Heating System for Old Farmhouse

bemak · 29-10-2021 8:19am #1

Hi all,

I have an old stone farmhouse (two-storey) in the west of Ireland that is used as a holiday home by relatives in the summer. The house hasn't been touched in years so I'm planning to do a complete overhaul to put it in good stead for the next few decades. I intend to AirBnB the house when not used by relatives to help pay back the cost of the renovation.

One item of consideration is the heating system. At present there is no heating in the house apart from the open fire in the sitting room. Having said that, I wouldn't consider the house to be a cold house and as part of the renovation I intend to insulate the attic and use insulating lime plaster on the internal face of the external walls.

I have a few options in mind in terms of what heating system would work best - it would be great to hear the experiences of people who are using similar systems in a similar house.

One option is electric/storage heaters. I appreciate that the technology has come a long way since the old heaters I remember. However I have no experience of them in terms of use, impact and cost. Another attractive element is the fact that they're easy/least intrusive to install.

Another option is a solid fuel range cooker that would heat the water and 8 radiators. The range would compliment the house in terms of the farmhouse feel and I like the idea of relatives being responsible for their own fuel costs when using the house (they use the house for free). Also, we have plenty of space to grow our own firewood which is a nice option to have.

An oil-fired range is a nice option in terms of convenience but I think if I went oil-fired anything I'd probably just install a tidy boiler. However, the rising cost of oil is a consideration and as the house isn't a permanent residence (yet) is the solid fuel option a nicer experience? But maybe I'm overthinking it.

I'm not considering a heat-pump as the house will never be airtight/insulated well enough for it to be a viable solution. Not considering wood pellets either.

Be curious to hear thoughts from people in a similar situation and their experiences. Thanks!

Tom44 · 29-10-2021 7:48pm

What you need is to flick a switch to switch on a high efficiency oil boiler.

For yourselves and renters, stoves are a visual bonus. That's about it. 👍

Tom44 · 29-10-2021 7:51pm

Oh for fcuks sake !!!!!!!!!!

I hate this new system.

Tom44 · 29-10-2021 7:52pm

I've no idea why this is happening, and I don't want Jim's opinion 🤣

Tom44 · 29-10-2021 7:54pm

Sorry, everything came up as triplicate when I posted (to me anyway) and no delete option ?

Sorry

Wearb · 29-10-2021 9:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118091864#Comment_118091864

It's a fault that they haven't fixed yet. The posts only appear in double or triplicate to the poster. They dissapear after a while or perhaps after refreshing the page. 😫

Steveop · 29-10-2021 9:02pm

id go oil or gas fired. I’m a plumber and I live in a farm house😂 Flo gas are giving a free boiler to anyone who converts from oil to gas at the moment. If your digging up the floors as part of your renovation under floor heating would be a great option.

I also used cork board insulation on all the external walls. Brilliant job. Stone ware studios in cork supplied that to me

bemak · 29-10-2021 9:54pm

Not going to dig up ground floor. No need and the money is best spent elsewhere. Going to use an insulating lime render from roundtower internally on the external walls. Should let the walls breathe when the heating is introduced. An oil fired range cooker would probably be very convenient compared to the solid fuel to be fair which would probably outweigh any savings (if any) between oil and solid fuels.

monseiur · 15-11-2021 12:47pm

Concentrate first on insulation - 300mm in attic + double or preferably triple glazed windows & doors. Good quality floating engineered timber floors on insulated underlay in all rooms. The breathable lime render is a must on a stone built house + it has insulating properties.

Regarding heating, I'd suggest an oil fired central heating system, and with well designed stats, time clock system etc. it will keep the house warm, damp free over the winter months when you're away. By all means fit a solid fuel stove, it will add to the charm of the house and will heat the domestic water etc. and they're great for cooking.

Of course all this will cost more that a few dollars but if ALL tenents pay their share it will lighten the load !!

bemak · 15-11-2021 3:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118169155#Comment_118169155

Ya I think it needs this level of investment to be honest. I don't think jobs like this can be done in a piecemeal fashion - you just have to do as much as you can initially. Will only end up costing more in the longrun if you have to undo work etc. Already doing most of what you're suggesting - it's a 100k job minimum

Heating System for Old Farmhouse

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