Cold draughty roof

[Penners]

My betting would be that you still spend the same on heating but have a much more comfortable house!

I agree. According to Mrs P's view of the world, there are actually only two temperatures - "nice and warm" and "freezing" (that is, above or below 25 degrees C :roll: ).

Here's hoping the insulation gives you the former!

 

[JoceAndChris]

I like Mrs P's very accurate analysis of the situation.

We now have 300mm of toasty insulation above the bedroom! Lots more to do but it's a start. I can't believe the total lack of insulation now - not to mention doors and windows not even closing properly. I'm sure that with the help of modem products and the invaluable collective wisdom here we can have a winter where I'm not grumbling incessantly about the cold.

 

[philpjuk100]

I agree. According to Mrs P's view of the world, there are actually only two temperatures - "nice and warm" and "freezing" (that is, above or below 25 degrees C :roll: ).

Yes I get "it`s freezing in here,it`s warmer outside!",so I open the windows to let the warmer air in only to be told I`m being silly!

 

[LadyArowana]

I agree. According to Mrs P's view of the world, there are actually only two temperatures - "nice and warm" and "freezing" (that is, above or below 25 degrees C :roll: ).

Yes I get "it`s freezing in here,it`s warmer outside!",so I open the windows to let the warmer air in only to be told I`m being silly!

I am in complete agreement with Mrs P. My pet hate is places that aircon down to about 20 degrees! I almost never run ours during the day, we hover about 27 indoors without it, and that's just about right.

 

[Feltwell]

There are apparently several possible medical reasons why women generally prefer a warmer environment to men.

I don't do heat at all - my idea of a perfect summer day is sunny, about 21 degrees but with a nice cool breeze, and some shade to sit in. Aircon at 20 degrees in a hot country? Sounds nice to me! (Although I have to admit it's not exactly a "green" approach).

How people can claim to love 40 degree plus heat on holidays is beyond me. Anything approaching or above the temperature of your blood just doesn't strike me a good idea to begin with!

 

[tobydog]

Joce - some possible bad news on the cost front. I went into Homebase yesterday to get some more loft insulation. I had earlier bought 7 rolls of the recycled plastic bottles at £3 per roll, however, I was told that it's now gone up to £10. Apparently B&Q have done the same and it's down to £3 just not being profitable to make it worthwhile. They take up a lot of space. I know 7 rolls will not be enough but I'll wait until I run out before I stock up again.

We have a reed thatched roof and it's very draughty. We also have vaulted ceilings with a small loft space above so we actually have more square footage to insulate than a normal flat ceiling house. I was concerned about filling the void between the vaulted ceiling and the thatch due to ventilation issues. The eaves do have loads of ventilation holes that have been blocked off with rockwool insulation and, as the thatch is underlined with felt, two 'master' thatchers have now agreed that filling the void completely with insulation shouldn't be an issue because reed is more than capable of ventilating itself from the outside. I know this is true because I cut a hole in the felt recently on a windy day and there was one hell of a draught. The thatch looked as good as new even on the mossy north side.

I will cut additional holes in the felt to fend off condensation and stick something (not sure what yet) between the insulation and the felt in the void to let some air down there.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Your insulation job sounds even more complicated than ours Toby - good luck with that. I'm sure it's important that ventilation is maintained.

As for the news regarding costs, I would be pleased to find the plastic bottle stuff at £10 a roll. We bought the recycled glass stuff in the end, for the room we've just done, as it was only £3 a roll and nothing else was available. I didn't have any luck on the Internet either - just lots of difficult websites and ringing phone numbers to find the companies didn't stock it any more or didn't get back to me. Anyway it doesn't really suit us to pay big bills for all the materials at once as we've had a lot of expense recently, but £3,or £10, here and there can be afforded out of my egg sales! I expect we'll have insulated the whole building just as the mild spring weather arrives...

The glass stuff was pretty nasty on the day but I'm not having any breathing problems now.

I haven't been to Homebase yet so will go there today - thanks.

 

[tobydog]

I suppose I was just being mean and tight. £10 isn't that bad when you compare it to the fancy wrapped up blanket stuff but that's only really practical in an old house as the final top covering. Sheeps wool just wasn't in the budget.

I'm afraid my 3 girls will never supply enough eggs even to pay for their own keep let alone the house. Only one is laying at the moment and she was the last to start. The other 2 are now taking liberties. They are probably holding out until I insulate their house!!

 

[LadyArowana]

I'm afraid my 3 girls will never supply enough eggs even to pay for their own keep let alone the house. Only one is laying at the moment and she was the last to start. The other 2 are now taking liberties. They are probably holding out until I insulate their house!!

If they have spoken to Joce's chickens then they are unlikely to be satisfied with just a bit of old insulation. They will want undercoop heating, some lovely curtains and a co-ordinated colour scheme for the outside of the house.

