Grants available for homes improvements & energy efficiency

harryhound

I am beginning to understand - yours are on the outside?
Are you using the typical white stuff or the blue originally sold for "wet" flat roof insulation (put it on the outside and put gravel or paving slabs on top).

I have 1960's "sunshine" casement windows - typically 6 or 8ft wide and more or less flush with the exterior (rendered) surface - so I am thinking of filling some of the interior reveal with foam plastic and using the magnetic strip to get a "hermetic" seal.

I see that 50mm thick "PIR" foam is down to a little over 10 quid a sq mt. at "Toolstation" (the "stalker" for "Screwfix") though I think I would need some sort of stiffening panel perhaps sandwiched between two 50 mm layers of "Celotex" type PIR and fit the magnetic strip to that.

When all is said and done perhaps quilted curtains with "Velcro" hook and loop tape fitting the edges to the reveal is the sensible solution to the poor "U" values of window openings.

Harry.

PS Presumably PIR does not comply with the surface spread of fire regulations and a wiff of the fumes puts the victim in hospital ? [Update Celotex claim they can make a board that is fire "class 0" !!]

The only person I know who has a home panelled with PIR behind the plasterboard, warns that field mice will burrow into it give any access.

Ken68

Several sheets were a gift from neighbour when he moved. Flat roofer. Stood in the garage for years before using it as exterior window inserts.
Did query with the fire brigade as to interior use, when they did a very thorough survey a couple of years ago. They said worse things to inhale during a house fire, especially T.V's.
And suppose any internal insulation pads would burn just as rapid. You could be right and the Velcro idea looks good.
Next project will probably be replacing cold dining room floor. Concrete. Neighbour had it done last year. Dig out ,lay 100mm poystyrene usual plastic vapour barriers then concrete and skim to finish.
Why the stiffener, couldn't you just glue together with PVA. Self supporting.

sunnyhills

hi - does anyone know how to insulate a roomed out attic? all the properties in this area are stone terraces with original bedrooms in the attic. So the insulation has to go in the roof, but when I look at all the grant/offer sites they never seem to talk about these. Any ideas?

olias

I would have thought there must have been some sort of insulation when they were built, otherwise you would just have plaster then tiles between you and outside which would be cold enough to be unliveable I would have thought?

I would imagine that you have two options. Firstly you could remove the existing plaster ceiling in the bedroom, insulate between the rafters with probably sheet insulation as it has more effect for less depth (IYSWIM), then overboard with plasterboard and re plaster. Second option if you don't want to disturb the existing plaster is to batten out the ceiling, insulate between and overboard and re plaster. Of course you would lose a few inches off the room size, but you would avoid the mess of removing the existing plaster which might be considerable, particularly if it is original lathe and plaster. You may also have to comply with building regs if you do either of these.


Sadly, I doubt there is a grant that will pay for this - AFAIK the only grants currently for insulation are cavity wall, and the straightforward loft insulation.

Olias

harryhound

Ken68 wrote: »

Several sheets were a gift from neighbour when he moved. Flat roofer. Stood in the garage for years before using it as exterior window inserts.
Did query with the fire brigade as to interior use, when they did a very thorough survey a couple of years ago. They said worse things to inhale during a house fire, especially T.V's.
And suppose any internal insulation pads would burn just as rapid. You could be right and the Velcro idea looks good.
Next project will probably be replacing cold dining room floor. Concrete. Neighbour had it done last year. Dig out ,lay 100mm poystyrene usual plastic vapour barriers then concrete and skim to finish.
Why the stiffener, couldn't you just glue together with PVA. Self supporting.

I've done the expanded polystyrene insulated concrete floor twice before. First effort 1983 was 50 mm under the screed but over the mass concrete, with the damp proof polythene sheet under the floor slab on top of the sand blinding the hard core.
Second effort was in 2003 - same method but with 100 mm of polystyrene (the white stuff the charcoal grey stuff had not been widely produced back then) The only drawback is that the screed needs to be thicker (say 75mm) and reinforced with chicken wire.

