Bemak

Hi All, Hoping to kick off a project I posted about here previously at the end of the year. It's been delayed for multiple reasons but hopefully it will get a bit of momentum in the next few months. House is an old 2-storey farmhouse, 140 years old with 600mm thick rubble stone walls. The house is in good shape considering it's rarely used and structurally very sound. I had been mulling over whether to dig out the slab at all as the existing floors are relatively sound. In the end, I've decided to dig out the existing floor as it will allow me to install UFH, a radon sump and membrane, and insulation. I was talking to a very experienced contractor about it recently as I was concerned about the potential knock-on of digging out the existing floor. He suggested that I keep the excavation to the minimum and suggested a build-up of, 100mm compacted hardcore, blinding, Radon barrier, 150mm insulation, 50mm liquid screen with UFH. 300mm overall. his argument is that the existing subfloor would already be well compacted and that the suggested buildup would minimise the potential of disrupting existing walls. I agree but I just wanted to put it out there to see if anyone has done something similar?

ensure as well that there is adequate fire stopping between the bedroom and garage. I think it needs to be 1 hour from memory.

The alternative is two or three dMVHR units in the vents, like the lunos e60 etc, which would work in tandem to extract/supply air into the house. These look great for completely airtight houses but I'd be curious to know how they work with standard levels of airtightness.

Thanks Peter. Ideally yes but I looked into the ducting for MVHR but we can't make it work for the downstairs rooms. I appreciate that we would be losing the same amount of heat, but wouldn't that be distributed across the vents as opposed to one blast from a PIV system?

Ok so bear with me on this. Existing 70s house, semi-detached, two-storey. Typical condensation issues associated with a house of this nature. I need to core a few extra wall vents to improve ventilation but I was tempted to add a PIV system to help move air also. However my main concern with this kind of system is the potential for cold air/draughts etc. I'm also not keen on the heater element either as it drives the energy consumption way up. As an alternative would it be completely mad to have a extract unit in the attic do the same thing in reverse? i.e. extract air from the house from a central location (first floor landing) which would have the effect of pulling air into the house from "all the nooks and crannys" and wall vents (as opposed to driving it out). That way the draughty element is reduced as it's warm air that's being moved out as opposed to cold air being drawn in? Just putting it out there. Advice greatly appreciated!

ya definitely not a nice job. It means removing more of the existing fabric than I initially had intended too might be worth it. In my case it would allow me to install a radon barrier and sump also which is a consideration too. Good luck with your cellar dig - you're very good

Good to hear. No doubt there would be an improvement. I haven't the final price back yet so it'll probably become apparent quite quickly if it's a runner.

In the process of pricing a renovation project (posted about previously on here) and as part of the conversation with the contractor we briefly discussed the value in digging out the existing slab and putting in a new one. He said that it would probably cost about €5-6k to do it, but that wouldn't include the knock-ons of demolishing and rebuilding existing partitions and a new stairs (new floor level would be slightly higher). So you're probably talking €10-12k to do it really. Would I be better of spending that money elsewhere or is it a good investment? The existing floors are quite good albeit a bit cold with the lack of insulation (1800's house). The floors in the kitchen, bathroom and downstairs bedroom are about 50mm higher than the hall and sitting room (for some reason) so it would give an opportunity to unify everything. That being said, I could raise the hall and sitting room independently to match the rest. Just curious to know if anyone else decided to hold off doing something similar and if they regret not doing it at the time?

