The human body have tiny pores in the skin to allow it to "breath" and facilitate exchange of gas and other substances from within the body to the outside surrounding. If all the pores are closed, the body will fall sick. This is the same for a house or building.
A house / building must be properly ventilated to allow fresh air from outside to enter the building and stale air from inside to get out. A well-ventilated building enhances natural air flow and make the interior comfortable for dwelling. In addition to ventilation, it's roof and walls must also be weather/heat insulated.
I am a building contractor specialising in heat-insulated roofing and Structural Insulated Panels [SIP] walling system. I wish to share some information about the importance and the various types of ventilation solutions.
I would be happy to assist anyone who is planning a kitchen-extension or factory re-roofing job. No, I am not using CB to canvass for sales and projects - no fees or terms-n-conditions. Cheers!
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does that mean all our houses built by the present crop of developers are all substandard?
which means you need to do something to the new house before you can live in it?
for your info: i have a old house (single storey terrace, more than 30 yrs, cost only RM12000 to buy, at that time, a new Datsun sunny costs RM9000) which is better in ventilation/ design/ construction quality/ structural workmanship/cosmetic finishing than many new houses (which costs between RM250000 to RM380000, not renovated yet) being built these late 15 years.
does that mean we have to:
1. MISS THE PAST,
2. COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PRESENT and
3. FEAR FOR THE FUTURE?
what houses will our children be living in future?
Unfortunately most houses built now are lower in quality especially the finishing works. The main reasons are the lack of skilled workers and the "cut-corners" by greedy contractors/developers in order to increase their profits.
30 to 40 years ago, installing aircond in a house was unheard of. Airconds are only for office buildings, cinema halls, restaurants and public buildings. Thus many houses have a high ceiling with vent openings above the windows. A vermint/insect-proof netting fixed behind the hole in the house interior will keep away these "uninvited guests" at the same time allow unobstructed air exchange.
But today houses are built without these vents in order to accomodate the use of aircond. This transition from natural ventilation systems to aircond [closed] system is due to market demand. The developer just build what the market wants.
The extension kitchen in my house have a 2-level lean-to roof. There is a grated 250mm high x 8500mm long opening between the two layers of roof. This is similar to the jackroof in some factory buildings. The kitchen is bright in the daytime and airy always.
Nowadays most condos will have air-con. But for future projects, especially in PR states (which I personally think easier to approach for "Kebajikan Rakyat"), these concepts should be implemented from the design stage so that we will have healthier people, body and mind.
BN states should have these concepts implemented too (Rakyat didahulukan).
Make it a demand from us,the people, for better Malaysia.
lol,sure boh???
I hope you have lots of new customers, as this method is not only completely tried and tested it also saves a ton of money (not to mention wasted energy) on air conditioning.
Retrofitting is the way.
Have you also heard of certain places in the world which use wall cavities as a water cooling system? The have a water tank on the roof, then inside the walls the water flows, which then goes to their toilets or showers. This is an incredible way of cooling a building. Look it up, it's well interesting
this isnt a complain but truth. does all the new houses worth wat we had paid for?
ngguanhuah, would like to ask u for help but i'm still looking for a house as i cant find any. nowadays developers perfer to build highclass bangalow or semiD which is out of our reach. and paying more than 200k to live 'in the air', worth it? nah....
The vent holes/openings are small, perhaps 150mm dia or 150mm x 300mm rectangular. These cement precast pieces are installed during the laying of the brickwall. A small kuching or a big tikus and katak can enter if the hole is not covered by vermint-proof netting. The thieves will curse and swear. Haha!
zulshah
This [old] concept will definitely make the "shoebox / enclosed" flat a more airy and comfortable place to live in. It is cheap and easy to construct - just have these vent holes about 150mm above the windows.
thestar18
I can provide you a sketch if you let me have the building floor and elevation plans - all F.O.C. Kalau mau saya buat, kasi lah sikit wang. I have wife and kids to feed just like you. Haha!
englebert
Thanks for your sharing. Outdated conventional building methods have to give way to modern materials and building technics. When I told my Sabahan friend that I can complete a 100 sq. metre SIP modular house in 10 weeks, he laughed until his jaw ached. Others are doing it in 6 weeks, and that is the expected construction time.
Many Malaysian housebuyers do not ask what they will get when they buy a house and just leave it to the developers. A good developer will build a good house and sell it at a premium price whereas a greedy developer will give the minimum specs and use the cheapest meterials. Ironically, both these developers are enjoying brisk business, no thanks to the buyers RUSHING TO BUY even uncompleted houses.
I can do some handy work myself so I will give it a shot.
by the look at the quality of the drawings you posted, i would believe you can do a very good job. not only in the design, rather the much needed sturdiness that most contractors lacked these days.
we know very well that most of the yesteryear skilled contractors have well aged and become subcontractors (or job sourcing partners so to speak), they would normally not be doing hands-on. A skilled contractor may not always guarantee skilled workmanship on the jobs that he procured, reason being that he employed lowly paid unskilled workers to do the jobs, so that he himself could have a comfortable cut from the job prospect to support his somewhat 'upgraded' lifestyle.
i wouldn't have blame any contractor for doing this, but this attitude will tell us that the particular contractor's skills /expertise could not have been passed down to the future workers. And that is why quality diminishes with time...
This is one good example where we could not find a balanced compromise between 'aging comfortably' and 'ensuring consistency'.
Anyway, i love the drawings that you posted, and would like to take your word, that i reserve my right to consult you for any future renovations (to my house).
Of course, i would set aside some fees :) , i wouldn't want you to do something for nothing, right?
do not read the last part, ng, it's not for you
(pssst: thestar18, you know this guy likes a cold beer, so get one tiger ready, at least, ok? you would not want to believe in 'free lunches', would you?)
My cousin's house, 2 story terrace, was built with the ventilation holes above the windows. I think that was in early 80s. But with mosquito and pests problems he put netting. After that the air flow felt lesser and more heat. It's the very small one that even small mosquito cannot go thru. Is there any technique to install the netting so that the air flow won't be blocked that much?
I am a DIY addict myself and I undertake most of the minor repairs and upgrading works in my house. DIY is not difficult but you must have the right tools, a basic understanding of the different types of building materials and construction methods. And most of all you must know how to use a SPIRIT LEVEL,the PLUMBLINE and the SQUARE. I'll be glad to assist and share my experience with you and all our other C-Bloggers.
WOODY
Greg, my Aussie buddy gave me several BEER JACKETS [see my post 26/11/09] - still waiting for a COLD TIGER from you. Cheers! and have a good weekend.
ZULSHAH
We cannot have the best of both worlds. Using close cell mosquito netting will retard airflow - more so if dust and dirt start collecting on the netting and clog up these holes. Vent holes are supposed to keep out insects [like bees, crickets, beatles., etc], small snakes, lizards, frogs, TIKUS, and other small uninvited guests/intruders. The best vermint-proof netting is the PVC type with 10mm x 10mm square holes. This is cheap and easily available in any hardware shop. Cheers!
Thanks.
The mosquitoes should be dealt with other methods then. Thanks again.