E136. True or false questions

How well do you actually know your building facts? In this episode we're flipping the format and putting ourselves on the spot with a run of true or false questions, pulled straight from the things people assume about building, buying land, and designing a home. No long explanations up front, just a call: true, or false. And some of the answers aren't as obvious as you'd think.

We move through contracts and compliance, structure and site conditions, roofing choices, wet areas, solar, and energy efficiency, testing some of the most common assumptions homeowners walk in with. Does a fixed price contract really mean the price can't change? Does an easement only affect what's underground? Are all slabs designed the same way, regardless of soil? Is a skillion roof always the cheaper option? Some of these will feel like common sense once you hear the reasoning. Others might completely change how you think about your next build or reno.

There's also one trick question thrown in to keep us honest, and a couple of answers that surprised even Frank. It's a fast-moving episode, but it's grounded in the same real project experience we always bring, just packaged as a quiz instead of a story.

If you've ever nodded along to a "fact" about building without really knowing if it's true, this one's for you. Tune in, keep score as you go, and see how many you get right. Got your own true or false to throw at us? Send it in.

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any upcoming episodes! 

About us
Prime Design is a building design company locally owned and operated in Tasmania since 2004.  Our goal is to share as much valuable information as possible about the process of building design, extensions, and more. We will talk about a different topic each week. To suggest a topic you would like us to talk about contact us at info@primedesigntas.com.au

Disclaimer
The information provided on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, individual circumstances, or remedy. We strongly suggest you consult a qualified professional before taking any action based on the information provided in this podcast. The views, opinions, and information provided in this podcast are those of the hosts  do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer, or company.  All content provided on this podcast is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. We make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this podcast and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses,  or damages arising from its use. We reserve the right to change content or delete any information provided on this podcast at any time without prior notice.

Transcript

E136. True or false questions

[INTRO] (0:08 - 0:19)

Hello and welcome to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast, focused on providing valuable information for anyone looking to undertake a new build or extension project. We'll share our tips, tricks and stories from a building designer's perspective.

[Amelia] (0:36 - 0:43)

Hello and welcome to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast. I'm your host Amelia and once again we're joined by Frank Geskus.

[Frank] (0:43 - 0:45)

Afternoon Amelia, late afternoon.

[Amelia] (0:45 - 0:50)

It is a late afternoon because you've been out lunching and wining and dining.

[Frank] (0:50 - 0:52)

Yes, it's part of the job.

[Amelia] (0:52 - 0:55)

Oh yes, put it down to business, yep.

[Frank] (0:56 - 0:56)

Why not?

[Amelia] (0:57 - 0:59)

Okay, we'll leave that one for another time.

[Frank] (0:59 - 0:59)

Okay, fair enough.

[Amelia] (1:02 - 1:15)

We're going to have a chat to you today about some questions, some true or false questions. We're going to bust some myths out there, hopefully answer some questions that some of you guys have. I think we'll just dive straight in.

[Frank] (1:15 - 1:18)

Dive straight in, see if you can stump me, which wouldn't be hard.

[Amelia] (1:18 - 1:36)

Okay, let's start off with contracts and compliance. This is a big one. What about if you have a fixed price building contract? Does that mean that the price can't change once it's been signed? True or false? 

[Frank]

It's false.

[Amelia]

Okay.

[Frank] (1:36 - 2:12)

Because when you read through your contract, there will be variations. In one of those is anything below the slab. There will always be a rock component.

If they find rock, they can't allow it, they can't see it. 

[Amelia]

True. 

[Frank]

They can't see if there's soft soils or whether a tree has been cut off to ground level and there's a tree stump and root system in there. It may sound fanciful, but I've had this happen before and it's very expensive to fix. No one sees it. No one can deal anything with it.

If you change your mind, so fixed price and you change your mind on something, well, obviously it can't be fixed price because it would cost more.

[Amelia] (2:12 - 2:13)

That's right.

[Frank] (2:13 - 2:15)

Makes common sense, doesn't it?

[Amelia] (2:15 - 2:18)

It does, and I think renos are a big one for this as well.

[Frank] (2:18 - 2:24)

Massive, because open up the plaster, get behind the walls and go, oh man, didn't expect that.

[Amelia] (2:24 - 2:25)

Exactly.

[Frank] (2:25 - 2:49)

There's lots of, I didn't expect that. And this is where you work with a builder and it's got to be fair and reasonable, and if the builder is fair and reasonable about it, you know, and he still has to make a level of profit on this too, because he takes on a level of liability. 

