One of the things that I was most concerned about when putting the house back together again was the issue of insulation. To a certain extent a lot of the choices were taken out my hands when I decided to strip everything back to bare bricks.
This is where Building Regulations go a little awry. After a conversation with Building Control I was told that I could either put back what I’d taken off I.E. Plaster board to brick. Or if I was going to insulate it, I’d have to satisfy their requirements and use certain types of products with certain properties.
So in a nutshell it’s either all or nothing. Where’s the sense in that? I understand that things need to be done properly but surely any extra insulation is better than putting on none at all? It’s a disincentive to improve what was originally there.
However what with rising fuel prices I decided that it had to be done properly. After having a conversation with the technical department at Isover I was given a series of recommendations. Not only on what products to use but how to actually put it up. They were very helpful.
On all the external walls we used 65mm Thermaline – which is basically a plaster board with insulation stuck onto it. It was secured to 3 by 2 battens that were in turn fixed to the brickwork.
I was also very mindful of the fact that our neighbours have three small children and their crying was audible through the party wall. We used Soundbar Plaster board on top of 3 x 2 battens with acoustic insulation between them. It was immediately effective! I also decided to put acoustic insulation between the joists on every floor as my kids have particularly heavy feet.
With the property insulated to an inch of its life I’m actually quite looking forward to the winter this year. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating as they say.
Isover technical Helpline is 0115 945 1143. www.isover.co.uk
