New bad, old good?

[Nemesis]

Observer yesterday:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/mar/16/homeimprovements.householdbills

Torygraph today:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/03/17/eahomes117.xml

But - the bulldozers still keep rumbling along...

SAVE Pathfinder report:

http://www.savebritainsheritage.org

Empty Homes Agency:

http://www.emptyhomes.com/

 

[Penners]

Researchers commissioned by the Government-funded Empty Homes Agency compared the amount of carbon dioxide given off in building new homes and in refurbishing old ones.

They found that building a new home emitted four and-a-half times as much carbon dioxide as refurbishing an existing dwelling.

Give me strength... :roll: Surely any schoolchild could have told you that it takes more work/energy/materials to build a new house than to make good an old one.

Meanwhile, how many thousand homes have we lost to the Pathfinder juggernaut? Thanks Mr Prescott. I hope you were a better ship's steward than you were a Minister of State.

Ignorant pig.

 

[Nemesis]

Oh tut Penners - you mustn't be abusive like that on this forum.

I like pigs.

(I assume you weren't referring to moi...)

 

[Penners]

You're absolutely right. That was an insult to pigs, who don't deserve it.

And we may have had our disagreements, but I hope you don't think I would refer to you in those terms!

I was, of course, referring to Tracey Temple's paramour. In place of the word "pig" please substitute any derogatory term you regard as appropriate.

 

[Nemesis]

Hmmm. I think considering some of the things you have said about me, the possibility of being described as an intellectual pigmy and a relative of Ms Piggy was possibly one of the lesser insults? 8)

In fact I am a towering genius and have straight hair, although the weight problem is one which is becoming harder to tackle with the advancing years. Still apparently I am a sad old git with a strange choice of name and these info posts are drivel, according to another poster. The crackling is thick, thankfully. The long memory remains...

 

[wobs]

From the guardian article:

Since new homes are well insulated, they can eventually make up for the large amount of emissions released during their initial construction because of their overall lower energy costs. But it can take several decades - in most cases, more than 50 years - for the figures to eventually balance out. Oliver says that although new-builds can last for more than 50 years, their quality can 'sometimes be poor' and that it is likely that a new-build house will need refurbishing once it gets to that age.

You mean houses can last 50years! Well thats worth it then. :roll:

Reminds me of Eddie Izzard in SF, when he mentioned that a house in Florida had been done up to look as it would look like it 50 years ago! "Surely no one was alive back then."

 

[Penners]

Reminds me of Eddie Izzard in SF, when he mentioned that a house in Florida had been done up to look as it would look like it 50 years ago.

A 50-year-old house in Florida is historic indeed. Most of them have become termite food at a much younger age.

 

[Flyfisher]

All joking aside, where does this 50 year lifespan for a new house come from? Is someone or some body really suggesting that a new house - built to all the latest and greatest building regulations of course - will really only last 50 years? What happens to cause it to be unserviceable after 50 years?

Apart from the basic craziness of such a short lifespan, where is the evidence for it? OK, I know that 60s tower blocks are out of favour for social reasons but they are still habitable aren't they? The vast majority of post-war suburban houses don't seem to be on their last legs either. Much the same for pre-war and Victorian housing, never mind older period properties.

Are we to conclude that house building design and construction standards and practices have receded to the point where we can now only build things to last 50 years? I simply don't believe it!

 

[Penners]

I'm sure you're right. A house can, in effect, last indefinitely - regardless of whether it was built by 17th century craftsmen or Mr 21st century B*vis.

In the end, it surely comes down to the quality of maintenance. The analogy that I quote ad nauseam in this regard is that well-used one about my grandfather's old spade. It's lasted over 100 years - 3 new handles and 2 new blades, but it's still going strong.