5 Common mistakes when building a house

5-common-mistakes-when-building-a-house
13
Jun
5 Common mistakes when building a house
  • By altexpro
  • Comments Off on 5 Common mistakes when building a house

1.  Poor planning of the HVAC system

Usually people pay a little to no attention to the HVAC system ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) and that may become the root of all evils. When the HVAC system is poorly planned it will under-perform, causing huge energy loss without attaining the desired results. It may also cause mold growth and moisture problems which can raise health problems. In order to avoid this undesirable situation make sure you pay the necessary attention on this matter.

2. Lack of storage space

Many house owners face the problem of insufficient storage space and they end up dumping their unused things all over the place. When planning your house do not forget to include all the necessary storage spaces, but try to not overdo it, taking away space from the living space.

3. Poor planning choices

People often plan without taking their own lifestyle and needs into consideration. It is important to think forward so that the planning serves your needs in the long term. Did you just get married and you are planning to have children? Are you planning to have friends over occasionally? How about later on in your life? Will the planning of the house be convenient for you?
4. Unused space

Often due to our enthusiasm we add spaces that we will hardly use, like a playroom, a gym, a multipurpose room. All that space eventually becomes a place where we dump things we don’t use or need. It is a good idea to consider a few ways we can use this extra space so that when it is not used for the purpose it was built for, we can transform it easily into something else. For example a playroom could occasionally be used as a guest room, so make sure to consider all possibilities when
planning it out.
5. Placement of the rooms

Many times a loud noise coming from the washing machine may become very irritating when you try to focus on reading a book or watch a movie. Other times you want to take a power nap but at that precise moment your children decide to practice their musical instrument. This kind of problems arise due to misplacement of the rooms. Soundproofing the walls with insulation can help significantly, but that alone will not solve the problem. The rooms that might be generating noise should not be near the ones we go to when we want peace of mind. For example a laundry room should never be near the bedrooms or even the living room. If this is hard to do, just make sure to find the best solution you can.

House-design-tips-cyprus-construction
11
Jun
Choosing your house design

Building a house is probably one of the biggest and most costly investments a person can make in his life. Due to its large cost there should be no place for mistakes, therefore it is important that one plans out every step of the process so that the right decisions are made. Below you will find some things you need
to consider when choosing the design of your house.

  •  What size should your house be?
    You need to decide how many rooms you will need and their size. This will depend on the amount of people who will live in it and whether you want a very specious structure or a more small and cozy one. This of course will also depend on the size of your plot.

 

  • Design style
    There are several factors you need to look into when trying to choose the design style of your house. First you need to see whether any regional regulations apply on this matter, as well as the general trend of your area. For example if you are looking to build a house in a village on the mountains you may want to build in a certain style that does not conflict with the surrounding traditional buildings.

 

  • Budget
    It is good to have an idea of the budget you want to spend and the possibilities it gives you. For that you should be advised from an expert so that you make your calculations as precise as possible.It is often wise to start with thinking about your basic needs first and later on expand accordingly.

 

  • Seek for advice from the experts
    After coming up with a preliminary design, it is good to seek for advice from architects and constructors in order to optimize the plan and get best possible results. You may as well look into the details, discuss about the materials you will use and finally together with the architect and the civil engineer and finalize the plan.
house-construction-plans-approved-cyprus
07
Jun
Building Regulations in Cyprus
  • By altexpro
  • Comments Off on Building Regulations in Cyprus

If you want to build, extend, convert or even demolish a construction in Cyprus, then you will need to acquire certain permits in order to continue with the works.

When the architectural plans are ready, the architect or the civil engineer will send out a few copies to certain authorities, like the Electricity Authority of Cyprus(EAC), Cyprus Fire Service, the Town Authority where the area of the construction belongs to, the Cyprus Building Authority etc, in order to see whether the plan goes according to the rules and regulations, meeting all the safety and quality standards (anti-seismic regulations, insulation, soundproofing etc), in order to be granted the permition to proceed.

In case the plans you have submitted get rejected, then the Authorities will point out the problem and you will have to proceed with the changes needed, so that the plan gets re-evaluated and finally accepted. The whole procedure usually takes around 6 months, although in special cases it might take up to a year.

After the building is erected, authorities must be called for an inspection to see if the building construction went as planned or if some changes took place that were not on the original plans. If you avoid to proceed with this last step then the building will not exist on the property ownership documents, which might raise some issues for the owner in the future.

If you have any questions concerning the building regulations and the procedure for the permit please  give us a call or leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

thermal-insulation-cyprus
18
Apr
Thermal Insulation

There is a general tendency to underestimate the benefits of a good thermal insulation. In Cyprus especially where the weather temperatures can jump from extremely high to quite low, many suppose that Air Conditioners and Heaters alone can do the job of maintaining a good temperature in the house throughout the day. The truth is that without thermal insulation, air conditioners and heaters are highly inefficient and their use painfully expensive,

What is Thermal Insulation and why is it important?

