FmK Architecture - My Selfbuild ECOHome

FmK Architecture was founded in March 2009, by managing directors Jason Fleck & Ronan McKee.

Since then FmK have went on to expand and specialise not only in Bespoke Dwellings & Extensions, they have also went on to specialise in low cost, low energy ECOHomes.

In 2013 managing director Ronan McKee decided to embark on his very own selfbuild ECOHome.

This blog will take you through all the highs and lows you can expect through the whole selfbuild process.

The blog will be written by myself; Ronan McKee, as I go through the entire process. Hopefully you will find it interesting, informative and enjoyable.

Please feel free to write your comments or share your selfbuild experiences also!! 

Planning

Without doubt, the most dreaded stage of the selfbuild process!!

I am originally from a farming background, and as such I always wanted to move back home and build on our land with my very own designed home.

With all the extensive knowledge of the planning process and particularly PPS21 (since it was introduced in Nov 2008) that I had gained through our practice FmK Architecture; – I thought I had enough of a chance to try for Outline Planning Permission.

Outline Planning Permission 

So in December 2011, I submitted our Outline Planning Application.

After many discussions, drawings, letters, phone calls, emails and some compromising on my side, I finally got my site approved in February 2012.

The outline application process took just 3months, which I would add is faster than normal, as this can be anything up to 6months!

We have quite a good relationship with working with planning and put quite a lot of effort into our applications, and as a result, we receive quite speedy and positive results – see our planning approval list here

The Design

Without doubt, as a client and a soon to be self-builder, this is the most exciting and enjoyable part of the whole process!! Seeing all your years of  wanting your own bespoke home; all your ideas, dreams, aspirations come to life on a page and then in a realistic 3d Model - it really is a brillant feeling.

For me, as the designer and the client, I found it the most difficult!!

Trying to design a home of your own after designing hundreds of homes for other people.

I decided not to rush this process and just take my time, eventually, after many, many, many drafts and re-designs - i finally got there!!




3D Concept View - Front

3D Concept View - Rear





Photomontage of House on the Site

So, after i had finally managed to get to this stage it was down to the making the planning application for reserved matters - which is based on the rules previously set out by the Outine Planning Permision!

I lodged the application in October 2012 and that was it - the waiting game...

the bit every selfbuilder fears - will it get approved?? 

Again, based on all the experience gained through our practice, I submitted a highly detailed application and I happy to report it received FULL PLANNING PERMISSION in just over a month later.

All be it there were a few issues and concerns along the way, but discussions with planning and again a few comprimises it was all sorted.

I would like to add, planning service receive a lot of bad press when it comes to self builds, but with the knowledge & reputation our practice have gained, along with a good understanding and working relationship that we have developed over the years - we find the planning service and the application process relatively straight forward.

Our ethos at FmK architectures is really; if we think you have a good chance, we make a application - if we think you are wasting your time and more importantly, you hard earned money - then we don't make an application. 

This ethos has stood us well since PPS21 was implemented in 2008; as a result we have only received a handful of refused applications - these were mostly high risk applications which the clients were aware of, or ones which vital information was held back from us.

This has resulted in our practice enjoying a 98% approval rate to date!!

so;

  

Pheww...

A huge relief!! I can now relax; until i start the next stage - detailed drawings & a Building Control Application to the local council. 

 

Building Control - Detailed Drawings

So, after receiving planning permission in November 2012, I set into moving the planning drawing drawings on, into more complex, detailed drawings; to enable my house to be constructed.

This process is often referred to in a few different ways; either detailed drawings, construction drawings, building control drawings or specifications, either way its all the same.

This is the point where you have to make up your mind and make that all important final decision on what products, materials etc to use where. Although during the concept design stage and also the planning stage we would have a fair idea of what the client would be using for most aspects of the build, there is lots of little questions to answer.

These can range from first floor construction of timber joists or engineered joists or precast concrete slabs. One of these methods has to be chosen, and each method is detailed in its own specific way, and each method brings different pros and cons to your design.

Timber Floor Joists

Engineered Floor Joists

Precast Concrete Slabs

Another major choice is the heating system; Do I use oil? Do I use a renewable? Do I want solar panels etc. Like most things in life and particularly in a selfbuild project, it usually comes down to Cost! Money! Budget! The dreaded words used regularly through the building process.

Solar Thermal & Solar PV Panels

 

On top of these decisions, there are lots of junctions and details to be thought about, behind the scenes, by the designer. These go towards make your building what it is and how it will perform, both in comfort and efficiency; you will often hear Kevin McCloud from Grand Designs refer to the quote “the devil is in the detail”.

So again, coming at this project from two angles; as the client and also the designer, I had plenty to think about. This stage for me was the scariest. This was mainly because I was so afraid that a new technology may appear, a new product or material might come on to the market or even a totally new method of doing the same old detail would be developed, and I would have missed it, and I would be forever cursing myself for missing it, or not thinking of it.

Unfortunately, I think even after the build is completed, I will still be torturing myself over these issues – the fear factor of doing something wrong or detailing something that could have been detailed in a fractional better way, this will haunt me for the rest of my days I think.

But the reality is, this is what happens, evolution, technological advances etc, so its all about research and development, constantly testing your methods, trying to rethink details and junctions, and in the end hope to come out at the front – or as close as possible.

In our practice, we constantly strive to better our designs and construction methods in order to achieve better performing houses, more efficient, more comfortable and above all more economic.

 

Our FmK ECOHomes range is at the forefront of this. We constructed and completed our first one back in December 2012, and are constructing our next one at present, as you can see in my other blog ECO Home - Templepatrick.

 

 



FmK ECOHome No.01



FmK ECOHome No.02 - under construction

 

Our first home was over double what the current building regulations were at the time of build. These regulations increased in Nov 2012 and as a result we decided to further increase our own methods to stay well ahead again.

 

We decided to bring in a specialist air-tightness company, to advise and train all our FmK team and all our FmK Approved Contractors, so we could move forward with buildings which are more air tight.

 

why build airtight?

 

To put this in perspective; a standard home built to current regs, only has to achieve 10 air changes per hour – that’s the volume of air in your home, changing ten times, every hour; so, ten times that you have to heat that air up.

An airtight home built to the passive house standard has to achieve a maximum of 0.5 air changes per hour! Quite a difference? I would add that this isn’t easily achieved, it requires a lot of detailing and thought out junctions and this is what we are trying to achieve on our ECO Home - Templepatrick.

Why Build Passive / Passivhaus?

 

An indirect result of this training has now resulted in us deciding to open an online ECOhomes STORE, where our clients, contractors and the general public can purchase the airtightness products as well as other specialist products which we use but can be hard to obtain or source.

 

Another step we decided to take as a practice was to undertake training to become Certified Passive House Designers, but I will talk more on this later.