My Barn Conversion

There is a growing body of research that suggests that exposure to electric & electromagnetic fields especially from high voltage sources may be detrimental to health. Electric fields are produced wherever and whenever there is a flow of voltage. This occurs through any electric cable or appliance even when it is switched off. Electromagnetic fieldsContinue reading ElectroPollution

The field of psychology recognises the affect that colour has upon us, not merely as a matter of subjectively favouring certain colours, but in terms of our base characteristics & responses. …Dr Ashley felt that colo(u)r has a great deal to do with the well-being of the emotionally disturbed. Nurse Diesel, High Anxiety, Directed byContinue reading Colour

We bought the barn with planning permission in place. The plans were very simple and low impact. The structure of the building remained unchanged, utilising existing windows and doors, with the simple addition of some small velux windows in the roof. When we came to readdress the plans with our designer, the opportunity presented itselfContinue reading Planning Amendments

An allergy is a hypersensitivity to what are normally innocuous entities such as certain foodstuffs, cleaning products, dust, plant pollen and so on. Whilst debate over the scale, change in scale and root causes of people suffering from allergies is beyond the scope of this article, consideration of how to minimise the impact of allergensContinue reading Allergy Free

Until I started researching the Healthy House concept, I’d always taken such things as the need for a radon survey with a pinch of salt; as a necessary evil, a piece of unavoidable paid-for bureaucracy. Now I have a slightly differing opinion after developing an appreciation of the risks that radon presents. So when myContinue reading Radon Report

Air quality is determined by the composition of the volume of air under consideration. Generally, the normal composition of air is 78% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, trace amounts of other gases, and around 1% water vapour. Substances not naturally found in the air or found in the air at higher thanContinue reading Air Quality

It is only over the last few months that I’ve become aware of the concept of the healthy house. This is a design approach that focuses on the effects upon human health of the design, materials, building alignment & layout of our built environment. In the best tradition of ‘Top-10 lists’, here’s my ten keyContinue reading The Healthy House

There’s been some pay-back from the bramble clearing that we spent so many weekends doing. Nettles! …and where there are nettles there’s soup. Get over to mwnch ~ eat seasonally for the recipe and get cooking.

When working through the detailed design for the barn we decided to use oak beams to support the first floor rather than steels. That seems like a sensible decision; whilst costing more, from the perspective of aesthetics and ‘healthy house’ design the choice was clear. Now I’m trying to set the budget, the madness begins.Continue reading Oak Beams? ~ You must be barking!

From the Romans to present day, underfloor heating has been a good idea. Underfloor heating provides gently radiating heat from the whole of the floor surface. This radiant heat is similar to the heat from the sun, heating the occupants of the room directly rather than the air around them (must admit I’ve never fullyContinue reading Underfloor Heating