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kenboak wrote:Excellent Point Martin,

What did Margaret Thatcher say "Insulation, Insulation, Insulation....."

Insulation is vitally important BEFORE you consider anything more interesting. Most of the eco insulation products are still made in the UK, and then there's Kingspan, Cellotex etc that will really improve your lot.

It will give you the biggest bang for your buck in energy saving terms and all UK houses would benefit from improved insulation , and any woodstove or solar water eating that you add later will do so much better.



Ken

But if you use an installer, supervise and double check the job.

When we bought our house, the building surveyor (like the council building inspector before him) didn't pick up a key point...

The house was burned out in a fire a few years ago and rebuilt to current spec, including insulation in the roof spaces.

But when I crawled into the roof space to check some wiring, once I'd got a foot past the entry hatch, I found there was no insulation. The installers had put the correct amount of insulation around the hatch, relying on the fact that anyone checking would just pop their head through and say "okay".

Which is what happened.

So for us, the problem is that insulating the roof space is impossible without removing either the ceilings in the rooms under the roof or removing the roof.

You have been warned!

Stonehead wrote:So for us, the problem is that insulating the roof space is impossible without removing either the ceilings in the rooms under the roof or removing the roof.

Even for one of the blown insulations, like Warmcell?

"It is also possible to have Warmcel blown into loft spaces, roofslopes and vertical studwork by a specialist installer."

I realise a 'specialist installer' means someone who is expert at charging money, but there may be ways round this requirement.

Muddypause wrote:Even for one of the blown insulations, like Warmcell?

"It is also possible to have Warmcel blown into loft spaces, roofslopes and vertical studwork by a specialist installer."

I realise a 'specialist installer' means someone who is expert at charging money, but there may be ways round this requirement.

Cue lots of tooth sucking, need to improve access, time to get in all the spaces, can't guarantee total fill, lots of changes in the roof space, etc etc. Oh, and that all means big dosh.

Erm, what about the £300-400 in your ads/leaflets/brochures/websites?

Oh no, that's for simple, straightforward houses with modern construction and the same construction methods throughout.

But don't they already have insulation?

You taking the piss, matey...

OK. But I reckon I'd be tempted to buy a load of the stuff and then find ways of doing it that the 'experts' hadn't considered. Especially given the big advantages of having a well insulated loftspace.

I realise I have no idea about the intricacies of your roof, but how about lifting a few strategic rooftiles, cutting a slit in the sarking felt underneath, and shovelling the insulation in from above. Thread in a long handled rake to spread it about a little. Reseal sarking with mastic tape; refit rooftiles with clips if necessary.