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Original poster

Are 1930s Semis cold?!

36 replies

Beach1983 · 29/08/2022 21:16

We should be moving soon to a 30’s semi (currently in a new build which is always warm) and with the price of energy I’m worried it’s going to be freezing and £££ to keep warm? What are your 30’s semis like?

it’s seems well insulated and has upvc windows and new central heating, but worrying we may be making a mistake in the current climate!

OP posts:
RoseValleyRambles · 29/08/2022 21:19

Check if it's cavity wall or not. May well be single skin at that age, which will be cooler than a cavity build.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 29/08/2022 21:21

Mines cold.

But warmer than the freezing Victorian villa we used to live in.

basilmint · 29/08/2022 21:26

We have a late 1920s house which doesn't have cavity walls so can't insulate. I do find it can be quite cold but not too bad. Would probably be cold compared to a new build.

BarbaraofSeville · 29/08/2022 21:26

This is what DM has. She has a modern combi boiler, double glazing and cavity wall insulation.

It's probably not as energy efficient as a new build but its not terrible. Does the house have an EPC and what does that say?

chipshopElvis · 29/08/2022 21:26

Mine isn't cold apart from the living room which still has its original single glazed windows. Rest of the house is double glazed and toasty.

Raindancer411 · 29/08/2022 21:29

We have a 1927 built and it's cold, esp as we have a raised wooden floor over a void with air bricks, but I love it still

Blue2021 · 29/08/2022 21:33

1930s and it is cooler in the rooms with wooden floors. It’s cavity wall, double glazed. Grow up in the same style house so no colder than what I am used to. The rooms with carpets are toasty. Just purchased a massive rug for the livingroom for winter as it’s all wooden floors.

PritiPatelsMaker · 29/08/2022 21:33

Yes especially when we had our old boiler which was just about as useful as lighting a candle.

Super thick loft insulation has had a good result.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 29/08/2022 21:35

We’ve got double glazing, under floor insulation and roof insulation.

l still think it’s cold. Don’t think we have wall insulation. It’s colder than the little brick end of terrace l once had.

Tinkerblonde1 · 29/08/2022 21:36

Mine is ok. It's not a hugee semi house though just a standard three bed semi

The new build I had was slightly warmer but it had much lower ceilings and in the summer was like a sauna. My semi was obviously warm but much more airy.

Original poster
Beach1983 · 29/08/2022 21:40

EPC is D and I believe it’s had cavity wall insulation installed at some point (according to survey).

i will be thankful of it being cooler in the summer as a new build is unbearably hot 🥵

OP posts:
Cheeselog · 29/08/2022 21:45

I don’t think you can generalise by age/style of property other than from warmer to colder generally speaking it goes flat > mid terrace > end terrace and semi > detached. It will depend on location and exposedness as well.

If it’s got cavity insulation, loft insulation and effective double glazing then it shouldn’t be too cold. If you check the EPC it will list recommendations for improving the energy efficiency so you can see what would still need doing.

Landlubber2019 · 29/08/2022 21:46

Ours wasn't colder but our 4 bed new build is cheaper to run than our previous 3 bed small semi.

Dougieowner · 29/08/2022 22:02

My first house was a 1930's semi (bought in 1986) and it was not a cosy place.
No central heating, solid brick walls (no cavity), metal (single glazed) windows, no significant loft insulation and a slate roof with no felt.

If I was living there now then I would consider it a project and do all that was necessary to make it warmer but back then I couldn't afford it and it was just a case of turning up all the gas fires to get some heat through the structure.

Diyextension · 29/08/2022 22:03

Coming from a new build ……. Yes it’s going to be colder.

Shinyandnew1 · 29/08/2022 22:05

Our 3-bed semi is freezing in the winter and impossibly hot in the summer-we really lucked out somewhere along the line!

Ridingthegravytrain · 29/08/2022 22:06

Ours is freezing

Eek3under3 · 29/08/2022 22:08

Same as @Shinyandnew1 sadly! Having said that, I would still choose this house over a new build :)

mrsfollowill · 29/08/2022 22:17

We have a 30's semi- all windows and doors double glazed about 20 yrs ago and a new combi boiler installed 2017 with new radiators. We have carpets all through though - no bare boards. Since we have had the new boiler it warms up very quickly and holds the heat well despite the high ceilings. It stays really quite cool in the hot summer temps we have had this year. Monthly DD for gas and electric has just gone from £142 to £234. I WFH and had the heating on all day last Winter- only on 19c but it was comfortable. Always switched off overnight. Not so sure about the coming Winter and may well be going back to the office once my fuel costs more than the commute.

Georgeskitchen · 29/08/2022 22:20

I grew up in a 1930s semi. The rooms tend to be bigger than new builds. As a child we didn't have central heating or double glazing but I can't remember ever being teeth chatterlingly cold except getting out of bed on winter mornings 😅
Once myself and my sibling started working we got central heating installed, but the radiators were never higher than luke warm. My parents weren't overseen on spending money 😊😉

Original poster
Beach1983 · 29/08/2022 22:28

Thank you for all your replies! Better get some warm jumpers then! Hopefully worth the sacrifice, swapping a 4 bed detached new build for a 3 bed semi in nicer village location but mostly swapping for the huge garden - fed up of new build tiny gardens! Can’t wait for chickens and an allotment ❤️

OP posts:
LemonSwan · 29/08/2022 22:32

Ours was awful. Cavity, double glaze, etc. But downstairs was mainly open plan and it was just impossible to heat with central heating. Only thing which would touch it was a log burner. Which was very effective and actually after two years of running up a tab on estimates (actual use was double); we got the log burner and used so little we ended up leaving after another 2.5 years having equalised the debt and even being owed a bit of money back on gas.

Junobug · 29/08/2022 22:32

We had cavity wall insulation when we moved in and have put in roof and underfloor insulation so its not too bad. It does mean that we have to be careful about damp though as these building were just not designed to be so insulated. But as others have said, I would choose it over a new build any day.

LemonSwan · 29/08/2022 22:34

That sounded more negative than I realised. Really we enjoyed our time there and once we had the log burner the ritual of firing it up was really therapeutic and the glow was homely.

So you might want to add a nice big wood store to your garden list op 😘

We even adorned ours with a sedum green roof and it felt very back to the land.

Congrats on the new home. 🥳

ShowOfHands · 29/08/2022 22:35

I live in a 30s semi and we put on a new roof including thick felt, added loft insulation and put in a new combi boiler and central heating system when we moved in. It's also double glazed throughout. Despite having many of the features of a 1930s house such as raised wooden flooring with air vents underneath and original quarry stone flooring downstairs, it's toasty. Never need the heating above 18 in winter and in summer, it stays cool quite well.

Admittedly, the house we sold to buy it was a draughty Victorian terrace but this house is warm and I'm a cold fish.