 

[Penners]

:roll:

 

[tobydog]

Penners may roll his eyes, however, the house was painted two-tone within hours of it arriving (not my doing) and they do have curtains albeit black plastic ones cut into strips to separate the roost area from the laying boxes. I'm plugging all the gaps at the moment in light of our impending ice age. We don't close the house door because they are in a large enclosed pen so they will probably freak out when we have to. Draughts and chickens are not good apparently.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Another chicken-keeper, eggcellent. Your girls do sound very spoiled Toby - and don't worry about them not earning their keep, as how do you put a price on all their lovely fluffy funsomeness? My chickens are the best thing this house has had installed.

I really must do some insulating in their houses - ideally I'd dry line and wallpaper. (with large perspex sheets screwed onto at risk areas.)

Here's their latest house:

(It still needs the Vanessa Arbuthnott curtains and the bespoke nesting boxes and the faux rustication)

I wouldn't worry about shutting the pop hole Toby - they like it. Draughts are bad.

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm afraid I can't begin to compete with the avarian luxury described above though I can confirm that our hens are closed up at night and it doesn't seem to upset them at all. However, we do close the window shutter in the evening because we dont rise at dawn (or anywhere near it in my case!) in time to let them out as the sun rises. At first, I thought this might upset their biorhythms but it doesn't seem to - at least, it doesn't upset them enough to disrupt their egg-laying.

But for those who worry about such things, technology can come to the rescue: http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/acatalog/Automatic_Door_Openers.html
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if there are web-enabled versions available these days, complete with a suitable iPhone app of course, and webcams for keeping a watch on them while on holiday. :lol:

 

[skier-hughes]

ours are shut up at night with window shutter closed, to stop them from disturbing campers. Ours also come out anytime between 7.30 - very rarely to around 9am depends when I get up!!!

 

[tobydog]

I can promise you Joce, if I gave preference to upgrading the chicken house before our own house, I would end up living in it!! The lady of our house would not be amused even though she loves the girls.

Unfortunately your chicken house picture didn't come out but I certainly have a very clear idea of what I would see!! We'll try closing the door tonight so hopefully they will behave. They were out this morning by 6.45 when I went to work.

Flyfisher - you jest, however, if you can open curtains,turn lights on/off and set the heating levels in your own house by phone already, this would open up a whole new world for chickens. Joce - start budgeting!

 

[Penners]

how do you put a price on all their lovely fluffy funsomeness?

That's easy - on average about £2 a lb.

 

[Feltwell]

We stopped with friends recently who are lucky enough to have a huge garden, with chickens. The chickens in question live overnight in an old caravan - not sure if the chickens bothered with planning permission, by the way. Said friends, and chickens for that matter, are quite New Agey so no posh curtains or frilly stuff for these hens.

Anyhow, said chickens are quite obedient and with the exception of 1 independent soul who likes to roost in a tree, they all troop in the caravan before sundown and settle in for the night. My friend now has the most wonderful Heath Robinson device to close the door automatically and keep them safe until he gets home from work - a timer, rigged up to a transformer, rigged up to an old cordless drill which then winds in a piece of string and shuts the door. There's a microswitch on the door to stop the drill when it's shut and even a homemade clutch mechanism in case any dopey chicken doesn't get out of the way of the very slowly closing door in time.

Plans are afoot for a more sophisticated photocell triggered system, rather than just a timer. I've been roped in to help think of a way of automating the door opening in the morning as well, plans are afoot....

 

[Penners]

I've been roped in to help think of a way of automating the door opening in the morning

Here's a design that'll solve your problem. My invoice is in the post.

 

[Feltwell]

I know this is true because I cut a hole in the felt recently on a windy day and there was one hell of a draught. The thatch looked as good as new even on the mossy north side.

I will cut additional holes in the felt to fend off condensation and stick something (not sure what yet) between the insulation and the felt in the void to let some air down there.

Not convinced that's a great idea. OK, my roofing knowledge is much more with tiles and slates rather than thatch, but the felt under it is there for a reason - to intercept any water that does get through - and whilst it might not be doing anything now, in a few years time when your thatch is bit tired then it may be!

No one really uses impermeable felt any more, breathable roofing membranes have taken over. But, if that's what you've got, rather than cutting holes in it if you want to get some ventilation past it then why not put some wooden wedges - or even better, a small rolled up wedge of roofing felt, no hard edges then - in between the overlaps in the felt to open them up a bit?

That way you you get some air through the resulting gaps, but any water won't find it's way in.

 

[Feltwell]

I've been roped in to help think of a way of automating the door opening in the morning

Here's a design that'll solve your problem. My invoice is in the post.

That's only fractionally more outlandish than some of the ideas we came up with Penners - ideas devised whilst drinking beer round a campfire in said garden, which is as fine a place for the creative juices to get flowing as any known to man

Wasn't there an inventor of wacky machines called something like Emmett? I must be spelling it wrong - the Great God of Google doesn't come up with anything.