Winter Grants: Loft & Cavity Wall Insulation

webjaved

macman said:

Good work, and done just in time for the cold snap.

Definitely! The super top-up layer is going down as we speak. 

This is what I went for. 

Knauf Insulation Space Bottom Layer 100mm Loft Roll - 8.3m²

Knauf Insulation Super Top Up 200mm Loft Roll - 5.61m²

I'll find out tonight how much of a difference that will have made. 

I still need to look at doing the draught proofing, but one step at a time. I'll get there in the end. 

webjaved

Just an update to this thread - I've bought thermal blackout curtains for the bedroom and it's made a difference. 

I've used an incense stick and ran it across the inside of the wooden frame/trim to see where the air was coming from and here is a video I have made for one of the windows that isn't the bedroom window. 

https://youtu.be/Y8EcR6ZjJpE

Most if not all the trims on the inside will need to come off to see what disaster lies behind them. Now I'm off work for the rest of the year I can start to tackle this tomorrow room by room. 

webjaved

Oh dear! As I thought there would be a massive gap around the window - the horror! 

It's likely every window in the house will need foam insulation packed in - I'm glad I have 2 weeks off now, gives me time to sort out the horrific work that's been going on in this property by the previous owner. 

webjaved

@FreeBear take a look - I've taken the window trim off one side of the affected window. 

FreeBear

I've looked.

Pretty much as I expected... Get yourself a foam gun, a couple of cans of expanding foam, plus a can of gun cleaner. With the gun, you'll be able to get right in to the depths of those gaps and apply multiple beads of foam to plug the gaps.

webjaved

FreeBear said:

I've looked.

Pretty much as I expected... Get yourself a foam gun, a couple of cans of expanding foam, plus a can of gun cleaner. With the gun, you'll be able to get right in to the depths of those gaps and apply multiple beads of foam to plug the gaps.

Any recommendations of which foam to get?

What will the foam cleaner can be used for?

FreeBear

Doesn't make a huge difference which brand of foam you go for.

The cleaner is for cleaning out the gun after use.

webjaved

FreeBear said:

Doesn't make a huge difference which brand of foam you go for.

The cleaner is for cleaning out the gun after use.

I'm going tomorrow morning to get the stuff needed.

I've got a leak in the house roof to fix too - finally located the pain in the butt and put a bucket down. 

I'll keep you all updated on how I get on. 👍

Thank you. 

webjaved

Just a quick update, we've removed the trims on the inside and every window had massive gaps between them you could see the window frame on the side and top. 

There are 2 windows left to do (the bathroom & front smaller bedroom) - I'm going to do that in the summer now. 

It's made a massive difference - you can't feel the draughts and the rooms are getting warmer quicker. The front big bedroom is where you can feel the noticeable difference, you couldn't even put your feet on the carpet because it was that cold. 

I'm going to apply new sealings around the window frame on the inside and outside & look at getting pointing done. I'm sure that will make a positive difference too! 

A massive thank you to those that have assisted me. 

FreeBear

webjaved said:  It's made a massive difference - you can't feel the draughts and the rooms are getting warmer quicker. The front big bedroom is where you can feel the noticeable difference, you couldn't even put your feet on the carpet because it was that cold.

The £20 or so you spent on materials will be very quickly saved on heating costs. If/when you decorate a room and replace the flooring, it is worth going round putting a very thin bead of expanding foam between the skirting & floorboards. That will plug another source of draughts.

Did you lift the internal window sills and check for gaps/draughts at the base of the frames ?