Retrofit or not

H

Haille

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I live in a 1988 4 bed dormer bungalow with 2 of the largest bedrooms upstairs one with studded partition and the master bedroom upstairs the walls of which are blocks sitting on RSJ’s.

2 inch insulation whiteboard in cavities with teak double glazed windows and doors.

I had an air test done which registered as high 10.245.

Looked at dry lining option but it would involve a lot of disruption.

I am also looking at Electric Ireland retrofit including dry lining floor insulation , heat pump , ventilation, Some of my internal ceilings are tongued and grooved timbers which account for air leakage.

The front of my house is all done in dressed Leitrim stone sandstone.

Would have considered external insulation but do not want to part with my precious sandstone.

We are a couple in our early 60’s with 3 adult children living away from home.

My question (our house is approx 2000 sq.feet) is it worth it to consider retrofit. Would the cost involved add a similar value to the house? Given our ages do you think it would be worth it. We have an adjacent 1 bed apartment that we could move to during retrofit or dry lining. I have not checked with estate agents if a similar house with various BER ratings are reflected in the prices being asked for them?
 
What are you aiming to achieve from the retrofit?

If it's trying to maximise a sales price its a considerable outlay that won't necessarily translate into a corresponding increase in achievable price. It's a seller's market as is so you shouldn't need to go to this much effort.

If it's to improve quality of life it's difficult to give an answer given the subjectivity. What I would say is there are many intermediate steps been where you are and a full deep-retrofit. You don't have to go the whole hog. What is your current BER? The BER is probably an imperfect measure, the real question is so you find it a cold house to live in now (whatever about when you're 20 years older)?
 
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Not really answering your question (not sure anyone on here can really given its subjectivity) but with north of 10 m3/hr/m2 of air leakage, adding insulation of any hue won't make a jot of difference until your airtightness issues are addressed.
 
Would you consider selling what you're in at the moment and buying something more suitable to your needs. I think you've posted a fair bit about your situation, so selling might be an option. A dormer, dressed stone, bungalow, etc, might not lend to an easy, economic fix. Shop around and see if there's something that will fit your needs. You never know what you'll find if you don't have a look. Just thinking outside the box so don't feel that i'm saying your own house isn't adequate.
 
Many thanks for all your replies will investigate further.Unlikely to sell as it is a large site with nice views.I will try and get some quotes.Unlikely to go down full dry lining which would mean loss of a thin bathroom and possibly shower in en suite.Fitted wardrobe only installed 3 years ago would have to be dismantled and reassembled.I can concentrate on the air tightness first.Would have considered external insulation but unfortunately I do not want to loose the dressed Leitrim stone on the front of my house.The house is not a cold house though there is air leakage.The 3 adult children bedrooms are only used occasionally.Will study further options
 
We have a few very cold rooms in our house. We also have rooms that we don't use very often. Sitting room seldom used but family room used a lot. Also extra bedrooms no longer in use as grown up children have moved out.

Has anyone put internal wall insulation on part of the house rather than having the whole house done?
 
Water Water, I know well what you're talking about and there are many in the same situation. Families grown up, children flown the nest, biggish houses where many of the rooms are only used the odd time the "kids" come back for a weekend, or whatever. It's surely the time for something to be done that might incentivise those home owners to trade down. Does it happen in other countries? Do people avail of it? I think I would.
 
WaterWater said:
We have a few very cold rooms in our house. We also have rooms that we don't use very often. Sitting room seldom used but family room used a lot. Also extra bedrooms no longer in use as grown up children have moved out.

Has anyone put internal wall insulation on part of the house rather than having the whole house done?
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There's nothing stopping you doing this but be mindful that you might well significantly increase the risk of some unintended consequences;
damp & mould in the unused rooms and interstitial condensation & mould in the used rooms.
 
WaterWater said:
Has anyone put internal wall insulation on part of the house rather than having the whole house done?
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Yes, we did this in my parents 1970's semi-D. We dry lined (internal insulation 50mm PIR) the north facing walls (coldest) in the house. We also added double the recommended insulation into the attic. It transformed the house, and turned the coldest rooms in the house into the warmest rooms in the house.

Also we did it ourselves. It is a very dusty job, but it's not particularly difficult.
 
We were considering similar for our parents home . They had teak Windows too we got triple glazed aluminium windows in before Christmas and the different alone with this is amazing. We used to have to leave our jackets on when visiting!! Not any more they got a grant for it also
 
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