Solid Wall insulation......Any ideas and experiences?

[RW]

Built 1895, semi-detached (rented, long term) 3 bedrooms. 2 storey.

1 full length (25ft) side wall facing property opposite with 18ft between them. West facing. Opposite a Golf Course and a farm behind. 1 rear wall & side of 10ft wide by 12ft long. 2 storey (Kitchen and Bedroom.Boxroom) 1950s addition to long wall of bathroom. 8ft square. Interior tiled. All windows double glazed under 5 years ago.

Is it worth cladding externally (Might need planning consent although not a listed etc)

or is it better to clad internally when I next decorate, if so what with ?

Internal would seem cheapest and easiest generally for outward facing walls.

6-8" insulation already in loft.

Anyone any experiences or recommendations ?

[meow2222]

A popular combination seems to be to insulate internally on the front, and externally on the other 3 sides. This way you retain the nice appeareance of the front. What suits best depends on the property of course.

NT

[robgraham]

My Scottish farm cottage was refurbished in the 1920's with suspended floors and lathe and plaster lining to the 3 ft thick stone walls. I imagine the original floor would have been stone slabs - shame I wasn't around when they were howked out and the equivalent of skipped.

Anyway - extensive underfloor ventilation which we discovered in the winter of 1975 when we bought the place passed up behind the plasterwork to the roof space, so our room insulation on a windy night was barely 1 inch of plaster - them were the hardy days !

So in turn I stripped off all the lathe and plaster - reframed, rockwool insulation, polythene membrane and ordinary p/b. Problem solved. Interestingly next door didn't do this with their identical cottage reinstatement a couple of years ago and yet again today the oil fuel lorry was topping up their tank !! You can but pass on your experience !

Rob

[Rob]

Afraid I can't help with your enquiry, but could you tell me how you achieve a long term residential rental? What sort of agreement is there between landlord and tenant?

Or do you mean you own it, and intend to rent it out long term?

Thanks, Rob

[RW]

Started out as a standard short let, just rolls on as a continuous "Assured shorthold tenancy" re-let as the landlord is quite happy with the situation and has no plans nor need to change anything. He maintains structurally everything within the law, expects quiet enjoyment to be just that, and does not interfere with ideas or "improvements" if we let him know first and it's legal.

The other 7 semi detached properties have tenants ranging from us, 6 years, to next door 50 years with much the same leases.

I suppose technically he should do the whole paperwork thing every now and then, but as he's got a couple of million, invests his time in doing as much leisure time pursuits as he can, and has 20 or more other properties I don't suppose anytime soon it will change. Even given the current economic climate it's good income for him. He owes nothing to anyone, is related to a *very* large shipping concern family by marriage, and needs no other form of income. If he dies then we'll wait and see.

[Rob]

Sounds good.I do wish we had some sort of security of tenure in the private rented sector. I would never have bought if I could have rented with security.

I'd just say that you don't have much security - 2 months on your periodic tenancy IIRC (which I may not - it's been some years). Not likely to be a problem in your case, I would have thought, unless say someone dies and assets have to be liquidated. Right, enough cheeriness from me.

Rob