[Amelia]

Yes.

[Frank]

So fixed price is a great place to go with any contract, but you need to read through and there are variables within that, and it's only fair.

[Amelia] (2:49 - 2:53)

Yes, and this is exactly why it's important to have contingencies.

[Frank] (2:53 - 2:54)

Oh yes, we've got a whole podcast on that.

[Amelia] (2:55 - 2:55)

We do.

[Frank] (2:55 - 3:05)

Have the extra percentage or dollar amount that you have up your sleeve that you can afford on top of the cost of the build. It would be foolish to go in to think there will be no variations.

[Amelia] (3:06 - 3:13)

Exactly. So I guess the moral of that story is there really isn't a fixed price contract.

[Frank] (3:13 - 3:15)

Fixed price based on the information that is known.

[Amelia] (3:16 - 3:16)

That's right.

[Frank] (3:16 - 3:25)

As soon as things are exposed and go, oh, okay, that wasn't expected. Or a classic example, we've spoken about this. Something, you can't get that product anymore.

You've got to find an alternative.

[Amelia] (3:26 - 3:27)

Yeah, that happens.

[Frank] (3:27 - 3:29)

It's not the owner's fault. It happens.

[Amelia] (3:29 - 3:32)

Something's been discontinued or... 

[Frank]

Very much so. 

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[Frank] (3:33 - 3:41)

Okay. So you've got to be reasonable about it, and that's why 10% contingency is a reasonable thing to do on a new build, 20% on extensions, renos.

[Amelia] (3:42 - 3:43)

Exactly.

[Frank] (3:44 - 3:45)

All right, what's the next one?

[Amelia] (3:45 - 3:55)

Next one, okay. An easement on your title only affects underground services and not what you can build above the ground. True or false?

[Frank] (3:56 - 4:26)

False. An easement on your title, and I'll talk about that further on when you purchase a block without title. You know, you purchase a block and the title hasn't been released yet. Firstly, if there is an easement on there or a right of way, please be aware that it's similar but different.

But basically, you can't build over a right of way. You can't build over an easement. Now, the crazy thing about easements is that there should be some infrastructure there.

It could be a drainage easement, sewer, stormwater. It could be water. There are also hydro easements, you know?

[Amelia] (4:27 - 4:27)

Yes.

[Frank] (4:27 - 4:50)

Electricity. You could have a trunk main like a big three-, four-, 500-millimetre water main going through. And you should know this before you purchase it.

As I said before, the thing that you can get caught out on, you buy a block and there's no easements on it. And then all of a sudden you turn up and you have purchased your block. Everything's happy.

And you find there's an easement on it. But it wasn't there when you bought it, when you signed the contract.

[Amelia] (4:50 - 4:51)

Yes.

[Frank] (4:51 - 4:58)

Because they've had to put a sewer or stormwater line in. I have a personal take on that. I think it's quite deceptive when that's the case.

[Amelia] (4:58 - 5:02)

I think it's a bit rotten because you've been told after the fact, really.

[Frank] (5:02 - 5:03)

Yeah, which is a load of horse shit.

[Amelia] (5:03 - 5:04)

Yeah.

[Frank] (5:04 - 5:35)

There's no other way of putting it because I think it's like everything. You need to be open and transparent with what you're purchasing. And if they're not, I think it's a load of crap.

And by then it's too late because potentially half the blocks are already sold. 

[Amelia]

Yes. 

[Frank]

And it restricts what you can build.

You can't build over an easement. It's very, very rare and definitely won't happen with a residential. And even with the overhang of your roof, you know, you can't do it.

So please be very aware it is a restriction of the extent of the building that you're going to build.

[Amelia] (5:36 - 5:41)

Yes. And that might not be just the house. It could be shed, pool, whatever.

[Frank] (5:41 - 5:46)

Shed, pool, pergola. 

[Amelia]

Yes. 

[Frank]

But you can actually put concrete over them for your driveway.

[Amelia] (5:46 - 5:47)

Okay.

[Frank] (5:47 - 6:00)

Yep. So your driveway can go over it. Your parking spot can go over it.

That's fine. Just concrete. Pavement.

So it's fine. So keep that in mind when you're purchasing a block and actually having the clause that they can't add an easement to it.

[Amelia] (6:00 - 6:01)

Oh, you can do that.

