I know this is a tech forum but I'll just post this anyway.

[IAEInferno]

My family agreed to have me renovate my Grandfather's place so that it would be my new home and I need some help and advice on how to build a home that would keep me cool since in my area the average temperature would be around 35 degrees Celsius.

I could use my old A/C and install it but I would like it best if I can avoid paying a lot for electricity expenses.

I have some questions and I also need some suggestions and other tips aside from my questions being answered.

1. What is better at keeping me cool, a one-story building or a two-story building?

2. Is there a way to keep the inside of my house cool aside from having my windows open, Ceiling fan/Air Conditioner running?

3. Is there a way that I could design my house to keep it cool all day long and at night as well since it is always summer here in my Country.

4.Are there any kind of material that would help the insides of a house cool?

5.Aside from having a roof to block the heat of the sun, is there a way for the heat being absorbed by the roof not spread inside the house?

Any advice and suggestions would be really appreciated.

 

[gorobei]

1) two stories gives you ways to manage heat assuming you are downstairs during the day. the downside being if you cant get rid of the heat at night it makes it harder to sleep if bedrooms are upstairs.

3) assuming no electricity use, trees along the southern exposure to absorb heat and generate shade on the sides of the house. downside is too thick coverage can block any breeze which would bee your primary means of cooling. modern steel/glass towers use perforated/mesh metal plates along the outside to let light in but reduce IR. thick stucco exterior will generally insulate better than most other non-specialty materials.
4) marble or granite tiles will function as a dense mass to absorb heat.
5) tons of fiberglass insulation or venting fan if you have an attic space.

these are some general thing you can consider, but it all depends on the type of construction/design of the house. there are obviously limits if this is just a remodel.

you may want to have a mod move this to home and garden sub.

 

[who?]

Paint the roof white or silver to reflect the heat from the sun.

 

[who?]

Have a large column of dense concrete that goes down to the bedrock as part of the slab and have the dense concrete form an interior wall up into the house. Make a cave in other words.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

Is your Grandfather going to be living with you?

 

[IAEInferno]

I will live alone there and it would be my workplace as well.

 

[IronWing]

Do you live in a dry climate? If so, an evaporative cooler uses less electricity than A/C at the expense of using water. If you decide to use A/C then insulation is critical. If you decide to use evaporative cooling then maintaining air exchange with the outside is critical. If you live in an area with lots of air pollution, an evaporative cooler is probably not the best.

 

[zinfamous]

If you can build a full basement, that keeps that part of the house very cool in summer even without AC. A good cheap option would be to build a whole-house fan in an insulated attic to draw out the hot air from the house and into the attic, then blast it back out. Affix some thermal reflective material to the inside rafters of the attic roof to reflect more direct heat (you need an open vent along the midline of the roof to allow that now-trapped heat to escape)--or just install solar panels on the roof: Give you energy and reflects tons of heat.

You also want to be aware of the direction the house & roof is facing: south or west? If so, you will also want big-ass trees to provide shade. There are some nice energy and heat efficient whole house designs where you build a central column that acts as a stairwell for a multifloor design, with a whole house fan at the top that effectively draws heat out of all the spaces adjacent to central column and blasts it out.

 

[Carson Dyle]

My family agreed to have me renovate my Grandfather's place so that it would be my new home and I need some help and advice on how to build a home that would keep me cool since in my area the average temperature would be around 35 degrees Celsius.

I could use my old A/C and install it but I would like it best if I can avoid paying a lot for electricity expenses.

I have some questions and I also need some suggestions and other tips aside from my questions being answered.

1. What is better at keeping me cool, a one-story building or a two-story building?

Why? Are you considering adding/removing a floor?

Personally, I'd opt for a single story, as there can be significant differences in temperatures in multi-story homes. This usually means that upstairs bedrooms are several degrees warmer than downstairs rooms, You could, however, use that to your advantage by creating something like a basement bedroom to sleep in.

2. Is there a way to keep the inside of my house cool aside from having my windows open, Ceiling fan/Air Conditioner running?

Open all the windows and doors in the evening or night when temps fall below about 23C, then close them all first thing in the morning. Fans to exhaust warm air from the house will help to cool it down more quickly in the evening.

Making sure the house is well insulated helps keep it cool longer during the day. Adding attic insulation is often very cost-effective. Replacing old windows also helps, but can be pricey.

If the humidity is relatively low, an evaporative ("swamp") cooler can work well. I've never been a big fan of them, though. They always seem to just raise the humidity in the house to an uncomfortable level for my liking.

3. Is there a way that I could design my house to keep it cool all day long and at night as well since it is always summer here in my Country.

Planting fast-growing deciduous trees on the south and southwestern sides of the home can help a lot to create shade from the sun in the summer, but allow the sun to warm the home in winter months.

