MVHR insulation
I was in a meeting for the Existing Homes Alliance Cymru and we had a good presentation on the Project CALEBRE research from Loughborough University. One of the issues that they had in their work reminded me of another couple …
Author: EcoHomeCentre
Walls adjoining houses – a source of damp
Many homes have garden boundary walls that butt into the main external wall of the house. The continuity of the materials can look really attractive, especially where it is an old stone wall. There can be complications though with the …
Sagging roof?
One of the great joys of thinking about buildings is that you tend to remember to look up. So many of our high streets are regarded as being the same these days, but a glance above the signs that carry …
Chemical damp proof course holes
As you may have gathered by now I have an issue with damp proof courses in older walls, however they do have their place and one of these is in brick walls. Here damp proof injections stand a chance of …
Paths and damp
One of the most common forms of damp in buildings can be quite difficult to diagnose. It revolves around floor levels. If your external floor level is higher than your internal floor levels it can bridge across the damp proof …
Water based or Oil based clear wood treatment?
Wood is a great natural product, but to get the best out of it it is often necessary to protect the surface from wear and tear. In order to maintain its’ beauty we often want a clear treatment, but treatments …
Are ‘Eco’ paints all the same?
The simple answer is No! Unfortunately ‘Green’ paint can be full of ‘green wash’. Some paints are seen as eco, just because they are water based. Others are labelled as green because they have reduced the energy used in the …
Green Deal Finance
Despite all my reservations with the Green Deal – mainly to do around the refurbishment of older solid walled properties, the inherent issues of the measurement system (rdSAP) and the interest rates that penalise the worse off – there seems …
Damp wall on the first floor
Cracks in render can cause damp walls upstairs. I was in a end of terrace house in Cardiff last week and came across one of the dampest first floor wall I have seen. The Home Buyers survey did not pick …
Repointing Lime
Re-pointing irons for lime repointing jobs In the UK we are used now to see repointing being done using a pointing trowel or a brick jointer. However doing a proper job with lime mortar requires a different set of tools. …