Cavity wall insulation in old house

[Jimjammy]

I'm looking for some advise I have a semi detached cottage built in 1890 or just before it has no cavity wall insulation(the house has a cavity despite the age and its 2-3" deep), as you can get it quite cheap now I was thinking of getting it done but have a few doubts

1. Well I have damp problems as we're on a hill and very exposed to driving rain
2. The wall ties a very old well they rust or get damage
3. Part of the downstairs is suspended wooden floors well they get ventilation properly

The house was treated for dry rot 15 years ago seems ok now.


Thanks for any advice given

 

[stuart45]

A CWI company will send a surveyor round to assess whether or not your house is suitable for it. Every situation is different.

 

[noseall]

A CWI company will send a surveyor.

Surveyor my arse!

Some jumped up suit wearer brandishing a tape measure and a clipboard, who will routinely miss 50% of what he is supposed to survey.

 

[ajrobb]

Will I have damp problems as we're on a hill and very exposed to driving rain?

Early cavities were introduced so solve penetrating damp problems from driving rain. This will soak any mineral wool insulation you install, making it useless and causing damp. Other types of cavity wall insulation treatments are available but are not subsidised. All have their problems.

The wall ties are very old. Will they rust or get damaged?

Yes, they probably will.

 

[Nige F]

Although I usually say -Go for insulation - In this case I`m going to agree with the others . Too old .too exposed. . If anything needs checking I would get an endoscope and look @ the wallties they can be retro- fitted if necessary. And also the airbricks to the wooden floor need to be checked after cav. fill . Best left alone in this case

 

[Richard C]

I’ve been considering this for my older property during renovation works over the the past 5 years but have heard of so many instances where it’s subsequently caused problems; I’ve decided to leave my cavities well & truly empty for the foreseeable future. My neighbour had it done 3 years ago & although he hasn’t yet had any problems, he hasn’t noticed any appreciable difference in the warmth of his property or a reduction in his annual heating oil usage either.

 

[Jimjammy]

Thanks for all your replys think I might leave for now and just layer up the attic.

 

[PrinceCharles]

A CWI company will send a surveyor.

Surveyor my a**e!

Some jumped up suit wearer brandishing a tape measure and a clipboard, who will routinely miss 50% of what he is supposed to survey.

Ha Ha, agree with that statement. All they are interested in is maximising revenue.

One additional problem with drilling injection holes in older properties, particularly those that are rendered, is that the brick often bursts out on the inside, drops down a couple of inches into the cavity and gets jammed causing a bridge across which then CAUSES damp where none existed before.

HRH

 

[stuart45]

A CWI company will send a surveyor.

Surveyor my a**e!

Some jumped up suit wearer brandishing a tape measure and a clipboard, who will routinely miss 50% of what he is supposed to survey.

That's the definition of a surveyor.

 

[Nige F]

A CWI company will send a surveyor.

Surveyor my a**e!

Some jumped up suit wearer brandishing a tape measure and a clipboard, who will routinely miss 50% of what he is supposed to survey.

Ha Ha, agree with that statement. All they are interested in is maximising revenue.

One additional problem with drilling injection holes in older properties, particularly those that are rendered, is that the brick often bursts out on the inside, drops down a couple of inches into the cavity and gets jammed causing a bridge across which then CAUSES damp where none existed before.

HRH

Greetings ,Your Majesty...Does the Dutchy have any cavities filled ( on one`s Cornwall estate) or is it just your OLD duch, that gets the drilling

 

[noseall]

That's the definition of a surveyor.

Someone who is precise and thorough in his profession.

Not some jumped up suit wearer, wearing bad aftershave, with two weeks training in how to use a tape measure and con customers. This i would not call a surveyor in a million years.

 

[ajrobb]

That's the definition of a surveyor.

Someone who is precise and thorough in his profession.

Not some jumped up suit wearer, wearing bad aftershave, with two weeks training in how to use a tape measure and con customers. This i would not call a surveyor in a million years.

I think you might be confusing the term "CWI surveyor" with "Chartered Surveyor" or MRICS

 

[stuart45]

The word surveyor covers a wide range of occupations. A CWI surveyor is only sent out to check whether the cavity is suitable for filling. In some instances they will recommend that it can't be filled. Whether or not a CWI surveyor is up to the job will vary from one man to another, just as some Chartered Surveyors who normally do Valuation Surveys come unstuck on an HSV.
A friend of mine is a retired time served bricklayer who is a part time CWI surveyor, and you can't tell me that he isn't up to the job.
It's like a lot of the general public say that all builders are a bunch of cowoys because they know someone who's had a bad job done.
There is no reason why a CWI surveyor can't be precise and thorough in his job.
When someone calls a CWI company they have probably already decided to have it done, so the surveyor doesn't really have to sell it.
It's different with Damp surveyors when they could be selling a lot of work that wasn't needed.

 

[ajrobb]

There is no reason why a CWI surveyor can't be precise and thorough in his job.

There are commercial pressures that can make that difficult. On the other hand, I would be happy to pay for the advice of an independent surveyor who was also a retired bricklayer and had 'seen it all'. I did just that 19 years ago when a condition of the mortgage was to check the wall ties. A wall tie company gave a free 'internal survey' using an endoscope and said 2000 ties needed replacing. An experienced bricklayer was astounded - he took out a brick and saw the CWI, which implied the wall tie company was lying. Fortunately, the mortgage company was satisfied and dropped the condition.

Generally, I am wary of using 'specialist' firms who are riding on the back of Government subsidies. They can't expect customer loyalty and have to cut margins to the bone. The work is often subcontracted out at a low fixed price - encouraging a slap dash approach.

 

[stuart45]

ajrobb,
I would agree that commercial pressures can make things more difficult.
The reason that CWI companies get the cavities checked more carefully nowadays is because of the problems with damp that have come back to them in the past.
With a wall tie company they could be looking for faults that are not there, as problems mean work.
With CWI any problems with the cavity mean that they lose the work.