[Frank] (6:01 - 6:31)

No, but just I'd ask for it anyway. Bugger them. 

[Amelia]

Okay.

Because I honestly believe it's a load of crap where all of a sudden an easement turns up and you're having your contract. Well, you're not allowed to. And I know the point of doing it is that then they are up front saying, hey, we have a problem.

We need to run another sewer or stormwater line or a water line or a power line, whatever it is. We need to run services through your block. And for the developer and the civil contractor not being open and honest, I think it's very deceptive.

[Amelia] (6:32 - 6:36)

I agree. 

[Frank]

Next. 

[Amelia]

Next. Okay. Here's one for you.

[Frank] (6:36 - 6:37)

We're going to rip through these.

[Amelia] (6:37 - 6:45)

We're going to rip through them. An architect or building designer must be licensed to design residential homes in Tasmania.

[Frank] (6:45 - 6:46)

True.

[Amelia] (6:47 - 6:47)

Okay.

[Frank] (6:48 - 7:08)

Simple. You need to have a license to either do a house, a shed, pergola, deck, anything that is deemed as a structure under the regulations in Tasmania. And I'm talking Tasmania.

To be able to do the design and approval of any of these structures.

[Amelia] (7:08 - 7:18)

Okay. So what about for argument's sake, you've got a friend who's a student designer and they've drawn something up for you that looks very pretty.

[Frank] (7:18 - 7:20)

Yep. And usually does look pretty. Yep.

[Amelia] (7:21 - 7:29)

What happens then? Because they're not licensed yet, are they not allowed to organise that for you? 

[Frank]

No.

[Amelia]

Okay. 

[Frank] (7:30 - 7:52)

Simple. Don't have a license. You either have a driver's license or you don't. Are you allowed to drive a car without a license?

No. Can you drive a boat without a license? You need to have a license for a whole heap of stuff.

So at the end of the day, there's a reason they've done that in Tasmania because there was too many clowns messing it up for everyone and then the consumer pays for it. And that's not fair. 

[Amelia] (7:52 - 7:54)

That's not fair. No.

[Frank] (7:54 - 8:10)

And no offence against students, but any of those students don't know their arse from their elbow and they don't know what they're doing from all the correct details. They can do a design. It doesn't mean they know all the national construction code, the plumbing codes, all the other requirements.

They don't.

[Amelia] (8:10 - 8:12)

And we have minimum documentation here.

[Frank] (8:13 - 8:13)

In Tasmania, we do.

[Amelia] (8:14 - 8:14)

We do, yes.

[Frank] (8:14 - 8:30)

And it's really interesting. I've had multiple people come to me over the years, oh, I've had this architectural student draw all this. Can you sign off on it? And I go, flat out no. He says, well, why is that? Why would I risk my license, my insurance? I have insurance. Part of our licensing, you have to have insurance.

[Amelia] (8:30 - 8:31)

Yes.

[Frank] (8:31 - 8:39)

So you as a consumer know that I've got insurance. If something goes wrong, you can come back to me. The idea is that you never have to if you do your job properly.

[Amelia] (8:40 - 8:40)

That's right.

[Frank] (8:40 - 9:00)

So, yeah. And any architect, and I've had this before, someone that calls themselves an architect but doesn't actually have a license and then they engage someone else to do the drawings for them is not an architect. They're an architect wannabe.

Anyone you engage has to be licensed. Same with being a builder. They have to be licensed.

[Amelia] (9:00 - 9:01)

Same with plumbing, electrical.

[Frank] (9:02 - 9:13)

All of that. They have to be licensed, and there's good reason for that. And if you choose not to do that and you choose to go owner builder and all sorts of stuff, well, that's your fault if anything goes wrong.

[Amelia] (9:13 - 9:16)

Yes. That's right. It's on you, isn't it?

[Frank] (9:16 - 9:18)

It's on you. It's all cheap and cheery at the start.

[Amelia] (9:19 - 9:33)

Yes, that's right. Until it goes wrong. Okay. Next question. Let's look at structure and site. Timber-framed homes and steel-framed homes have the same expected lifespan, true or false?

[Frank] (9:33 - 9:51)

Well, in a way, yes, but there's caveats with that, isn't it? 

[Amelia]

There would be, yeah. 

[Frank]

In Tasmania, it is, and if it's built properly, there's no reason why the house can last a long, long time.

With steel, if you're close to the coast and you're in a corrosive environment, they're potentially going to be under more effect of the salt.

