"slighltly energy inefficient homes"??? You have to be joking...
There are currently three million people in the UK living in 1.5 million homes officially classified as unfit, and this situation is unlikely to improve in the foreseeable future. 2.5 million homes suffer from severe damp, and the cost of remedying these conditions is estimated between 46 and
70 billion pounds.
House conditions were found to contribute to "chronic chest disease", hypothermia and digestive condition.
The above was some of the findings of a report commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Organisation published by the National Housing Forum in 1996. The situation has changed little since then. In fact the UK (pop 60 million) last year built only 3 times as many homes as Ireland (pop 3.4 million). The situation is chronic, and the land issue is at the base of all the ills. energy efficient materials to build new ones with!
What other way is ther to do it?
It didn't break the Japanese!
Good point! It also keeps you cool.
In the medium or long term all analysis has pointed to eco homes being the way forward.
"EEjuts"? Are Irish too. You on the same boat to Mars as Maxie.
They will.
Double glazing improves comfort condition. It reduces the cold spot near windows. In fact if you are replacing windows, use low "e" or triple glazed. They you can use the room all year around with having to move to the centre of the house (people do this naturally).
I think it clear he hasn't. It was clear he didn't know the benefits and how to sell the benefits. If I hired him, I would "tell" him how to sell it. These guys are locked into a ser angle of viewing matters.
I didn't think that you would understand that one.
18 in fact. Improvements have been made to it in terms of insulation in order of economic considerations. These do not put knee deep insulation in the loft or double glazing at the top of the list. Don't bother to argue this point because I have done the calculations in detail using several different approaches and sets of data.
No of course not. The right way would be to encourage people to improve their properties through education and financial incentive based on sound scientific, economic and practical considerations; not legislating because of political dogma and international treaties.
Single glazing does not automatically equate with draughty. There is nothing wrong with double glazing per sec, apart from the cheap plastic stuff looking ugly. In terms of energy conservation for the whole house and return on investment, it is not at the top of the list.
The stupid aspect is when people hermetically seal their homes, do nothing about the walls and then wonder why there is mould growing on the wallpaper and water running down the walls.. We have a thread on this subject every couple of weeks.
No, I just see a few under construction.
No I don't.
That is one of the arguments being presented for it. The reality is that it won't do that, nor will it make any noticable difference to injuries. It is simply a control game for the sake of control, entirely in character for your pugilistic pal.
You would not need to tell me how to sell it. If your house has it, I will sell its features and benefits, whatever they are. I sell what I am given to sell, (should I choose to accept it ), to the best of my ability, and to the best of its ability.
What I am saying is that, if you added these features to your house to help it to sell, you wasted your money. If you added them to save yourself £500 per year, and they do that, you got a good deal.
I am also saying that a saving of £500 per annum per year - i.e. the benefit, is almost neither here nor there, in the things which excite and motivate people to buy houses.
I dont know what you spent on your insulation and other eco friendly improvements, so it is a bit difficult to quantify what you are talking about. You could actually be making a mega mountain out of a little mole hill for all I know, in a troll like manner, as they say
Well it would for me - all I need in a kitchen is a couple of power points, a sink and not much else. Is it just my suspicion that the ability of a purchaser to cook is inversely proportional to the (perceived) amount of money that they spend on a 'fitted kitchen'
So ask to see the gas bills - it's not difficult to prove how energy- efficient a house is.
Hopefully one day, once the council tax becomes even more hated than the poll tax (which personally I preferred) property taxes will be based on an energy audit. A better insulated property with a low-NOX condensing boiler would give a big discount. Those of you with your B&Q flat pack 'kitchens' and smeggy fridges, but zilch insulation will end up subsidising me - brilliant.
= totally out-of-date and naff in five years time.
You forgot 'laminated' flooring on solid floors, in place of underlay + carpet thereby increasing the heatloss through the floor by a significant %.
What the hell for if the chimney is no good ?.
Try that on a listed building.
Covered in dioxin and other peoples crap - unless new, if which case they are not railway sleepers, just lumps of wood, rather like estate agents brains.
You will after 2005 - just wait for the next building regs revisions.
So buyers are stupid ?
Always buy the worst house in the best area, and avoid the 'best' house in the worst area. Never believe what an estate agent tells you.
You have been looking at those birds on the property TV progs.
Superficial bullshit you mean. If two identical houses were for sale with exactly the above features you say sells in your area, and one had £500 a year heating bills and one was £30, and was so well insulated it also kept the house cool in summer, and had an "eco" tag, which one do you think they would go for?
I have impression you wouldn't know how to sell a house like that because you couldn't recognise the benefits of such a house. Well not from what you have said here anyway. I don't think you have ever come across such a house, as they are so rare. You may have, and didn't recognise the benefits.
If backed up by bills and a surveyors report confirming warm in winter cool in summer too? Please???
There is some truth in what you say. If say a single 1980s house in the middle of a street was uprated to triple glazing, 300 mm of cellulous insulation and cavity wall insulation, and make pretty well air tight. A house like that, that looks similar to all others in the road most likely may go for more if the agent sold it on its running economy, naturally warm and cool aspects, but not a great amount.
An individual selfbuilt eco house that looks very different and attrcative would most definitely command more than the large 1930s, expensive to run, draughty 5 bedroom jobs near by.
In 10 years time the situation will probably be quite different as insulation values are hyped right up in new homes, and with so many being built too. I know many people who do not even look at house over 20 years old when buying, as they are so cold, draughty and expensive to run. Many people have experienced modern homes that are cheapish to run and just plain warmer, to old ones, and they are reluctant to buy old again. Besides all the structural problems old houses can give.
That is the Property Ladder mentality. Tart up, make a buck on some sucker and get out. I have reservations on TV programmes telling people to property developers. I see non on how to be an electrician or a lawyer. Many have tried this property lark not knowing much about it and have lost about 10 years worth of salary, so 10 years work down the drain.
Most people who add these energy features, do it save running cost money. They know there is an x year return on capital, in many cases they were replacing defecting parts of the house anyway and to upgrade to high energy levels is not that expensive.
Many people can just afford the mortgage, and when the £300 gas bill comes in, it near cripples them. Paying an extra 10K on a house, which put not that much on the mortgage repayments, which saves £500 a year on bills, is attractive. It is just not sold that way.
Some people strip out their lofts and install 100mm of glass fibre. The extra expensive to 300mm of Rockwool is not that great to what benefits they get in comfort and reduced bills. These people are not even considering selling homes in the near future. It is not a matter of spending to ramp up values to sell next week.
In the long term, people will benefit, and if they do sell in 10 years time, a more educated buyer will be around. As in the e.g., I gave, any buyer viewing a sound, excellent order, 100% 1930s house would not pay full whack as they know a houses now have insulation in the lofts and double glazing. They know these items are beneficial. They would knock the seller down, at least to the price of the upgrades.
People want the minimum of the current regs. When they are hypes right up in less than 2 years time, when people are familiar with those running costs and comfort levels they will again knock down homes that don't cut it, just like they now with a 100% 1930s house.
Won't happen. The little old ladies will instead be given a handout to pay for the loft insulation. And no doubt the New Deal will kick into gear to provide the helpers to install the insulation.
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