Floor laying continues with the Junckers System. The floor boards are 22 mm solid wood with a proprietary clip system. Each of the metal clips (shown below) connect each floor board. The clip type one selects depends on the expected humidity levels in the home. I used a soundproof underlay on the concrete floor. One can also nail this type of flooring.
Skirting Board Lighting
I started the design of the skirting board lighting that will be powered from a DC source (battery) connected to a solar panel. The idea is that this lighting would be on when it is dark and would also act as a lighting system if there was a power failure in order to minimise the use of candles.
The light output of this lighting would be equivalent to a candle and they are placed in bathrooms and corridors in order to allow one to walk around the house at night without switching on the main lights.
A first fix of how they will look is as shown below.
As discussed in an earlier blog I will use the rainwater system to feed the toilets and one outside tap. I have started to install the pipework internally . This involves running a 1/2 inch pipe to each toilet. I note that the Drainage and Waste Water Disposal building regulations state that the pipe used must meet the following-“ for rainwater green / black / green bands and the words RAINWATER in black lettering“. I rang around and no one appears to stock this in Ireland. I note it is available in the UK. Instead I have marked the pipe with permanent marker in the above colours with the words RAINWATER. An image is shown below.
DIY Rainwater
The planned schematic of the rainwater system is shown below.
Rainwater Harvesting
I note that some rainwater systems top up the main tank in the ground if one runs short of water in the summer. I have opted for the header tank where I can manually top up this smaller tank with fresh water or let it automatically bring fresh water to the tank for the duration of the drought with the control unit I built. I feel that topping up the main tank with fresh water is more wasteful.
Self Build Blog Passive House (Passivhaus) 