A good thermal insulation can contribute significantly to the overall energy performance of a building . A building without insulation will demand a lot of energy to keep warm or cool, increasing the energy costs dramatically, while also having a negative environmental impact. Thermal insulation has the ability to trap the heat indoors during the winter, while in the summer it does not allow it in, keeping the inside of a building cool.  There are several insulation materials used in the construction industry, such as Rock-wool, Fiberglass and Polystyrene. The amount and type of insulation will depend on several factors, such as the design of the building, the climate, the budget or even the preference of the Client or the construction Company.

 

What is the R-factor?

Usually when we compare insulation materials we pay attention to the R-factor. The higher the R-factor the better the insulation is. The R-factor stands for thermal resistance, which is the ability of the material to block heat. The R-factor depends on the rate the heat transfers through the material (thermal conductivity), as well as its thickness.

Common thermal insulation materials

Fiberglass – Fiberglass is one of the most used insulation materials at present times. It is non-flammable, very effective and very affordable. It’s R-factor value ranges from 2.9 to 3.8 p/inch. Due to the fact that it is made of tiny bits of glass, it is very important that during its installation, certain safety precautions are taken. After the fiberglass is sealed inside the walls there is absolutely no danger.

Rockwool –  Rockwool is made of actual rocks and minerals. It is good, not only for its thermal resistance but also for the soundproofing abilities it has. Typically its R-factor value ranges from 2.8 to 3.5

Polystyrene – It is a thermoplastic material, great for thermal and sound insulation. There are two types of polystyrene, the expanded (EPS) and the extruded (XEPS). XEPS is more expensive and has an R-factor value of 5.5 while the EPS has an R-factor value of 4. It is a flammable material and so it needs to be coated with a fireproofing chemical called HBCD.

 

In case you have some questions concerning thermal insulation please do not hesitate to contact us. We will get back to you the soonest, with all the answers you need!

 

 

timber-frame-construction-cyprus
30
Mar
Timber Frame Construction

Although many people might associate timber frame constructions with lightweight structures, the truth is that they are incredibly robust and durable. As a matter of fact, approximately the 70% of the low-rise housing in developed countries is built this way, mainly in North America and Scandinavia. Timber frame construction is increasingly used also for commercial and industrial use. In Cyprus, timber frame constructions are becoming increasingly popular due to their many benefits.

Here are a few advantages of the timber frame constructions over the traditional ones, that make timber framed houses the choice of many people:

  • Speed – A wooden frame construction is typically more prompt than the traditional way, often due to the fact that a lot of material is pre-cut and measured beforehand.
  • Energy efficient – Timber frame constructions provide high levels of thermal insulation, resulting to lower energy dependence.
  • Robustness – Given that the timber frame construction is well built and maintained it can last for hundreds of years.
  • Environmentally Friendly – Timber frame construction process emits less CO2 than the traditional construction of brick and mortar, while the trees used for this purpose are replanted at level of regrowth.

If you have any questions about timber frame constructions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to help you!

House-renovation-cyprus
19
Mar
Guide to Renovation

A renovation can entail several tasks, of different level of complexity and difficulty, that can transform and modernize a building. A renovation can involve repairing and restoring existing elements of a building internally or externally,  or in other cases remodeling the existing structure by adding or removing elements, altering the overall structure. Amongst the many benefits a good renovation can offer, it can also restore or even raise the value of a building, helping it to gain market edge.

Remodeling of a building

A lot of the properties of a building might not fit the modern way of living and the purpose it is meant to serve. Often the rooms might be too big resulting to a waste of space, or sometimes too narrow when ideally we should have a more free-flowing and open layout. Renovations of this type might be as easy as adding or removing some walls of no structural significance, In other cases things might get a bit more complicated when these walls are load-bearing and of structural importance. For cases like this, the close collaboration between the construction company, the architect and the social engineer is a necessity.

Building Extensions

Quite often a building would benefit with an addition to the overall structure. For example a nice terrace on a flat roof, or a storage room, an extension of the kitchen, etc. There are two design approaches towards extensions, the contrasting and the matching extensions. The contrasting extensions tend to differ significally from the overall design of the pre-existing structure while the matching extensions embrace the pre-existing style to the last detail.

Exterior Renovation

A good facelift of the exterior of a building can really give it a new character and change the way you see and feel about it. Changing the cladding, the roof covering, windows and doors, or even making a nice driveway for you vehicle are  just a few things that can contribute to the building’s transformation.

Building Regulations and Development Rights.

It is important, before any renovation work begins, to check whether it requires a certain permit or approval from the relevant regulations authority. This is to make sure that all necessary standards are met. For each area around Cyprus Building Regulations might differ.

 

 

Do you have any questions about renovation? We will be glad to answer them. Please contact us and we will get back to you within 1 to 3 working days!