House with solid concrete walls - Cold or not?

up4it

We looked at a older house (1950/60s?) that has some solid concrete walls and I've never lived such a house myself.

So can anyone who has lived in a house like it tell me if they are cold or not? Did you add insulation or were they warm enough in the winter?

Also, do such houses suffer from condensation because of the colder walls?

I know you can add internal or external insulation and get grants for it. But it is still extra cost and inconvenience.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Aprilmay

Ask for the BER rating and that will give you an idea

the_syco

Aprilmay wrote: »

Ask for the BER rating and that will give you an idea

I'd say the BER rating would only go so far. TBH, the OP should look into it, incase the walls, or problems in the walls, are part of the reason why the people are moving (cracks, etc).

Dades

OP are you buying or renting?

Buying, a surveyor will pick up any issues.
Renting, look for discolouration on walls on paint or wallpaper, mould or condensation on windows.

But lets face it - 50's houses unless they've been substantially dealt with are going to be a bitch to heat (or keep warm). A new gas boiler would be a big plus.

Having lived in a gaff with damp - I'd never do it again.

up4it

Dades: We are looking into buying a fixer-upper property.

Syco: Yes I agree that we may have to end up insulating any solid concrete walls internally or externally. (Grants are available to do assist with that) Yes I would deffo have a full survey done but I was trying to suss out any potential problems before we got that far.

Some of the walls are solid concrete contruction. The house did seem fairly dry inside even though it has been empty for a while. But then again all the wallpaper had been removed which is not such a good sign.

Its just that I have never lived in a house with solid concrete walls (ie. No cavity) and was thinking lots of people must have. So I was wondering what their experience of living in such a property was. ie. are they cold, damp, etc.. and did they end up insulating the walls?

JuliusCaesar

According to this, they're a great advantage if you live in a tornado-prone area. (Also says further down that

sheer mass of this wall would help slow the passage of heat or cold through the wall.

up4it

Julius: Good link...I have heard that the USA government have been encouraging concrete build houses in Tornado/Hurricane areas. Concrete houses sure are strong there is no doubt about that.

Not so sure about the heat insulation bit though.

seaniefr

Don't don't don't it will cost you an absolute fortune you would want to be getting the house for a song to make it worth your while and even then by the time your first round of heating bills have eaten into your wages you will be looking at lots of expensive solutions to get the level and duration of heat it takes to make the house comfortable in winter. Remember the last harsh winter we had?

the_syco

up4it wrote: »

Julius: Good link...

Warning: link is about new houses built with new technique, ie: not Paddy standard from 50 years ago...

hdowney

my friend lived in one for a while. moved in in november, and no one had been living in the house for a few years previous that i know of. (this was the winter before last). it was flippin cold in there, and took forever to heat up. there was no central heating, just the fire and back boiler, and the rads took ages to heat up. once it was warm the stone kept the warm in to a degree, but it did take forever. old stone houses can be mighty draughty too, this one had old wooden windows.

i would think very carefully, check what you are getting for your money, what has been done, what you can convince the owners to do before you buy, and seriously consider the cost and time it will take you to bring it up to your standards afterwards. but i am not saying do or do not go for it, i just think it can take more work than a newer house and along with the cost implications this can serious stress people out.

Icepick

up4it wrote: »

We looked at a older house (1950/60s?)

cold

up4it

April: You are right, I will ask for the BER certificate.

HDowney: I am thinking it would be better to either add internal or extarnal insulation to a solid walled property like that. Especially as SEAI grants are availble to assist with the cost.

AmcD

My house has solid concrete walls. It was completely uninsulated and was miserable in winter. There was condensation running down the walls.
We got external insulation and it has made an enormous difference. Even during all the snow last winter, it remained cosy the whole time. The other advantage is that the external insulation saved us having to paint the pebbledash.
The main drawback is the expense.

hdowney

up4it wrote: »

April: You are right, I will ask for the BER certificate.

HDowney: I am thinking it would be better to either add internal or extarnal insulation to a solid walled property like that. Especially as SEAI grants are availble to assist with the cost.

deffo apply for every grant possible. things need to be brought up to code/reasonable standard of living for today, and the grants will help a lot.

i like the idea that previous poster said about external insulation, as it seems less redecorating hassle than interior insulation, and would presumably be less complicated (although i have no clue!)

up4it

Amcd: Thanks for the info. I know it is more expensive to add insulation to the exterior than the interior. But the exterior means less disruption and loss of space inside the house.

If you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost to have the external insulation added to the property and what type of property is it? ie. Detached, Semi, ...?

Have your heating bills reduced significantly as a result?

AmcD

I will PM you the details.
Just some other points about external insulation:

It is actually quite difficult to tell a house has done it, unless you look quite closely. The thought of our house sticking out like a sore thumb put us off initially, until we went to see another house that had had it done.

The windowsills will likely end up being metal ones. Again, sounds horrible, but to be honest the grey ones that we chose don't look out of place. (Including a large bay windowsill).

External insulation is certainly an option if there is a good overhang from your roof/wide soffits. The insulation will probably add at least another 15cm to the outside of the walls. The gutters will still have to be put back on again.

If you are thinking of replacing windows, do it at the same time as adding external insulation. If the windows are not replaced, they will be approx 15cm deeper and this can affect the angle of light coming in. If windows are being put in, they can be placed further forward to offset this. This leaves a deeper inside windowsill space, but that is not a bad thing.

The down-pipes will probably be put back on with the spout facing inwards, otherwise the water would come out past the drain. Initially I was hung up about this looking weird, but again it isn't noticeable now.

up4it

Amcd: Thanks for the info and PM.

It sounds like a positive outcome all round. I'm more in favour of the external insulation than I was previously now. It is definitely worth doing especially if the owner intends staying in the property long-term so increasing the savings and recouping the initial outlay.