Solid wall a reason not to buy?

purplestar133

I am jumping the gun a bit here as our survey is not until next week, and I might get some answers then, but it's going round and round in my head!

We're FTBers buying a mid terrace which the vendor says he *thinks* is about 100 years old. From what I can tell it seems to be in generally good condition (I just need to insulate the wooden floor and replace the wooden front and back doors). I've just asked our vendors whether they have cavity wall insulation, they said they weren't able to get it due to the type of construction apart from in the extension which was put in in 1999.

They didn't seem to know much about it but I am presuming this means the house is solid wall. This means it's going to be much more difficult to insulate doesn't it?

Estimates on the energy saving trust website say external wall insulation could cost £5,000 to £18,000 for a saving of £175 a year on bills. Is it even worth it looking at the saving vs the cost of installation?

Should this be a reason to reconsider buying it? Energy efficiency is important to me because I can't stand wasting money! I'd hate to give up on this house now but, at the same time, I don't want to make the wrong decision in buying it if it's excessively difficult to heat/insulate. It felt warm when we were in there, but it would do as they are trying to sell it! I don't feel there's any scope to renegotiate the price due to this. I'm sure someone else would pay and not care about it.

princeofpounds

Lots of people live quite happily in single skin houses. Cavity wall insulation is not the best thing since sliced bread for insulation in absolutely all situations.

It's all rather situation dependent.

Being a mid terrace, it is effectively insulated on each side anyway; a neighbouring house is basically a big, and probably heated, cavity. The extension also sounds properly insulated. If the roof insulation is also decent and the windows good then you probably don't have the biggest amount of exposed single skin.

But it is what it is, it's not going to be a modern insulated box the upgrade costs to insulate further probably won't be worth it, but then the extra cost of heating is probably not as much as you fear anyway.

Old_Git

what is the EPC rating .How big is the house .How old is the boiler

Davesnave

All houses 100 years old will be of solid wall construction, but solid walls themselves vary in type and thickness.

It is possible to insulate on the exterior of the house, which on a mid terrace will be cheaper than for a detached or semi, but this may make the house stand out from its neighbours somewhat, depending on the existing finish. There's also the question of cost v payback time and the chance, as its a first buy, that you may not be there long enough.

Mid terraces generally are easier to heat than the more expensive alternatives and there's no reason to feel cold. My daughter recently bought a similar sort of property and it's been very warm and comfy this winter.

I agree there is no scope to re-negotiate on this 'discovery,' which most purchasers either wouldn't be bothered about, or would suspect before they viewed.

Rollinghills

I agree with the above, mid terrace is insulated on both sides anyway. 175 maybe an estimated saving that does not necessarily apply to your house. It would not put me off if I liked the house but the thing is, everyone is different. If you think you'll be unhappy every time you think about heating costs and every time you get the bill then maybe it's not right for you, we all have our idiosyncrasies and only you can tell by how much it would bother you.

Old_Git

the last mid terrace I owned cost £70 per week to heat .
It had high ceiling three floors and a 20 year old boiler .

Ask to see recent bills for heating .

Rollinghills

Old_Git wrote: »

the last mid terrace I owned cost £70 per week to heat .
It had high ceiling three floors and a 20 year old boiler .

That sounds like a lot! Maybe you should have got a new boiler!

Old_Git

Rollinghills wrote: »

That sounds like a lot! Maybe you should have got a new boiler!

I sold the house and got £83000 profit

purplestar133

I should say it is mid terrace, but has an entry/ginnel (whatever you call it in your neck of the woods!) on one side.

There are only three houses in this terrace and we're in the middle.

It's a 2 bedroom house, with a small loft conversion (very small and not a bedroom). The boiler is a combi boiler, the vendor says it is about 5 years old.

Old_Git

purplestar133 wrote: »

I should say it is mid terrace, but has an entry/ginnel (whatever you call it in your neck of the woods!) on one side.

There are only three houses in this terrace and we're in the middle.

It's a 2 bedroom house, with a small loft conversion (very small and not a bedroom). The boiler is a combi boiler, the vendor says it is about 5 years old.

ask to see a recent gas bill .Then you will know what you are dealing with.
what is the EPC rating

elsien

3 storey mid terrace, similar age, I do some working from home and I like to be warm - thermostat generally between 17 and 20 depending on what I'm doing. Current duel fuel bill is £61 pm. And that's with single glazing on the front of the house - with double or secondary glazing (and more use of jumpers) it could easily be lower. I don't think that's too bad, considering I'm not knocking myself out to save energy. The people I bought off had much higher bills, so they obviously liked it warmer and had things like a tumble dryer, which I don't. It's down to lifestyle as well.