Hi & durability of scandinavian windows

[beenthere]

Hi all from Ireland. (south of Dublin) We're struggling to bottom some issues in respect of a replacement window purchase, and will post a few questions on that topic under the windows heading.

We're in self build terms at the other end of the project compared to most here. We went with a fairly large 2,000+ sq ft contemporary style brick brick bungalow on its own site back in the early 1980s, and only got finished about 17 years ago. (the main living room functioned as a store for years and years, the bathroom was jury rigged) Which seems to be about par for the course. (the lottery win never materialised) We're now into a 34 yrs later round of refurbishment - gutters, windows, better quality paving, landscaping etc.

Luckily we got finished just before the bubble got going - building with direct labour was hard enough when guys were hungry for business, but must be doubly difficult now. 

It's turned out very well, but been a long road. The single most basic lessons it feels worth communicating are:

(1) Don't borrow heavily/get into debt unless there's a clear and highly reliable way out before very long. It's tempting, and hard to wait for the money to come in - but it feels good (despite problems with illness and inability to work for long periods - we wouldn't have made it if we had taken on heavy borrowings) to have it all paid off. (just figure out how much you pay back versus the sum borrowed on a mortgage over 20 years)

(2) What you do do right - wait/save until you can. Craft and broader contruction industry standards have slipped badly here (the bubble brought many untrained into construction focused only on easy money), and corner cutting on material and other specs by suppliers and trades is the norm. Training is minimal. It's really important to gain an understanding of the underlying technical issues, and to then apply these in speccing work and selecting materials hardware. Then to doubly and triply vet labour for the required skills - and the right attitude. keep on asking questions and looks at sample work/references.

We went for good spec stuff, and systems which sounded way out here back in the 80s - but it's really paid off. Stuff like high levels of insulation, a zoned dual fuel heating system, masonry internal walls (the high heat storage capacity stabilises room temperatures), good quality roofing materials, tanking the bathrooms, good timber floors and tiles etc. We had hassle in one or two places where we cheap skated (like using concrete paving slabs and cheaper guttering) - but luckily nothing not relatively easily replaced.

Good luck with all of your projects...

Edited July 21, 2016 by beenthere
typo