Cabling and pipes into walls
Walls tend to have a lot of ‘punctures’ through them In the UK we build walls and then make holes in them. This is a bit strange when you think about it, but in older houses we are forced to …
Author: EcoHomeCentre
Shoe missing in street
This could be titled: ‘How to get a roof load of water into your floors and walls’. Note the crack between the wall and the pavement This is a very common sight in urban areas. Downpipes have had their shoes …
How much insulation is it best to use on solid walls?
Wood fibre board insulation being used externally Many of you will be aware that I am slightly reticent in recommending certain insulation types on older buildings. This is because of the risks associated with damp, thermal bridging and structural failure. …
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Damp proofing a typical Welsh terrace wall
Typical streetscape in Cardiff Can you stop stone and brick walls from getting damp? The simple answer is YES, but there are a range of issues surrounding the question and the answer! The main issue around whether a wall is …
Chimney Problems and Solutions
Chimneys are a potential source of water ingress and it is quite common to find damp areas around the chimney breast. So what’s going wrong? Well there are a few key factors to bear in mind. 1. Failed pointing. This …
Passive House Retrofit
From Bere Architects Passiv Haus is an excellent German energy standard for building new homes. It is a system that relies on making houses really airtight and insulating. Insolation then provides much of the heat energy for the house. Fresh …
The failure of ECO
From Nick Heath / English Heritage report A great report by Nick Heath for English Heritage is available that looks in detail at the issues raised by large scale retrofit. There are a number of horror stories there waiting to …
Shabby Chic
Shabby Chic is a great style for the environmentalists in the world. Taking second hand furniture and giving it a new lease of life is advantageous on a number of fronts: 1. It saves serviceable goods ending up in landfill …
Why choose an eco paint?
or or Paint is often seen as the gateway into eco products so it is really important to understand and appreciate, but what makes a paint ‘eco’ and why should we choose them over the more conventional options? There are a …
Be Positive on Ventilation
From http://www.housebuildersupdate.co.uk/ the illustration shows air being drawn into the house from the eaves and then pumped around the ‘whole’ house and the warm moist air being pushed out of the building envelope Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) systems are now …