With ever-soaring energy prices and constant reminders about the need to limit CO2 emissions, none of us one can afford to ignore the importance of insulation. New homes are built to high standards of insulation, but older properties will invariably benefit from work to prevent heat loss, leading to lower fuel bills. Continual product innovations mean it is probably worth considering an upgrade even if your home already has a certain amount of insulation. Summer is a good time to do the work.
Where to start? Heat rises, so the biggest loss of heat is often through the roof. For a building with a pitched roof over loft space, laying a thick blanket of glass fibre or mineral wool is the most effective way to insulate and costs can be recouped in lower energy bills within a year or two. Loose-fill material such as vermiculite is another option, but is not as popular because ideally it needs to be thicker than the depth of the joists – so tends to be used only in an awkwardly shaped loft.
Rolls or slabs of insulation material are generally 600mm wide to match standard joist spacing, so it is a fairly simple job, but it is important to wear gloves and long sleeves to prevent skin irritation and a mask to avoid breathing in fibres. Remember to leave the eaves clear for ventilation and to lift electrical cables over the insulation so they do not overheat. Tie insulation around water tanks in the loft but do not insulate underneath them. Wrap a wad of insulation in plastic and secure to the upperside of the loft hatch.
Once the work is done, all those Christmas decorations and other clutter stored in the attic will no longer be bathed in the heat that used to rise through the ceilings below, but the occupants of everywhere apart from the roof space will be a lot warmer!
Pipework is another major source of heat leakage and pipes are at risk of freezing in the roof space if left unlagged. Foam casings are available in various sizes and are easily fitted around pipes. Just join the pieces of foam with PVC tape. For neat joins at corners, cut the ends at 45° using a mitre board and then tape together. Another method of insulating pipes is to box them in using battens and plywood and pouring in loose-fill insulation material. This has the added advantage of concealing unsightly pipes and if the boxing is decorated it will be effectively disguised. Screw, rather than nail the boxing together so the pipework can still be accessed when necessary.
Walls account for a huge surface area in any home and can be the cause of up to 35% heat loss. Cavity wall insulation involves pumping mineral fibres, foam or pellets into the wall space and is a job for an approved contractor. The pay-back period is about five years. External insulation for solid walls is another area for the professionals, but competent DIYers can tackle the interior of solid walls. An economical solution is to dry-line walls with insulated gypsum board, fastened directly to the wall with panel adhesive or nailed to a supporting framework of treated wood strips. Ordinary plasterboard sheets can also be used, combined with insulation blanket and a vapour barrier.
Mark cutting lines on the dry lining board with a pencil before cutting with a fine-toothed saw, on the opposite side to the insulation. Use a padsaw to cut holes for light switches or socket boxes. When nailing the boards in place, hammer them so the nail heads just dimple the surface.
Floors and windows are other places where insulation and draughtproofing can make a big difference to energy bills and to the comfort of the building’s occupants. We’ll come back to those another day.
The Pollins family wanted to add an extra living space to their home and create a room that would remove the boundaries between inside and outside. The main objective was to provide an uninterrupted view of the garden which they could enjoy all year round; in effect the creation of what is now commonly known as the ‘third living space’.
Constructed to the highest standards, 
Capital allowance is not the most easy to understand topic in the world, nor is it the most riveting, but it can save you money. In its simplest form capital allowance is a method of factoring in depreciation for tax purposes. What it means is that you will be able to write off the cost of the asset based on the type of asset and the rate of depreciation.
Property Fixtures:
The Planning Minister, Nick Boles has caused strong reactions amongst environmental campaigners and groups with his radical plans to increase the number of houses across the UK, particularly on Greenfield sites.
Tiles have been around for centuries but it’s fair to say that the choice of styles and designs has never been greater. A time-travelling Roman would still be able to find familiar mosaics incorporating stone and glass, but the majority of tiles used today owe their existence to the development of the ceramic tile industry in The Netherlands in the 17th century. With a resurgence in interest in authentic period details, Victorian tiled panels are in demand once more and friezes are appearing in courtyards.
An important part of the planning stage is working out the starting point and order of tiling to minimise the number of tiles that need to be cut and avoid having very thin slivers of tile. Obstacles such as window reveals and door openings often mean that the centre point is different to where it would be on a plain, uninterrupted wall. Mark the starting line and nail battens to the wall as support strips.
Aluminium is the recommended material of choice due to precision design and engineering required for bifolds, making timber and UPVC unsuitable materials for maintaining alignment over the lifetime of the product. Origin has been recommending aluminium bifolds for over 10 years due to its strength and durability, which allows for narrow, more aesthetically pleasing frames.
We all see on programmes such as Grand Designs, glossy magazines, glass expanses etc, beautiful glass balustrades, some with handrails and some without.
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We’ve all seen the old comedy sketches where a DIYer steps proudly back after filling up newly-installed wall shelves – only for them to immediately collapse or for everything to slide off onto the floor. But in reality, creating sufficient storage and display space is serious business. The ability to make and fit shelves is a valuable skill that will bring a smile from grateful family members in homes everywhere.