Age of my property

[LisaMay]

I will do. I'm back to 1890 at the moment, which was easy enough - I'm not expecting the next bit to be so simple though.

See what I can find out on Monday and will post any information.

Thanks again

Lisa

 

[Gareth Hughes]

http://www.coflein.gov.uk/
Last time I posted this it went to Scotland for some reason, but it should be Wales

 

[Alex]

Thanks Gareth, its back to the Welsh classes for me, its not my fault I'm from Bristol originally !

Alex

 

[Penners]

I'm still trying to pronounce 'obfuscatory sesquipedalianism' after a couple of glasses of the dry white stuff it doesn't seem to come out quite right

Ah - I think I can help, there. Your problem is the couple of glasses of dry white stuff. You need at least an additional four glasses before you attempt a feat like that.

Try it and let us know how you get on.

When you talk about double-glazing, you need to separate two different concepts. There's double-glazing itself - that is twin panes of glass (usually A Good Thing if done properly and sympathetically) - and there's the spawn of the devil known as uPVC window framing. The former will save you fuel and money, and offer a crumb of comfort to our troubled planet. The latter will also save you fuel and money, but will plunge another knife into the suffering planet in its manufacture and (ultimate) disposal.

Of course, neither option is preferable to conserving original windows that are perfectly serviceable.

 

[MatthewC]

I'm still trying to pronounce 'obfuscatory sesquipedalianism' after a couple of glasses of the dry white stuff it doesn't seem to come out quite right

Ah - I think I can help, there. Your problem is the couple of glasses of dry white stuff. You need at least an additional four glasses before you attempt a feat like that.

Try it and let us know how you get on.

Beware of Penners. He's only egging you on, then he'll find an even worse one for you to pronounce!

 

[CatherineB]

Hi Lisa
Loving your thread, so many good questions in one place!
Let us know how you get on with the age research, I think we all would like to know more about the origins of our houses and I certainly wish I had photographs (preferably colour!) of ours from when it was new.
Re double glazing, I would second what others have said so far. If the windows are in good condition, then why remove them? If there is old glass in them you probably don't want to even reglaze the same frames, which is possible. Secondary may well be the way to go, and there are a few experts on here who have successfully done their own DIY secondary double glazing. See Moo's thread, which I will try to bump once I remember what it was called - The Chill Factor, I think!
PS you made me laugh about everyone on PPUK being knowledgeable - if only! (I refer of course to myself :wink: )

 

[JoceAndChris]

I'm in Ceredigion, up in the hills around 18 miles from Aberystwyth. Nearest neighbour is a couple of fields away, which is nice because I love peace and quiet!

I relate a lot to your self imposed isolation - but, it's nice to have another like-minded inmate in the madhouse of PPUKe, you'll find it a warm place. As long as - in theory - you associate cement along with the devil ;o)

 

[AMc]

Here I go again...
Windows. My Dad is all for me having double glazing put in this summer - something I'm not too happy about. I don't want to change the outside of the house anymore than it has already been changed. Any ideas?

Secondary glazing is a good option to retain original windows and improve the warmth - you can also go all the way from DIY fitted perspex upwards to full professional installed units. As long as they seal the window completely they'll make a big difference esp. when it's windy.
The big companies will do you a fair price with all their finance and cashback schemes removed if you stick to your guns and tell them your budget is about 1/3rd of their first few quotes and are prepared to send the rep away empty handed. If you search on secondary glazing you'll find several of us have done this as well as very neat jobs with DIY with magnetic strips, clips and other options.
Don't act in haste, but you can get quotes from Everest etc. for the inconvenience of having their rep in your house for an hour or so and saying "no" a lot
Also be aware that sealing your windows may change the draft of your chimneys - I have a friend with a hebridian house with full storm grade double glazing who has to open his backdoor to get his stove lit though once its going the air vent is enough to keep it safely going

However... if you're using open fires as your heat source a great deal of their heat is going straight up the chimney. You might find that switching to a stove with a flue is much more effective albeit not a particularly cheap option.

P.S. Welcome to the forum!