[Amelia] (9:52 - 9:52)

Yes.

[Frank] (9:52 - 10:08)

So if you're within one kilometre of breaking surf, they could suffer a lot more than a timber frame. Vice versa, if a timber frame and you're in moist conditions and you haven't got good ventilation, they don't last. Especially the pine framing we have, it doesn't like moisture.

[Amelia] (10:08 - 10:09)

No, it doesn't.

[Frank] (10:09 - 10:16)

Old hardwood, the old stuff they used to have, far, far better. Now, let's go to the mainland. Well, they have these cute little ants called termites.

[Amelia] (10:16 - 10:17)

They do.

[Frank] (10:17 - 10:34)

Yes. So that's where timber and there's specific structural building techniques to deal with termites, and termites don't like steel. So this is why you have these caveats.

I said that because there are design limitations for each material.

[Amelia] (10:35 - 10:39)

Yes. So it sounds like it's very dependent on the conditions.

[Frank] (10:39 - 10:43)

Oh, always will be, you know, and there's nothing wrong with either one of them if they're done correctly.

[Amelia] (10:44 - 10:47)

And, yeah, we use both for construction.

[Frank] (10:47 - 11:16)

In Tasmania, it's predominantly timber because of the resources that we have here, and we don't have these little pesky termites. Termites, 

[Amelia]

yep. 

[Frank]

We don't have them. The ones we have here are pretty dopey. But on the mainland, obviously, there is a far greater focus on that, and there is a greater problem with that. So steel has its other issues, too, because it's more expensive in certain things, like to even run the electrical plumbing through, and you're going to run holes through, and you're going to run grommets on it.

It also contracts and expands greater than timber.

[Amelia] (11:16 - 11:17)

Yes.

[Frank] (11:17 - 11:24)

Okay. Also, under the NCC, you need to have a thermal brake from the exterior cladding to the frame.

[Amelia] (11:24 - 11:25)

Okay. What's that for?

[Frank] (11:26 - 11:27)

For heat transfer.

[Amelia] (11:27 - 11:28)

Oh, of course, yeah.

[Frank] (11:28 - 11:33)

So heat transfer is the outside cladding to the frame, so you've got to have a thermal brake.

[Amelia] (11:33 - 11:33)

Yes.

[Frank] (11:34 - 11:38)

So, yeah, it's doing your research on suitability of each one of these frames.

[Amelia] (11:39 - 11:42)

Okay. Good answer. On to the next one.

[Frank] (11:43 - 11:43)

Why not?

[Amelia] (11:43 - 11:52)

Okay. Let's let it rip. All residential slabs are designed the same way regardless of soil type, true or false?

[Frank] (11:52 - 11:53)

Where did you get that? Of course it's false.

[Amelia] (11:53 - 11:57)

Okay. But not everyone might know that.

[Frank] (11:57 - 12:21)

Okay, fair enough. Look, all around Australia, we have very different soil conditions. Every state, and South Australia are very special with their soils, but essentially we work on the reactivity of the soil, the shrink-swell potential, how much water absorbs and how much it releases, and that is the difference with its swelling.

And it is measured under AS2870, the predicted movement.

[Amelia] (12:22 - 12:23)

Okay.

[Frank] (12:23 - 12:42)

The YS. And we have all the different classes, which is A, S, M, H1, H2, Extreme, and P for problem. So, all different soil types, all different slab designs.

Now, we're talking about slabs, but you didn't talk about footings. So, there's all these different designs to suit, because you might have a timber floor.

[Amelia] (12:43 - 12:44)

Oh, that's a good point.

[Frank] (12:44 - 13:08)

Yeah. So, sand can be your friend, rock can be your friend, but rock can bite you as well. Highly reactive clays can be very challenging, especially affected by moisture, so you've got to do more consideration of drainage.

This alone, you could do 100 podcasts just on soils, because the different soils, the complexity, and the different type of houses or buildings can be put on them.

[Amelia] (13:08 - 13:09)

We should get a geotech in.

[Frank] (13:10 - 13:31)

Yeah, if you like talking about dirt. 

[Amelia]

That could be exciting. 

[Frank]

Yeah, well, to them it is. But it's a very interesting space, because I think we've said it before, when you purchase a block, I always believe, get a geotechnical report, so you understand what you're paying for. Because you can buy for a site that could be a P and a H2, and it's going to cost you a fortune.

[Amelia] (13:32 - 13:32)

That's right.

