Old Cold House

[StyxBankDweller]

Hi all, I'm in need of advice here. I'm in an old rambling centuries old end of terrace house that is mainly flint clad. The rooms downstairs are damp and cold, upstairs just plain cold.

I've had some partial stripping of plaster done downstairs mainly on a now non functioning fireplace wall, with a chemical dpc inserted. Modern plaster replacing the mixture of lime plaster and modern plaster that was removed. I now realise that this is debatable but at least downstairs, as far as I know, has a floor of concrete straight onto the ground. So not a problem with damp beams inside the walls.

The original survey did suggest a drainage ditch filled with stones (can't remember the exact wording) around the outside walls. This is on the plan for next summer's job. I think I can dig this myself over a while. Advice on doing this would be welcome too. Should I line the edges? Paint bitumen on the walls?

I'm also considering Wallrock KV600 thermal liner for walls and ceilings.

Tbh, I'm struggling to make sense of all the advice available. It seems that it is recommended to keep walls dry and the house will be warm. Don't use modern non breathable paint and plaster but I cannot afford to strip everything out and start from scratch. I have a new gas condensing boiler that struggles to heat the house to 17 degrees and a wood burning stove that just about keeps it livable for me this time of year but my visitors complain. Fair enough, we are talking elderly with joint pain, and babies.

I was also persuaded that a ventilating system in the loft would help with condensation and damp issues but it's not been magic.

I was thinking that the Wallrock would help, but not insulate so thoroughly that the problems that can arise with internal insulation wouldn't be a worry.

Any comments very much appreciated.

PS, loft insulation is good and I'm waiting delivery of reflective foil to put behind the radiators. Most windows now have heavy curtains or even duvets over them.

The walls aren't breathable if you have put modern plaster on so there is little point in using breathable paint. I would insulate with board where you can on external walls and get it skimmed or if external rendered over the top. Is wallrock the same as kingspan? Have you put chimney balloons up all the chimneys? I have bought some wool carpet underlay and sewn curtain header tape on it and have used some screw in cup hooks to attach it to the window frames in some of the windows we aren't using in winter. It has definitely made a difference. Insulating under floors and behind skirting boards is also good. For temporary use you can also buy window film to create fake double glazing for the windows. It isn't a too horrible looking and does help a bit.

Ignore the render comment. Just spotted that the walls are flint. Lovely. Definitely don't render them!

Presume you've got single glazed windows - could you put in secondary double glazing?

@Geneticsbunny

The walls aren't breathable if you have put modern plaster on so there is little point in using breathable paint. I would insulate with board where you can on external walls and get it skimmed or if external rendered over the top. Is wallrock the same as kingspan? Have you put chimney balloons up all the chimneys? I have bought some wool carpet underlay and sewn curtain header tape on it and have used some screw in cup hooks to attach it to the window frames in some of the windows we aren't using in winter. It has definitely made a difference. Insulating under floors and behind skirting boards is also good. For temporary use you can also buy window film to create fake double glazing for the windows. It isn't a too horrible looking and does help a bit.

Behind skirting boards? I've still got a gap where some need to go back after the replastering. I had suspected that gap although it's not actually drafty. Underlay's a brilliant idea. I've got a duvet hanging inside the front door and lined curtains with fleecy ikea throws. Insulating under floors would be a challenge as the floors upstairs are the ceilings downstairs, and I can touch the ceilings, mostly, with a flat hand and a bent arm! So a 5 ml layer of the insulation might work. And cover the artex!

@bilbodog

Presume you've got single glazed windows - could you put in secondary double glazing?

They are actually horrible old double glazing - put in before the conservation area was adopted. Hence thick curtains - I've got bubble wrap taped onto my spare room window.

@Geneticsbunny

Ignore the render comment. Just spotted that the walls are flint. Lovely. Definitely don't render them!

Yup, I'm not allowed to change anything about the exterior. Not even gates or different gravel etc .... although I do seem to be the only one in the row who knows or observes this.

I think the drainage you're thinking of is a French drain? If so, it would be bloody hard to dig and fill it with tonnes of gravel yourself, and should be sloped to take the water away somewhere also I think, but would take someone with a digger a day to do.

It seems like you've done loads already, maybe draught excluders by the doors, blocking chimneys not in use... Old houses like that are just very hard to heat.

Have you considered a dehumidifier? They should help with damp and make it feel warmer.

This is such a huge topic entire essays could be written... Instead, I'll point you at a great resource where lots of your answers can be found :
www.spab.org.uk/advice

[quote TopCatsTopHat]This is such a huge topic entire essays could be written... Instead, I'll point you at a great resource where lots of your answers can be found :
www.spab.org.uk/advice[/quote]
Great resource! Thanks.

