Pal I know from a car forum has a 400 year old oak framed Grade II listed house. Not had it for that long, and moved to it from a modern one. And wants to improve the insulation drastically. I suggested he tried English Heritage for advice, but seems he already has and they've not been much help.
It's something I know absolutely nothing about. Anyone on here got some pointers on where he'd get decent advice?
They did a pretty good job of insulating this listed building...
...and it only cost 'em £36million!
Nick
See the Conservation Officer at the local council would be my next step.
He could try the periodproperty.co.uk forums.
The cheapest way is probably to by an arctic sleeping bag from an army surplus shop, and get lots of cats.
Owain
+1. Not really enough information, need more details of construction. It's possibly draught-proofing that is more the issue.
Don't expect to be allowed "proper" double glazing, other than secondary inside the reveals.
I know someone with one of those who suggests (in addition to the sources mentioned) Historic England who he says have a booklet on - mainly - the perils and pitfalls. (Work on listed buildings seems to be mainly thus.)
He also pointed out that there's a reason they changed the law so listed buildings can be sold without an EPC, and suggests your friend's greatest need may well be lowered expectations :(
Sell and run.... Listed buildings are more trouble than they are worth IMHO.
First don't rush anything. He'll need to get properly informed about it all and pick the right course before doing anything.
Most likely candidate will be PIR board on the interior, but if there are period features in the plasterwork that will be out - and pretty much any insulation will be.
Re windows, the only likely options are repairs to draftproof, and carefully designed discreet secondary glazing.
Again, do not rush. What is allowed is generally very picky. Any purchaser of a listed building needs to understand what they're dealing with before purchase.
NT
You may well be right. ;-) Moving from a modern house in the summer might well be something of a shock when the winter comes.
He obviously needs another hobby
Buy a thicker jumper!
Mike
Or get into training by going to the Shetland Islands. When I went there one July, I discoverd why they had invented Shetland Jumpers. ;-)
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
Sympathy. Our house is not that old (1880), and is not listed, but is in a conservation area and a national park, so options are limited. Having said that, I wouldn't want to insulate the outside, and doing the inside would ruin all the existing plaster work.
To be honest, he is going to find it colder than a modern house whatever. Priorities should be loft insulation, draught proofing and secondary double glazing, depending on what is permitted.
As with the traditional Irish navigation directions, "If I was going there I wouldn't start from here!"
Before buying any listed building, the first thing is an in depth interview with the local Conservation Officer.
That is, you doing the interview to decide if the person who holds the right to all decisions over every small thing that you want to do is someone who seems both reasonable and someone who you could get on with long term. A sort of speed dating, really.
Too late for that, but worth asking about previous history - what has been allowed and what has been denied over say the last 5 years.
If in doubt, flog it on during the summer.
Cheers
Dave R
A young man I know bought a listed cottage. He needs to use tradition building materials (lime mortar, etc) but is allowed to use 21st Century electrical fittings. It's a mess.
It's odd. I know/knew of one building where the period electrics were a def inite part of its character, yet the electrics seem to be legally excepted from listing restrictions. Like any other part of the building, such old el ectrics could be fixed and RCD added, just at greater cost than sticking ne w white plastic in.
NT
I once witnessed an amusing dialogue between the conservation Office, and the Building Inspector, as we stood around a completely rotten staircase that had been removed and was lying on the floor of a grade II cottage under reconstruction.
"I'm sorry, that staircase is completely unfit for purpose, the treads are too narrow and the rise is too steep and there isn't any clearance at the top so you are in ganger of banging your head BEFORE you fall down it"
"But the is no room to fit a modern staircase without totally compromising the whole character of the cottage and by the time you have there wont be any room left in the ground floor: that staircase has to be replaced as it was"
"I can't allow a 'material alteration' that is incompatible with building regulations "
"Okay what isn't a 'material alteration'"?
"well like a 'repair"
"Ok so if we take that nail, and that piece of wood, or the left hand part of it anyway which isn't rotten and 'repair' the staircase around it, that's not a 'material alteration'"?
"No, that's fine".
"How about if we make it a bit safer and put a banister rail up?"
"Nope, that's a 'material alteration'. It goes back as it was or not at all."
"So I can't make something better, if it still doesn't comply with building regulation? I can only leave it as unsafe as it was?"
"Lady, I don't make the rules".
would you opt for lead sheathed VIR cable?
You're almost quoting word for word the conversation I had with a building inspector when I renovated our last house.
Mike
Pretty much what happened when cousins of mine renovated an old croft house in Scotland.
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