Hi all,
I've recently purchased a listed Victorian cottage. it had a few problems with damp and ventilation and I wondered if someone else has come across these problems and can advise on what to do.
Whilst the cottage is nearly 200 years old, the loft was converted in the 1940s-50s by the previous owners. When they converted it, there was no consideration for roof ventilation, or ventilation of any kind to be honest. The whole upper floor is a sealed unit effectively (the windows are currently painted shut too at the moment too). This concerned us with the added fact there is no insulation. What we had done so far is tear down some of the pine cladding on the walls (oh yes, all three rooms upstairs are pine clad all over...), to expose the the gable wall. It was soaking. The line mortar was completely saturated and crumbling off. This is on our fix list along with a industrial dehumidifier.
I've had a quote in for adding in ventilation into the roof, but it was suggested we needed 27 roof tiles which is excessive when you realise that this only 2 bedrooms in the roof. There are 6 low level 'cold spaces', (The eves are separated by dormer windows on one side), so i thought maybe one vent tile in each and 4 in the high level running along the ridge of the roof. I would then put up insulation board onto the rafters leaving a gap around 30-40cm from the sarking board to the insulation and 600-800cm down from the ridge. air would be able to flow down these from the upper cold space, down the gaps made by the rafters to the bottom one and vent. Our roof, which i have no reason to distrust, said that this wouldn't be enough.
I can draw pictures if it's easier to explain?!
What makes this worse is that the ventilation on the ground floor isn't much better. There is under floor vents at the front of the house and periscope vents at the back but they look as if they have been painted shut for ever. I have no idea how the previous owners lived in it.
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!
I've recently purchased a listed Victorian cottage. it had a few problems with damp and ventilation and I wondered if someone else has come across these problems and can advise on what to do.
Whilst the cottage is nearly 200 years old, the loft was converted in the 1940s-50s by the previous owners. When they converted it, there was no consideration for roof ventilation, or ventilation of any kind to be honest. The whole upper floor is a sealed unit effectively (the windows are currently painted shut too at the moment too). This concerned us with the added fact there is no insulation. What we had done so far is tear down some of the pine cladding on the walls (oh yes, all three rooms upstairs are pine clad all over...), to expose the the gable wall. It was soaking. The line mortar was completely saturated and crumbling off. This is on our fix list along with a industrial dehumidifier.
I've had a quote in for adding in ventilation into the roof, but it was suggested we needed 27 roof tiles which is excessive when you realise that this only 2 bedrooms in the roof. There are 6 low level 'cold spaces', (The eves are separated by dormer windows on one side), so i thought maybe one vent tile in each and 4 in the high level running along the ridge of the roof. I would then put up insulation board onto the rafters leaving a gap around 30-40cm from the sarking board to the insulation and 600-800cm down from the ridge. air would be able to flow down these from the upper cold space, down the gaps made by the rafters to the bottom one and vent. Our roof, which i have no reason to distrust, said that this wouldn't be enough.
I can draw pictures if it's easier to explain?!
What makes this worse is that the ventilation on the ground floor isn't much better. There is under floor vents at the front of the house and periscope vents at the back but they look as if they have been painted shut for ever. I have no idea how the previous owners lived in it.
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!
