Living in a house like this, what it's like?

strandroad

We might be buying a house some time next year and one of the styles/locations we are looking at is what is represented here:
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/48-st-albans-road-south-circular-road/286615
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/44-greenville-terrace-south-circular-road-dublin-8/1443123

They look nice and seem to be good size for a couple with no kids. I am however concerned about the BER and general heating related issues. Even if the house is modernised and renovated, it is not possible to give it any external insulation, and am I correct that the windows must be single glazed the way they are? Does it mean that such a redbrick will always be cold, or can you make it reasonably cozy even with those conditions in place?

Victor

You can get double glazed sliding sash windows. It may however mean new windows.

Depending on whether the properties are listed, you might need planning permission for anything beyond normal maintenance of the building.

The may however only be in conservation areas, which means the council will primarily be interested in any changes to the outside of the building.

If there is no need / desire to retain the interior finishes, large amounts of insulation could be added, although it would mean losing floor space.

the_syco

Most places have the double glazed version of the "classical" window which they had to keep. One thing you should do is call into the neighbour and ask how much sound comes through the wall, as the houses don't always have great sound insulation between them.