Heating a huge victorian house without gas.

Venomgrass

Davesnave wrote: »

Those people saying it will be an expense you should reconsider or walk away from, may not appreciate that owning such a house gives pleasure which outweighs the cost disadvantage.

I used to live in a typical suburban property, but I got the chance to swap it for something with acres of land and outbuildings. Obviously, this property costs more in terms of maintenance and time to maintain, but I wouldn't go back to my 'efficient' city house.

Maybe a log burning boiler would suit your property? It would take more daily maintenance and storage space than an equivalent pellet boiler with auger and store, but it could be more economical and you'd still qualify for the RHI.

Thanks for the encouraging words, money is an object we use to generate happiness even if it hurts to spend :rotfl:

So for heating I need a quote for gas installation, failing this I suppose oil is the next best thing? I bet log boiler is very high maintenance.

Here is a photo of a damp wall with plaster literally falling off.. What's caused this and how would I fix it?

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arbrighton

saveallmymoney wrote: »

If it was me i would insulate the heck out of it, making it as airtight as possible during the renovations (probably this would mean making the fireplaces purely decorative).

Houses of that age tend to get very damp if made 'airtight'.

Venomgrass

arbrighton wrote: »

Houses of that age tend to get very damp if made 'airtight'.

So it seems the house will either be warm and damp if insulated. Or cold and dry of well ventillated and uninsulated.

Can you tile bathroom walls in old houses or will this trap moisture...?
I need to do some in depth reading, my lack of knowledge is awful.

Venomgrass

After a few hours reading, I like the idea of the bio log burning boilers. At a complete estimate not knowing what size I'll need, it may cost £8,000 to buy and install the boiler.

This does not include cost to install central heating pipes and radiators/thermostats. How much does this cost? If I had 1 rad per room it'll probably be 20 in total.

Gloomendoom

A relative of mine has just installed a biomass boiler to replace his log fired one. It will serve three other houses as well as his own. It's cost around £70K so far just for the boiler and associated pipework.

You will also need to think about where you are going to put it. The boilers are not small, nor are the fuel hoppers.
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Venomgrass

Gloomendoom wrote: »

A relative of mine has just installed a biomass boiler to replace his log fired one. It will serve three other houses as well as his own. It's cost around £70K so far just for the boiler and associated pipework.

You will also need to think about where you are going to put it. The boilers are not small, nor are the fuel hoppers.
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I was thinking of a log fired boiler. Don't know much about a biomass one? Are the log ones bad??

I have plenty rooms, maybe the flooded basement is no good?

arbrighton

Venomgrass wrote: »

So it seems the house will either be warm and damp if insulated. Or cold and dry of well ventillated and uninsulated.

Can you tile bathroom walls in old houses or will this trap moisture...?
I need to do some in depth reading, my lack of knowledge is awful.

Presumably you can but thinking about it the only bits that are tiled in ours are the late 90s extension and the very new extension)

The floors are now solid with asphalt in our house and it's had a chemical damp course injected and was repointed with modern cement which may or may not have been a good idea. The damp we discovered on moving in has been sorted with removal of plants, cleaning gutters and a spot more repointing.

arbrighton

Venomgrass wrote: »

I was thinking of a log fired boiler. Don't know much about a biomass one? Are the log ones bad??

I have plenty rooms, maybe the flooded basement is no good?

Oh, and our house apparently USED to have a cellar, but we are right next to a river (bridgekeeper's house) so that was filled in!

Gloomendoom

Venomgrass wrote: »

I was thinking of a log fired boiler. Don't know much about a biomass one? Are the log ones bad??

I have plenty rooms, maybe the flooded basement is no good?

How are you going to feed the log boiler?

How are you going to get the boiler into the basement and the smoke out?
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Venomgrass

Gloomendoom wrote: »

How are you going to feed the log boiler?

How are you going to get the boiler into the basement and the smoke out?
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Very true. Does anyone believe a log boiler is a bad idea?

I'd probably build a log store outside by the driveway and have the boiler in a room nearby with a new external door for ease of access.