[Frank] (13:33 - 13:49)

Or you could get something that's S or an M, and it's pretty reasonable. There's all these different classifications, but then you've got to deal with these other factors involved there too. And this can affect the cost of something you'll never, ever see, and it never improves the value of your house.

[Amelia] (13:50 - 14:15)

Yes. And I mean, it's really interesting, because you can go to one person, say there's two sites next to each other, and one's built a house for, I don't know, 700,000. 

[Frank]

Yes.

[Amelia]

And the other person's built a house for 900,000, but they're identical. 

[Frank]

Yes. 

[Amelia]

And it could only be to do with the type of soil that's under, you know, whatever they had to do.

[Frank] (14:15 - 14:16)

Not quite that much. Probably not that much.

[Amelia] (14:17 - 14:18)

But you get the idea.

[Frank] (14:18 - 14:29)

But it's so much using the different taps and floor coverings, and it's actually not worth any more either. 

[Amelia]

Yes. 

[Frank]

But when you go from the floor down, you never get a return of investment on that.

[Amelia] (14:29 - 14:32)

No, but you also don't really get a choice of how you construct either.

[Frank] (14:32 - 15:11)

Oh, no, you can't, because it is what it is. 

[Amelia]

That's right. 

[Frank]

And here's a little hint. Never skimp on your footings, if in doubt. 

[Amelia]

Go extra. 

[Frank]

Go extra.

[Amelia]

Yes. 

[Frank]

It's like a good set of tyres on your car. You buy cheap tyres.

[Amelia]

They're still functional. 

[Frank]

They're functional, they do the thing, but as soon as certain conditions come about, they may not be as functional as you want them to be. 

[Amelia]

That's right. 

[Frank]

But with footings, when they do not function, you get horrible movement in your house. 

[Amelia]

Yes. 

[Frank]

And even when you do all the right things, the drainage around it may have a great effect on it too.

[Amelia]

Yes. 

[Frank]

Like I said, big topic. There's whole seminars on, conferences just on this.

[Amelia] (15:11 - 15:12)

And you're saying.

[Frank] (15:13 - 15:14)

And on what?

[Amelia] (15:14 - 15:17)

You're saying too much drainage is never enough.

[Frank] (15:17 - 15:25)

Oh, yes. You got me there. Nice. Yeah. So, so true. What other questions have you got for me?

[Amelia] (15:25 - 15:33)

Let's have a look here. Okay. A skillion roof is always cheaper to build than a traditional gable roof. True or false?

[Frank] (15:33 - 15:36)

Well, for one thing, I'd say hip is more traditional than gable.

[Amelia] (15:37 - 15:39)

Okay. True. I agree with that.

[Frank] (15:39 - 15:45)

Yeah. But in saying that, generally they are more expensive. I've been told by builders there's potentially about 5% more.

[Amelia] (15:46 - 15:50)

Which is interesting because you look at the roofline and it looks way more simple.

[Frank] (15:50 - 15:52)

It is. The roofline is simple.

[Amelia] (15:52 - 15:52)

Yeah.

[Frank] (15:52 - 15:54)

But it's the amount of the exterior cladding.

[Amelia] (15:55 - 15:55)

Oh.

[Frank] (15:55 - 16:24)

So, your exterior cladding. So, if you're looking at brickwork and it could be like $105 to $130 a square metre, depending on the type of brickwork and finish and whatnot. Some of the lightweight claddings could be upwards of $160, $170 a square metre.

So, you nor look at a normal gable, which is fine, or a hip. And the whole podcast is, you know, describing the types of roofs. The cladding only goes to the underside of your eaves.

[Amelia] (16:24 - 16:24)

Yes.

[Frank] (16:24 - 16:29)

So, as soon as you go skillion, you go to the underside of the eave that's way up in the air.

[Amelia] (16:29 - 16:30)

That makes sense.

[Frank] (16:30 - 16:39)

So, then potentially you could add a good, you know, anywhere between 5% to 10% extra in external surface area.

[Amelia] (16:39 - 16:39)

Yes.

[Frank] (16:40 - 16:45)

So, that adds a lot of cost because your exterior cladding can be some of the more expensive items, depending on what you choose.

[Amelia] (16:46 - 16:46)

Mm-hmm.

[Frank] (16:46 - 17:01)

So, skillions are great, and in the right context, they look wonderful, and it's definitely worth spending the money on it to give you the look that you want. And all these other roofs, there's more expensive, like parapet roofs in a square shape. That's really expensive.

