1- I'm thinking of building a house in the mountains close to a major city because the city is unbearably hot in summers with typical temperatures ranging between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius.
2- The highest elevation that I can find in the surrounding mountains is 4,500 ft, which translates into a temperature gradient of around 9 degrees Celsius, so it wouldn't be too bad at 30 degrees Celsius on some days.
3- I want solid long-term, low-maintenance, aesthetic construction:
1- For construction of the walls, I've ruled wood out even though it is the best insulator because of issues with maintenance against termites. I'm in not in favor of bricks because of issues with mold. I've also ruled air-concrete out because of its poor aesthetics, so this leaves me sandstone as the most likely material with a thermal admittance of 1.83 vs 0.14 for wood, 0.73 for brick, and 0.15 for air-concrete. All have a specific heat capacity of around 1000 J/ Kg.K.
a- Am I making the right choice with the sandstone because it would be much broader and heavier, so would somewhat offset the low admittance of the other materials, whereas it would also translate into a higher weight for a higher overall thermal mass, so would further inhibit conduction into the house, and could radiate most it back to the environs in the evening, with which it would have the highest temperature gradient.
2- I wanted to use slate for the floor, but that would turn it too monotonous, considering the very similar colors, so could use a much varied granite, marble or wood for the floor.
3- I don't want to risk a weak or flat roof because of the rainfall and very little, but still some snow in the winters, so have decided on an inner A-frame RCC roof.
Since the weather is extremely hot, I'm against tiles with air-channels because those aren't very effective, so I would need to place a lighter outer-roof over this at a distance of 6-inches to 1-ft to prevent the conduction of heat through the roof and cooling via air currents.. This is where I need your advice. Galvanized, corrugated steel roof would reflect and radiate heat to prevent its conduction through the roof, but would eventually rust. Could you suggest slate, shingles or other options, provided it comes in naturally reflective light colors, but these would still need a concrete or metal support structure to add to the cost.
4- To block the noon-Sun during the day, I intend to construct a veranda with a sloping roof around the side facing the Sun on the South, as in British colonial construction and could additionally even use wooden shutters or cane curtains to block the Sun.
5- For ventilation, I intend to use large windows with high, roof-mounted ventilators to create a natural duct to draw cold air from the north and expel hot air to the south.
6- Because of downpours and mild-snow in winters, I can't really afford to build a part of the house into a hill for insulation, as it would raise issues of rainwater getting into the foundations and the walls, even if I do build channels around it because they could get blocked with leaves and other debris.
Could you provide me with additional ideas to improve on this or, perhaps, even redo it?
bowling_ball
Sep 29, 22 8:29 pm
These concerns seem very important to you. It seems like there may local precedents for the kind of home you're imagining, and I'd really recommend finding a local professional to help you with these and any other questions.
Please look up the next post with the additions!
1- I'm thinking of building a house in the mountains close to a major city because the city is unbearably hot in summers with typical temperatures ranging between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius.
2- The highest elevation that I can find in the surrounding mountains is 4,500 ft, which translates into a temperature gradient of around 9 degrees Celsius, so it wouldn't be too bad at 30 degrees Celsius on some days.
3- I want solid long-term, low-maintenance, aesthetic construction:
1- For construction of the walls, I've ruled wood out even though it is the best insulator because of issues with maintenance against termites. I'm in not in favor of bricks because of issues with mold. I've also ruled air-concrete out because of its poor aesthetics, so this leaves me sandstone as the most likely material with a thermal admittance of 1.83 vs 0.14 for wood, 0.73 for brick, and 0.15 for air-concrete. All have a specific heat capacity of around 1000 J/ Kg.K.
a- Am I making the right choice with the sandstone because it would be much broader and heavier, so would somewhat offset the low admittance of the other materials, whereas it would also translate into a higher weight for a higher overall thermal mass, so would further inhibit conduction into the house, and could radiate most it back to the environs in the evening, with which it would have the highest temperature gradient.
2- I wanted to use slate for the floor, but that would turn it too monotonous, considering the very similar colors, so could use a much varied granite, marble or wood for the floor.
3- I don't want to risk a weak or flat roof because of the rainfall and very little, but still some snow in the winters, so have decided on an inner A-frame RCC roof.
Since the weather is extremely hot, I'm against tiles with air-channels because those aren't very effective, so I would need to place a lighter outer-roof over this at a distance of 6-inches to 1-ft to prevent the conduction of heat through the roof and cooling via air currents.. This is where I need your advice. Galvanized, corrugated steel roof would reflect and radiate heat to prevent its conduction through the roof, but would eventually rust. Could you suggest slate, shingles or other options, provided it comes in naturally reflective light colors, but these would still need a concrete or metal support structure to add to the cost.
4- To block the noon-Sun during the day, I intend to construct a veranda with a sloping roof around the side facing the Sun on the South, as in British colonial construction and could additionally even use wooden shutters or cane curtains to block the Sun.
5- For ventilation, I intend to use large windows with high, roof-mounted ventilators to create a natural duct to draw cold air from the north and expel hot air to the south.
6- Because of downpours and mild-snow in winters, I can't really afford to build a part of the house into a hill for insulation, as it would raise issues of rainwater getting into the foundations and the walls, even if I do build channels around it because they could get blocked with leaves and other debris.
Could you provide me with additional ideas to improve on this or, perhaps, even redo it?
These concerns seem very important to you. It seems like there may local precedents for the kind of home you're imagining, and I'd really recommend finding a local professional to help you with these and any other questions.
You need to hire an architect.