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 …
Tag: thermal bridging
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. …
How much insulation is it best to use on solid walls? Read more »
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 …
Let’s reveal the importance of reveals
Barry Turner’s picture shows how IWI is commonly fitted There will be some research coming out soon that starts to explore the importance on the detailing aspect of insulation works. The work has focused on the issues of thermal bridges …
Ventilation vs Energy Efficiency
Ventilation does not mean uncontrolled draughts! Ventilation is key for all buildings, after all we do need a bit of the fresh air stuff to stay alive! However for older buildings it is even more important. Solid walled buildings should …
Missing tape causes concern
Tape in buildings? Isn’t that for covering over mistakes and bodging joints? Tape has been historically used as a cover for poor workmanship, but it is now becoming a necessary tool for many modern building materials and designs. When you …
Mould at ceiling edge
I have seen a lot of mould at the edges of ceilings, especially where the wall is an external one. So what is the cause of this? There are a number of potential suspects: Lack of ventilation Water ingress from …