iansr

From what I’ve read you need to to choose the right steel / magnetic strips. You get an airtight seal if the magnets are strong enough . . .

Thanks. Having done a bit more research I’ve concluded the magnet strip method seems like a very good solution.

Could you provide some details of how you did it and what materials you used please.

Yeah the ethos in relation to listed buildings is cocked up. Surely these conservation officers should be working with you in a collaborative way. In that way more historical buildings would be appropriately renovated / preserved, which is surely what everyone would want . . .

LBC: correct. What vacuum insulated glass ?

We are interested in buying a Grade 2 listed building which has single glazed windows. It is a large house (former rectory) and I would be keen improve the insulation . My understanding is that the order of priority should be : 1 roof insulation, 2 cavity wall insulation, 3 window insulation. Re 3, replacing the windows with double glazed units which would get LBC would be prohibitively expensive so I am interested in secondary glazing solutions. Ideally it would be reversible so that LBC would not be required. Does anyone have any suggestions for good secondary glazing systems, or indeed any other relevant pearls of wisdom 😉 ?

OK thanks, that’s helpful. Anyone else care to comment?

I’m looking to fit some internal Venetian blinds to various windows and so I’m looking for general advice: what blind material is recommended (aluminium ??) and what should I avoid? I get the impression that there are lots of companies making super profits on blinds so any recommended good VFM suppliers ? i also want to fit some roller blinds to some other windows. Any other general advice about blinds would be appreciated.

I have 3 bathrooms to fit out. My plumber has an account at Easy Bathrooms and will pass on his discount to me. They sell own brand kit rather than name brands. Anybody have any insight into whether their stuff is any good? I’m certainly not wedded to sourcing stuff from there. My goal is good quality kit at a good price (as distinct from top end kit at an exorbitant price) so if anyone has any recommendations as to brands to focus on or suppliers then please advise.

I’m getting several quotes for render. It’s coming down to top spec silicone vs top spec Weber. I’m leaning towards the silicone but welcome comments from anyone knowledgeable on this subject . . . .

Both the old and new cavities are insulated, so no external insulation.

We have radically altered and extended our dormer bungalow. The existing house was / is mainly red brick (with some areas of stone cladding), as is the single storey extension. We are not keen on the red brick. We are going to have wood cladding on the upper storey but below that we are thinking of having the red brick rendered. I know very little about render so any words of advice would be appreciated.

Useful info re the UV performance, thanks.

We are having 2 sets of French doors plus side screens installed in our extension. I have the choice of the standard multi-point locks or PAS 24 spec which would alos require the outer panes to be laminated glass rather than just toughened. The PAS 24 spec would increase the price by £2k ! So my question is; how much extra security will the higher spec give me in practice, or to put it another way, is the lower spec good enough in practice?

That’s a very interesting post, thank you!