Sunday, September 19, 2010

Cut down heat!

When Russia hit a temperature of 32C this July we have better worry for Malaysia too.

A few things we have done:
1. Orientate the house so that the longer side faces north and south. The least surface facing east and west means the less hours of heating by both the rising and setting sun.

2. Ventilation via open windows and doors. Nothing beats the cool breeze. It saves energy for earth instead of creating more wastage by air conditioning.

3. Trees! Our best friends to give us wonderful shades, oxygen and sometimes food.

4. Since the west is the hottest room, we chose to put least used rooms and thicker curtains there. Bamboo curtains practically can shade of most lights.

5. Allow your roof to cool down by installing aluminium sheet to reflect the heat. Choose a lighter colour roof. Allow ventilation of air through the roof.

Other things that you can consider:
1. Use a solar reflecting paint.
2. Use water misting fan.
3. Build a cool basement underground.
4. Insulate the house and ceiling with fibreglass, polysterene or cellulose. Not many homes in Malaysia are doing it as it costs a bom.
5. Use double pane glass for all your windows.
6. Use LED or energy saving bulbs for the whole house. We are almost there to have cheaper LED lights for the whole house!

Harry and Stephanie Boswell had built and amazing energy saving house in Melaka that uses RM2/day for 4 continuously running AC. Check it out at http://www.ien.dk/cooltek/

Roof structure




In the tropical rainy weather of Malaysia, the practical choices of roofs are not many. Since it is the most unaccessible part of the house all consideration should be taken to avoid any future renovation. It can be the most expensive part of the house too.

Many designs can be considered but a slanting angle is needed to allow water to flow well. Any stagnant water can be a breeding pool for mosquitoes here.

However you can think of slanting outwards in the conventional way or inwards in a V shape to collect rainwater. The collected water is a good store for watering plants.

The most commonly used material here is timber and steel truss. Undeniably steel truss is more lasting without the worry of termites. As my house is designed with the tropical healthy concept in mind, the principle is to avoid man made material as much as possible, especially metal. So probably I can worry less about electricity disturbances and electromagnetic influences but more on the natural enemy of termites.

Journey to Moonriver - a permaculture experience



Journey to Moonriver - a permaculture experience!

Permaculture - permenant agriculture, where earth is replenished continuously with natural products and we get rich organic food all year round. Sounds familiar? Our ancester had been doing it till the industrial monsters started to swallow the traditional way. Now we learn it again, in a systematic and scientific way.

We found our way to Moonriver Lodge in Sigar Highlands near to Cameron Highlands. It is the first in Malaysia and nearest to home. After passing all the malodorous farms on the way from Blue Valley it was a surprise that this organic farm smells only of flowers.

Just by reusing many of our home waste from vegetables, fruits, newspaper and even more, rich and environmental friendly fertilizer was produced! The techniques are best elaborated by the sifu there.

We set our mind to practic the techniques as much as possible later. Then rubbish can be called "mulch" and worms are named "best workers".

Friday, August 20, 2010

Roofing



Clay roof tiles? Concrete roof tiles? Ceramic? Terracota? Metal!
Solar panels? Green roofs?
Flat? Shingles? Roman? Portugese? Chinese? Or the unique Singhorra!
Red? Brown? Mixed? Patterned? White!
Or just a flat concrete?

How to protect the house from the scotching heat which is worsening every year, and withstand the torrential tunderstorms during each monsoon?
How to find a lasting material that can age gracefully, and keep the cost reasonable?

The ideal tropical roofing shall definitely be the singhorra tiles ie the clay fish scale tiles of the East coast of Malaysia. Mediculously hand made, it allow the hot air to seep out yet the smooth slant and overlapping edges protect the house well from the tropical rain. Because of the fragile material, the life span is short usually less than 20 years. With the last and only factory in Kelantan, it will be a daring decision to use these precious tiles. Check out Aryani Hotel in Terengganu.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Iron Man 2



As part of the basic structure, iron is the backbone as in cement is the flesh.
A simple square house will definitely require much less iron, and also other materials. The wisdom from our forefathers, effective and economic!
The iron frame is bent into a exact measurements by these skilled workers. They go around the whole town for almost every individual project.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Guarding the house

For safety of the house, insurance companies has listed well trained guard dogs as the most reliable measure. The key word is: WELL TRAINED.

We decided to start early by getting a 2 month old puppy. It is well known that German Shepherd and Rottweiler are the best dogs to perform the job. Being a first-time dog owner, we decided to keep the more easy going mongrel. By allocating 15-30 minutes a day, Comet follows commands easily, but for house guarding we have to wait and see.....................

We have thought of staying in Muslim area and the inappropriateness of keeping a dog. GOOSE/GEESE can be good options too. You can save on lawn mowing in addition to the reliable house guarding.