Old bungalow questions?

murph226

Hi all, thinking about buying an old bungalow shortly.

Its 95 sq.metres, solid concrete walls, slated hipped roof with extension to rear with a flat felt roof and double glazed pvc windows
.
I haven't much knowledge when it comes to building but I would like to to the following to the bungalow;

Take down old roof and build new hipped roof over whole building reusing old slates and using new and or SH slates to finish.

Insulate the house externally.

Replace and maybe fit larger windows.

Fit underfloor heating and oil fired boiler.

In what order should I go about these jobs and why?

Also can someone give me a rough idea how much the roof, heating and insulation will cost.
I will be taking down the old roof myself.
Also do I need planning for the roof?

Like I said I don't know much, so any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Regards Murph

ricman

FIT windows first then insulate,you can buy some materials,tiles,windows etc on sites,like adverts.ie ,buy and sell.

murph226

I suppose sorting the roof should be the first job I tackle?

How much overhang should be left to accomodate the exterior insulation?

Any recommendations for an exterior insulation specialist in Cork?

MicktheMan

murph226 wrote: »

Hi all, thinking about buying an old bungalow shortly.

Its 95 sq.metres, solid concrete walls, slated hipped roof with extension to rear with a flat felt roof and double glazed pvc windows
.
I haven't much knowledge when it comes to building but I would like to to the following to the bungalow;

Take down old roof and build new hipped roof over whole building reusing old slates and using new and or SH slates to finish.

Insulate the house externally.

Replace and maybe fit larger windows.

Fit underfloor heating and oil fired boiler.

In what order should I go about these jobs and why?

Also can someone give me a rough idea how much the roof, heating and insulation will cost.
I will be taking down the old roof myself.
Also do I need planning for the roof?

Like I said I don't know much, so any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Regards Murph

What age is the bungalow? Chances are that there is no insulation in the floor and therefore underfloor heating will not perform as it should unless the current floor slab is ripped out and replaced with adequate floor insulation.

If you are going to externally insulate and change the windows, the best result will be to do this together and install the new windows proud of the opes so that the ewi can wrap the window frames.

It is important that the roof insulation meets the wall insulation so that there is a continuous insulated envelope.

Be careful when choosing your ewi contractor as a lot of them have jumped on the bandwagon since the grants were introduced.

Also don't forget about your airtightness detail and ventilation strategy.

murph226

Hi Mick, thanks for the reply!

I came across a thread yesterday and saw that about the fitment of the windows with the EWI, is there any sites or forums which go into this kind of work in detail?

The house is about 70 years old but has been modernised somewhat, but nothing regardin insulation.

I'd say you are right about the floor, the ceilings are fairly high so I was thinking that you could fit suitable insulation and go over it with screed?

Regarding the wall insulation meeting the roof insulation, is there anywhere that I can get more info on this, diagram and picture wise?

Same for the ventilation and airtightness, I really have no clue about any of this, is there any books that would be worth investing in so I'll know what I'm on about when it comes to talking to the builder/contractor?

Thanks again Murph

ronaldo84

i dont know what your paying for this house but by the sounds of it your goin to be left with 4 soil concrete walls. you prob took this into consideration already. if i were u i'd gut the whole house firstly make alterations to windows allow for insulation on the out side and inside ( if your drylining).the roof should be then replaced allowing a over hang for both soffit and insulation dont know what thickness that is. you may have to raise the wall plate. tie the extension roof into the new one with a cut pitched roof. also the ceilings in those houses are 9 or 10 feet high. replace windows and doors. alter internal walls before roof. i would rip out the old floors put down DPM insuation and so on.DPC in the walls may be an issue. all in all u have a lot of work in front of u may be cheaper to order in a large digger and start from new

rayjdav

ronaldo84 wrote: »

all in all u have a lot of work in front of u may be cheaper to order in a large digger and start from new

Murph,
Having completed an extension to the side of my "cottage", together with a total rehaul of the existing structure, I would agree with Ronaldo84 on this. Would have been cheaper, and a lot less hassle, if we had of just gutted the existing and rebuilt.

Trying to get things to fit and detail to the best possible level was very hard, and expensive.

I assume you have considered alternatives like green field? or demolish existing and build? or even buy existing completed house? Latter would be cheaper, taking in your purchase cost and the cost for the revovation works all in.

What I would advise, before you purchase he bungalow, get a Structural Engineer out to have a look and make sure and go through all of your proposals, as the existing structure may not be sound enough to take much battering....

Slig

murph226 wrote: »

I'd say you are right about the floor, the ceilings are fairly high so I was thinking that you could fit suitable insulation and go over it with screed?

I really have no clue about any of this, is there any books that would be worth investing in so I'll know what I'm on about when it comes to talking to the builder/contractor?

Thanks again Murph

Dont forget that any extra depth added to the floor will also affect your window board height and more importantly the door head height.

In order to retrofit an underfloor heating system you would need a minimum of 200mm. This will mean replacing all the lintels over the existing doors and possibly fitting new doors and frames, new skirting and architraves etc. all down to the kitchen worktop. In all I could see your list of improvements becoming extremely expensive as you will basically be completely gutting the house to keep a couple of walls and some roof timbers.

However, if the house was cheap enough maybe it could stack up but I cant see you getting much change out of €50'000.

murph226

Thanks Slig, I would not have taken things like that into account!

I really have a lot of research to do!

Slig

There is an electric underfloor heating system thats very slimline and works like an electric blanket under your floor finish but it is very expensive to run. Might be something to consider even if its just for bathrooms

sky6

You've got some very good advise here already. I would agree your best bet is to knock it down and start again. Maybe save the Roof slates if they are good.
I have a friend an Architect, and he told me that if a house is 50 years old now with all the Ber ratings required if you decide to sell in the future.
He said there is even more regulation coming down the line, that it's better to start from scratch. You should start with employing an Engineer and an Architect. With a new build you can get everything right first time. You also have an opportunity to build a passive house.

murph226

Thanks for the input lads, really got me thinking, I'm now looking at a few sites so expect loads more questions:D

Radonman

If your going to rip out the floor be sure to install a radon Barrier too, for 95sq mtrs it would work out pretty cheap. On the air tight issues, your replacing the windows and doors i presume, so they need to be sealed around with airtight tape (available from hardware shops or specialists), the same goes for any ceilings with a non heated roof space these are sealed with an airtight membrane (similar to a breatheable roof felt) this is installed prior to slabbing/scudding but after insulating, electrical and plumbing 1st fix - you should also look at a heat recovery system as this works best with an air tight membrane (80% saving on heat loss), if thats too expensive at least run the ducting (thats cheap) and you can always but the heat exchange unit at a later date. Hope that helps