Smart house layout.
The first thing we noticed was the reasonable layout of the Hinokiya houses. We built for ourselves, first of all, an efficient house with a rational layout. We didn't need extra corridors, a "second light" or some kind of design frills, which many construction companies sin when trying to attract the attention of customers.
Forced air exchange system.
Comfort in the house is determined not only by the warmth in winter and coolness in summer, but also by the content of CO2 in the air. For the well-being of residents, there must always be fresh air in the house. The standard version of Japanese frame houses - "natural" ventilation (a hole in the wall even without a heat exchanger) is not suitable for us. For this, Hinokiya uses a forced air exchange system with a heat exchanger, which allows the house to be saturated with oxygen, while reducing heat loss during air exchange.
Unified air conditioning system.
The main feature of a single air conditioning system in combination with a forced air exchange system is a comfortable air temperature in all rooms. In addition, in the same room, the air is also distributed evenly. There will be no such thing that you catch a cold under the air conditioner or leave the cool room into the corridor-steam room.
The best insulation for frame houses is polyurethane foam.
Everything is simple here - polyurethane foam is the best insulation for frame houses today. Glass wool or mineral wool is only used for cheap houses in every sense of the word "cheap". Polyurethane foam has high thermal insulation values, and in combination with other properties make this material the most effective in home insulation. I think this is one of the very fat pluses of Hinokiya houses.
Roof insulation.
When using polyurethane foam as a heater, it becomes technologically possible to insulate a sloping roof, and not a ceiling under the roof, as many construction companies of frame houses do. Polyurethane foam is sprayed onto the roof itself, due to this, air heating in the house under the roof is reduced.
Quality windows.
Throughout the house, YKK AP's apw330 windows are used as base windows. These windows provide not only sufficient, but rather thermal and sound insulation with a margin in the Kanto region. If desired, near a noisy road or in cold areas of Japan, you can put windows of the apw430 series.
Roller blinds on the first floor windows.
It is also important that in the basic version, the blinds on the windows go all over the first floor. Roller shutters on the windows will protect the glass during a typhoon and provide additional protection from the strong sun.
Terrace on the roof of the house.
Construction companies of timber frame houses rarely offer terrace construction. At Hinokiya, many standard house designs have a terrace. With a small plot of land, a terrace is a very reasonable use of living space. In our case, we managed with a small terrace in the bedroom, since the plot of land we have is large enough for Japan.
The model house corresponds to the real buildings.
Many construction companies make the mistake of making real houses look different from the model houses you see in Hausing Park. One well-known company showed and praised its air exchange system in a model house, and when they went to see real houses built for sale, there was "natural" ventilation - a hole with a fan in the wall. Those. in the basic version, all the simplest things are used to make the cost of the house look cheaper. There were no such problems with Hinokiya.
Foundation with concrete bowl.
At the moment, regardless of the soil, construction companies usually make just such a foundation. If you are offered a strip foundation or a foundation with ventilation, this is a bad idea. I hope that such foundations can already be found only in old houses. Just pay attention to it.
Competent manager.
We are foreigners in Japan, with a mentality different from the Japanese. Foreigners are always difficult customers, as life priorities can be very different from Japanese ones. It is very important that not just a competent, but an experienced and understanding manager works with you. Unfortunately, there are few such people in any field, but we found one. In Tsukuba, we will recommend our manager, but if you are from another region, the respected XXX san will find you the most experienced employee in your region.
P.S.
Many probably noticed that I did not indicate the price as the main reason. Well, price is not the main reason. We had strict budget restrictions, but for my money I wanted to get the most functional and comfortable house. Why do I need a cheap and dull house, where there is no unified air exchange and air conditioning system, non-durable insulation is used, the cheapest cladding and windows with poor heat and sound insulation? I am making a capital investment and the price of the house must match the value of the house. Hinokiya offers a reasonable price for their homes.
