What are houses made of!!??

[andersonclan]

It's only recently that legislation was brought in that made insulation in houses complusory. Our first rental here had window frames thicker than the walls! I remember our first night in it - no heating - on airbeds, in sleeping bags wearing PJ's, thermals, socks, fleeces, hats and covered will all our towels. Every time we had string winds the house felt as though it would blow off it's foundations! And yes they sold it!

New homes are built from a mixture of materials including - brick, wood, rendering (on timber frame) and masonary. Some also have steel frames and some are built with corrugated iron.

We have friends who are architects and they advise that a properly insulated and double glazed home will only need a minimum of heating. Roll on the new house! By the way if you have a well insulated dry house - it's a whole lot ehalthier than central heating

M

[Rose]

At the risk of sounding unpatriotic (I am a kiwi), I have to agree with the comments on damp, cool houses in New Zealand. Having lived in Sweden and Switzerland, I really appreciate being able to peel off coats and scarves when I enter a house - not something you can expect when visiting people in NZ unfortunately.

Perhaps it's because kiwis came from hardy UK stock? I've just spent a weekend in Scotland, where at 8degC, people were walking around in t-shirts or short-sleeved shirts (and even jandals). Or perhaps it's because many houses were built a long time ago and the wood has shrunk. And then we compound the problem by ripping up carpets that were designed to insulate the houses...

Brrrr.

PS please post links to anything about properly insulated, dry houses to inspire us!

[katandbob]

Brrrr.

PS please post links to anything about properly insulated, dry houses to inspire us!

Rose Sorry but I recon you'll be waiting a long time!

lets just say that the top of santas letter is Central Heating and second is Double Glazing and this place is warmer than the rental

[osiris7]

tin roofs must put up an awful clatter when it's raining.

[Sam B]

So I'm right to be feeling teary about saying goodbye to my thick stone-walled cornish cottage then? No hope of finding a stone house out there?

[veronica]

nothing to stop you building one here. you do see brick and stone but wood is the prefered medium.

and yep in a storm you can hear the rai, but the hail is even more impressive.

[marcia]

These wooden houses are really noisy at night too - not just the rain on the tin roof, but when its been a hot day and the timber expands, it makes a real racket at night when its shrinking again!!

And you can't have a row without the neighbours knowing about it, even with all the windows and doors closed - you can almost hear every word - lord help us if the houses weren't detached!!

[veronica]

Hmm, neither of those things seem to be applicable in our case. might be due to the fact that ours is a very solid 2 storey, older wooden house and that it is surrounded by established shrubs and trees. but can honestly say we only hear our neighbours if they in their garden at the same time as us and I have never noticed any creaks etc.

[Moorf]

Have to say our house in N.Brighton was totally wooden with wooden framed windows and floors and it was a raised on wooden stilts with a tin roof (with cathedral ceilings so no loft space, just straight up to the roof) and we didn't notice noisy creaking (if it had of creaked it would have freaked me out because for me every strange noise at night is an axe murderer trying to get in through the window.... )

[mossum]

[QUOTE=Moo (if it had of creaked it would have freaked me out because for me every strange noise at night is an axe murderer trying to get in through the window.... )[/QUOTE]


LOL 0- i feel so much better knowing i'm not the only neurotic one !

vic