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No the cord is like a wide ribbon and it is also rolled into spring-loaded cassette. This Youtube is pictorial

What heat? We live in Scotland. The roller blinds offer a degree of security on doors and windows. With the roller blinds shut, the burglar would have to come down through the chimney like santa claus. They also block out the daylight in much the same way as black out blinds and noise to a degree. As for their thermal properties we are more concerned with keeping the cold out - every little helps!

There are manual pvc and wooden blinds. The manual pvc roller shutters are readily available in France, Germany and Poland etc

There are manual versions and they work well. I speak from experience. We had them in our house in France

The French firm Avos Dim supplies PVC and aluminium roller shutters. Manual blinds are less troublesome as the cord is easy to replace but in 27 years we did not have to replace the cord once!

There are two types of fittings, one is built in and one which can be retrofitted but I am not sure if these would be suitable for most UK windows as continental windows have larger inside and outside sill We had the ancient wooden version built-in. They were very heavy and had a manual pulley cord. The cord outlasted the house, which was demolished a couple of years ago. The electric version of the blinds are more problematic as the blind can get stuck inside the cassette. A big tug on the manual blind solves the problem. See https://avosdim.com/uk/roller-shutters.html

Has anyone installed continental-style external roller blinds inside the casing of a new window frame? If so, do you have any tips about the depth of the window and door casing to house the blind cassette? I've found a French firm that supplies roller blinds in the UK.

This is the floor plan

.... while producing a lot of natural gas! :))

Does leakage mean draughts? This is an old draughty house

Not sure how to add the plan correctly. I uploaded it and it is now sitting on this website as a download

Just getting the hang of how to reply Does a MVHR unit work in older houses circa 1939?

The other extensions nearby are conservatories which were put up long before we moved in here

How to chose the most suitable building material to add an extension to a 1939 red sandstone mid-terrace house I attached the plans to my earlier post. Planning permission has been granted. What I have read so far: (1) Timber - benefits as well as being cost-effective, timber frames are highly versatile, as they can be clad in almost any building material. But, problems can arise with the shower room in the timber frame extension due to mould. The easy answer is to install a shower cubicle but that makes wheelchair access more difficult The other options are (2) Brick (3) Prefab (4) Modular (5) Anything else to be considered before approaching local builders? I haven’t a clue. Usually building firms usually work with one type of building material. Guidance would be welcome Thanks

Lucky you! This golden oldie used to get dressed under the bedcovers and draw pictures on the ice inside our bedroom window. ☺️

Re: Overheated houses Apologies, this was not a reflection on Cpd's situation. According to the EST, reducing heating by just 1°C could cut 10 per cent off the heating bill and reduce our carbon footprint: 10. Turn Down Your Thermostat! The simple act of turning off your thermostat while you’re not home can save you 15% on your energy bill. By keeping cool during the day, and warming up with blankets and sweaters instead, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. They go on to suggest that: It's generally not considered safe to set the thermostat lower than 18 degrees however we run the heating 24/7 in winter at 16C and boost it to 18 to 20C max when it is very cold and we are stagnating in front of the telly. However this is a mid-terrace house so that and the woolly socks etc help

Here's a non-techie short-term answer: Pure wool socks, a thermal vest and a duvet ski suit would keep your warm until you get your home properly insulated. ☺️ Nowadays lots of folk bake themselves alive in overheated home. A cosy wee indoor ski-type suit would help you and those affected by fuel poverty to keep warm and reduce the heating bills. "Every winter hypothermia extends its icy grip, causing 25,000 extra deaths per year in England" Where have all the housecoats gone? (Cue for a song...) ❄️ ❄️☃️

The GCC granted planning permission this week within two months of the initial application. The building warrant is still pending. Next step: find a builder...

The house is not a listed property. The rear of the house is south facing. I’ll try looking at sub-forum too but before that I’d like to reply to what’s been posted Replacing the windows is not ecological. The windows are not old and not leaking. Neighbours replaced their windows but that didn’t solve their condensation problem. Roller shutters: “I think these need to be electric” PVC sash roller blinds are as cheap as chip on the continent. Some cassettes are wall mounted above windows or doors and not set into the window frame. Our ancient heavy roller wooden blinds had fully working sashes dating back to the days of Yor! PVC shutters are lighter, better than blackout curtain and help make homes more burglar proof. What a pity they’re not readily available in the UK “P.I.V. only works if your house has a lot of leakage” “leakage” as in draughts? There is no dampness or mould MHVR: I was told it is not suitable in older houses Insulating underneath the floorboards was considered but I can’t find anyone willing to do the job. Maybe the workers are scared of the spiders - I’m not! Sun Pipes: Drats, I thought the thermal bridging problem had been solved. Sun tunnels seemed to be a good way of bringing natural light into the house plus a bonus, no windows to clean on the roof Re: Penultimate plan attached (The final plan is not accessible at the moment but there were only two minor changes to the attached plan) The budget is limited so the priority is making the house wheelchair user friendly by installing a ground floor WC and shower. The extra door provides a straight run through from the front door to the back of the house for the wheelchair. Advocado = avocado a popular colour in the 70’s for bathroom and kitchen fittings Plan_4hub.pdf Back of house plan.pdf

It’s a 1939 mid-terrace sandstone house with cavity filled walls, floating floors and an avocado kitchen and bathroom which will be going, going, gone soon! The Aim: to eliminate draughts and add an extension for a wc/wet room and kitchenette for a sink and the electrics including the washing machine because there seems are too many issues putting it in the bathroom where it was in our previous house. Most kitchen units are in the dining room. The application for planning permission is underway and the disagreeable architect will soon be a ‘thing’ of the past. I found this site while looking for information about Positive Input Ventilation because condensation is an issue. Cold windows are the cause but there’s probably no draught-proofing in the window casings. Plan of Action with a limited budget: (1) Improve window seals to create an air-tight fit: Foam or caulk or what? (2) Invest in secondary double glazing: Yes/No? (3) Install continental-style roller shutters in the extension. We had fab wooden roll shutters but they are not fashionable in the UK. Would there be issues installing them in the extension? Yes/No? (4) Install a PIV system in the attic (5) Use reflective eco foil under the carpet underlay on the ground floor. Yes/No? - The crawl space is home to hundreds of spiders. (6) Add an extension with sun tunnels and ignore the architect’s disdain for them. Yes/No? I failed to visualise the extension layout until the architect provided plans that I changed many times until I understood what the layout should be but with builders it won’t be possible to simply send plans back to the drawing board. I’ve never dealt with builders before but I crossed swords too many times with the architect so he won’t be overseeing the project. As I’m going it alone because Mr DIY has early onset dementia but I don’t want builders to pull the wool over my eyes so here I am looking for support. Thank you.