Spain House Build - Building Started

Got the Victron Multiplus 15000kva (so actually closer to 12kw) specced at the moment.

When i was researching it seemed that whilst dual is "ideal", the amount of work/complexity is only really beneficial if you're somewhere remote where you can't get a replacement within a day or so. There were also issues where different batches of the same unit might not work together in parallel, so if i bought 2 and one went bust, there's a decent chance i couldn't just slow a replacement into it's place.
 
Martynt74 said:
Got the Victron Multiplus 15000kva (so actually closer to 12kw) specced at the moment.

When i was researching it seemed that whilst dual is "ideal", the amount of work/complexity is only really beneficial if you're somewhere remote where you can't get a replacement within a day or so. There were also issues where different batches of the same unit might not work together in parallel, so if i bought 2 and one went bust, there's a decent chance i couldn't just slow a replacement into it's place.
Click to expand...

If they are speccing Victron then I would go with it, one of the best.
Very capable and to be honest off grid is really their original purpose.

I think personally I would still go with 2x inverters if it was me, but I can understand why some would prefer a simpler solution.
Especially if its your first solar engagement.
 
I think it was at my request for them the use their stuff as it felt they were the best option. Have the full quote somewhere. Will try and dig it out
 
if the invertor are in warranty - what would service repair time be ; having two you would just be running down warranty on two too.
Putting money into a V2L bidir charger (when they finally get released, eu in the lead of over uk) sounds a better investment.

Are panels tethered to roof by a frame at the roof edges - to avoid any compromise on weatherproofing.
 
jpaul said:
if the invertor are in warranty - what would service repair time be ; having two you would just be running down warranty on two too.
Putting money into a V2L bidir charger (when they finally get released, eu in the lead of over uk) sounds a better investment.

Are panels tethered to roof by a frame at the roof edges - to avoid any compromise on weatherproofing.
Click to expand...

Not too sure to be honest. Although the installer is based locally and is a cousin of our builder, so you'd hope something could be arranged as a temporary solution. Plus with a generator we should be fine. I'm kind of waiting for the rechargable battery units to drop in price. They seem to be coming down slightly. This would be ideal as a backup, and could be used elsewhere on the land for tools. My main issue with diesel generators is the noise! Obviously need to make sure it's kept charged, but seems it can be charged pretty quick so i could just take it to someone with electric :D

es.bluettipower.eu

Apex 300+Hub D1

3.840W 2.764,8Wh | Power Hub
es.bluettipower.eu es.bluettipower.eu

Although i guess with a car with V2L or V2H technology this wouldn't be needed at all! I'll still have the petrol Jeep if it ever gets severe enough i've depleted the car. Guess i need to consider how i've connect the car to the house if the inverter isn't working though.

Headed up to the plot yesterday. The tubing in the ceiling was indeed for drainage. Seems an odd way to do things and have it routed internally. The developer had said the roof would drain through the walls, but i'd expected something else. Luckily it's not like we have much rain to deal with (albeit we have in the last week, which is why the inside looks wet in parts






Insulation is laid, and a brick added at the exits to allow for the final concrete pour which i assume will be done this week. Small outline set for the shower plumbing






In sadder news, our kitten also died 2 weeks ago. We took her to the plot and buried her (the builders looked at us like we were mental). Yesterday we went and created a small rockery. My wife also has the ashes of our previous cat which she plans to bury here and the dog can't have long left so it'll be a full on pet cemetary! I just need to find my dremel in whatever box i've stored it in to add her name into a rock
 
Last edited:
Not much to update, but the concrete got pour, and then it's pretty much rained ever since. They therefore didn't get chance to waterproof the roof before Christmas. Amusingly the rain drops have indented the concrete pour! Don't imagine it causes much difference as it'll be levelled and tiled.




The house then flooded a bit as it continued to rain over Christmas. It's also been super cold. Today is 0C and "feels like" -9C, so it's not really had time to dry out either







Yesterday was Kings Day, which is pretty much the Spanish Christmas Day. Today the sun is out (contributing to the cold) and it's dry, so maybe we can start to see some progress again.

I also met up with someone with a small digger who is going to remove part of the collapsed wall for me to re-build.
 
what was on the menu, for xmas day, wild boar ? (had to be wary of hunters whilst running in France who should have gone to Specsavers)

maybe it's my browser/screens but the aspect ratio on your pics generally looks compressed on the horizontal, especially on the door in last post ,
- the Spanish are less overweight than the English though.
 
jpaul said:
what was on the menu, for xmas day, wild boar ? (had to be wary of hunters whilst running in France who should have gone to Specsavers)

maybe it's my browser/screens but the aspect ratio on your pics generally looks compressed on the horizontal, especially on the door in last post ,
- the Spanish are less overweight than the English though.
Click to expand...

Did a short loin of beef on the BBQ. Would've been a lot better had i not walked off whilst it was fat side down on the BBQ and set on fire!



I've not had many encounters with boars luckily, and i think most hunters around here are on the hunt for rabbits. Get a lot in the mountains where i am now, but not many where our house is.

Might be your screen, or maybe just the hosting tool i'm using? It's pretty wide. Probably around 90-100cm to accept a normal width door.
 
