The specification and build of our homes has been developed over 50 years and meets or exceeds the relevant standards. Our aim is to deliver the very best quality home available, a home that is superior to BS3632 and represents excellent value for money. It should also last as long as the 60 year requirement for traditional brick/block built homes and will carry a similar 10 year insurance backed structural guarantee. The specification of the main constituent parts of our homes is as follows:
It is very important when comparing insulation to understand that it is not just a matter of thickness. There are a multitude of different insulation materials available and the home construction, type of insulation, its correct installation and airtightness is the key to a warm energy efficient home. Where our insulation figures are quoted they are whole structure element values and include all heat loss through ‘cold bridging’. Structural components of a home such as floor joists, timber framework and roof timbers lose more heat than the insulation materials, this ‘cold bridging’ effect is factored into our ‘U’ values. As well as needing to provide thermal insulation some materials are chosen to perform the additional task of sound reduction and have a greater density. Our external walls incorporate one of these insulation materials and together with the use of plasterboard provide thermal insulation, increased sound reduction and improved fire retardancy. Our ceilings also have the same benefits from the use of plasterboard.
The Omar subframe comprises of a dual triangular beam frame (inverted truss) constructed from a combination of heavy gauge hot rolled steel angles and channels of 125x75x8mm, 100x65x7mm, 75x50x6mm, 50x50x6mm and 40x40x6mm. The beam size used depends on the individual dimensions and weight of each home. The subframes are fully welded. Cold rolled steel joists are positioned across frames at 1220mm c/c which support exterior walls along the perimeter (but with omissions for services). The structure includes siting wheels, detachable tow bar and levelling jacks. All subframes are protected in accordance with ISO12944 and COP501. All subframes are designed in-house and manufactured in our own workshop by our BS4872 certified engineers.
High density 18mm thick flooring grade T&G chipboard is screwed and nailed to 95x36mm and 96x45mm stress graded timber floor joists at maximum 407mm c/c, which are securely bolted to the subframe at regular intervals. The floor deck is insulated with platinum grade rigid polystyrene which is held in position between joists with a continuous 125 micron, 20% fire retardant moisture barrier to BS.2782. The average floor ‘U’ value which includes the floor joists on a correctly skirted home is 0.37 W/m²/K.
Our standard exterior finish on park homes is a textured synthetic copolymer resin containing selected mineral aggregates to give a class I spread of flame to BS.476. Available in a wide variety of colours, it is applied over double primed 9mm WBP exterior quality hardwood plywood cladding which is glued, nailed and stapled to the studwork with stainless steel fixings. Studwork is 72x36mm timber at maximum 600mm c/c and incorporates semi-rigid foil faced A+ ‘Earthwool’ mineral wool insulation between the studs. Wall linings are 12.5mm foil backed plasterboard glued, screwed and nailed to the studworks. The gap between the opposing foil faces gives an enhanced emissivity to improve the wall insulation and provide a service void. Walls are finished with wallpaper which is self-finish coloured. All internal substrates comply with BS.476 giving a minimum class 3 spread of flame. The average wall ‘U’ value which includes the framework is better than 0.46 W/m²/K.
Our Lodges are available in a variety of timber and “board” claddings: log profile softwood, Louisiana Pacific Canexel, Cedar, Larch, thermally treated timber or PVC- UE planking on 25mm treated battens over membrane covered OSB3 structural boarding. The average Lodge wall ‘U’ value is 0.40 W/m²/K.
The roof utilizes the preformed aggregate coated Metrotile steel tile system. This carries a 40 year manufacturer guarantee and is available in several colours. The tiles are fixed to 50x25mm treated timber battens over Corovin breather membrane. Battens are secured to dual pitch (single wide) or mono-pitch (twin) nail plated timber roof trusses (produced in our own truss plant) formed from 56x30mm and 56x45mm timbers at 600mm c/c (400mm c/c on a Lodge) with a pitch of 19º.
Twin homes provide central support to the roof trusses via proprietary ‘I’ beams. Ceiling decks are 12.5mm foil backed plasterboard which is glued and screwed to the roof trusses. The roof is insulated with a massive 250mm A+ ‘Earthwool’ mineral wool insulation with an A1 fire classification and containing up to 70% less embodied energy – a truly planet friendly material. ‘Earthwool’ is made from recycled materials and can be fully recyclable at the end of its life.
The roof void is cross-ventilated via the eaves which are various widths depending on the style of the home. All rainwater down-pipes and gutters are in PVCu. Fascias and bargeboards are also in PVCu. The roof ‘U’ value including losses through the structure is better than 0.17 W/m²/K. Some homes have a semi-vaulted ceiling either in part or throughout the home which has an internal pitch of 13º.
Omar Park Homes produce PVCu windows and doors in a separate factory on our own 13.5 acre site. The profile used is multi-chamber and the windows incorporate energy efficient glazing. A typical complete window including frame and glass has a ‘U’ value better than 1.6 W/m²/K. White frames are standard on park homes and light oak frames are usually specified for lodges a range of coloured frames are available too. We can also offer triple glazing with argon gas filled sealed units providing heat retention & enhanced sound reduction as well as our top specification windows with a ‘U’ value of 0.9 W/m²/K.
Overall (average) ‘U’ values depend on the home dimensions and the number of windows and doors, each layout and size of home will therefore have a different value. As a guide to the effectiveness of our insulation values, and depending on its location and orientation, a typical 82sqM (44’-0” x 20’-0”) twin home could have a heat loss of approximately 111 Watts per hour per degree Centigrade heat rise above ambient temperature. Assuming a winter external temperature of -1°C and a comfortable internal temperature of 21°C, and with adequate air changes, such a home could require as little as 3.5kW hour of energy to heat.
External features such as corner quoins, window hoods, pilasters, lintels and some shower trays are manufactured to our specifications in fibreglass by a specialist local supplier using our own moulds.
ECO variants of some of our homes are available. They have a different construction which significantly reduces heat loss and exceeds the fabric values specified in building regulations. The building fabric may vary in order to meet the heat loss requirements for each floor plan and location. Typically the floor ‘U’ value will be 0.29 W/m²/K, the wall ‘U’ value will be 0.22 W/m²/K and the roof ‘U’ value will be 0.14 W/m²/K. Windows with a ‘U’ value of 0.9 W/m²/K or 1.3 W/m²/K are also available. For commercial reasons we do not release these highly bespoke and site specific construction details. A choice of solar, solar PV, air to water heat pump, Micro CHP, hybrid renewables and MVHR are available.
To maintain our strict dimensional tolerances and styling details we produce all our fixed cabinet furniture via our own mill and cabinet shop. This enables us to create kitchens that are both ergonomic & optimise the use of space. We also utilise these facilities to manufacture cabinets and wash basin stands for some of our bathrooms and en-suite shower rooms.
Our standard heating is provided by a gas ‘A’ rated condensing combination boiler that has a five year guarantee and feeds the radiators, it also provides the domestic hot water supply. We can also install oil fired central heating, all electric heating systems as options and low water volume sanitary ware.
Furnishings include carpets, vinyl, lounge suite with scatter cushions, dining suite, beds with wall mounted headboards and some bedding plus blinds or fully-lined curtains throughout.
Fully fitted kitchens with integrated appliances to most floor plans (except Oulton).
Fitted wardrobes or walk-in wardrobes with other purpose-built furniture to the bedrooms.