Renovating timber-framed house + several poor extensions + adding new extension

[Snoopyrules]

Hubbie & I have bought a timber-framed house within the Malvern Hills area, which has had several extensions resulting in a poorly laid out house. We bought it for the setting, which is within common land.  It has a stream running within one metre of the house and a high water table. We are about to embark on the renovation of the existing house, with a view to replacing the conservatory and adding a new extension - money willing of course! 
I have researched various build options & opting for ICF seems like a good plan  & so keen to understand the pros & cons of the various types. We are also trying to work out how to bring green technology to the new/newer part of the house, while efficiently heating the timber-framed part. Nothing like a challenge to start retirement! 

[Sparrowhawk]

Welcome! I've two friends in Malvern/Great Malvern and it's a beautiful area. There are loads of threads and discussions here on ICF and the different systems so do have a search of the forum. Some cover the "greenness" of it and the hemp versions too.

 

I'm renovating a poorly laid out and twice-extended house so my first question to you is: do you have the money to knock it down and rebuild? 🙂  If anything's load bearing inside (all our ground floor walls are) or you've got internal cavity walls from before the extensions, it's hard to sort the layout. We've given up and are making the best of it. Plus you can get airtightness, insulation and comfort right from the start.

 

Good luck and do share your progress!

[Russell griffiths]

If it’s a timberframe house, then why add icf, I’ve built in icf so nothing against it. 

I just cannot see the point in mixing building types, especially when one is light and the other very heavy. 

Ive also renovated a timberframe house. 

The easiest thing to do is remove every single sheet of plasterboard, sort out the insulation, beef up the frame if needed, re wire, re plumb, then re board and plaster. 

Its better to rip it all back to bare bones than fanny about trying to get one bit good at a time, you end up with a miss match of old and new and bits that still are not good enough. 

[ProDave]

+1 to the above.

 

It sounds like you want to use ICF because you believe ICF is good and timber frame is rubbish.

 

Your existing timber frame is probably rubbish, because it was built years ago, probably with a thin lightweight frame and little or no insulation.  A modern well built well insulated timber frame house is as good as any other modern well built house.  You can build to passive house standards with almost any build method if you want to.

 

I would as suggested above build the extension in timber frame and strip back, repair, strengthen and properly insulate the existing structure.  How much work it is renovating the existing structure depends what you find when you strip it back.

 

IF you find the existing frame is rotten, you might be better doing a full rebuild with the advantage of 0% VAT.