Reduce draughts in a 1970s hollow-block dormer bungalow.

D

Davidod1

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I have a 1970s hollow-block built dormer bungalow and I really need to do something about trying to reduce the draughts, and make it easier to keep the house warm.

Although the windows are all double glazed and the internal walls are all dry-lined, the big problem in the house is draughts. I feel that the contributing factors to these draughts comes from a number of areas.
There is an open fire chimney in the living area​
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The flooring throughout is suspended timber flooring​
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Although the attic is insulated there is a woeful draught (wind) that comes from under the roof tiles and felt lining. I feel that these upstairs walls get cooled, and the colder air comes tumbling down to the downstairs area.​
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I would like to get advice as to which area to tackle that might give me the best return. I know that unless all those draught contributors are sorted there will still be a problem, but what might be the best area to start with?

When you consider the grants that are available for certain jobs, I am wondering if an external wall cladding is worth considering? I am not sure what options are available to me regarding sealing under the roof tiles. I have heard that this can cause problems with damp building up.

From what I can see, there seem to be very few, if any, independent people to get advice from in this area.

Any guidelines would be much appreciated.
 
We had a very similar problem to you when we first moved into our 1970s dormer. It was a disaster for heating costs and comfort levels. We spent a fortune on gas and were still sitting under blankets with hot water bottle the first winter.

Best value for money was insulating the attic. We had rock wool insulation with a plywood flooring over the top. They then also put a big pillow of insulation over the hatch and the doors to the crawl space. This made a massive difference to the bedroom draughts. I used to hear the wind whistling in the crawl space in our bedroom and feel the draught on my head at night. This was all sorted by the attic insulation.

Got the chimney lined and stove fitted and this made a very noticeable difference to draughts in the sitting room when the fire wasn’t lit. We did this for the heat at the time but sorting the chimney draughts was an added bonus

We were getting new flooring anyway, so got the carpenter to lift the floor boards and put insulation between the joists. Then some form of board over the top and the we put down laminate and carpet. This was transformative to the comfort levels downstairs.

While we were saving for the new windows, I just bought a lot of second hand, heavy interlined curtains from eBay in the UK that people were selling when the redecorated. I put these over the front door and patio doors as well. That made a surprising amount of difference and the second winter was OK.

Eventually we changed the windows and got external insulation, got a B3 rating so heating bills came down.

But the other changes made the house comfortable enough to live in.
 
My son was one of the lucky ones in getting a retrofit done last year. He had draughts, cold spots, from the bottom to the top. Don't know if I can mention a company he used but their work was brilliant and the final product is something even myself wouldn't dare think could be done. It was not cheap, they're in their early 40's, young family, good jobs, can well afford the cost, etc, and have a beautifully warm/ cool comfortable property for a very very long time. Company who did the job have a holy and farming name in its title and are highly recommended. If i'm allowed to name them, I can do that. I would strongly advise you to get a proper company to quote you for the job and explain exactly what it is they will do after you tell them what you want/need.
 
dishwasher said:
We had a very similar problem to you when we first moved into our 1970s dormer. It was a disaster for heating costs and comfort levels. We spent a fortune on gas and were still sitting under blankets with hot water bottle the first winter.

Best value for money was insulating the attic. We had rock wool insulation with a plywood flooring over the top. They then also put a big pillow of insulation over the hatch and the doors to the crawl space. This made a massive difference to the bedroom draughts. I used to hear the wind whistling in the crawl space in our bedroom and feel the draught on my head at night. This was all sorted by the attic insulation.

Got the chimney lined and stove fitted and this made a very noticeable difference to draughts in the sitting room when the fire wasn’t lit. We did this for the heat at the time but sorting the chimney draughts was an added bonus

We were getting new flooring anyway, so got the carpenter to lift the floor boards and put insulation between the joists. Then some form of board over the top and the we put down laminate and carpet. This was transformative to the comfort levels downstairs.

While we were saving for the new windows, I just bought a lot of second hand, heavy interlined curtains from eBay in the UK that people were selling when the redecorated. I put these over the front door and patio doors as well. That made a surprising amount of difference and the second winter was OK.

Eventually we changed the windows and got external insulation, got a B3 rating so heating bills came down.

But the other changes made the house comfortable enough to live in.
Click to expand...
Do you mind me asking but how much did the external insulation cost?
 
Thanks Dishwasher for all the detail: We also have Rockwool in the attic, and that is covered with a plywood flooring. The only thing is that we put two bedrooms and an office area in our former. So the upstairs area is permanently open via the stairway.

Can I ask if you got rid of the open fire? In other words, did lining the chimney on it's own improve the draughts, or did you fit a stove in the sitting room at the same time?

Lastly Dishwasher I have to ask you, did the external insulation make a big difference on it's own or was it just the past piece of the puzzle?

I would also echo Annie51 re the cost of any of the jobs, if you are Okay with answering that. Thanks.
 
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In Ireland the most common cause of heat loss in houses is by convection (draughts or lack of air tightness) and not conduction (insulation). We live in a temperate but windy climate. From my 2 decades of practical experience in testing, surveying and advising on heat loss solutions I would say without fear or favour we are paying too much attention to the quantity of insulation rather the quality of installation and the big one being that airtightness being the poor relation.

In a standard 3 bed semi or a bungalow achieving decent air tightness very often happens by accident rather than design. However when it comes to dormers, because a significant portion of the internal living space is actually in the roof structure, unless care was taken at design and build stages of the project the level of air leakage is significant. If also there is a suspended (unsealed) timber ground floor then this just adds to the problem. All these issues can be successfully addressed by applying the appropriate air tight measures.

Rarely (if ever) does insulation on it's own address the issue and a different approach is generally required. I'm not sure where the notion comes from and I've seen it mentioned quite often online but external insulation does NOT address air leakage in any meaningful way. It can't pure and simple.

The solution starts with an independent heat loss survey which includes an air tightness test in addition to thermal imaging survey. Key to this is the surveyor is experienced and expert in their building physics knowledge because internal moisture control through appropriate ventilation is also vital to get get a comprehensive solution.
 
Micks'r said:
The solution starts with an independent heat loss survey which includes an air tightness test in addition to thermal imaging survey. Key to this is the surveyor is experienced and expert in their building physics knowledge because internal moisture control through appropriate ventilation is also vital to get get a comprehensive solution.
Click to expand...
Based on three of my kids new builds, what you have said there makes total sense. Problem is though, as far as can see all, the surveyors seem to be attached to companies that just want to sell. I want someone to look at the situation and say, "doing 'X' first will be the most effective", or "considering the available funds, you can't do 'X', but doing 'Y' would be worth doing".

I live in the Meath / North Kildare area, if you know of someone that fits the bill, I would appreciate the contact details very much,
 
Micks'r said:
Happy to help. I will send you a message
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@Micks'r - South Dublin here, also interested in getting an independent survey done, would be very grateful for a recommendation.

Is this best done during cold weather when draughts and leakage are more obvious?

Many thanks
Stan
 
I am also very interested in an independent survey, based in Dublin 16 just off the M50, please message me thanks
 
carmel65 said:
I am also very interested in an independent survey, based in Dublin 16 just off the M50, please message me thanks
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Reminder: Recommendations via private message are not allowed. Post publicly only please.
 
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