[Amelia] (17:02 - 17:03)

Yeah, right.

[Frank] (17:03 - 17:06)

More area, but you've got to put these dumb-ass box gutters in them.

[Amelia] (17:06 - 17:09)

Oh, I know how much you love them.

[Frank] (17:09 - 17:11)

I'm starting to get a twitch, you know. They make me nervous.

[Amelia] (17:13 - 17:15)

We'd better get on to the next question.

[Frank] (17:15 - 17:15)

Oh, we better.

[Amelia] (17:16 - 17:28)

Okay. Sustainability and wet areas. Let's have a look at this one.

[Frank]

Oh, this is a pearler. 

[Amelia]

A bathroom without a window is legally required to have a mechanical exhaust fan. True or false?

[Frank] (17:28 - 17:29)

100% true.

[Amelia] (17:30 - 17:30)

Okay.

[Frank] (17:31 - 17:34)

But even when they don't have a window, you still get that mechanical fan.

[Amelia] (17:34 - 17:37)

Yeah, I agree. And get a good one.

[Frank] (17:38 - 18:15)

Better than good. Get an awesome one. 
 
 

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[Frank]

This is something where I think a lot of builders potentially skimp, and it's not their fault because of what's specified on the drawings, but think of middle of winter, you're having a shower, and your whole bathroom's steamed up. You can barely see your mirror, and you've got to wipe it off. And then you've done your stuff, shower, dried off, did all the things you have to do, and you walk out, and it's still full of steam.

[Amelia]

Yes. 

[Frank]

If you don't get rid of it, where does it go? It doesn't. It stays there. 

[Amelia]

It stays.

[Frank]

So what happens with really wet walls and ceilings over time?

[Amelia] (18:15 - 18:16)

They go mouldy.

[Frank] (18:16 - 18:24)

Mouldy and horrible. You want to get that out of there. You want to get all the moisture out because moisture kills buildings, and moisture kills bathrooms.

[Amelia] (18:25 - 18:26)

It does.

[Frank] (18:26 - 18:30)

And black shit on the walls, tiles, roof, ceiling is not a good look.

[Amelia] (18:30 - 18:30)

No.

[Frank] (18:30 - 18:31)

And it's actually bad for your health.

[Amelia] (18:32 - 18:32)

It is.

[Frank] (18:32 - 18:55)

Spend the money, and nothing against some of these brands. IXL is just a term, but your three-in-one fan systems, they're not very powerful. Spend the money, put a kick-ass fan over your shower that sucks out the steam and do it really, really well.

It might cost you another $2,000 to $3,000 to get it done right, but I have a lot less to clean.

[Amelia] (18:56 - 18:56)

Yes.

[Frank] (18:57 - 19:00)

And you keep it going well after you've left the bathroom.

[Amelia] (19:01 - 19:03)

Yeah, I leave mine on. Yeah.

[Frank] (19:03 - 19:11)

I don't understand why we don't have automatic timers on some of this stuff to make sure that the steam and moisture is taken out of the rooms because once it's dry, it's dry.

[Amelia] (19:12 - 19:13)

That's right.

[Frank] (19:13 - 19:20)

It's not going to cause too many problems. Yeah. And this is a big thing with moisture inside your building. Get it out.

[Amelia] (19:20 - 19:24)

Yeah, it's one of the biggest failures in homes is because of water.

[Frank] (19:24 - 19:35)

Yeah, but also it's a health thing too because it's not just the mould on the walls, but what's behind them. And make sure it's ducted to the outside. Old places used to just duct into the roof, so then potentially you have moisture up in your roof.

[Amelia] (19:36 - 19:37)

Yeah, that's not good.

[Frank] (19:38 - 19:42)

No, but it depends how much ventilation you have. Ventilation's key.

[Amelia] (19:42 - 19:45)

It is. That's where your HRVs can come in.

[Frank] (19:45 - 20:07)

That's a different thing altogether. That's a much bigger, expansive system, and it goes 24-7 sucking out dirty air and moisture out of your house. And that's why they're so good.

That's why so many European countries and I believe North American countries have those quite extensively and Scandinavian countries because they have to have it.

[Amelia] (20:08 - 20:14)

They have to. Yeah, I noticed when I was in Europe, there was quite a lot of bathrooms that were internal. They had no windows.

[Frank] (20:14 - 20:14)

Yeah.

[Amelia] (20:15 - 20:16)

They needed good ventilation.

