trickle vents

[vicky whitworth]

Hello, we have planning permission and agreed building regs to build an extension. Building is not listed. We are due to start the ground works in July and I'm afraid it's going to be an all modern construction. I have noticed that the document submitted by our architect and approved by building control includes trickle vents and fascia boards with insect mesh. I'm allergic to trickle vents which are just about the most ugly invention of all time, and I don't want fascia boards. Can anyone give me some advice about the case I might put to building control to get their agreement? Many thanks.

 

[skier-hughes]

Although I believe trickle vents are optional, your biggest problem is that BC has passed your plans with them, which may mean re-submitting plans. Should have checked this one first, before sending and discussed with architect. May just be best to leave them out and see if anyone notices

 

[MdB]

You need some form of ventilation in the room. Old houses had drafts everywhere so specific ventilation wasn't required. New houses can be almost air tight so ventilation is required. Normal method is trickle vents in the windows but I believe other forms of ventilation are perfectly acceptable. I doubt BC would be too fussy about where you have ventilation as long as you have enough to meet the regs somewhere.

(If you have any form of openfire / boiler etc then suitable ventilation is a must as otherwise there is a big danger of carbon monoxide generation.)

 

[chuckey]

If you don't want fascia boards, what are you going to fasten the gutters on to? My victorian house has fascia boards. In fact the only houses I have ever seen that do not have fascia boards are poorly built stone cottages where the gutters are mounted on flying brackets sticking out of the stone work. They always go rusty and look nasty. Another alternative is to turn a building stone every yard or so to make a support for the gutter, but you need a very heavy gutter (wood or lead), because there are no fixings for the gutter and you don't want it to blow away.
Frank

 

[Nemesis]

You mean drive-in spikes in poor quality stone cottages such as this one? 8)

 

[Nemesis]

Or this?

 

[Lime]

Although I believe trickle vents are optional, your biggest problem is that BC has passed your plans with them, which may mean re-submitting plans. Should have checked this one first, before sending and discussed with architect. May just be best to leave them out and see if anyone notices

Or you could just screw the trickle vents on without making the holes through the frames.
Then, after the paperwork has arrived, take them off.

 

[Nemesis]

More of those rusty drive in spikes on poor quality stone:

 

[Ian Bond]

Or like on my pile of rubble / money pit - lead gutters on a projecting stone course:

 

[biffvernon]

Period properties round my part of the world, mostly brick, don't have fascia boards.

 

[vicky whitworth]

You're all stars. Great idea on the trickle vents which I'm going to go with. Those pics show exactly what I mean. Round here poor, rubble stone cottages don't have fascias (also no fascia = no rot and re-painting) and my builder seems to know how to build the extension without them so I'm hoping Building Control can live with that. Thank you for your advice.

 

[Ian Bond]

Hi Vicky

Did you come across this thread?

(May need to scroll down a bit to Gareth Hughes' response)

http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9026&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=trickle&start=15

Not sure whether you're thinking of casement of sliding sash windows, but Mr Hughes had a cunning plan for when trickle vents were required....

 

[vicky whitworth]

Hi Ian, I like a cunning plan and the link is really helpful. Thank you. This house has plenty of ventilation without the need for trickle vents. I call them doors, windows and cat flaps that don't fit.

 

[Ian Bond]

Pleased to hear it!

But it's not that they don't fit properly, rather they are brilliantly designed to provide the right amount of ventilation without having to have trickle vents.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it