Best Way to Insulate Walls of Old House

1. Abode
2. Energy Efficient Upgrades for Existing Houses
3. Insulating an Erstwhile House

Insulating an Quondam Business firm - The Correct Way.

So What do I Mean When I Talk About Insulating an Quondam House?

I know this is probably pretty cocky explanatory but acquit with me. The three master areas to consider when insulating in an sometime or an existing house are:

• The walls - either solid construction or cavity construction.
• The loft - either an open roof void or a room in roof structure.
• The footing floor - either suspended timber or solid floor structure.

There are potential pitfalls for each and some in my opinion, may not be worth the hassle depending on the business firm, structure blazon, exposure and whether or not you'r prepared to embark on a major renovation of the property.

For example a house with solid basis floors will not be easy to insulate as you'll have to dig up the floors, breach any damp proof membrane that may (or may not) exist present and so relay them forming a good seal between the new damp proof membrane in the floor and the damp proof course in the walls (which will be hard and quite expensive).

Too room in roof construction, where you accept a room in the loft surface area volition brand it much more than hard to access the areas where you need to install the insulation. So unless you're about to renovate this area anyhow then it might exist better to look until you are.

What do You lot Demand to Know Earlier Insulating an Old House?

• The pros and cons of the insulation material you're using.
• The correct manner to install it.
• The additional materials yous'll need to ensure the insulation performs every bit it should, such equally vapour barriers, vapour control layers, air tightness sheets and sealing tapes etc.

What Will Insulating an Onetime House Actually Achieve?

Provided it'due south carried our correctly:

• It will amend the free energy efficiency of the property.
• Reduce your heating bills.
• It will allow your home to hold onto its oestrus longer.
• You lot'll make it more comfortable to live in.
• Reduce your carbon footprint.
• Yous'll improve its EPC score and, hopefully, increase its value.
• Information technology's normally pretty easy to do (keep reading to meet why I say usually!)
• Reduce the chance of condensation forming on walls and ceilings and therefore reduce the chances of blackness mould forming.

Is Insulating an Old House Easy?

Unfortunately there's no directly forrard answer to this question as information technology'll depend on the construction type of your house;

Cavity walls - normally they're easy to insulate by getting an insulation company in (it'south non a DIY job), only sometimes it can be better not to exercise it!

Solid walls - more hard to insulate and can be quite expensive, but can certainly exist done. In that location are ii types of solid wall insulation; internal insulation (cheaper choice) and external insulation (more expensive but better performing).

Open loft expanse - relatively piece of cake to insulate and fairly inexpensive to exercise. But there are some things yous'll need to be aware of.

Room in roof construction  - This is where you lot accept a habitable room within the roof surface area and limited access to the underside of the roof. This blazon is much more hard to insulate without spending a lot of money and major upheaval, unless you're nigh to renovate the surface area anyway.

Solid ground floor - very difficult to insulate, but non impossible (information technology will exist expensive and confusing).

Suspended timber ground floor - relatively piece of cake to do but if you do it wrong you could crusade as many problems every bit you fix.

When Insulating an Old House, Is Insulation on it's Ain Enough?

Short answer is… No!

Traditionally if you wanted to insulate your underfloor or loft you simply laid out some fibreglass wool (or equivalent) and that was it, chore done! Old houses tend to be a lot more than draughty than newer backdrop and fifty-fifty if you practice the best chore ever when insulating your old habitation in the traditional way and ensure in that location are no gaps, if in that location are draughts in the area (and there will be draughts, they are a Building Control requirement in lofts and subfloor areas especially when increasing insulation) and then the insulation won't do very much.

At this betoken it would be a good idea to understand the departure between controlled and uncontrolled ventilation. Simply I don't want to get distracted at this stage, so if you're not sure what they are follow the link and so come up dorsum to finish this folio.

Issues With Uninsulated Sometime Houses:

The most mutual issues I come beyond in one-time houses belonging to clients is condensation and mould. These are often directly linked to uncontrolled ventilation (draughts) and insulation, or the lack of insulation, in the property (albeit in that location are other factors in play as well such equally relative humidity, air pressure and sometimes damp walls (have a look at my article on Condensation for more than information).

But suffice to say, if you tin can insulate and make the property as airtight as possible (in addition to providing controlled ventilation), yous'll increase the surface temperature of the main external walls, floors and ceilings you'll reduce the risk of condensation occurring and therefore reduce the risk of black mould forming and brand it more than comfy and cheaper to heat effectively.

Disadvantages of Insulating an Old House:

• Retrofit cavity wall insulation will increase the chances of penetrating damp bridging the cavity. Simply in that location are sure products that in my opinion are better than others when information technology comes to installing cavity insulation to an existing business firm.
• Installing insulation in the loft area will reduce the amount of storage infinite as stored items compress the insulation. Unless you apply stilts etc. to raise a floored expanse in a higher place the level of the insulation and so that it doesn't get compacted.
  


• Any insulation installed incorrectly or the wrong type of insulation being used can cause expensive issues which will then demand to be rectified at additional and oft considerable expense.
• Incorrectly fitted insulation can cause interstitial condensation to occur inside the insulation which tin can crusade rot in the worst instance and reduce the effectiveness of the insulation in the best instance.

Other Articles to Read Earlier You Start Insulating an Quondam Business firm:

• Adding Underfloor Insulation to Older Properties - if installed incorrectly this tin crusade rot to floor timbers, but thankfully it's pretty straightforward to do correctly.
• How to Install Insulation in Your Open Cranium - equally above this can crusade issues if done wrong so check out this commodity to come across the correct way to practice it.
• All-time insulation for houses - this commodity looks at the various insulation materials and how well they compare to each other.
• How insulation works - this on'e pretty self explanatory
• Vapour barriers - these barriers prevent water vapour getting into the insulation.
• Blow in Insulation - explains the basics of retrofit cavity insulation and one type that I call back should never be used in cavities.
• Crenel fill insulation advantages and disadvantages - some reasons why you might desire to install cavity insulation and some reasons yous might not want to.
• Sheep'due south wool insulation - a natural hygroscopic insulation that is bully for older properties
• Blueish jean insulation - as information technology sounds recycled jeans to insulate your home.
• Foam spray insulation - this is a spray form of the rigid sheets that nosotros all see on building sites (the stuff with the foil backing). It's merely mixed on site and sprayed on. Simply I'1000 not a huge fan, notice out why here!
• External insulation - typically used on houses with solid external walls just can be added to crenel walls also.
• Internal insulation - again typically used on houses with solid external walls but fitted on the inside of the exterior walls.

In decision, provided you use the correct method and the best insulation products when insulating an sometime firm there'southward no reason why you can't insulate and draught proof your existing holding and at the same time reduce your heating costs and make your dwelling much more comfortable.

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Source: https://www.eco-home-essentials.co.uk/insulating-an-old-house.html

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