Old listed house purchased-Advice needed

superblu

My wife and I have just purchased an old listed house in Dublin 6. We plan on doing a major renovation down the line(circa 3 to 5 years). At the moment after stumping up the 20% deposit we have hardly a cent to our names. We are going to have to move into it pretty much straight away. The whole house is freezing and damp. We have a 4 month old baby and am afraid for him. I am wondering has anybody else gone through anything similar and how they got on. Also has anybody any advice on any short term cost effective measures that can be taken just to make things a bit more comfortable. We had a structural survey done prior to buying and (apart from subsidence) everything needs doing but it has the potential to be a fabulous house. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

my3cents

Multifuel stove in main living room down stairs may make the whole house more livable, warm and less damp. Needs to be going most of the time to be worth while and don't forget to guard it from little people.

Also a decent air filter might help one we have is https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fellowes-Allergy-Approved-AeraMax-Purifier/dp/B00EPEVPTC/, my wife has problems with her lungs and our house is potentially moldy and damp but the stoves keep it warm and dry and the filters reduce the amount of mold spores.

Stoves don't always fit into everyone's way of living they can be dirty and take a good bit of time to look after (fill and clean) but in our experience of old damp country cottages they make the place much more livable - also be prepared to spend a good bit on fuel in the town (see the bargain alert thread on coal).

spyderski

superblu wrote: »

We are going to have to move into it pretty much straight away. The whole house is freezing and damp. We have a 4 month old baby and am afraid for him.

:eek:You are Afraid for him? Did this not cross your mind before you bought the house?

my3cents

spyderski wrote: »

:eek:You are Afraid for him? Did this not cross your mind before you bought the house?

Probably healthier than living in a modern sealed up house.

Advbrd

my3cents wrote: »

Probably healthier than living in a modern sealed up house.

Walking into a house of character with a couple of roaring fires or stoves versus walking into a sterile modern sealed house? Give me my two stoves any day. The wee mite will be grand. Half the country grew up in barely heated badly insulated houses.

superblu

spyderski wrote: »

:eek:You are Afraid for him? Did this not cross your mind before you bought the house?

It did but nothing ventured nothing gained which is why I am now on here looking for advice.

my3cents

One point that does need emphasising is ventilation! Don't go around sealing the house up. Obviously you don't want drafts but an old house needs to breath so do you. Don't make any damp worse by drying clothes indoors.

Heavy drapes over windows at night time, even better if you also have the old internal shutters, will make up for any lack of double glazing. Traditionally in old houses external and some internal doors would have had heavy drapes pulled over them to keep the heat in and prevent drafts (you might even notice screw holes in the tops of some doors where the old brass curtain tracks were attached). Don't skimp on the material thickness, lining or length to be worth while it need to touch the floor. All those can add to the character of an old building as well as the level of comfort (not forgetting fire safety and some ventilation).

Gumbo

superblu wrote: »

It did but nothing ventured nothing gained which is why I am now on here looking for advice.

Talk to a conservation architect and involve the local council conservation officer. They offer free advice and will guide you through what you can and cannot do on a listed Propety.

Most things that would be exempt on normal houses are not exempt on listed properties so best to put a long term allowable plan in place now and work through it.

superblu

kceire wrote: »

Talk to a conservation architect and involve the local council conservation officer. They offer free advice and will guide you through what you can and cannot do on a listed Propety.

Most things that would be exempt on normal houses are not exempt on listed properties so best to put a long term allowable plan in place now and work through it.

Thanks very much. I have already been in touch with a conservation architect and am aware of the various stipulations that have to be complied with when it comes to protected structures. That is for down the road. What I am referring to in this instance are any short term measures that can be taken to mitigate the cold and the damp that won't contravene the conservation laws.

Metric Tensor

my3cents wrote: »

One point that does need emphasising is ventilation! Don't go around sealing the house up. Obviously you don't want drafts but an old house needs to breath so do you. Don't make any damp worse by drying clothes indoors.

This is spot on advice. Ventilation will be the number one thing to keep the atmosphere healthy for your son OP!

Don't think of plugging all the gaps and sealing up the house to make it warmer. Ventilate it to let it breath and don't trap in moisture. You'll have to get used to it being colder than a modern house for the foreseeable future (if not forever!) That can be addressed in time correctly - and in the near future using clothes!

Also put in fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms immediately and see if you're bedroom window is big enough for a fire escape.

andekwarhola

spyderski wrote: »

:eek:You are Afraid for him? Did this not cross your mind before you bought the house?

But, but, postcode.

893bet

my3cents wrote: »

Probably healthier than living in a modern sealed up house.

Yes. Damp and mold is much healthier than a sealed but ventilated space.

The only issue with current standards is people picking and choosing e.g we are going airtight with loads of insulation but not going to have MVHR. We are going to put holes in the walls and then close them. Then we will complain about the house being stuffy and damp.

beechwood55

Before you install stoves get the chimney properly checked out. Our house is a similar age and we have investigated getting a stove. The chimney will need work before we do that.

my3cents

beechwood55 wrote: »

Before you install stoves get the chimney properly checked out. Our house is a similar age and we have investigated getting a stove. The chimney will need work before we do that.

I should have said that a stove while a great idea isn't just the cost of the stove there is also the cost of the chimney liner which some people don't realise until after they have bought a stove.