Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

No cavity wall insulation in 14 year old house

68 replies

NordVeg · 12/12/2016 17:05

I bought this house a couple of years ago. It's not as warm as I'd expect a modern build to be, so got an insulation company to do a survey, lo and behold, empty cavity.

Now I was under the impression the builders had to insulate properties built since the early 90s.... so do I have any chance of complaining to the builder and getting them to pay? (about £600)

How should I approach it? I've tried looking on coucil planning website but not sure if they would intervene.

The house is 4 years past the NHBC warranty, which was my other though.

Can anyone give me some advice on where to start please? And what to say to get them to pay for what they skimped on back in the day!

TIA

OP posts:
Original poster
NordVeg · 13/12/2016 09:50

salsamad if the company is CIGA registered you can make the remove the insulation I believe

OP posts:
thenewaveragebear1983 · 13/12/2016 21:24

You can still get a grant for cavity wall and loft insulation, non means tested- but only til early 2017. It's currently energy performance tested but is becoming means tested again in Feb/ March.
We applied to a company called keep warm, they did a survey, we qualified and they are doing it completely free of charge on 20th Dec. It's worth looking to see if there are any grants available.

Original poster
NordVeg · 13/12/2016 22:30

Keep warm website says I'm not eligible sadly (house built 2002)

Thanks though thenewaveragebear

Our cavity wall insulation grant is NOT available if:
Property built before 1924 or after 1982.
Property already has cavity wall insulation installed. Cavity wall insulation can only ever be installed once!
You live in a flat and do not have an agreement of neighbours within the block.
There are signs of damp on the inside of the walls.
The property is timber/steel framed, concrete or stone.
If there is any type building/refurbishment work going on, internally or externally.

OP posts:
sianihedgehog · 14/12/2016 12:59

Having just paid £3000 to have my cavity wall insulation removed I would definitely not charge into getting it. Are your walls insulated inside instead?

YelloDraw · 14/12/2016 13:43

What happened sianihedgehog?

Original poster
NordVeg · 14/12/2016 14:29

sianihedgehog I have no idea how I could tell if it was insulated inside. They are just 'normal' walls as far as I can see

OP posts:
WingedSloath · 14/12/2016 16:03

My house was built in 1999 and has thermalite block instead of breeze block. Thermalite block insulates, hence no cavity wall. Thermalite is very lightweight and crumbles like a crunchy.

I had an extension built 3 years ago and my entire street was jumping on the cavity wall insulation band wagon. My builder, who has been in the trade for 20 years told me that there can be issues with damp penetration and he wouldn't do it.

Building methods move on, this house is far warmer than my last much smaller house.

Murphysgirl · 14/12/2016 18:03

Thermalite! That's the name that of the insulation I couldn't remember earlier.

Original poster
NordVeg · 14/12/2016 18:14

Thing is, this house feels chilly. I don't feel like it's well insulated - the pantry / under stairs cupboard is noticeably colder than the rest of the kitchen

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 14/12/2016 22:27

are they areas with an external wall and no radiator?

pantries are supposed to be cold, and sometimes have additional ventilation.

What are the floors made of/covered with?

Original poster
NordVeg · 15/12/2016 18:55

the cold wall is a gable end, which has downstairs loo, stairs and dining end of kitchen 'along' it. There is one radiator on the wall behind the dining table.

The 'pantry' is really only a cupboard under the stairs, not a purpose built food storage area.

The floors are wayroc

I have no idea how I would ascertain whether the walls were built with special thermal blocks. I very much doubt it, it's a small, cheap estate, of 2 and 3 bed terraces not executive homes.

OP posts:
WankersHacksandThieves · 15/12/2016 19:00

My current house is the same age - it's timber framed and shouldn't have cavity insulation.

www.homeworksenergy.co.uk/1011/why-steel-or-timber-framed-properties-should-not-be-insulated-with-cavity-wall-insulation/

Ours is always toasty warm though, but then I like to have the heating on a lot.

Don't ever go by what some door chapper says.

Original poster
NordVeg · 15/12/2016 19:10

Hi, no I realise a dude knocking on the door is unreliable.

But a surveyor from a CIGA regulated insulation installer who drills a hole, uses a boroscope and calls me out to look at the screen to show me the cavity is indeed unfilled is unlikely to be misleading me.... unless it's a really elaborate scam

OP posts:
Original poster
NordVeg · 15/12/2016 19:11

...and I contacted them based on a search through the EST website making the appointment

OP posts:
WankersHacksandThieves · 15/12/2016 19:12

Yes, but the cavity being unfilled isn't necessarily an issue......unless you are a cavity wall insulation installer.

WankersHacksandThieves · 15/12/2016 19:20

Do you know the name of the housebuilder (company) that you can contact to ask the construction type of the properties in your estate and go from there?

Original poster
NordVeg · 15/12/2016 19:42

Yeah WankersHacksandThieves fair point Wink
I think that might be the best course of action.

Thanks to all who have commented / advised, much appreciated

OP posts:
WankersHacksandThieves · 15/12/2016 19:50

Hope you get to the bottom of it Nordveg. At the end of day, whilst it would be a bad thing paying out good money for something that you didn't need, it would be even worse if that thing actually did damage to your property.

HeCantBeSerious · 15/12/2016 19:52

THE CAVITY IS THERE FOR A REASON!!!!

It's basic physics!

FrostyLeaves · 15/12/2016 20:44

I tend to agree serious. The cost and hassle if it goes wrong puts me off. It's not an easily reversed procedure.

WingedSloath · 15/12/2016 20:46

HeCant I know, but people insulate and then bake in summer. My friend regrets her cavity wall insulation being put in, again the house is around 15 years old.

Nord the only way to tell if you have thermalite block which is what my home is built with and acts as a great insulator is to actually remove some plasterboard. If there is anywhere on an outside wall that would be inconspicuous I would suggest you do it.

My plasterboard is dot and dabbed to the thermalite block so by tapping you can hear the thud of the dabs and the hollow bits. Cut a hole and see what is behind it.

And yes, a cavity wall insulation company will always tell you you need cavity wall insulation.

We found one room in our house to be quite cold, but it turns out the radiator wasn't working properly so check that first. You can also hire a thermal imaging gun for a weekend to help you identify cold spots. We used a kitchen infrared thermometer to see the different temps on walls.

Your double glazing might need looking at too.

yeOldeTrout · 15/12/2016 20:57

Our heating bills are incredibly low... since we got CVI. 4 bed det. house in a windy spot.

PigletJohn · 15/12/2016 21:53

HeCantBeSerious

And the insulation is there for a reason.

It's basic physics.

Put it in CAPITALS if you think it will make the words more convincing.

HeCantBeSerious · 15/12/2016 22:11

The insulation can wreck your house. It's a flawed concept and a shitty product.

yeOldeTrout · 15/12/2016 22:28

My well-insulated house is a bit cold in summer, actually. it's insulated against the heat too.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.