Cold house advice please!

melaniemoo

First of all, apologies for the long post but all advice will be gratefully received!

I live in a Victorian end terraced house which I just cannot get warm! My bedroom isn’t too cold when the radiators are on and it wouldn’t bother me that the rest of the house isn’t too warm if only I could get the main living room to heat up. Let me explain what the room is like and what I’ve done so far:

As I said, it is an end terrace so two of the walls are outside walls. One has the large bay window on it but I do have decent UPVC double glazing. The other outside wall isn’t too cold to touch but it is covered partly in a thin layer of polystyrene wallpaper type thing and that horrible anaglypta wallpaper. I’m planning on taking this off in the spring, having the walls skimmed and painted but I’m worried this will make the room even colder! I have an open fireplace and to be fair, when the fire is going the room gets toasty but I haven’t got the time to make a fire every night. When it’s not being used, a put a piece of MDF in the fireplace to stop the draughts coming in. I have draught excluded the door which leads out into a very cold hall which has no heating. At the weekend, I fitted some heatkeeper radiator panels behind the radiator but if anything, the room now seems colder – how can this be! The radiator is absolutely piping hot to touch but there is still a chill in the air. !

It feels like the cold air is coming up from the floor but I have got fairly thick carpet and underlay. Yesterday, I did notice that there was a chill coming from behind the TV where there is a built in cupboard which houses my electricity meter and fusebox – I opened the cupboard door and a blast of cold air came out, I then noticed that the outside wall in the cupboard is completely bare brick.

One final point to mention is that there are damp patches in the alcove next to the chimney breast. I did think this was due to there being a bookshelf built in so books were against the wall leaving it no room to breathe – I’ve taken the books away and the walls now feel dry to touch.

I am thinking of getting a quote to install internal solid wall insulation seeing as the room will be redecorated in the spring anyway but I’m really not sure if the costs will be prohibitive – obviously there will be the skirting boards, cornicing, electrics to move as well.

Last night, I sat in the living room with my pyjamas and dressing gown on, the heating had been on for four hours and I was still cold! It’s getting to a stage now where I don’t want to invite anyone round in case they are too cold. I don’t mind paying to have the heating on if only it would be effective

As there seem to be so many things possibly making the house cold, I am not sure what kind of expert to talk to. Help please!

downshifter

Millions and billions and trillions of us all in the same situation over here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/38706564#Comment_38706564 on the preparing for winter thread.

Some absolutely fantastic ideas and lots of others sharing your pain (and your shivers!!)

DS

Bonbon

melaniemoo, you have just described my house! I find a lot of the draughts are coming from the floor. I have air bricks at ground level and a gale blows from behind the skirting board so I had to fill all the gaps, but it's still cold.My walls are cold and I'm thinking of putting foil behind the radiators but I don't know if it will work and will probably look awful.I just wish I could have a cosy house, so I will be looking at the link from downshifter.

arborlinden

First check room insulation as most heat is lost through loft. You cannot really have too much 6 inches absolute minimum. It is the most effective thing you can do. Next it look like you ground flooring needs insulating: I would lift and examine: insulate between joists and or lay a secondary floor of chipboard over existing floor where carpet is fitted. Double glazed windows do not provide hear insulation at all whatever salesmen will tell you. consider secondary glazing spaced 8 to 11 inches inside bay window, fixed firmly and tilted. ie not vertical. Next get a candle and go around and find out where draughts are coming from and try and reduce or eliminate where possible. You will find it hard to reduce wall heat loss. the cheapest and best way that I know is to fix flooring grade tounge and groove chipboard to the wall. Each sheet will need only a couple of fixings as they support their own weight any then it can be painted or wall papered over ( but eliminate any wall damp first). this way your room will be a wooden box inside a brick box.
Last but not least lower room ceiling height to a resonable height: 8ft max if possible. cleverest and cheapest way of doing this is suspended ceiling. Cheap light and easily fixed it will trap the warm air beneath it. I use the transparent sheets which are normally put up to let light through just under light fittings all over as it is cheaper and one does not have to alter ceiling light arrangements

A.Penny.Saved

Get an electronic temperature sensor for less than £10 to find out the real temperature in your rooms. Feeling cold and the room being below a comfortable temperature are two different things. Many people seem to like their homes at piping hot temperatures which I cannot bare. So find out some hard figures to see how big a difference is needed, it will give you something to work on.

melaniemoo

Thank you all for the advice! I am borrowing an electronic thermometer from work to take home tonight - hopefully it will show whether or not I just feel the cold too much!

jkgray

You can DIY internally insulate your walls.

See here:

http://www.ecohome-insulation.com/files/ww/superquilt_insulation_for_walls.pdf

There are other foils you can use (just google foil insulation) but this is one of the best installation instructions.

iamcornholio

If the property is not getting warm, then the heating system is undersized - either the boiler or radiators or both.

The system should be able to output heat faster than it escapes, and this should be possible even in old Victorian properties.

The other possibility is that you are actually feeling air movement due to poorly placed radiators pulling cooler air towards them

If you are going to insulate, then doing the floor might pay better dividends in terms of reducing the cold draughty feel

melaniemoo

Thanks again for the advice everyone.

I tested the room temperature last night - after having the heating on for 4 hours, the temperature only reached 15.9 - at least it proves that it is not me being paranoid!

I am definitely going to look at the floor to see if that's where the cold air is coming in and I've also got the gas-man coming to see if I would benefit in having a new style double radiator with the vents on - I've only got the old fashioned 'seam' type at the moment.

charlie792

I have the same problem and live in a old victorian house (converted into two flats), it is fine everywhere except my lounge, which is actually one of my smallest rooms, but it has a tiny radiator and a flipping massive bay window, rest of the house with heating on for hours is around 18, the lounge never goes about around 13/14 - its rented so any serious DIY isn't an option

poppystar

I am so glad it isn't just my house - a Victorian mid-terrace - the upstairss is ok ish but the downstairs is cold all winter and I feel like I'm camping out, I've begun to dread five months of the year!

I also think it's coming from under the floor. I had good air bricks fitted after there being some wet rot when I moved in and I was advised to improv ethe airflow - consequence there is a good airflow but a feezing one this time of year. Thick carpet and underlay only so so in stopping this and I'd have adored to have the boards exposed and stained but fear frost bite if I do!

Surely there's an answer?