Very cold house- can anyone identify problem?

Fire_Fox

rover25 wrote: »

We are in a new build property which is pretty cold, especially upstairs in the main back bedroom. Also when you walk into the hallway down stairs you can feel a really cold air. I was sitting on the bottom stair the other day on the phone and was absolutley freezing with the cold air, even thought the radiator was on full beside me.
We have sealed up the front and back doors and all windows seem to be okay. Is this an attic insulation problem or cavity wall insulation problem. We bought 2 yrs ago so just assumed the cavity wall is insulated.
Can anyone help?

What temperature do you consider cold? Do you ventilate the house properly, or might it be damp? Often this will make a house feel much colder than it is. Do you have carpets and thick curtains to help insulate the floors and windows?

happy_gardener

You Can Get A Grant For Insulation Your House....check It Out First Before Paying For Anything....home Advisory Service I Think It Is Called...or Something Like That...

rover25

Thanks for all the replies. Can I ask how much on average is it to get cavity wall insulation put in?
And how much for a guy to come out and check if the walls are insulated or not?

hethmar

If the house is so new, surely it will have cavity wall insulation? We built our large extension 2 years back and the Building Regs were VERY strict concerning under floor insulation, cavity wall and roof. It would have been installed in blocks of material within the cavity as the house was built, so you wont have the tell tale drill holes.

Cant you look at your paperwork/guarantees you got when you bought the place? Or contact NHBC and tell them about this problem to see what they could suggest.

janey_uk

Could well be from the attic. We had ours insulated last month and the difference was amazing. It only had about 2 inches and they put in about 10 more. The upstairs was always colder and now it is warmer and the heating is on less. There had also obviously been a draft from the loft hatch as there are none now. I got it done via my council (even though privately owned) and they paid half so it only cost £99. Assessments for insulation are free, would recommend going through your local authority as they vet the companies. Recommended amount of loft insulation is 270mm.

Alternatively both Wickes and B&Q had bargain loft insulation rolls on sale recently.

bluenose1

We are getting B and Q to put in Loft insulation, we had none and they are putting in 270mm. It was a good offer cost is £198 for a 5 bedroom house, they have sent a surveyor out and it seems very professional so far.
We booked ours online.

d900

i thought latest regs were more than 270..
i maybe wrong - i got close to 500 in mine but had to build up the loft floor a little.

27col

If your house is very new then it will have cavity insulation and presumably a high level of roof insulation. This is easy to check just by looking up in the loft. You would not even need to leave the access steps. By the way, make sure that the loft access hatch itself is well insulated, this is sometimes forgotten.
What you are describing seems to be draughts. I would think that you could track these down fairly easily, with a lighted joss stick or some such. The other suggestion that I would make would be to get a room thermometer or maybe two. Sometimes you feel cold even though the temperature is perfectly acceptable, my wife has this problem some times.

janey_uk

Just had a HIPs pack done and the surveyer said 270 is the recommended min now.

cte1111

Maybe it's a spirit... people feel cold if there is a restless spirit wandering. You could try splashing round some holy water and see if that helps!