The second effort was a brick built "garden room" with 200mm of glass fibre insulation in the roof, 50mm of styrene in the cavity and 100/125 of light weight block and plaster board dry lining as the internal leaf.
External measurement was about 10 x 15 foot and used as an "office". 3 sealed coated unit 6 - 4 - 6 double glazed windows, including a big picture one.

Heated by a small electric convector heater - a success !

Why the stiffener, couldn't you just glue together with PVA. Self supporting?

You are probably right, I could use two thin sheets of PIR, the inner one overlapping the outer one (say) 25 mm and use that "lip" to carry the magnetic strip(s) needed to hold the panel in place and achieve a hermetic seal (To avoid condensation running down the glass behind the insulation).

harryhound

sunnyhills wrote: »

hi - does anyone know how to insulate a roomed out attic? all the properties in this area are stone terraces with original bedrooms in the attic. So the insulation has to go in the roof, but when I look at all the grant/offer sites they never seem to talk about these. Any ideas?

Welcome to MSE.

I once lived in a terrace a bit like that in the Midlands.
A stair case ran up the centre of the house stopping off in a tiny landing giving access to a 12 x 12 foot front and rear bedroom and then carried on up a dog's leg staircase on the party wall to gain access to a big loft room that ran from a front dorma window to a rear "Velux" type window. The dorma window allowed quite large sheets to be dragged into the room.

Most people in the street had stuck 50 mm of expanded polystyrene on the inside of the existing plaster (something of a fire hazard especially as the room had no fire escape and the stair case was not fire proofed (ouch) and came out into the rear living room - usually part of a kitchen-diner built out into the rear yard).

Personally I would take down the plaster (and the 140 years of bird's nests and filth) having ascertained that the roof was good for another 25 years at least. Install high performance (PIR/PUR?) slabs and cross board that with plaster board with insulation on its back, probably held in place with "bugle" (ie shaped like a trumpet) headed long black dry lining screws and incorporating a vapour barrier. The thickness probably dictated by the loss of headroom - but 75 mm would be useful. (making 150 mm of high performance insulation in total).

http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1921

In the big DIY sheds (Wickes B&Q etc) you some times find cheap insulation materials subsidised by British Gas etc. under obligations to cut their carbon output, theoretically marked for personal customers only marked "not for resale".

the_devil_made_me_do_it

My SIL lives in her own home. It is 2 bedroom house & at the moment her & hubby share a room & her 16 yr old son has a room.

She has just discovered she is pregnant so will need a larger property, however, she dosen't want to actually move house as she is concerned about mortgages.

Does anyone know if there are any home improvement grants which are available as she is considering converting her loft.

Any advice would be appreciated.

JimmyTheWig

Can't get through to the Thames Water shower head page.
I presume it's overloaded with people who got today's email.

Will try again later. We need a new shower head!

chestnutcharlie

Help/advise please: have just finished talking to my local council (Lewisham) seeking a grant for a new roof. Apparently grants are not being offered but interest free loans are (seems in your favour if you have one of the following : someone under 60 resident, chidlren under 16 resident or have a serious illness). Has anyone applied successfully for a loan recently from LBL?

darren2005

Help/Advise Please please my local council has just moved me to a 2 bed house which is great the problem is im a dad of 2 young children age 4 and 8 and im also disabled the house comes with a garden which is 120ft long by 20ft wide and when we moved in it was well over grown the council removed all the weeds and cut the trees down and just left the tree stumps showing a total of 56 in all then my 4 year old had a fall because off the stumps and hert him self i then complained to the council again and they sent 3 people round to grind the stumps down the workman was here 2 hours never done the job properley and the council has sent me a bill for £650 for the work but as im disabled and very short off funds and the garden looks like a bombs hit it is there any grants out there that could help me do my garden not only for me as i dont get out much and would like spend sometime in the garden but for my 2 kids if anyone knows of any help i could recive i would be greatful many thanks darren2005