Perry Champion Self-Build

H+H Standard Grade and High-Strength Grade Blocks were the perfect choice to help make his self-build airtight and thermally efficient – a welcome change after years of living in an old, uneconomical Victorian house.  

Project description: 

Having lived in an older Victorian property for many years, Perry Champion wanted to build his own energy efficient home. Airtightness and lower fuel bills were the goals for his self-build, to help achieve this he chose to build a masonry house using both Standard Grade and High Strength Grade Celcon Blocks. 

The 4,000 square feet four-bedroom five-bathroom home took nine months and 10 days to finish with Perry acting as a full-time project manager for the build.  

Choosing an efficient building fabric is key to creating a home with excellent thermal performance, and that is what Perry did by opting for H+H aircrete. Once building finished, the final SAP calculations found average external wall U-values of 0.14 W/m²K. This far exceeds the requirements for wall U-values outlined in the 2022 amendments to Part L of the building regulations of 0.18 W/m²K. For context, to achieve Passivhaus certification – the gold standard in energy efficiency – wall U-values should be between 0.10 W/m2K and 0.15 W/m2K. While Perry’s home did not meet the requirements for Passivhaus accreditation, it is still incredibly well insulated and thermally efficient, helped by the use of Celcon Blocks.

The home achieved top marks for energy efficiency receiving an EPC rating of A, with the only suggested improvement being the addition of a wind turbine. This result was accomplished through a combination of an airtight building fabric, an air source heat pump, mechanical MVHR, and solar panels.

Reason for choosing H+H aircrete products: 

Creating an energy efficient dwelling was at the top of Perry’s list of considerations when planning his self-build. He was familiar with Celcon Blocks and knew they could achieve what he wanted for his home in terms of airtightness and thermal efficiency.

Having experience as a brickwork contractor and being Brickwork Director at The Champion Group, Perry was aware of the other benefits associated with using Celcon Blocks such as them being lightweight and easy to work with, which also factored into his decision. 

Products used / aircrete specification: 

Celcon Standard Grade 100mm Blocks were used to build the structure’s external cavity walls, with 140mm High Strength Grade units being used at the rear of the property to help support two large sliding doors. H+H High Strength Grade Blocks have a compressive strength of 7.3N/mm2 making them ideal for three-storey dwellings or for situations like this, where enhanced structural strength is required. 

Foundations: Strip poured concrete footings, with 2 skins of 100mm blockwork.

External walls: The external cavity walls were built using Celcon Blocks with a 200mm insulation-filled cavity. Low thermal conductivity wall ties were utilised to minimise heat loss from the wall structure. The house is wrapped in a waterproof membrane and finished with attractive larch cladding. 

Roof: A timber truss roof was used for the property.

Floor: The floors were constructed using a beam and block method.

Housebuilder comments: Perry Champion, self-builder and Brickwork Director at The Champion Group. 

“I’ve been in the industry a long time and worked previously with H+H; I knew they could deliver what I needed for my self-build. Celcon Blocks have excellent thermal properties that help to make the house extremely energy efficient. As a brickwork contractor I’ve always liked H+H aircrete blocks because they are light, workable and an all-round good product.”  

H+H comment: John Churchett,

“We have worked with Perry over many years so it has been a pleasure to have been involved in helping him build his own property. It was great to see Perry take a fabric first approach using H+H products alongside low carbon energy solutions to create an energy efficient home. I’m sure Perry will notice a significant drop in his energy bills compared to his previous property. We wish Perry many years of happiness in his new home.”

Product benefits:

•    Improved airtightness
•    Inherently thermally efficient
•    Lightweight and easy to use
•    Easily meets or exceed Part L and Part E of the Building Regulations
•    Simplifies the construction process
•    H+H aircrete products use up to 80% recycled material
•    Blockwork is highly adaptable, easily allowing for any last minute design changes

H+H aircrete applications:

•    Internal and external leaves in cavity walls 
•    Solid walls 
•    Separating / party walls 
•    Flanking walls 
•    Partitions Infill to multi-storey buildings 
•    Foundations