Rising Damp
I have been to two houses in the past couple of days, both of which have had damp proof courses (DPCs) injected into them. These new DPCs and associated work are now actually causing more damp problems than were there …
Author: EcoHomeCentre
Measures working, but still more to do
Last year we spent a lot of time getting the walls of our home sorted. I dug a trench around the house and installed drainage to make sure that rainwater was taken away from the plot as quickly as possible. …
I can’t afford lime render!
Lime rendering done by Welsh Lime Works in Cardiff Lime rendering is a specialist trade (not to be confused with lime plastering or cement rendering!) and as such it takes time served craftspeople to do it well and it also …
Energy Efficiency Consultation – A Welsh response
Welsh Government is consulting at the moment with the wider public about energy efficiency and their new strategy. Thankfully we now have the Future Generations Act and this means that we should NOT go blindly down the usual roots of …
Energy Efficiency Consultation – A Welsh response Read more »
What constitutes a ‘healthy’ home?
Health is really important to all of us, yet many of us live in houses with poor internal environments. Some of this is our own fault – we clean using dangerous chemicals; we allow properties to get into a poor …
Forget Energy Efficiency think Health!
Readers of this blog will know my views on lots of the energy driven ‘improvements’ that we are blindly doing in the UK at the moment. We are making so many mistakes due to the fact that we are using …
The importance of preparation for wood floors
Preparing floors can be time consuming and dusty task Wooden floors are glorious things. They have beautiful feel that shows the history of the wood used and reflect the wonders of their individual growth and characteristics. However, if you are …
Getting solid walls to meet Building Regs
Building Regulations in the UK have been interpreted for years as demanding that refurbished walls need to meet a U value of 0.3. Products have therefore been designed using BR443 and BS5250:2011 to comply with this. Unfortunately, BS5250:2011 states that …
The importance of a good overhang!
In Wales we have had a tendency to design our houses with the minimal amount of overhang on the roof. The tiles sit very close to the walls. This has meant that anything else that we add to the depth …
Vapour Control Layers in Insulation
From RIBA The pressure for energy saving in solid walled buildings is real and tangible. Green Deal and rising energy bills are encouraging us to insulate our walls. Where we have external features / facades that we want to keep …