Karmacat: To Infinity And Beyond!

taka

I looked at an eco(ish) flat in this development when I was flat hunting a few years ago. It looked good except they couldn't impliment half of the eco features that would have been good eg the reed bed is ornamental as SEPA agreements over it didn't come off, neither did the heating from a local brewery waste heat. To top it all off the charges were ~£250+/month to cover service charge, heating and buildings insurance etc :eek: which made it unaffordable on top of my mortgage and other bills. Having the cycle path DIRECTLY outside the front door might have been dangerous too - I almost got knocked flying while visiting it. :rotfl:

Double_Trouble

I would love to build a new eco house but even building it the cost is very high I suppose the price of the technologies will come down. When I thought our boiler was in meltdown recently I did research putting in a ground source heat pump but our house is not insulated enough and with stone walls and no attic (because our bedroom is in the roof) there is not a lot we can do that is practicable to improve it - I would love underfloor heating too but retro fitting would be costly and very disruptive I have it in my office and I love it - so I dont know what we will do - probably stay where we are because it is a lovely house in a lovely position - I just have moved on in what I want - perhaps an eco apartment when I retire (if ever) is a possibility - sorry Karma I am ramblingDTxx

Karmacat

**KC grabs hold of the envelope Hypno was holding, and wanders off, rambling to self**

** then does a double take and realises that Bob has quoted MS! Woo hoo! **

**puts envelope in pocket to report later **

elantan

bob does like to sneak things in occasionally doesnt she

Karmacat

She does, she does .... and just to complement that, here's an image of the delectable Mr Shanks from his official website, from the season of "24" that Shaun's just bought:

http://www.michaelshanks-online.com/images/24/24s6ep20_022.jpg

That eco-renovation ... hmm.... I'm going to need a bit more than that envelope. A neighbour I recently got to know has spent £10k on an eco-level rewire and replumb (and I think hardwiring phone lines to quite a few rooms). I'll be playing on my spreadsheets later today.

hypno06

Are you looking at eco-vating your existing house, or doing your existing house at a cheaper cost to sell or rent out, thereby allowing you to live in an eco-house elsewhere?

Karmacat

What a very good question dammit, you're making me think about it in reality

Karmacat

Okay.

Something will have to be done to my existing house, even if I sell it at the end of next year and a developer buys it, partly to make it nicer for me to live in, and partly to up the price that even a developer is prepared to pay: I have lists of jobs to do on the spreadsheets, and I'm going to split them into three categories:
a. what can be done with very little money/money already spent, to make life better for me? Those elements are both green - either very little materials input is required, or its already bought, so the deed is done.
b. what would make the most difference to the next purchaser, again for minimal input in terms of labour and materials? I would make these as green as possible, without pricing myself out of a sale, or making the house "weird" - composting toilet springs to mind. Not a winner in a suburb....
c. if things turned around financially, would I keep this house to rent it out? Maybe I would - its a small family home in a safe area, with a good primary school very nearby, there'll almost certainly be a long term market for it. OTOH, because its built on such a steep hill, it will always need quite a bit of maintenance work every now and then.... between the front and back gardens alone, there are eight terraces to cope with the slope. Plus that retaining wall thats leaning....

Thanks Hypno - I'm glad I've laid it out like that.
.

ClootiesMum

Hi KC,

I've read a lot of your posts from lurkdom but I've come out to play today.

One of the things that we're looking at for our wee hoose (and would probably be in your 'b' scenario) is to put in a multi fuel stove in our living/dining room. Should be someone out later this month to quote us & we have seen the fire we want - it'll cost about £2K but with lots of trees nearby & escalating fuel prices it should pay for itself quite quickly.

Thought I would share his...

Karmacat

Hi Clootiesmum! Thanks for this - now thats an idea. In this area - intensely developed suburban south east England - it wouldn't work, but that sounds brilliant. How does it go with stocking up on wood from local trees, do you pay the landowner, or are they desperate to get rid of it for free? When my sister was working on her house in France, she couldn't understand (at first!) why the workmen she was employing didn't just take away the wood waste..... the foreman was shocked! And she soon developed wood pile envy, it was so, so funny.

Post away - I'd be really interested in hearing other green alternatives, we all need to suss it out together.