http://www.busyboo.com/2007/08/16/small-house-design-compact-house/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:09:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.busyboo.com/2007/08/16/small-house-design-compact-house/comment-page-1/#comment-5881 Tony MORRIS Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:34:46 +0000 http://www.busyboo.com/2007/08/16/small-house-design-compact-house/#comment-5881 I have toured many homes in Edmonton, AB Canada and have long wondered why Australian homes don't follow the Canadian practice of digging basements and putting in loft rooms. I have been greatly surprised by the amount of living space those homes pack onto a small 'footprint'. Living on three levels!Winter minimum temperatures are 'character building' but the double or even triple glazing and the insulation packed into ceilings and walls has a secondary benefit of keeping street noise out of the homes. If a typical Edmonton home were built in southern Australia its heating and cooling bills would be very low. The 'payoff' period for the cost of the extral level of insulation makes it a much better financial proposition than solar heating or photovoltaics. I have toured many homes in Edmonton, AB Canada and have long wondered why Australian homes don’t follow the Canadian practice of digging basements and putting in loft rooms. I have been greatly surprised by the amount of living space those homes pack onto a small ‘footprint’. Living on three levels!Winter minimum temperatures are ‘character building’ but the double or even triple glazing and the insulation packed into ceilings and walls has a secondary benefit of keeping street noise out of the homes. If a typical Edmonton home were built in southern Australia its heating and cooling bills would be very low. The ‘payoff’ period for the cost of the extral level of insulation makes it a much better financial proposition than solar heating or photovoltaics.

]]>