Home improvements

gygabyte

Hello,

I have bought a second hand house 3 years ago and I got an engineer's survey done at the time.
There were a few recommendations to be done regarding soffit ventilation, attic/loft insulation and upstairs rooms' ventilation.

I got in some insulation specialists for quotes, but all they want is their grants and what not...

I don't want to do a lot of work or apply for grants, but just what the engineer has recommended

Could anyone recommend any builders or tradesman for this type of job?

I live in Galway area

Thanks

BryanF

‘Insulation specialists’, You mean installers?

If the engineer report isn’t detailed enough for pricing (which it shouldn’t/won’t be). Then Suggest getting an engineer/arch to spec things and then get 3 builders to price.

lemonkey

gygabyte wrote: »

Hello,

I have bought a second hand house 3 years ago and I got an engineer's survey done at the time.
There were a few recommendations to be done regarding soffit ventilation, attic/loft insulation and upstairs rooms' ventilation.

I got in some insulation specialists for quotes, but all they want is their grants and what not...

I don't want to do a lot of work or apply for grants, but just what the engineer has recommended

Could anyone recommend any builders or tradesman for this type of job?

I live in Galway area

Thanks

Got a 4-bed semi-D done for €1,450 incl. the grant as they looked after every bit of the grant themselves.

They were our second cheapest price but we opted with them because the other contractors wanted the grant money on top of their quote and we would've had to apply and wait for the grant to come through after the works were complete.

The works included:

Ventilation to all rooms
Soffit ventilation
Attic 300mm insulation
Cavity pumped throughout
BER cert

Which includes nearly everything you listed. Anyway, where I'm going with this is look for an installer who will look after the grant for you if you don't want to be worrying about it.

gygabyte

lemonkey wrote: »

Got a 4-bed semi-D done for €1,450 incl. the grant as they looked after every bit of the grant themselves.

They were our second cheapest price but we opted with them because the other contractors wanted the grant money on top of their quote and we would've had to apply and wait for the grant to come through after the works were complete.

The works included:

Ventilation to all rooms
Soffit ventilation
Attic 300mm insulation
Cavity pumped throughout
BER cert

Which includes nearly everything you listed. Anyway, where I'm going with this is look for an installer who will look after the grant for you if you don't want to be worrying about it.

Thanks. I live in a 5 bedroom 210sqm detached house.

I have two quotes:
- 3000 euro, grant included as you say, attic insulation, soffit vents, cavity, BER..
- other is 4450 euro, I have to apply for the grant, but the approach in the attic is completely different with 2l2 foil on the rafters.. sounds suspicious to me, but I am no expert.

either of them looks too expensive to me and priced up. that's why I say all they want is their grant money.. I am not getting any value at all

lemonkey

gygabyte wrote: »

Thanks. I live in a 5 bedroom 210sqm detached house.

I have two quotes:
- 3000 euro, grant included as you say, attic insulation, soffit vents, cavity, BER..
- other is 4450 euro, I have to apply for the grant, but the approach in the attic is completely different with 2l2 foil on the rafters.. sounds suspicious to me, but I am no expert.

either of them looks too expensive to me and priced up. that's why I say all they want is their grant money.. I am not getting any value at all

210m2 detached - there you go. That's almost twice the size of my house and an extra gable end (semi-D vs detached).

Double the price seems about right, unfortunately.

Get more quotes though, it's the only way to know if you're getting good value. But make sure they include a BER test & cert, otherwise it'll cost you another 80 quid afterwards. But I think any contractor looking after the grant for you will automatically offer the BER cert as they won't be able to apply for the grant otherwise.

Check Galway related forums on facebook and search ''insulation''. There'll be people asking about it and people recommending companies. Get a quote off all of them.

Biker1

€80 for a post works BER. Try three times that for a detached 210m2 house.

gygabyte

Biker1 wrote: »

€80 for a post works BER. Try three times that for a detached 210m2 house.

Yes, around 250 for the BER.

The vents on the rooms don’t have the required diameter to meet the regulations. So I am also concerned if the extra insulation might give me troubles with condensation. Also the attic needs multiple vents on the soffit but they might fit a few just to tick the box...

I asked directly if this can be a problem and the answer is if you didn’t have problems before you won’t have with extra insulation.... I live on a very exposed area where wind and rain can be vicious on any direction. Also very close to the Corrib lake... it could be the cavity was left empty for a reason but they won’t tell me that....

I might need to think this through before getting into trouble....

One of quotes mentions 75mm cavity. Maybe is not even worth it

lemonkey

gygabyte wrote: »

Yes, around 250 for the BER.

The vents on the rooms don’t have the required diameter to meet the regulations. So I am also concerned if the extra insulation might give me troubles with condensation. Also the attic needs multiple vents on the soffit but they might fit a few just to tick the box...

I asked directly if this can be a problem and the answer is if you didn’t have problems before you won’t have with extra insulation.... I live on a very exposed area where wind and rain can be vicious on any direction. Also very close to the Corrib lake... it could be the cavity was left empty for a reason but they won’t tell me that....

I might need to think this through before getting into trouble....

One of quotes mentions 75mm cavity. Maybe is not even worth it

How old is the house? If it was built pre-2006 it might be worth getting it.

Check the cavity width yourself. Go and open the ESB box and look in the hole where the wire comes into the press from the cavity. You also might be able see what type and how much existing insulation is in it.

Maybe it's a 150mm cavity and 75mm is also insulated, leaving 75mm left to be filled as per the quote?

gygabyte

lemonkey wrote: »

How old is the house? If it was built pre-2006 it might be worth getting it.

Check the cavity width yourself. Go and open the ESB box and look in the hole where the wire comes into the press from the cavity. You also might be able see what type and how much existing insulation is in it.

Maybe it's a 150mm cavity and 75mm is also insulated, leaving 75mm left to be filled as per the quote?

It was built in 1994. Most likely there is something there and the 75 mm gap. But the house also has dry lining so that’s why I question the value of putting more insulation there.

Like I said these guys come with their grant offers... I don’t care about grants, I want to do what suits me and my house, not what suits a grant and contractors....

MicktheMan

gygabyte wrote: »

I want to do what suits me and my house, ....

Then surely your first port of call is to find out "what suits you / your house". Using a pre-purchase survey report is not, imo, the place to start. Nor is to get the advice of an insulation "salesman".
Given the information you have already supplied, I'm predicting that you won't see much improvement for your money. Adding insulation to a 1994 build with internal drylining will have little to no effect on heat loss.
You need to have the house tested by someone experienced and independent.
Btw, your instincts are right about the grants and the companies pushing them in the absence of a proper in-depth survey

monseiur

gygabyte wrote: »

Yes, around 250 for the BER.

The vents on the rooms don’t have the required diameter to meet the regulations. So I am also concerned if the extra insulation might give me troubles with condensation. Also the attic needs multiple vents on the soffit but they might fit a few just to tick the box...

I asked directly if this can be a problem and the answer is if you didn’t have problems before you won’t have with extra insulation.... I live on a very exposed area where wind and rain can be vicious on any direction. Also very close to the Corrib lake... it could be the cavity was left empty for a reason but they won’t tell me that....

I might need to think this through before getting into trouble....

One of quotes mentions 75mm cavity. Maybe is not even worth it

Your current vents size may not meet the regulations, but, as you're on an exposed location they may be too big. I know of house on exposed sites and they had to stuff the vents with paper/rags to keep the wind out, a gale outside seemed like a hurricane inside.....and they have remained blocked up all year around. Not saying it's correct or legal by the way.