Marrying the old with the new is an age old problem for the self builder, but at a project in Leicestershire contractor Pearson Properties has been able to seamlessly combine history and cutting edge environmental benefits using products from Schlüter-Systems.
Built in 1887, Chitterman House will be constructed in several stages that will result in a completely new property rising up from the foundations of the original house. Located to the north of Leicester, the house will keep the original front walls, whilst the rest of the property will be completely rebuilt and boast sustainable qualities including the award winning Schlüter-Bekotec-Therm underfloor heating system.
Consisting of two floors, the main house will accommodate a much bigger space, with five bedrooms and 6,000 sq ft of living space planned, whilst the outbuildings will provide a gymnasium, games room and garage. Commencing development at the beginning of this year, this extensive self build project will be completed in a number of phases starting with the outbuildings, moving on to the main house, with final completion set for spring 2014. However, as Tony Pearson of Pearson Properties explains, this wasn’t a straightforward self-build project.
“When first being briefed about the project, the owner had a clear vision that energy efficiency should be the clear priority whilst still providing a home and external buildings that could be enjoyed by the whole family. Although with any self build time and cost also come into the equation, achieving a sustainable property was the clear aim.
Heating the home is one of the biggest factors when it comes to energy efficiency, therefore an underfloor heating system became the obvious answer when heating a large living area or room. This is down to the fact that heating from the floor upwards ensures the room temperature rises steadily and with the heating being at floor level there is an even distribution of heat, leaving no cold spots.”
Schlüter-Bekotec-Therm was chosen to heat Chitterman House and its outbuildings, with stage one of the installation now complete. Covering 80m² of flooring in the gymnasium and games room this advanced underfloor heating system from Schlüter-Systems provided the exact environmental credentials that the owner had been looking for.
Tony adds: “With the unique screed panels and pipes installed within a few days and then the screed laid in a day it’s so quick and easy to assemble, which was another key factor as we had a fairly short time frame to complete the installation before the tiling was due to begin.”
“The product’s sustainable system is also great for this project as it will allow the property to have individual control settings in each room and the system will not only be able to heat the house, but it will also be able to create a cooling environment due to its ability to pump chilled water through the piping.”
Scott Meadows of Schlüter-Systems comments, “Its low supply temperature of approximately 30°C, compared to the more conventional 50°C or the 70-90°C in some radiator systems, means Schlüter-Bekotec-Therm is extremely effective both with conventional heat generation methods and regenerative energy sources such as heat pumps or solar panels making it ideal for new build properties and self build projects such as Chitterman. The optimised control technology also allows for accurate temperature settings and electronic or wireless controls offer the right solution for all building situations.”