New to this forum and quite clueless on all DIY house matters, but can anyone help please ? I'm renting a converted old Shippen, a Devon term for a former stone walled dairy, close by Exmoor. The upper floor has been well modernised and the central heating is excellent, but the old stone walls (18" thick or more) generate the most awful 'church type' chills and draughts that within 20 minutes or so cut right through to the bone, knee caps in particular, so a blanket over the legs is usually an essential year round necessity ! There are also two thick stone butresses protruding into the lounge itself bringing it up to about 2 foot in depth overall.
I've tried temporarily covering the butresses themselves with old blankets which seems to help a little, as I think this was the original principle behind hanging tapestries over the inside of medieval castle walls ? Yet there's always a year round creeping chill swirling around the legs from the other walls, especially in the bedroom where I've got the computer. However I'm afraid to do much more in case condensation and damp start to form.
Thing is I've been here nearly 6 years now, really love the place and don't want to move, but I don't think I can put up with it much longer, perhaps moving out in the Spring.... ?
I'd really appreciate any suggestions how best to resolve the problem !!
Thanks in advance :-)
Tony
posted on 28-10-06
How about external insulation?
Check out the site for this topic.
The alternative would be to thermally line the walls including the butresses and exclude all the stone walls from any thermal activity within the cottage but what would you do with any internal solid walls? These would bring in the cold and cause endless problems with condensation and damp/rot etc.
External insulation then?
Dave
posted on 29-10-06
I'd also wondered about external insulation too but as this is bound to be expensive I doubt the landlord would be remotely interested unfortunately ! And as you say what do you do about the (2)internal solid walls ?
My guess is that the original dairy being about 150 years old, the foundations/walls were probably laid straight onto the local groundrock, of which there's plenty, there obviously never being any intention at the time for human habitation.
My latest idea (!) for when it's really bad, is to buy or make some sort of temporary foldable "wind break" and put it up around the floor perimeters of the lounge or wherever, similar to the canvas or fabric ones you see on holiday beaches.
But from what you say it sounds a definite non-goer in the long run.... Pity :-(
But thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.
Tony
posted on 29-10-06
Sounds a bit like living in a tent within a house!
Dave
posted on 29-10-06
Better than rheumatism any day ! ;-)
fostertom
posted on 30-10-06
How's your airtightness, Dave? I bet it's due to (in order of importance) airchange; mediocre roof/window/floor insulation; a sunless/frost hole position? With super roof, floor and window insulation and airtightness, massive but uninsulated walls shouldn't be a problem, for a building in continuous occupancy, as their lossiness is counterbalanced by the benefits of massiveness. I live in a massive Dartmoor cob farmhouse in a sunny location, that's very comfortable tho' expensive to heat due to terrible airtightness.