[Frank] (20:17 - 20:18)

Yep, very much so.

[Amelia] (20:18 - 20:18)

Yeah.

[Frank] (20:18 - 20:19)

Yep.

[Amelia] (20:20 - 20:26)

All right, next question. Solar panels need to face true north to be worth installing. True or false?

[Frank] (20:27 - 20:38)

Oh, wow. That's quite a building design question. Got me on the hop on that one. As I understand it, that's not 100% true.

[Amelia] (20:38 - 20:38)

Okay.

[Frank] (20:40 - 21:00)

Because depending on when the power generation is actually required, so east-west facing can still perform well subject to the usage, but here in Tasmania is really interesting, and we're more extreme than the rest of the country because of our position on the globe because our sun gets up in winter, gets up later and drops a lot earlier.

[Amelia] (21:00 - 21:00)

That's right.

[Frank] (21:01 - 21:12)

So we do not get the same amount of sun. In summer, it rocks, you know, it works really well because if you're at home and you run the AC when you get home from work and you've still got westerly sun, we've still got sunlight until 9 o'clock.

[Amelia] (21:12 - 21:12)

That's right.

[Frank] (21:13 - 21:14)

Man, you've got to get up.

[Amelia] (21:14 - 21:14)

It's great.

[Frank] (21:14 - 21:19)

It's great and run your air conditioning. But in winter, it's a lot tougher.

[Amelia] (21:19 - 21:20)

It is, yeah.

[Frank] (21:21 - 21:33)

So I think that's got to take a grain of salt depending on where you are in the country and how your power usage is as well. But I'm not an expert on that one. You've caught me out.

That's not a building.

[Amelia] (21:35 - 21:37)

Well, I had to put one trick question in there.

[Frank] (21:37 - 21:39)

Okay, cool. All right.

[Amelia] (21:39 - 21:45)

Next one. Now, you should be good at this one because we've already talked about windows and glazing recently in our podcast.

[Frank] (21:45 - 21:46)

Okay, okay. What have you got for me?

[Amelia] (21:47 - 21:52)

Double glazing is mandatory in every new Tasmanian home, true or false?

[Frank] (21:52 - 21:58)

Well, technically, it's false. But? You'd be a dumbass not to do it.

[Amelia] (21:58 - 22:00)

Yeah, nearly everyone goes for double glazed.

[Frank] (22:00 - 22:04)

Because being for your buck in Tasmania, double glazing is very good value.

[Amelia] (22:04 - 22:04)

Yeah.

[Frank] (22:04 - 22:38)

And I understand up northern part of Australia where they've had to go to Seven Star and they've got to put double glazing in and it's really expensive because they're not geared up for it. 

[Amelia]

Yes. 

[Frank]

We've been geared up for it for like 20 odd years.

But don't skimp on your windows. And this is a problem we have with a lot of homes where people are more worried about the style, design, interior fit out of their house, but they're not worried about the glazing. Glazing and your wall ceiling and floor insulation is one of the best value things you can do for your home for thermal comfort.

[Amelia] (22:38 - 22:38)

Yes.

[Frank] (22:39 - 23:02)

And also for your back pocket long term with power usage and spending a little bit more money on your windows, insulation, could be of great benefit. 

[Amelia]

Exactly. 

[Frank]

But as we're talking about double glazing, I'd go double glazing.

I'd be leaning towards now thermal break. I'm doing it myself in my new home. I'm going thermal break. It is costing me a few bucks more, but I think it's a good investment going in the future.

[Amelia] (23:03 - 23:06)

I've been looking at windows myself lately. I'm thinking maybe UPVC.

[Frank] (23:08 - 23:11)

If it fits in the budget, 100% do it.

[Amelia] (23:11 - 23:12)

Yep.

[Frank] (23:12 - 23:20)

You know, you never regret as long as the windows are of quality and they'll last the life of the building. That's an important part too.

[Amelia] (23:20 - 23:21)

Lucky last question.

[Frank] (23:22 - 23:22)

Okay.

[Amelia] (23:22 - 23:30)

One more. A home's energy efficiency rating is based purely on how much insulation it has. True or false?

[Frank] (23:30 - 24:13)

Oh, I wish it was that simple. Oh, bliss. But under the NCC with the NatHers, look, there's two ways of assessing it.

Under the NCC, you've got tables. You can use the minimum requirements. Personally, we use the NatHers rating because they do use the software to work out windows, glazing, thermal mass, well, it does work thermal mass, shading, colours, all that type of stuff to actually give you accuracy.

