would buying a house with no cavity (solid brick walls) put you off buying?

vsumouse

we are interested in buying a house but it has no cavity in the walls, therefore not being able to get insulation in the walls.would this put anyone off?, also does anyone have experence with this.i.e higher heating bills, any other problems?cheers.

Leighthal

There are lots of older houses built without cavity walls.The decision would depend on the price of the house.

glenderg

vsumouse wrote: »

we are interested in buying a house but it has no cavity in the walls, therefore not being able to get insulation in the walls.would this put anyone off?, also does anyone have experience with this.i.e higher heating bills, any other problems?cheers.

No not at all i have owned & lived in one since 1969

clutton_2

i suspect heating bills are higher, i have two single skin properties, but, they are both end of terrace, so who knows how much of the lower temperatures is to do with that, or the single skin.

cattie

Most properties built before 1934/5 have no cavity, so that means there are a heck of a lot of solid wall properties out there.

As long as you make sure you have good insulation to the loft, decent double glazing, a modern efficient ch system & carpets instead of laminate or floorboards then the property should be snug enough in the winter.

North facing rooms will be the coldest, so keep that in mind.

JonathanA

Our 1930s semi has no cavity walls. I think it is cooler than the modern, well insulated house we lived in previously, but not significantly so. We have a decent boiler, keep doors closed so that heat isn't lost into unused rooms etc. Not having cavity walls certainly wouldn't put me off living in a house - not having central heating (as one house I lived in did) would definitely put me off. If you feel colder in a house without cavity walls, insulate the loft, double glaze if possible, try and deal any gaps etc and wear and extra jumper - it works for me!!

slipp_digby

definately wouldnt put me off one bit, some older houses are actually built very well.

obviously modern standards of thermal performance are much higher for new properties which have a partial or fully filled cavity due to higher buidlnig regulations.

although the walls are the biggest area for heat loss, heat loss is greatest where the temperature difference is highest (usually the roof) as radiators actually give off mainly convective heat.

terraced will have lower costs than end terrace of similar size which will in turn have lower costs than a full detached house of the same age/size.

you should look at the information from the Energy Saving Trust and do the cost effective things recommended by others on this post when you move in: check loft insulation depth, ensure decent time/temp control, low energy lighting. There is no reason why you can't have quite reasonable bills in a solid walled house.

it is possible to add further insulation internally to improve thermal performance of solid walls in the form of dry lining. it can be done but is generally quite expensive and not particualrly a DIY or retrofit (probably a major refurb only job).

perhaps mention the solid walls to your surveyor as a particular area of concern?

Edit: take it your vender hasn't given you a HIPs Energy Performance Certificate?

mattogier

Hi

You can now insulate the exterior of the building with boards that are then rendered over - they are doing a lot of 1930's ish council properties with this kind of stuff.

As has been said MOST heat is lost through the roof, windows and doors so I don't know how cost effective it is - but worth a sheet of excel to work it out.

Mozette

Hasn't put me off twice!

HugoSP

margaretclare wrote: »

....You may find - as we did - that the roof-tiles were the bigger problem. Roof re-done in 2006, 70 year old asbestos tiles replaced with modern concrete ones. Asbestos tiles were common at the time this was built, they were cheap and light so easy to work with. Not allowed any longer! Also, the nails holding them had corroded over time.....
Margaret

I hope that the roofer took the extra weight of the tiles into account for the sake of the roof timbers.

I would advise against replacing slate with tiles unless you strengthen the roof timbers. You can get modern cement fibre slates for around £1 each that would have weighed the same as the old asbestos slates.

benood

I've never lived in a house with cavity walls, and it's never been much of an issue, the odd bit of damp, more than offset by the added character, do have a full structural survey though.