Hope you find it helpful, glad you like the look of it. 👌

How long have you been in the house?
Ours was so cold and damp the first couple of winters because the previous owners hadn't been heating it properly. They'd shut off all but the three rooms they used regularly. We discovered when we moved in that the heating was pretty ineffective.
We had the chimneys opened up, woodburners replacing the open fires and the first year we had them going properly the damp coming out of the walls was unbelieveable. Then we had a new heating system put in too.
Once we'd kind of 'dried out' the house and found the magic formula for heating it things did get better. It's still draughty and the upper rooms are still cold in the mornings because they are in the eaves.

We were told to install French Drains too, but have got away with not doing it so far. We were told that we needed it doing professionally, so the water is actually directed away to a drainage point - otherwise you're essentially just building a moat around the base of your house. (we are Fenland though, with a high water table)

@queenrollo

How long have you been in the house? Ours was so cold and damp the first couple of winters because the previous owners hadn't been heating it properly. They'd shut off all but the three rooms they used regularly. We discovered when we moved in that the heating was pretty ineffective. We had the chimneys opened up, woodburners replacing the open fires and the first year we had them going properly the damp coming out of the walls was unbelieveable. Then we had a new heating system put in too. Once we'd kind of 'dried out' the house and found the magic formula for heating it things did get better. It's still draughty and the upper rooms are still cold in the mornings because they are in the eaves.

We were told to install French Drains too, but have got away with not doing it so far. We were told that we needed it doing professionally, so the water is actually directed away to a drainage point - otherwise you're essentially just building a moat around the base of your house. (we are Fenland though, with a high water table)

This is my third winter. This is most encouraging. Thanks. I've had a larger stove installed but that's actually the only functioning chimney in the house, the other has been removed and capped.

I don't know how the previous owners used the house but they lied through their teeth about it being warm and cosy with no damp issues. They were so lucky to sell at the end of a long dry summer! I did spend last winter with radiators turned off in rooms I didn't use but have it all switched on now.

So, French Drains are not DIY, or an ethusiastic person with a digger? Oh well. I see the point about the moat. I don't know about the water table but there are issues with drains not coping with rain further up the road.

To a PP who mentioned a dehumidifier, I have had one running a fair bit. Shortly after moving in there was a horrendous flood from an elbow joint in the bathroom that was not secure so I was also trying to dry that out. Imagine an indoor Niagra falls.The kitchen ceiling didn't give way till there was a lot of water above. It was interesting.

We had a cold damp house in France and in renovations, the builders made a shallow metal frame for every internal wall, cavity was then lined with insulation and stuff that looked like polystyrene, then plasterboard and plaster. Was amazing , previous owners had had to attach wall paper with drawing pins as so damp. You do loose a bit of room space but pretty negligible.
Don’t know name of it though

I meant insulate under the floor board between the joists. Probably not worth doing upstairs but would be worth looking at on the ground floor. Although I think you mentioned concrete floors?

In older houses the plaster doesn't go down to the bottom of the wall. There is usually a gap at the bottom behind the skirting board and that can be very drafty. Difficult to get to unless you take the skirting off or the floor up unfortunately

If you've lots of chimneys, I'd recommend properly blocking up ones you don't use not just capping. It's made a huge difference to our drafty old farmhouse!

We had something similar in our cottage in the second highest village in Scotland, built of dry stone. I think it was called dry lining.
Up there, it was sooo cold in winter, especially as it was a second home, so not heated when we weren’t there.
It was amazing, and very cheering, how quickly it warmed up once the wood burner was lit, from being able to see your breath to being really warm, and it retained the heat.
We also used a dehumidifier when we first got in, to make sure the beds and soft furnishings were all right.

Things that have worked in my old cold house:

Power flush of the central heating - if yours hasn't been maintained, the vile gunk that came out had to be seen to be believed. House was noticeably warmer the following day

Replacing every radiator with modern doubles

Refurbing/replacing the windows/putting in modern secondary glazing - I have done a mix of all 3 and each time the amount of condensation has reduced and the heat has increased.

I'd block your unused chimney stack with an insulating chimney balloon.

I was also told I'd need a French drain but the need evaporated when I replaced some modern plaster with lime - these houses need insulation but also to breathe.

This has been a multi-year project for me, still not finish but every step has made a difference.

@GeneticsBunny has a great point!

We have a new house - first winter in- I spent yesterday cleaning the skirting boards and discovered the horrendous drafts from them. All with hollows behind and gaps beneath them and plaster to the top.

A ' quick wipe round with a damp cloth' as part of cleaning turned into a full morning of plugging gaps, draft excluding tape and decorators caulk.

No more gale blowing across my feet so that is a win!