And it's a number of factors. Now, to be fair, the NatHers rating, which is but with all the software, the different softwares that are used under the CSIRO engine, are still not the best.

[Amelia] (24:13 - 24:14)

Yeah, okay.

[Frank] (24:14 - 24:38)

It is very limited. If you do something custom, it can't do it well. So this is where you spend a lot of money, getting a really competent thermal assessor to do a great, a far deeper analysis to really get an understanding.

And I had that done on my house, and it gave me a really good indication how many kilowatt hours it's going to cost to heat and cool all the rooms in my house during the year.

[Amelia] (24:38 - 24:39)

That's a cool thing to know.

[Frank] (24:39 - 24:53)

Yeah, and it's not as expensive as you think. Like you certainly get the NatHers to get you a permit, that's fine. But to actually really understand how each room works is really valuable because then you can work out what kind of heating and cooling system do I need to put in.

[Amelia] (24:54 - 24:54)

Yeah, exactly.

[Frank] (24:55 - 25:00)

Because I'm a bit over it. Here's soapbox stuff. Everyone just putting a damn ducted system into their house.

[Amelia] (25:00 - 25:03)

And I know you're not a massive fan of some of those.

[Frank] (25:03 - 25:17)

In some cases, yes, generally not, but some cases I think it's very warranted. But a lot of times they're putting in these ridiculous big units, and it's overcooking the system. There's no need.

If it's well-designed, you don't need to put that much.

[Amelia] (25:17 - 25:18)

A big system in.

[Frank] (25:18 - 25:24)

Like a three-phase heat pump unit. And I've had that with friends and family, and it's insane.

[Amelia] (25:25 - 25:25)

Yeah.

[Frank] (25:25 - 25:32)

It's just a waste. 

[Amelia]

It is. 

[Frank]

If it's well-designed because solar, you know, the heat from the sun is free, isn't it?

[Amelia] (25:32 - 25:38)

Well, at the end of the day, wouldn't you rather be saving money on the heating and cooling of your house?

[Frank] (25:38 - 25:44)

But you're not told that. You sold the dream. You'll never be cold.

And in Tasmania, that's very important.

[Amelia] (25:44 - 25:45)

Well, I guess that is true.

[Frank] (25:46 - 25:52)

And rather than saying, well, for half the system, you're still going to be still warm. You wouldn't know.

[Amelia] (25:52 - 25:52)

No.

[Frank] (25:53 - 25:54)

Except your power bill.

[Amelia] (25:55 - 25:55)

Yes.

[Frank] (25:56 - 26:03)

So home energy efficiency based on the NatHers rating is limited, but it is a baseline standard.

[Amelia] (26:03 - 26:04)

Okay.

[Frank] (26:04 - 26:15)

And you can go a lot deeper. And I think it's worthwhile if you're very conscious about saving money and long-term of your house, you're going to be there for a while, really get a deep analysis on your house.

[Amelia] (26:16 - 26:16)

Good plan.

[Frank] (26:17 - 26:18)

And better bang for your buck.

[Amelia] (26:19 - 26:22)

And lastly, number one rule, do your research.

[Frank] (26:23 - 26:51)

Do your research. And I'll use the energy efficiency. We use a number of high-quality thermal assessors, and you can certainly engage them outside our scope to really get a deep understanding of what they do and understand your house.

Because the better you know your house, rather than just moving in and love the floorboards, love the feeling of it, I think it's very nice to be able to walk around your house in shorts and T-shirt all year round without costing you a fortune.

[Amelia] (26:51 - 26:52)

Yes.

[Frank] (26:52 - 26:57)

Same with your heating, hot water cylinders, which we had a podcast recently on that.

[Amelia] (26:57 - 26:57)

Yes.

[Frank] (26:57 - 26:59)

Again, that one is big research.

[Amelia] (26:59 - 27:09)

Yes. All right. Well, hopefully that answers a few questions for people. But if you have any that you'd like us to answer, please feel free to write in to us.

[Frank] (27:09 - 27:13)

Oh, challenge us. Come with some crazy questions, please.

[Amelia] (27:13 - 27:18)

Yes. We might wrap it up there, folks. Thanks for listening to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast.

[Frank] (27:18 - 27:18)

Catch ya’s later.

[OUTRO] (27:20 - 27:32)

You're listening to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast.