Today I spoke to Newark Cylinders - a positive conversation, wherein I was told that they could build to order a bespoke thermal store copper cylinder to my specifications, and turn the order around within a week - and within my budget too!
Unfortunately, the conversation with Baxi regarding the Ecogen microCHP boiler didn't go quite so well...
Today was an important moment for the Withington Co-operative Eco-house - the first time in the 100-odd year history of the house that a piece of insulation was fitted!
We've engaged Andrew Gill, a CAT AEES graduate to assist with overseeing the fitting of insulation and air-tightness tapes, as this is beyond my expertise (I'm mainly focused on building services), and Andrew has first-hand experience of superinsulating a house in Manchester
One of the elements of the design is to install a patio door into the rear basement room, to let in plenty of light and allow the room to be used for more than just storage...
The Victorians and Edwardians certainly did some crazy things, at least in domestic buildings...
The roof is nearing completion now. For a "belts and braces" approach, we've installed vents at eaves and ridge level, to ensure a good through-flow of air above the insulation envelope and thus reduce the risk of condensation/timber decay.
I haven't updated the blog for a while... things have been progressing though. The sprinkler first fix is done, and the electrical well on the way.
One of the issues with internal wall insulation is that joist ends which are set into sockets in the brickwork are at increased risk of decay due to condensation developing on the cut end of the timber...
Meanwhile, the sprinkler first-fix is progressing...
Today the builders put the soil stack in from the top floor bathroom down to the basement. Here you can see how the suspended ceilings work to allow pipe runs through the building:
Today was the long-awaited meeting with the window company. Two of them came, spent a good couple of hours on-site discussing the project and taking notes and measurements. They seem genuinely knowledgeable and passionate about their field - sash windows...
The joist nearest the front wall in the first floor bathroom was rotten, due to historic water leakage from the bath (note, this is a particular danger in highly-insulated houses!)...
In rooms which don't have the original decorative ceiling cornices, we are installing suspended ceilings (plasterboard and timber studwork) below the original ceilings. This creates a free route for pipe and cable runs, which both speeds installation and reduces the amount of notching/drilling of load-bearing elements.
Bathroom areas will be ventilated using single-room MVHR units (see this article for a more detailed explanation), mounted within the suspended ceiling voids...
Got back from Wales and decided to have a quick check on the house. The work on the chimney has been completed as expected, and looks good.
But for some reason the builders decided to start on the electrical first fix, in the attic - which I wasn't aware would be happening. Some of the cable routes chosen compromise the fitting of the roof insulation. I was a bit cross about this so I called the main guy and told him so; no doubt we will have a conversation about this tomorrow.
Today was the start of the sprinkler installation. The sprinkler guys apparently start at 7:30am(!), and finish at lunchtime on a Friday.
The road closure has been enlarged now - making it even harder for us to get deliveries etc:
Got an email from the window company saying tomorrow's meeting is to be postponed by a week, to next Tuesday. Apparently the guy fell off a ladder!
It's been drizzling for the past few days so the builders have been working inside instead. Having knocked the plaster off in some areas, we've discovered two cracks in the walls...
Over the weekend, we set up the ISE drying cabinet in the front room at my house (the only place we could think of to put it!):
