Monthly Archives: July 2015

Cavity Stud Wall

On the other side of the rotten timber frame is the main bedroom.   It’s a bit dingy in there as the window has been boarded up for the last few weeks.

To avoid too much more inconvenience I’m building new stud walls on the inside before removing the outside wall.   There will be a 25mm ventilated gap between the stud wall and timber frame on the outside wall which will help keep the timber frame dry.  The studwork is 3 by 2 with 75mm Celotex infill.

stud-wall

Exposed beams in the bedroom were plastered fairly recently, presumably mostly in the 1970s when old looking things weren’t fashionable.  The beam on the outside wall was plastered much earlier in lime, and it was this plaster that was holding the wattle and daub infill in place.

hole-in-wall

I don’t like plasterboard but it seemed cheap and convenient and would be at the back of the wardrobe so hardly mattered.  But It’s messy to cut, fiddly to match to oddly shaped walls, there is huge wastage, and the filler sinks and needs doing twice.   Next time I’m going to splash out on lath and plaster.

plasterboard

Installing the stud wall lost 4 to 5 inches of space from the alcoves.  The pole supporting the curtain that hides the wardrobe now has an industrial looking extension to bring it forward of the chimney.

curtain-rail-hanger

Finally, 6 days into a 3 day job, it’s all finished.   The plastic sheet covering the room was very effective at containing the mess.  The room will be decorated properly at some point when we get around to decorating, but I need to remember to rebuild the outside half of the wall first.

completed-wall

Well that was all very boring.   It’s the other side of the wall where the action is going to happen.

wal-rubble

Attic Insulation

The exterior has been progressing well.  Another week of pointing should get it to the point where it can be finished without scaffolding.  The new bay window should arrive soon so I can get on with the front of the house.

It’s raining today which reminded me this is not a restoration project but a building regs change of use project involving insulation throughout the house.   The walls of the attic need to be 100mm Celotex, the pitched roof 140mm Celotex, and the loft space 300mm Earthwool.  Previously the space wasn’t insulated at all so it’s gone from one extreme to the other.

loft-insulation

The Celotex is so thick it can be used as a structural material.   I’ve added a large cupboard on the side of the attic with the walls built with Celotex with the occasional bit of 2×2 where it needed extra stiffening.

roof-cupboard

I don’t believe the insulation spec required by building regs will pay for itself in fuel savings before it is replaced again, but it is forced by legislation.   A lesser insulation spec using natural materials might have been better, but we do not live in environmentally friendly times.