Your Building Dilemmas Solved
Looking for expert advice on your project? Our team of homebuilding experts are here to answer your need-to-know questions. This month, they advise on Passivhaus, draughtproofing and more
Our experts answer your building questions
how do I draughtproof My sash Windows?
QMy period home has beautiful sash windows. However, they are leaking heat and they rattle on windy days.
I’m not in the position financially to carry out extensive repairs or replace them, but I was hoping to add some form of draughtproofing. Will this help, and what options are available?
ATIM PULLEN SAYS:
Yes, draughtproofing to sash windows does work and it is beneficial.
Draughtproofing will reduce heat loss (reducing the heating bill) and will make the room feel more comfortable. It will also take out the rattle from the windows.
Draughtproofing your windows can be done as a DIY job. An internet search or visit to your local DIY shed will present a wide variety of materials that will do the job, such as brush or rubber strips; the Red-
diseals range is useful for this. But it is not an easy task, as generally the sashes have to be taken out to do it.
A professional job, rebating the sashes to allow draughtproofing strips to be inserted, uses the same type of draughtproofing strips and would be more discreet and more effective but obviously will cost more.
Another option would be secondary glazing. This would be the most effective option as it is the best form of draughtproofing and gives a degree of ‘double glazing’ heat loss reduction. It could also be a DIY job and would be an easier job than inserting draughtproofing strips, but will be more expensive. Again, an internet search or a trip to the local DIY shed will find many options and the advice would be to buy the best quality you can afford.
QWe are looking into buying an old property with 460mm-thick solid stone walls. We’d like to extend the gable end wall on the ground floor in order to create a larger living room. The wall is 6.5m long and we would be looking to open this wall up by 5m. I understand we would need planning and building control consent, but I wonder if breaking through old stone walls is a difficult and costly job?
AIAN ROCK SAYS:
It’s certainly possible to open up a main wall of this kind to make more living space. However, because the ‘footings’ (foundations) in older houses are relatively shallow it’s essential that the works are carefully planned in advance.
From a planning perspective, singlestorey extensions, particularly those to the rear, are generally carried out without the need for a formal application under Permitted Development (PD). But older properties are more likely to be listed or located within conservation areas so it’s advisable to check with the planners first.
Building control will need to be involved, and an application will need to be made in good time before any work commences on site. I would advise a ‘full plans’ application – rather than the short-cut ‘building notice’ method – which would typically take around eight weeks to get approval.
To accompany your application you will need to get a structural engineer to calculate the loadings and specify the type of beam to support a wall of this thickness (probably twin steels running parallel). They will also advise whether the remaining 750mm length of wall at either end of the new opening end will be sufficient to support the beam end bearings or whether you will need to provide additional support with columns (e.g. brick piers) constructed on new individual pad foundations, which will add to the cost. Note that any excavation work next to shallow footings is best carried out in small sections at a time to minimise the risk of destabilising the old walls. Your
engineer/designer will need to take into account any other loadings that the wall is supporting. For example, the upstairs floor joists may be resting in the wall.
As far as the breaking through of thick stone walls is concerned this shouldn’t be too arduous. The lime mortar used to build them is softer than modern cement. And although period stone walls are described as ‘solid’ it’s common for them to actually have a hollow central cavity backfilled with rubble. Although this is a major structural alteration, it’s a perfectly realistic project as long as it’s carefully planned and executed.