Dear All,

 

I bought a converted barn in Norfolk and am working on improving my insulation. 

 

But to know how I can improve, I've first got to find out for sure what I've got and it's not totally apparent by just looking from the inside and knocking on walls.

 

The house was converted in 2003. The walls are brick and flint and the roof is pan tiles. The rafters are exposed, but they're mostly infilled with ceiling board and through a small gap here and there I can see shiny celotex... so I'm pretty sure that the rafters have celotex in between.

 

The majority of the internal walls are plasterboard... so my guess is that I've got a solid external wall that has been insulated on the inside with celotex and plasterboard.

 

But I don't know this for sure... and I don't want to break the plasterboard open to have a look.

 

Someone told me that I can request my original plans and building control documents because it would have all been specced there.

 

How do I find these?

 

I looked up all the past planning applications in my area... but, funnily, the application for turning this barn into a house isn't on there.

 

Do I need to contact building control? They're separate from planning. And what, exactly, do I ask for? They charge a fee.

 

Thanks!

 

 

It may have been spec’d, it may be as drawn but I would dig into what you have and find out (and be sure) rather than relying on presented documentation from 18 years ago

Edited January 27, 20224 yr by markc

Can you take off an electrical switch, TV point or similar and have a look behind the plasterboard this way? Similarly recessed spot lights are a great way to see what's behind plasterboard.  Take a small long knife and cut out a tiny bit of insulation to see how thick it is and if you can see what's behind it. You can also purchase cheap inspection cameras.

I'm not sure how accurate drawings from circa 20 years ago would be. They aren't something we'd rely on in our office when renovating buildings. 

Cheap inspection camera - the ones that you can hitch to a mobile phone?

Use your EPC rating, which I imagine would have used the assumptions made at time of construction? 

Inspection camera and drill a 10mm hole in a window reveal (easier to repair and hide..) and see what is behind. 
 

Pretty sure it will be something like a steel or timber frame and insulation within it - lots were done like this.