4.Are there any kind of material that would help the insides of a house cool?

A wet towel around your neck works wonders. They sell cooling towels now of various fabrics designed for this. But again, they work best in low humidity climates.

5.Aside from having a roof to block the heat of the sun, is there a way for the heat being absorbed by the roof not spread inside the house?

Insulation in the attic. Also, venting the attic is very important.

 

[IAEInferno]

Yes, here's a better explanation of my climate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_Philippines.

Do you live in a dry climate? If so, an evaporative cooler uses less electricity than A/C at the expense of using water. If you decide to use A/C then insulation is critical. If you decide to use evaporative cooling then maintaining air exchange with the outside is critical. If you live in an area with lots of air pollution, an evaporative cooler is probably not the best.

 

[IAEInferno]

If you can build a full basement, that keeps that part of the house very cool in summer even without AC. A good cheap option would be to build a whole-house fan in an insulated attic to draw out the hot air from the house and into the attic, then blast it back out. Affix some thermal reflective material to the inside rafters of the attic roof to reflect more direct heat (you need an open vent along the midline of the roof to allow that now-trapped heat to escape)--or just install solar panels on the roof: Give you energy and reflects tons of heat.

You also want to be aware of the direction the house & roof is facing: south or west? If so, you will also want big-ass trees to provide shade. There are some nice energy and heat efficient whole house designs where you build a central column that acts as a stairwell for a multifloor design, with a whole house fan at the top that effectively draws heat out of all the spaces adjacent to central column and blasts it out.

Yes, I also think having my bedroom and my workplace in the basement could work wonders since I believe cold air goes down while hot air goes up, I like your idea.

 

[IronWing]

Yes, here's a better explanation of my climate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_Philippines.

An evaporative cooler would be pure misery during the rainy season. Stick with A/C.

 

[IAEInferno]

An evaporative cooler would be pure misery during the rainy season. Stick with A/C.

It would be best if I don't have to resort to using the A/C since I just graduated and my starting salary would be too little to even have the luxury of incurring additional electricity expenses with the A/C.

 

[Carson Dyle]

It would be best if I don't have to resort to using the A/C since I just graduated and my starting salary would be too little to even have the luxury of incurring additional electricity expenses with the A/C.

If that's the case, maybe it's not a good idea to be renovating a house and living on your own quite yet?

Sounds like your best best is going to be staying in the basement.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

This is a tech forum which also has an off topic area, so you are more than welcome to come post anything you wish, that are within the rules.

 

[MongGrel]

You're in a tropical zone apparently, so anything not related using AC is not going to take the humidity out a low expense I imagine.

Dehumidifiers might be your best bet if AC costs too much.

 

[IAEInferno]

The expenses will be covered by my savings and also with the help of my family, so construction costs aren't a problem, only utility expenses.

 

[IAEInferno]

If that's the case, maybe it's not a good idea to be renovating a house and living on your own quite yet?

Sounds like your best best is going to be staying in the basement.

No basement, only a single storey building.

 

[Humpy]

Orient the house in order to maximize natural ventilation while minimizing solar gain. Design the house to maximize natural lighting while minimizing water infiltration. Construct the house utilizing locally available materials and skilled labor.

Deleted.

Don't abuse the noobs.

AT Moderator ElFenix

 

[IAEInferno]

This is a tech forum which also has an off topic area, so you are more than welcome to come post anything you wish, that are within the rules.

Yes, thank you, I will.

 

[IAEInferno]

You're in a tropical zone apparently, so anything not related using AC is not going to take the humidity out a low expense I imagine.

Dehumidifiers might be your best bet if AC costs too much.

I'm planning on having my bedroom and workplace in the basement when I plan on building a one-storey building with a basement since my Grandfather's office has no basement.

How much cooler is it in the basement if you compare it yourself when you are at the 2nd floor or 1st floor of a house during the hot afternoons?

 

[feralkid]

http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jsk02ce/3.4.html

 

[Carson Dyle]

Do you know if the house is even insulated? I'm betting it was common, particularly with older homes in tropical environments, to have no insulation at all. They didn't have A/C back in the day to worry about containing the cold air inside, and probably didn't have to worry much about keeping out the cold of winter.

 

[IAEInferno]

Do you know if the house is even insulated? I'm betting it was common, particularly with older homes in tropical environments, to have no insulation at all. They didn't have A/C back in the day to worry about containing the cold air inside, and probably didn't have to worry much about keeping out the cold of winter.

It only has small vents in the attic to let air pass through, and no there's no winter in the Philippines.

 

[IAEInferno]

http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jsk02ce/3.4.html

Thanks this is very helpful.