Images

(PAGE  ROUGH DRAFT PLEASE COME BACK IN A DAY OR TWO for many more pictures and films)


The Energy Showcase - house and experimental gardens.

The grounding principles in design are essentially extending summer to eight or nine months by harvesting sunlight, and then retaining each and every sunshine packet as long as possible by use of substantial stone mass within the house which retains  the thermal energy over days of good sunlight - even in shoulder months of later autumn and earlier spring, and releases the warmth back into the house over several days. Not only is the elevation of course fundamental but also other simple design techniques are employed to enhance the harvesting of every possible photon, from mirror tiles  laid around the internal window openings to the use of as much glass in doors as possible which face South.



November 2015

Hero of the operation the last two years - top of the tree, 

ace craftsman and builder Frank 

who has given a fair few hundred hours at truly generous rates a third of what he could get out there in the open market, retiring in two weeks at the end of Nov a  sad loss.

***

 clean, at last...ace helpers just in time .........

Oct 2015


Eco therapy or the chain-gang....
(please note, both.... David for his sixty something years and vegan diet, even if all he can think about is installing vines behind the solar sink of a wall and drink the outcome.... perhaps proves, via his incredible fitness from working almost every stone with bare hands....  that health is your own choice)

 For the very best in experimental fruit growing practices - seen here clover sown below recently planted specialist fruit trees, see the farming tab at the top of the homepage.

 Thickness of this boundary wall is one key to the fruit which will grow on the Southern side, being the thermal sink of a thick wall elevates temperature in the garden; until the water butts installed, rainwater collected off the roof for watering plants really does benefit plants in many ways over mains.

 Thick fully insulated internal doors around main downstairs living space  are a major insulation feature. We can provide the best advice on suppliers who we feel balance reasonable cost with best efficiency.  

 Mirror tiles around windows capturing as much light as possible. 

Architect design, but always with large mass of stone to retain captured energy the key 'foundation'principle. Stone used throught is almost all reclaimed offcuts from kitchen worktop suppliers.