If you have a car with V2L you can probaly connect that via a cable to the AC generator input on the victron system. The car won't know any different to what it is connected to and as long as you don't exceed the output of the cars inverter, and while not oficially supported, it will probably work.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, i think this is a massive boost for us. Most cars i've been looking at have a ~70-80kwh battery system, this would be perfect and avoids the need for a generator. Would also be awesome for running tools around the garden, like a cement mixer etc. Actually i've been looking again at the portable electric generators (Blueletti etc) with the immediate need to drive a cement mixer for a project. Maybe i need to bring the car purchase forward again!


Not a huge amount has been done recently. At least not visually. The house was full of bags of polystyrene balls the other week which have gone. I imagine these have been used to insulate the roof and the house is definitely not waterproofed on the roof as there's no puddles inside anymore with recent rain. There are also ~10 bags of gravel on site which i believe covers the rubber roof lining to offer protection from rain/hail. So that should be the roof almost done.


Some friends have a very established garden and had a load of Yucca cuttings. These things are brilliant over here. They look great, and are crazily easy to maintain and require almost no water. Some of these cuttings are huge too and can go straight into the ground. The plan is to run these down the driveway. The drive is currently full of tall grass, but i think i'm going to just strim it all back, cover in a weed membrane and then cover in rocks. Hopefully the darkness then kills any residual roots.
Luckily i got some practice using the Jeep and the trailer, which does a great job of getting pretty much all over the bumpy plot

 
Gravel protects from the sun, absorbing heat from solar radiation. Turns a large black energy absorbing area into a whiter reflective area.
 
Hagar said:
Gravel protects from the sun, absorbing heat from solar radiation. Turns a large black energy absorbing area into a whiter reflective area.
Click to expand...

Ah that makes more sense, i just assumed it was protection from damage from hail (and the sun to avoid it going brittle)
 
Just back from a meeting with the developer and the lead builder. Handy to have the building manager there as they at least take notes and know things. We asked about bathroom extractor fans, and the developer said he didn't think they were needed and then the building manager and project manager both corrected him and said they'd be fitted as they're required by building regs :p

We've currently got a decision to make. Had always been adament that we wanted UPVC windows installed. However it seems aluminium offerings would allow the big sliding doors to be recessed into the ground for a seamless transition from inside/outside. UPVC would have the ~2" bottom of the frame. However it seems they offer better waterproofing in case of flooding. Anyone looked into the differences? I'd always assumed UPVC was thermally better but just doing a bit of reading it seems that Aluminium might be better when exposed to direct sunlight.
Seems aluminium is also more expensive (which is what was specced by the builder in the contract)

Upvc vs aluminium: definitive guide to choose the best option | PVC Windows and aluminum

Upvc vs aluminium: the definitive guide to discover which option is best according to insulation, price, design and durability. Choose without a doubt!
ventanasypuertascalpe.com ventanasypuertascalpe.com
urbanandgrey.co.uk

Aluminium or UPVC, which is the correct material for your project

The chances are that if you’ve researched windows and folding and sliding doors, you’re already aware of UPVC. This white, plastic-like material continues to be used all over the world for many reasons. For a few years now another material has grown in popularity: aluminium. Both materials have...
urbanandgrey.co.uk

Sounds like the fence is finally being installed and started yesterday which is great as it's been a long time coming!

The developer also mentioned he gets a discount on materials that i can use from the local suppliers. So i'm off later to order some rocks for edging the drive and also some smaller earth/stones to cover the sections either side of the drive. Then i can plant the yuccas



General photo dump, more for my own tracking than much of interest :p

Gravel for the roof



They've also marked out for internal walls which will be good to see to get a proper feel for room sizes




Garage floor fully concreted
 
Last edited:
Aluminium conducts heat. Therefore, when it's cold you will get heat transfer from inside to outside. They can also lead to condensation if they're cold and the room is warm.

This is a problem in the UK. Spain, maybe not. I don't know.

You can get aluminium windows with a thermal break in them. https://www.metaltechnology.com/ does them, but they're in the UK and I suspect they're commercial only. However, they do the right type of windows you would need to prevent thermal bridging at least.
 
Yeah, i had read that about condensation, but as you say maybe it's not as much of an issue in Spain. The developer certainly uses aluminium by default which appear to be more expensive so you'd think there's a reason to push towards that.
 
Aluminium looks so much nicer, it’s a simple as that.

Modern Aluminium windows have thermal breaks in them so condensation is not as much of an issue.

They ‘feel’ cold but in practice they are not ‘colder’ than UPVC and achieve the similar U values. This is more down to the material itself and it’s thermal conductivity so when you touch it, it takes more heat from your body than a plastic window can.

If o was doing a self build, I wouldn’t be touching UPVC.
 
I'd agree in principle however budgets always come into play at some point. We're coming to end of our extension project and we opted against aluminium purely down to the 2k different in price our builder quoted.

Ours are installed now and they look fine, where they are positioned, they are not indirect sunlight either which was deciding factor in the end.

For us the 2K was the difference between getting our old kitchen area changed to a utility room or not. Budget not a concern then, aluminium all the way.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom