Draughty dormer bungalow

keatinga

Hi all, we have a Dormer Bungalow..built roughly in 2000...
We bought nearly 3 years ago...
We live in the (wild) West of Ireland -plenty wind...

When we have no wind- doesn’t matter what’s the outside temp -the house feels good but when it’s windy (2degreed or 13 C) it gets cold very fast/draughty...

In winter time we have our solid fuel Rayburn on all day 8am to 9pm
(Backboiler and radiators on)

Insulation
Attic space insulated with lots of earthwool insulation (last year) plus the rafters and sides pumped last year.
The walls dry-lined originally and the cavity pumped with beads ..(before we bought it)
Sealing in hall and kitchen got insulated plaster boards ... last summer.


-in a windy day if there is a gap/crack , electric suckets wind/draught coming through the holes.. I chaulked most myself - wherever I felt draught - under windowsills, around bathroom lights, electric cables Entering the home, around pipes , around windows etc..

New front/back doors.
Windows are not draughty..and their built in vents closed..
We have 2 wall vents(drilled 3yrs ago as the plumber had to do it) -as we have 3 solid fuel stoves put in when we moved in -but they are blocked- with small towels)

In our kitchen we have a stone finished wall - on windy days I feel air coming throug between the rocks... from the height of about 150cm..and above ...not sure how to fix this issue?

looking for some advice ...
Why is there so much air in the cavity?
Where is the wind coming in? Through suffets?
Is there anything we can do about stone wall etc? To stop draughts ?
Maybe take cavity insulation out and refill fully up to the top?
Block the wind entering in the cavity-but how? -I am confused -don’t know what to do -
The air tightness the problem - but don’t know where else /what else to do..

I am not (neither my husband) is a big DIY - so we need to look for a proper professional who can do the jobs -but curious what job should be done to stop draughts....

Sorry for long text! First time here...
Thank you for your time to read ..
Regards, Andrea

_Brian

I expect the draughts your experiencing are coming down between the inside plasterboard and the inner leaf of block.
It’s a common problem down to poor installation.

keatinga

_Brian wrote: »

I expect the draughts your experiencing are coming down between the inside plasterboard and the inner leaf of block.
It’s a common problem down to poor installation.

Hi Brian,

Yes, after hours reading on boards I was thinking the same ...
do you think the insulation in cavity could cause this?
If we were to extract the old beads and replace pump it -do you think would stop the draughts?

listermint

keatinga wrote: »

Hi Brian,

Yes, after hours reading on boards I was thinking the same ...
do you think the insulation in cavity could cause this?
If we were to extract the old beads and replace pump it -do you think would stop the draughts?

No its got nothing to do with your beads.


as above its between the inner leaf and the plasterboard (most likely) which means the top of the inner leaf may be open to elements OR there is a poorly fitted vent somewhere along the walls that just blows air up between the inner leaf and plasterboard.

keatinga

listermint wrote: »

No its got nothing to do with your beads.


as above its between the inner leaf and the plasterboard (most likely) which means the top of the inner leaf may be open to elements OR there is a poorly fitted vent somewhere along the walls that just blows air up between the inner leaf and plasterboard.

Thank you for your answer.
Do you think can we solve this problem?or would it be too difficult/impossible?
Thank you

listermint

Check for vents first and examine them .

Then check the attic space for gaps between the inner leaf and the wall.

Incense candles can show draught direction easily with smoke


Don't smoke them all though bad on the lungs

keatinga

The plumber drilled 4inch holes in 2 rooms ...then he put a brown plastic pipe in that hole- to finish it he used silicone sealant ....to cover up he put a very simple plastic little cover over -same inside and outside...

I shoved kitchen towels in -so there isn't much air coming in..
we didn't have a chance to go up to the attic space yet to have a look at the inner leaf etc...

listermint

Dont block up your vents, They are meant to be there for a purpose!

If he has put in pipe then its generally a decent install because it stops vents going up your walls.

Remove the paper towels, and possibly look at getting someone in to check for aitightness. They can advise you with better knowledge at this point

keatinga

I could not find the top of the walls - as we spray foamed the crawl space there is no draught coming from there ... yet we still have draughts/breeze coming from downstairs walls/skirting etc..

keatinga

MOre pic

BryanF

Andrea
There is no quick fix

Pick a room and Take off all the drylinning- back to block, plaster block and install air-tightness tape to concrete floor, around windows etc. then install insulated plaster slabs, tape & joint and paint.

The only alternative to this through your house is to go with external insulation, care and attention To detailing will be important.

keatinga

Thank you for your suggestions...
Any idea where the wind getting in the ceilings? (3 recess lights in hall -def noticed air coming through there ...plus upstairs -right beside the water tank -beside pipe -following down to the floor -board -big draught coming through ...

whizbang

Is there much of a draught around the space shown in the photographs?
The Earthwool insulation is not airtight and will loose much of its effectiveness with wind blowing through it.

Is your soffits/facia well fitted, or too much ventilation space..

I agree with above drylining, only real answer.

keatinga

Thanks, No draughts at all in that area...as they used spray foam
to make it airtight up there... the air from soffit goes up in the roof behind this
Insulation -if I understood correctly ....

I have a feeling too that the blocks are not plastered behind the plaster boards ...but I still don’t know where it gets in as we sealed the attic ...