprint down in other areas of construction, so we opted for timber-frame construction. The timber-frame structure was cut to size in the factory and delivered to site to be assembled. Our client works in the construction industry and Project Managed the build themselves to reduce costs. We were really impressed with how they balanced their day-to-day jobs with managing the construction work, but they did and when they finished, they were already talking about the next project.
Sustainability Credentials
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Passive House design and construction
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Super-insulated: 200mm rigid insulation in the walls & 300mm in the roof
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Airtight
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Sustainable materials: Locally sourced larch cladding
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Argon-filled double glazing
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Mechanical ventilation and heat recovery​
As the views toward the mountains in Snowdonia are to the front of the house, we created a recessed balcony accessible from the master bedroom, which maintained the overall bungalow form. Downstairs the house is open-plan and light pours in around the house all day. We clad the house in larch timber, welsh stone and render, which reflects the materials used in the region.
The house is super-insulated, air-tight, with argon-filled double glazing and our clients tell us that it only needs heating for short periods on days when the external temperature is below 10ºC. The Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery system keeps the humidity constant, wicking away moisture and odours. One of the adjustments to living in a super-insulated, air-tight house with MVHR is that the internal temperature doesn’t fluctuate much and in the Summer it is cooler to keep the doors and windows closed.
