darkrabbit

Is there a DIY air-tightness guide that you're alluding to?

I'm under no illusion we'll have enough to get the house airtight, but I suppose we'll need to commission an air tightness test on the house before we get any works done just to see how bad it is.

Hi all, We just got our survey back for the 1930s fixer-upper that we're in the process of buying. The house is partially rendered in what I'm guessing was originally pebbledash and exposed brickwork on the bottom, and sometime in the past, someone has put paint or another render layer on top (possibly to hide any cracks/defects). The rendering is now damaged/cracked in various places. At the rear, the exposed brickwork has some masonry paint on it which apparently is the source of damp. The surveyor generally recommends using lime-base renders/mortars to allow the masonry to breathe. However, if we're planning to retrofit the entire house with a centralised MVHR, do we still need to use lime-based coatings/mortar? Could we strip off the existing render and replace with a 'simple' cement render from top to bottom?

Thanks - yeah that exact property was an inspiration to think about retrofits. Oh wow, didn't realise that about UFH -- 200mm sounds like it would raise the floor by quite a bit, in a 67 sqm property maybe the investment won't be worth it? Lime render isn't based on any expert knowledge -- rather anecdotal that "cement is bad, use lime." Good point though if we're going to be investing into MVHR that we don't really need breathable walls -- assuming that damp air is properly removed from the wet rooms? Oh that's good to know. How do you typically go about knocking down walls (e.g. creating an open plan kitchen/lounge) - do builders help make a plan for you? Thanks for the tip -- looks like there are some schemes to help with loft and cavity insulation. Doing a quick search has shown that the property EPC shows uninsulated cavity walls and 150mm loft insulation.

Hey everyone, Glad to be here. I'm in the process of buying my first property (to live in) - a 1950s semi and there's a huge list of things I'd love to do to it, with a budget of about £60K for repairs/renovation. I'm passionate about the idea of EnerPHIT and PassiveHaus retrofit, but I doubt I'll be able to achieve this for a first house...given that it's probably NW facing and wouldn't benefit from much solar gain or panels (happy to be corrected) Big ticket wishlist items: Improving cavity/loft insulation Wet underfloor heating retrofit Re-wire to allow for data cabling throughout the house New kitchen and bathroom MVHR Replacing combi with heat pump as well as some new radiators, associated plumbing costs Pebbledash removal and a new lime render What would the be the best way to approach these sort of works - engage an architect post-completion?