Hi all. I'm looking to install a solid fuel range as part of a refurb project I'm hoping to commence shortly. Just a quick query on flue height requirements. The range is located in the kitchen which is in an existing single-storey extension with a lean-to roof. The flue will penetrate the roof at it's highest point and will need to pass up beyond the eaves of the existing house. However, if I am to stick with the building regs as I understand them, the flue will need to be over 3m in height from the point from which it penetrates the roof so that it achieves a distance of 2.3m from the main roof. See attached section for clarity. While this would appear to satisfy building regulations, it looks excessive to me and I would also question how stable a flue that length would be in wind (which we get a lot of). My preference would be to terminate the flue a lot lower, maybe around 1.5m in height from the point of exit from the lean-to roof. I've shown this in the attached section also. I assume the reason for the 2.3m distance is because of the potential for stray sparks from the flue etc - is there anything that can be added onto the flue to prevent this risk and thus allow me to install the flue at a lower height? Flue Section.pdf

As others have said, it's a nice layout - flows well and I would agree with the comments on the various window sizes and the choice of stone. One gripe I would have at this point is the wasted space under the stairs? What do you see happening here? Just keep it open and "light"? I'd like to see a section through the final flight as well to see if the door into the lounge is well clear - I don't like when it feels like its 'under the stairs' if that makes sense. If you wanted to reduce the number of doors in the master bedroom you could look at accessing the ensuite via the WIW which I think can be nice and works well. Depends on how you foresee yourself using it though - everyone is different. For such a big room, the bed feels a bit tight to the south-west wall - keep an eye on that especially if you are forced to reduce the height to 1.5 / 1.75 storey. If the view north-west was decent you could make that window full height and lose those two small windows facing south-west which would allow you to put the bed on that wall. Without knowing the context it's hard to tell. You could do the opposite too and lose that window to the north-east and have the bed on that wall, with a large window facing south-west. Maybe the MB, Bedroom 2 and the Stairs all have the same window type. The stone definitely isn't doing anything for you. I would keep it all the same. Black timber would look very nice here. This has always been a favourite of mine. Alternative you could look at applying the timber cladding in a different way, like standing it on edge which would help to define areas like this. It might be nice to have a stove in the lounge - you'd just need to consider the flue now. I would move the door to bedroom 2 a bit more to the east, closer to the wardrobes. Your bathroom looks a touch on the tight side too, maybe that door needs to move closer to the bath also. I'd consider a slot window on the landing looking north for a visual connection out front (for security). It looks great though and is a very good start

I've posted a good bit lately about a refurb I'm hoping to embark on later this year / early next year. Part of the works will involve the installation of a french drain along some external walls to help with surface water drainage and to prevent the walls from soaking it up. One area where a french drain is being installed is along the southern elevation where the ground level is well above the internal floor level (approx 600mm). See attached pic. The area was concreted about 15 years ago to help prevent dampness internally and it has worked surprisingly well. The walls are quite dry internally. I'm tempted to leave all well alone but I'm sure it can be improved. I'm proposing to externally insulate the house so was wondering when it comes to this area I assume that I should tank the walls below ground first, then apply an insulation with high compressive strength before finishing off with the french drain etc? Something like the diagram below? Should I reinstate the concrete path outside the window and include a surface drain, or would I be as well to gravel it all - although if I do gravel it, I assume I'd be allowing more water to reach the drain?

There was definitely a problem in the kitchen at one point due to the higher ground. The solution was a new concrete path outside at the highest point, probably about 15-20 years ago. This appears to have worked a treat as the walls are genuinely dry on that facade. Maybe I should leave all well alone and just concentrate on the eastern wall instead?

My plan is to install a french drain along the eastern and southern perimeter of the house. I'm going to dig out a patio in the south-west corner (top right) and install a new slider so that the kitchen/dining can avail of the evening sun. I will pave the patio and remaining perimeter with a permeable paving including an aco drain along the perimeter of the house. I'm thinking the remaining area at high level to the south could all be gravel with planting - like a widened french drain. I'll add a few steps for access from the patio to a small gate (not shown)

The diagram below illustrates the current context around the house. There is an existing concrete path of varying condition around the perimeter of the house. The ground level rises to the south to a maximum height of approximately 650mm above FFL at the kitchen. So the area hatched yellow would generally be above FFL. The gable pictured in the previous photos is on the left (eastern side of the house). I've shown the approximate location of the fireplace on that gable for reference. Need to open up that wall to see what's what.

