Insolation and sound problem.

[YukiOkami]

So this has probably been asked before but with my bedroom windows on the top floor of this rented terrace house I am living in I can hear everything. As if the windows were open. which they are not. i can hear traffic from the main road which is least a five min walk away and I can feel the cold within the room. specially last night when temp dropped to -1. I woke up this morning with the begginings of a cold. sore/thick to swallow throat as well. Im going on holiday on Sunday! The living room windows are the same but not to the extent of the bedroom ones. My net curtains are moving ever so slightly as in you have to stare at them for quite a while to notice. I was told that the windows were doubleglazed but it doesnt feel like it. down stairs we have thick curtains across the large windows. Up in the bedroom we have to seperate windows. is it a sealing problem? Do you reckon the land lord would fix it? Cause this house is bit of date anyway. I mean the kitchen is still got fittings from the 70's it seems. And two windows in the kitch that we have one is double glazed the other isnt! Anything I can cheaply and easily do that wont cheese of the landlord? I cant be getting sick from sitting in my own damn house! Or be woken up by a guy chatting on his phone across the street.

 

[JohnD]

Are the windows plastic replacements?

how old do you think the house is?

 

[YukiOkami]

Are the windows plastic replacements?

how old do you think the house is?

Plastic replacements? They dont feel like plastic... and I would say at least it dates back to the 70s or earlier. Definatly post-war.

 

[JohnD]

do you mean they are painted wood?

 

[Gazman16]

Photos of the windows please

 

[YukiOkami]

do you mean they are painted wood?

Photos of the windows please

Here is a picture of uostairs windows

 

[JohnD]

the part where the handle is attached is the important bit. To me it looks like an aluminium or plastic replacement double-glazed window has been put it. However looking round the edges, it looks like the original wooden trim, and possibly the subframe, are still present.

I had been thinking that a complete plastic window would have been put in, perhaps with draught gaps between the brickwork and the windowframe, but I can't see that. The window placement is typical of an older house in or around London.

It sounds like we are looking for draughts.

It would be useful if you can search for draughts around the window. The trace of smoke from a joss-stick or a smouldering cigarette will show up any air movement (remove the curtains first to avoid risk of fire). Do it on a couple of days when the wind is blowing in different directions.

There might also be draughts under the skirting board, or in the joint of ceiling to wall, mostly at the outside wall, or around an old fireplace.

Have a look in the loft. There should me mineral-fibre or glass wool between the joists, about 8 inches deep (don't tread on it, only put weight on the thick wooden joists). It may be dusty. Take a torch. It is OK if you can see daylight and draughts under the eaves, but the ceiling needs to have a layer of insulation all over. You may be able to see the underside of the roof tiles, or there may be a layer of felt or fabric under them. There should be no signs of condensation, damp or leaks.

 

[Gazman16]

Pretty old double glazing but it is double glazed.
Landlord is very unlikely to be wanting to spend any money on it unless you are a very good tenant that's been there along time.
As above try to find where any drafts are coming from as there may be worn hinges or seals on the window or is could just be convection (have a Google).

 

[John D v2.0]

We had the same with some double glazes upvc windows, sounded like they were open when they weren't and actually we found you could post a receipt through easily round the hinges. Turned out they'd not used packers when they installed them so the fixings were just bending the frame away from the sash.
In the end we just replaced with triple glazed with double seals which are a million times better. We also made sure to keep them without trickle vents as that let's noise in at the expense of needing to open them every day for ventilation.
My other suggestion if you can't refit is just to get the cheap window film from a hardware shop. Comes with tape and film, you stick it over the while window and use a hair dryer to make it smooth.
Looks terrible and stops you opening the window if you cover the while lot, but I used that in all my rented houses and it was well worth it!