# Timber Framed House Cold ..what to do ?



## senni (13 Feb 2010)

Please advise me...

Our detached 2 storey 2400sq ft timber framed house, built on an estate is cold downstairs, even when i have the gas heating on.I spoke to the ex foreman and he tells me it should have a kingspan product in the walls but i often doubt it.Upstairs is fine.
When you touch the external walls internally they are very cold,draughts are everywhere downstairs and i cannot seem to be able to locate the source. Visitors arrive and leave their coats on ! We have no damp issues .Its just the house is bl--dy freezing ! 

The final straw came when my Bord Gais bill came in at €505.00, and i dont even feel that we got the heat for that money !!

What can i do ?  ( Offaly area ) What can you do with a timber framed house ?  Where do i start ? What do i ask for ? 

I cant take any more cold nights dressed in clothes to keep my bones warm

Please could you give me some guidance ?  Thank You, 

freezing to death senni


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## woodbine (13 Feb 2010)

have a look in th golden pages for one of the BER people who have a thermal imaging camera.

I've seen some thermal images and it's amazing to see the temperature differences around doors and windows etc.

If you put a post in the recommend a tradesman section someone in your area might have a personal reccommendation.

good luck.


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## pudds (13 Feb 2010)

Jesbus you should be living in the lap of luxury will small fuel bills......
How old is the house, is it covered by the National Building Guarantee scheme or whatever its called?  What does the ex forman mean by saying 
_it should have_ a Kingspan lining, can he not confirm if it indeed does or not.

Can you contact the builder and explain the house is freezing also check if neighbours are experiencing similar problems.


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## GreenQueen (14 Feb 2010)

A couple of questions for you:

1. How is the house vented?  Do you have trickle vents on the windows or vents in the wall?

2. What way is the house oriented in relation to the vents?  North/South etc. And do you notice it is colder when the wind is blowing a certain direction?

3. Are you attached to another property or detached?

4. Is it cold or warm in the house during the summer?


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## senni (14 Feb 2010)

Pudds

The house is 7 years old and has a homebond gurantee ( 10yrs ).
The foreman on the site changed 4 times, so he is not the originsl foreman
Ive asked my two neighbours with the same house,they say their house is warm !
If i contacted the builders office in Navan...What could i say considering we own the house 7 years !!!

What do you think ?

Senni


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## senni (14 Feb 2010)

Green Queen

Its vented by vents in the walls ..
The front of the house facing east ...some vents on north walls and some on the west. Its cold all during winter, all the time.
Detached 7 year old property
summer is ok but i still need to put the heat on sometimes.

Thanks for your help

Siberia Senni


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## senni (14 Feb 2010)

Sure i have a friend who does the BER certs.....but what do i do when he tells me where i am losing all my heat from ?

Thanks for your reply  ..Senni


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## onq (14 Feb 2010)

I am amazed this took 7 years to make an impression.

Older houses can spend €1500-2000 on heating so something is working.

You could be suffering from draughts, whether from vast expanses of windows without rads under them or wall vents.

ONQ.


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## senni (14 Feb 2010)

Yes i know it took along time , for the following reasons

1. When we moved in, the winters were not as cold.
2. We thought it was because it was a gas house ( ignorance on our part )
3. In the last three years we had no money to correct the problem but we do now. ( Thanks Dad ) 
4. We are getting older, so i feel it more !!! 41 and 45 ha ha. i am serious !! ..i sit on top of the gas fire ( nearly )

Please can you give me sites to look at...

I mean what can you do with a timber framed house ????  How do you insulate it ?


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## onq (14 Feb 2010)

Senni,

There is something wrong here and the cause could be one of many factors or a combination of all of them.

*INSULATION:*

"Sagging" quilt can require insulation to be wired in place.
This can foster "packing" as an alternative - stuffed in, it can't "sag".
But tightly "packing" quilted  insulation can seriously reduce its effectiveness.
Vapour Checks are needed to prevent a build up of moisture affecting the insulation.
Insulation has to be actually installed to work - I've seen instances of it being left out completely!
Check the attic to ensure that its been insulated - you'd be surprised what people forget in the rush to complete a job.
Watch out for cold bridges through bunching, sagging, omission or compression and check the attic is adequately vented in accordance with TGD F of the Building Regulations.
*
FENESTRATION:*

7 years ago the quality of window construction, frame detailing, unit sealing wasn't where its at now.
Some window units from 2002 were metal framed affairs and if the frames aren't thermally broken they act as negative radiators.
A preponderance of windows on the North Elevation(s)  - or a total lack of windows on the South Elevation(s) - can combine with poor quality units to spew heat from the house.

*ORIENTATION/EXPOSURE/VENTING:*

Your "front" is to the east - I presume this means a side elevation with few of no windows to the south implying little thermal gain during midday and afternoon - cool summer mornings may contribute little.
Recessed downlighters in any ceiling below a roof can cause significant down draughts when they're not in use - the more, the colder.
Vents on fours sides of a detached house means cross-flows occur all the time, whether or not there is a chimney.
Doors front and rear that open directly as opposed to via a lobby, utility or porch can force air changes through all the vents.
All of this is exacerbated on an elevated or exposed site without topographical cover [hills], vegetation [trees] or urban form [nearby buildings] to provide a decent level of screening.
If the slope of the ground is also against you, i.e. your house is on the north face of a hill, this could be significant.

*HEATING SYSTEM:*

Unless your gas heater has a balanced flue unit you'll need a separate permanent vent to supply it with air = massive air leak.
Consider replacing this fossil fuel unit with something which has a reduced carbon footprint and if the budget stretches consider augmenting it with ambient energy source heating systems - wind, solar, geothermal.

*SUMMARY:*

Lots to assess and empirically investigate there.
Obviously the heating and venting and sealing needs to be assessed holistically
Thermal imaging will only assess heat loss through materials, components or composite construction.
You'll need a blower test to check the house properly for infiltration losses and a taper/smoke test to locate the leaks.
You may need to carry out some limited opening up to check the existence of and the quality of the timber frame insulation throughout the house.
Taking off plug covers may prove the existence of vapour check as well as insulation and you should pull some out to see it isn't damp through or wet on the back.
You'll end up being faced with the big decision - whether or not to completely seal the house, remove the gas fire, install a different heating system with an MVHR installation.
If you retrofit this, remember to preserve the Fire Resistance [FR] of the First Floor and elsewhere using fire-collars and other appropriate measures.
Garages and Attic Conversions/Stairs require special FR and escape measures and you may need to put fire hoods on recessed downlightersl.
Take competent professional advice whatever you do, since we can only offer general advices here on AAM.

HTH

ONQ

[broken link removed]


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## senni (15 Feb 2010)

ONQ

Now thats what i call a reply 


Thanks a million

Ill e mail you privately


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