Thanks for sending this through. I've come across a few scottish based publications like this on here and they're all excellent. Didn't wainscoting come about for the very purpose of covering up the lower sections of walls that would get damp?

The walls are in surprisingly good shape at floor level. I had to replace a washing machine in the kitchen recently and when I pulled out the old one, the wall behind was perfectly dry - and this is in an area where the ground level is at its highest above the floor level. The main location for dampness at ground floor is in a bedroom on that eastern gable shown in the first image. There used to be a fireplace in that room by all accounts but there's no trace of it now - so I would wonder how it was closed up. it was definitely never meant to be exposed! definitely - i will mark up a plan shortly to show how I intend to manage the perimeter. Yep - I'm thinking it makes sense to reroof now when there will be scaffolding in place anyway for the works to the walls. Will completely replace the rainwater goods as well. I don't think over-cladding with a rain-screen is the solution here given how well the majority of the wall is holding up. I was tempted to patch it up as you also suggest but the idea of insulating externally is starting to make more sense to me particularly as it consolidates the external envelope, improves the u-value, and in doing so moves the dew point closer to the outside.

ya that's what i'm thinking now - because I've decided to leave the external render on because of its condition it kinda makes sense to just insulate it now too. i think the house would benefit then from exposing the walls internally to let them dry out to the inside. could leave windows open for a few months to encourage airflow through. I think only then will I know what kind of heating system I'll go for etc

oh ya we're blessed with the location. we're at a dead end as well so no through traffic or anything like that. peaceful spot. Clearly plenty of willing helpers there too! this house has only been used by relatives for a few weeks in the summer, every year since I can remember. I would imagine those early mornings were similarly damp as your experiences!

I've attached a few pics below. for the most part the house is pretty dry considering it's rarely used and has no heating. the worst case of dampness is on the eastern gable. this is primarily due to the ground being above floor level in this location, and also a defect in the existing render at chimney level which is allowing some water/dampness. the verges are also of course gravel which are also contributing. There would be good drainage in the area so ground water isn't a problem. the house is well screened by trees but persistent rain would likely be the main cause of moisture build up. the fact that the house is unoccupied doesn't help.

thanks - noted! That would suggest to me that the idea of externally insulating the wall might be the approach - but on the basis that I can hack of the internal render, even at ground floor level, to help dry out the wall to the inside.

I should have added that the external render consists of at least 3 separate layers of sand and cement render. Approximately 40mm thick overall. Pic below of my initial investigation works (with a great helper) shows the state of the wall behind the render.

the walls of the house are currently rendered with sand and cement, not lime. I wouldn't dream of sealing them up externally if they were rendered with lime. I'd probably have no problem if they were! is there anything to be said for insulating the walls externally and removing the render internally to allow the walls to dry to the inside?

I'm planning a refurb on an old farmhouse. i've posted elsewhere about it but one part i'm curious about is the external render. the house is 2-storey and of stone construction (600mm) with sand & cement render internally and externally. the external render is in very sound condition for the most part so i've moved away from the idea of hacking it all off and replacing it with lime as doing so would blow the budget. instead i'm planning to leave the render in place, patch up any cracks and rerender the entire house to seal it up. i will install french drains around the perimeter to help reduce rising damp etc. i'll do something internally to allow the walls to dry out to the inside but that is a detail for another day. i've been speaking to a few manufacturers and contractors and one approch to the external render that i'm starting to cling to is the idea of rendering the house with a silicone render as i'm told it is moisture resistant but also breathable which will allow some drying out to the outside. sounds like an ideal solution for this particular application but i'd be curious to hear thoughts on this approach in case there's something i'm missing.

It's not my first choice but I have to work with a budget and be realistic as to what I can do.

I need to trawl through more of these threads because I'm sure a lot of what I'm asking has been well discussed