Cost of ventilation in bedrooms

foxylady

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Buying an old house that has no vents in the bedrooms or bathrooms and I am looking for an idea of the cost to get them in. Also how long it would take and is it messy. oh and where would i go
 
Very difficult to answer definitively, as there are many possible variables :

  • Wall construction (mass-concrete / rubble / block-brick)
  • Fireplaces in situ (no vent needed)
  • Windows (in-frame vents are possible with modern uPVC)
  • If the bathrooms have no windows then they must be mechanically vented (electric extractor fan)
At its simplest your builder needs to drill (with a 4 or 5 inch core bit) a hole in the wall angled downwards, insert a piece of piping in the hole and fix vents to exterior and interior of the wall, with an open-close option on the interior vent.

Say 30 mins per room x number of rooms x his hourly rate + the bits of Wavin and the grilles.

For bathrooms with no windows (or that you just want fans in) he'll need an electrician to wire the fans and switches, and he'll need runs of flexible piping / trunking from the extractor via the loft area, fixed at the eaves. For downstairs bathrooms the easiest option may be VentAxia-type extractors in the windows or walls.
 
Well there was fireplaces in the bedrooms but both have been covered up and the bathroom has a window
 
if you're getting double glazing you can always lock the windows once they are ajar for ventilation.. just a thought
 
Not sure where you're based (or if that's even relevant) but according to Dublin City Council Department of Environmental Health and Safety you are required to have a vent in every room in the house that has a door. What I mean by that is obviously if lets say your sitting room and kitchen are somewhat open plan you would only need one vent.

The only reason I know this is because a property I was living in a few months back had a spot check done and this was one of the issues that was raised.
 
When i Say covered I mean the wall would have to be opened up to reintroduce the fire

There 'should' still be a vent were the fireplace was, unless the chimney is blocked at the top. Chances are this is the easiest place to add a vent, unless the whole chimney breast was removed/chimney blocked at roof. If there is none you could try knocking a hole in the plasterboard!

.
 
Not sure where you're based (or if that's even relevant) but according to Dublin City Council Department of Environmental Health and Safety you are required to have a vent in every room in the house that has a door. What I mean by that is obviously if lets say your sitting room and kitchen are somewhat open plan you would only need one vent.

The only reason I know this is because a property I was living in a few months back had a spot check done and this was one of the issues that was raised.

and an open window is ventilation! There's many an older house with no vents and nobody to my knowledge has suffered as a result.
 
Not sure where you're based (or if that's even relevant) but according to Dublin City Council Department of Environmental Health and Safety you are required to have a vent in every room in the house that has a door. What I mean by that is obviously if lets say your sitting room and kitchen are somewhat open plan you would only need one vent.

The only reason I know this is because a property I was living in a few months back had a spot check done and this was one of the issues that was raised.


House is over 50 years old and thats how they were built back then as far as I know
 
and an open window is ventilation! There's many an older house with no vents and nobody to my knowledge has suffered as a result.

There have been a number of cases over the past few years where people have died due to carbon monoxide poisoning in such houses. Lack of adequate ventilation will lead to numerous health problems.
 
There have been a number of cases over the past few years where people have died due to carbon monoxide poisoning in such houses. Lack of adequate ventilation will lead to numerous health problems.

I didn't advocate a lack of ventilation, I simply suggested that most modern windows have either trickle vents or the ability to open the window a smidgin and lock it. This would ventilate the room without costing a bean. Of course, if the windows don't need ventilation and you're renting the house etc different story.
 
I didn't advocate a lack of ventilation, I simply suggested that most modern windows have either trickle vents or the ability to open the window a smidgin and lock it. This would ventilate the room without costing a bean. Of course, if the windows don't need ventilation and you're renting the house etc different story.

Vents in windows is ventilation, you mentioned houses that had no ventilation. Another thing to note is that many older houses are far from airtight, so dedicated ventilation is less of an issue with these.
 
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