Steel framed house

[Goloopy]

I'm in desperate need of some help, I have just brought a 1950s trusteel construction house in wittersham Kent and I'm looking for any information on the houses and how best to insulate them.
I understand that because they are steel framed you can't use conventional cavity wall insulation so I'm stuck with what to do.
Because it is a semi detached I'm unsure that external insulation would work as it would be hard to finish the division
Can any one help me or tell me where to find more information on how to make this house more efficient.
Really regret buying it now, didn't realise it was steel framed until I moved in!

Many thanks fir reading this

Adam

 

[Nige F]

Insulate the roofspace with 10 inches of fibreglass - then sell it Sounds like Thatcher`s sell off has bitten your arse particularly if it`s still tenanted next door .Tidy it up and get rid . maybe let it out if the market is that bad in Kent.

 

[OwainDIYer]

If you use external cladding then there will be a plastic/fibreglass moulding down the edge of your cladding at the semi end.

A lot better would be to get the other half of the semi to agree to getting the job done on the whole building and split the cost.

Usually it is councils wanting to insulate, but owner occupiers veto the scheme because they don't want to pay, so even if the other half is council you might find the council quite receptive to doing the work. Although they will want to contract manage the work and charge you, so it's unlikely to be any cheaper.

These people do non-traditional house cladding, might be able to help.

 

[Static]

Insulate the roofspace with 10 inches of fibreglass - then sell it Sounds like Thatcher`s sell off has bitten your a**e particularly if it`s still tenanted next door .Tidy it up and get rid . maybe let it out if the market is that bad in Kent.

Ditto that, sell sell sell..
Dont bother with wall insulation as it will only end with the columns decaying faster as water is trapped in the unvented cavity..

 

[mointainwalker]

@ Nige F

You just can't stop going on about Thatcher, can you ? Why not give it a rest ?

 

[geraint]

@ Nige F

You just can't stop going on about Thatcher, can you ? Why not give it a rest ?

he probably believes that she built it.... whilst she was putting the GREAT back into britain......

 

[Nige F]

@ Nige F

You just can't stop going on about Thatcher, can you ? Why not give it a rest ?

Got you going She must`ve made you rich enough to emigrate to France. I`ll stop when I get to **** on her grave

 

[mointainwalker]

Got you going

You obviously rate yourself highly. oh well, someone has to I suppose,

Why not keep the political comments for General Discussions and advice on this thread to DIY/building.

 

[joe-90]

How can you buy a house and not know it was non standard construction? Did you get it for a song at the auctions? Mortgage lenders are usually windy about such houses - especially in this market.

 

[Deluks]

Weight it in!

 

[OwainDIYer]

How can you buy a house and not know it was non standard construction? Did you get it for a song at the auctions? Mortgage lenders are usually windy about such houses - especially in this market.

But all that steel might be worth a fair bob at the scrappies.

 

[Metalguru1]

Don't know if it is any help to you but I bought a Nusteel house in Hothfield and initially had great problems heating it. The kitchen was the hardest to cure and was only solved by laying a plastic membrane, then insulation boards, then MDF T&G in 8X4' sheets throughout the whole ground floor as it was the concrete floor that seem to suck the heat from the air! I did get a company to fill the walls with standard filling as the Polystyrene filling sinks. Didn't tell them it was steel frame or it has a large cavity. There were quite a few comments made by he installer and he only realised 3/4 of the way round, his boss instructing him too finish. Insulated the loft paying atention to the vaulted ceiling and packing the insulaion well round the edges of the roof. Even with an ancient Potterton Flamingo boiler the heating bills are 1/4 of the next door neighbour who has a modern boiler. In Winter the whole house will only lose 1-2C overnight when the heating is off!

 

[hannaheveness]

Dear Adam,

We are looking to buy a house in Wittersham also from steel construction. Can you please tell me if you have had many problems with this type as we are extremely nervous first time buyers reading different blogs.

 

[Metalguru1]

After owning this house in Hothfield since '92 and in addition to my last post, the downfall seems to be if a semi and the neighbours lay this laminated floor through out the house then it can make noise transmission an issue, especially if no insulation is used beneath the flooring, or between the floor and skirting. It can be worse when used upstairs and small kids are present. If the floor is not laid correctly expect an arguement with the neighbour. (My neighbour layed the flooring incorrectly).
Apart from that there have been no further issues with the house and with all the insulation and carpet it is very cosy. There were no problems with the local mortgage providers as the properties are well known in the area, as are the Airy houses.

 

[Static]

Even though this is originally a very old post, the answer to your query is the steel framed properties built straight after the war were fast build and not designed to last more then about 50 years.. so 60 years on alot of the less cared for ones are showing serious signs of corrosion and failure..

If you are looking to buy one get a chartered structural engineer and/or good local surveyor to look it over before you buy just to give you more confidence.