Dusty

Would buying a Window Indemnity Insurance policy be a way to get around all of this 'red tape'?

Many houses in the CA have replaced with UPVC ( without PP) and one or two have been granted PP along with a new build using Residence 7 UPVC. The council may allow me to fit UPVC if convinced the widows are sympathetic to the building but I suspect it is a lottery depending who I talk to. To be honest I was just thinking of putting them in but don't want a problem if I sell the house in the future. Refurbishing the old windows is not an option as they are rotten. Besides that I am sick of having to paint the frames every few years.

I am looking to replace my old draughty wooden window frames with some Heritage UPVC ones very sympathetic to the originals. I don't really want trickle vents as they look wrong, and have read that this may not be a problem since some old buildings don't have to fully comply with the latest building regulations? I am concerned that I will need a FENSA certificate or pay for building regulations (£700) should I wish to sell the property in the future. I was hoping to fit the windows myself t save money but not sure I will bearing this in mind. Is there any way of getting around this? A simple job is getting very complicated so any advice would be very much appreciated.

Hi I am considering buying these and fitting myself to save some money. Has anyone on here fitted them? From what the local approved installers have said it cant be that difficult.

Hi all During the very cold days over winter, condensation has been forming on my 1st floor bedroom gable end walls. The construction is gypsum plaster over a solid brick and lime mortar gable wall which was cement pebble dash rendered in the 1960's. The cottage is approximately 200 years old. I am hoping to insulate internally and have looked at PIR boards. I am limited on space so max board depth is 50-60mm. I am a complete novice and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all of the advice, very much appreciated.

OK thanks John. Anything will be more energy efficient than the draughty ones I currently have. You are right , however I don't require planning permission so will not discuss options with the conservation team. Many houses have had replacement UPVC windows in the area and the local council has not insisted they should be replaced with wooden ones.

Hi all I am looking to replace my rotten timber frames with more energy efficient maintenance free UPVC ones. They are for a cottage in a conservation area so the aesthetics are very important. Other than the 'Residence Collection' windows which seem to be very popular, has anyone had a good experience with any other manufacturer? I know 'Rehau' also manufacture these type of windows - are they any good? Many thanks

Nothing. I have since discovered some condensation on the 1st floor internal wall which might be part of the problem?

Damp patch on inside wall.

I will just try to dry out the inside wall now the render has been patched up. Hopefully no more water ingress.

Thanks jayc89. Yes that's what I thought . Trapping the moisture in is my worry. Cant really replace the external render so I will try and dry the room out from the inside over summer. I will remove the internal plaster so the bricks can breathe.

This has appeared over the last couple of months on a North facing gable internal wall. I have found a small area of damage to the cement render on the external wall so assume this is where the moisture is coming in from. The wall is solid brick with gypsum plaster internally. Should I repair the render now to prevent a further ingress of water or will that seal the existing moisture in? I am worried with all the rain we have been experiencing that if I don't do something soon the problem may get worse. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the heads-up. There is internal lime plaster on one side of the building, however there is cement external render. Would this keep the wall airtight? I don't care about meeting any targets or building regs. I just want a warmer home and I am sure any future purchaser would be happy there is some insulation in such an old property. It will be me fitting the wall insulation, I just want to make sure I achieve a decent improvement and it not be a waste of money.

Yes there maybe a very narrow cavity behind the breezeblocks on one side? Thanks for the advice.

Yes that's what I thought thanks. Upstairs that extra 12mm will be very helpful. I presume they will be fitted to wooden batons?

Ok thanks everyone for your invaluable advice. It seems fitting the house out with the ultra-thin vacuum blanket stuff could be prohibitively expensive. The advice to fit 25mm of sheet insulation would be affordable. If this greatly improves the house then I will be very happy. Would this just dot and dab over the existing plaster or would I need to go back to bare brick please? Many thanks

Hi all I have an old solid wall brick cottage. On one side an internal breezeblock skin has been built and the exterior walls have all been cement rendered. The property is cool in summer and freezing in winter. I am tight on space as externally the building is only 4m wide. Whilst I appreciate external insulation would be better, I am in a conservation area and I may need to alter the roof to accommodate this. Is there a good, high performance thin internal insulation which would be suitable please? I have seen Kingspan Optim -R advertised an wondered if it was any good? Cheers

ok thanks guys. I will have a look at the EWI options. Can this be done by a DIYer?

Thanks. Unfortunately, the render is well and truly stuck to the brickwork. If it was easy to remove, I would be more than happy to remove it.

Hi all I have an old brick cottage which unfortunately was unsympathetically renovated in the 1960's. The external walls have been cement rendered and an internal breeze block skin has been built to one side of the property to support replacement ceiling joists. In winter the house is extremely cold, and the long narrow style means that using thick internal insulation isn't an option. The house is in a conservation area, so the local authority is not keen on external insulation being used. I have seen foil type internal insulation advertised which can compress to 10mm which would work space wise but I really don't know if it will perform well enough. Any advice would be gratefully received. Many thanks

Hi all I want to replace my current single panel radiator in my lounge to double convector as the room does not get warm enough. The current rad is 3000mm and I have purchased a couple of 1400mm rad's to replace it. I though about joining them together but not sure if it will be better to alter the pipework and fit them in-line with separate controls for each? Any advice would be most welcome. Many thanks

Thanks for responding guys. In terms of budget I was looking at prices comparable to made to measure timber windows, however I am prepared to pay more if I can achieve what I want. I am happy to look at aluminium and UPVC etc I agree the R9 windows look great but I have read some poor reviews on Google and Facebook so just seeing what is out there as an alternative. Someone said Veka did some similar windows at a good price. Nod - those windows look interesting. Who manufactured those for you please? Thanks

Hi all Could anyone please recommend a fairly local supplier of good quality non wood windows for an old cottage I am renovating in Nottinghamshire? I am looking for maintenance free windows which look as close to original wood flush casements as possible. I am very impressed by the look of the Residents Windows collection but have read lots of negative reviews regarding the quality of their products so now looking at other options if possible. Many thanks.