Cavity Insulation - how to tell if it is possible

Woshy

Hi All,

We're looking to buy a house with an F BER rating. We are planning construction work anyway (knocking the kitchen diner into one room mainly) but we also want to do a few things to improve the insulation before we would move in.

We were planning that we could do the cavity wall insulation as a starting point when we get the construction work done (as well as attic insulation) but is there a way to tell if this will be an option before purchasing the house? If other, more expensive insulation is the only option it affects how much we want to pay for the house.

It's a detached 4 bedroom house built in the early 80s. My parents have a house nearby (although not in the same estate or the same builders as far as I know) built around the same time and they could not get the cavity wall insulation done which is by I want to check.

Calahonda52

unless you can take off a wall vent, it cant really be told: any even then, if the duct is sleeved, end of!

Yellow_Fern

Woshy wrote: »

Hi All,

We're looking to buy a house with an F BER rating. We are planning construction work anyway (knocking the kitchen diner into one room mainly) but we also want to do a few things to improve the insulation before we would move in.

We were planning that we could do the cavity wall insulation as a starting point when we get the construction work done (as well as attic insulation) but is there a way to tell if this will be an option before purchasing the house? If other, more expensive insulation is the only option it affects how much we want to pay for the house.

It's a detached 4 bedroom house built in the early 80s. My parents have a house nearby (although not in the same estate or the same builders as far as I know) built around the same time and they could not get the cavity wall insulation done which is by I want to check.

What kind of wall is it?

sydthebeat

Woshy wrote: »

Hi All,

We're looking to buy a house with an F BER rating. We are planning construction work anyway (knocking the kitchen diner into one room mainly) but we also want to do a few things to improve the insulation before we would move in.

We were planning that we could do the cavity wall insulation as a starting point when we get the construction work done (as well as attic insulation) but is there a way to tell if this will be an option before purchasing the house? If other, more expensive insulation is the only option it affects how much we want to pay for the house.

It's a detached 4 bedroom house built in the early 80s. My parents have a house nearby (although not in the same estate or the same builders as far as I know) built around the same time and they could not get the cavity wall insulation done which is by I want to check.

try the meter box.

sometimes theres enough gaps to see whats in the cavity

and better still if you can get an endoscope camera

Woshy

Yellow_Fern wrote: »

What kind of wall is it?

A white one

Seriously, you're asking the wrong person there! I'll investigate it though with someone that would know more than me.

Calahonda52 wrote: »

unless you can take off a wall vent, it cant really be told: any even then, if the duct is sleeved, end of!

I don't remember seeing any wall vents (and I took a video of the property when we viewed it) but we're hoping to view again so I can take another look.

sydthebeat wrote: »

try the meter box.

sometimes theres enough gaps to see whats in the cavity

and better still if you can get an endoscope camera

I'll take a look at that and see if I can suss anything out.


I'm guessing it isn't something a surveyor would be able to figure out? We'll get a survey done before proceeding with the sale.

MicktheMan

Woshy wrote: »

Hi All,

We're looking to buy a house with an F BER rating. We are planning construction work anyway (knocking the kitchen diner into one room mainly) but we also want to do a few things to improve the insulation before we would move in.

OP, I wouldn't be spending on upgrading insulation until I knew where and how the house is losing its heat. You might want to have the house tested first and then put a plan in place to address what is found.

Yellow_Fern

Woshy wrote: »

A white one

I'm guessing it isn't something a surveyor would be able to figure out? We'll get a survey done before proceeding with the sale.

he should be able to figure it out.

Woshy

MicktheMan wrote: »

OP, I wouldn't be spending on upgrading insulation until I knew where and how the house is losing its heat. You might want to have the house tested first and then put a plan in place to address what is found.

Thanks - I will definitely get it checked out before we commit to anything. We know for sure it needs attic insulation as a starting point anyway.

AngryLips

Follow up question: does anyone know if the corporation houses from the 1930s of the type you see in Cabra, Crumlin and East Wall are built with cavity walls?