This is my second home and like my first needs some work. I see potential but it needs an insulation upgrade/some insulation and a creative facelift. The building is a dated 1970's built ex- GP Surgery in a small Scottish town. I'm an artist (of the artwork painter variety😜 and plan to create a home gallery exhibiting my works. Unfortunately planning wouldn't allow a shed in front of the façade, so they now have a yard of stockpiled building materials that I can't tuck away and inside is also cluttered with materials that I'm trying to keep dry. It doesn't feel much like a gallery yet apart from there being paintings all over the walls! At the end of a couple of tough months the wood burner was commissioned. Now it is in regular use, but when it dies down the heat doesn't last. Time is ticking and I want to firm up on an insulation strategy so I can submit to building control.
I've approached 9 builders and had 2 visit the site. I think I've a team on board, but am worried I'll loose them if I can't line up a start date. 

Ooh how exciting! I’d love art gallery space. 
 

Not to put a downer on things but be wary when chopping into the place. A friend of mind had a similar ex GPs’ surgery building and as they cut into the first wall, an arc of powdery stuff went everywhere and they realised it was asbestos. It was an expensive palaver to manage. 

Edited March 24, 20251 yr by Jilly

Welcome

 

7 hours ago, ex-70s-GP-surgery said:

it needs an insulation upgrade/some insulation and a creative facelift.

Can you fit external wall insulation, or are the planners against changing the look of the place.

What state is the flat roof in?

I've been through all the details of the buildings construction and poked holes/cameras into most voids to understand everything. I've not found any stash of white powder asbestos or otherwise, but am collecting plasterboard dust on my paintings.

 

2 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

Welcome

 

Can you fit external wall insulation, or are the planners against changing the look of the place.

What state is the flat roof in?

Hi SteamyTea,
Yes EWI is what I have on my planning permission. I'm just learning how this forum works and put a separate post in "Heat Insulation". As a thread it hasn't run very hot yet. 
Building envelope with EWI and upgraded warm roof - drying out
I have some walls with sections of IWI so I've to consider them. I've read about ideally keeping to one third R-value inside to two thirds outside for avoidance of interstitial condensation.
I'm thinking a 70mm rockwool batten in the 100mm stud and 120mm EPS EWI system. Where I open the walls I would put back a vapour open VCL so things can dry to the inside. I think I'll just be slowing vapour and air movement as a retrofit isn't going to get to everything.