03/03/14 - How to best tackle condensation

How many of you suffer from condensation in your home?! We all know how annoying it can be to wake up to dripping  windows especially at this time of year. The reason it tends to be worse in the winter is because the home may not be kept as well ventilated, if left condensation can lead to mould growth which nobody wants in their home!

We get alot of questions about how best to tackle this issue and the best way is to make sure your home is properly ventilated. The best way to do this is by fitting a Heat Recovery Ventilation System. Where warm, damp air meets cold surfaces water vapour condenses. This collects as condensation on walls, tiles and windows, slowly changing to black mould. A typical family home of 4 people produces up to 18 litres of moisture a day just by breathing, washing and cooking!

A Heat Recovery Ventilation System works by removing the damp warm air on a continuous basis and replacing it with filtered air, there is less water vapour present in the indoor atmosphere to create condensation. Without damp surfaces, black mould does not grow and the cycle is broken. Sounds simple well it really is.

There are other things you can be doing whilst waiting for your system to be fitted :)

• Leave heating on a low temperature for longer periods of time, as condensation often forms whilst your heating is off.
• Dry clothes in a tumble dryer - drying clothes in the home puts lots of moisture in the air.
• Hang thick curtains on windows.
• Make sure your carpet has a good underlay.
• Wipe excess water from the windows away.

All these will help but the best way to get rid of condensation altogether is by fitting a Heat Recovery Ventilation System.

This is what our customer, Mr Kwan, said about his MVHR system 12 months after installation...

"We no longer have any condensation problems, cooking smells are very quickly removed from our new open plan ground floor kitchen. The cloakroom with no window always smells fresh, stale smells banished forever and no noisy extractor fans in any of the bathrooms.  The house generally feels much fresher to live in. I definitely notice how stuffy other people’s houses are that do not have some form of mechanical ventilation. I don’t think that I could live in a property without it anymore having experienced the difference that it makes."

If you suffer from black mould and condensation why not send us your plans and we will show you the best way to get rid of these issues once and for all!

In the meantime read how these happy customers eradicated condensation in their homes.

17/02/2014 How to Self Build on a low budget

Following on from the previous blog top tips for self build this weeks blog is top tips for building your own property on a budget.

Build it have come up with a great list of dos and don'ts to building on a low budget, which we had to share with you! Self build is after all a great way to achieve your perfect home (and a very affordable option!) We thought their list gave fantastic tips to all you budding self builders out there!

1. The simpler the design the better, this is in terms of construction and shape. You may then have money left for luxury items.
2. Make sure you are well prepared. Research and plan well ahead of time, you will then have time to negiotiate deals.
3. Consider new routes to building your home, such as custom build and other council or developer led schemes.
4. Manage your project yourself you will need to devote alot of time to the project but you will save a fortune on fees.
   
5. Negotiate when bulk buying materials eg for a kitchen or bathroom. Consider ex display models or buy in the sales.
6. Ask for professional help when needed. Design is key and it may seem like you are paying a lot but you get what you pay for.
7. Don't forget about running costs. Putting your money towards making sure your home is as well insulated and airtight as possible will save you in the long run. Your home will take less to heat which will mean it's cheaper to run. Consider Heat Recovery Ventilation, Triple glazing and loft insulation.
8. DIY is not always cheaper especially if you need to pay for someone to fix the mess you have caused as well as the time taken! Unless you have skills, pay a professional.
9. If you budget is limited don't test out new technology which many contractors may not have heard of. This will delay your project and cost you money.
10. Don't buy a plot without planning permission just because it is cheap. If a plot has not got permission usually it has no hope of gaining it. From a sellers perspective it only costs a couple of hundred pounds but makes the land so much more desirable potentially making them thousands of extra pounds!

04/02/14 Top tips for building your dream home

When you think of self builders you probably think of affluent middle aged people who let their projects go on for months and well over budget.

At the moment the average project costs about a quarter of a million pounds, which for most first time buyers isn't a possibility.

The market needs to be opened up to the younger market and one possibility according to Ted Stevens, chair of the National Self Build Association is group schemes where you can all share the expense and the burden. Securing the land and trying to get planning permission are two very big obstacles.

The government is trying to encourage self build or 'custom build' as it's now known by coming up with various schemes. But before self build is commonplace in the UK access to land and finance needs to improve.

Ted Stevens,chair of the National Self Build Association has come up with ten top tips for self builders.

1. Research - read through lots of articles, visit exhibitions and talk to other self builders find out their struggles.
2. See what you can do yourself and what you will need help with. Don't try and do it all yourself, this will cost you in the long run.
3. Set a realistic budget,don't set it too high or low, work out what you can afford.
4. Use the Self Build Portal to work out where you'd like to build. It tells you about construction costs in different parts of the UK.
5. Try and get your plot before it has gone on the open market, look at google earth and the Land Registry.
6. If you don't have much budget try teaming up with others, this could save you 40% of the cost of doing it by yourself. You will also have a great support team too.
7. Think plot first, house design second not the other way round. The house design should reflect the plot by making the most of the views etc. Also don't decide on the construction method until you have a plot.
8. Once the design has been decided, go to a large flat open space and draw it out full scale to see if the layout would really work.
9. Don't accept the first quote for anything, shop around. You could save thousands of pounds by negotiating.
10. Go for space that is well insulated by investing in the fabric of your home, walls and roofs are relatively cheap to build. Don't waste money on fancy gadgets and expensive fittings around the home.

Happy building!

09/01/14 Top tips for saving money in 2014

This winter is set to be another cold one. Low temperatures, combined with rising gas and electricity prices, mean that more homeowners are looking at ways to save money on their heating bills. Here are our top tips:

Turn off lights and appliances when not in use

Sounds obvious I know but the amount of people who leave their TV’s on standby at night and when they go out, it could save you between £50-£85 per year. That could go towards that special meal out or even help to pay for next Christmas!

Insulation

Keep those pesky draughts away! This is still one of the most effective ways to reduce heat loss in your home. The best way to find out whether your home is adequately insulated is to check to see if there is any insulation in the loft. If there isn’t, then make sure you get some fitted as the Energy Saving Trust estimate that insulating an un-insulated loft could save you around £175 a year and reduce your carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions too.

Switch to low energy lightbulbs

This is a really easy step and they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, using one could, according to The Energy Saving Trust, save you around £55 per year.

Air Tightness

Any cold air coming through draughts and cracks in your home is displacing warm air you've just paid for. Improving the air tightness of your home could save you hundreds of pounds annually. Air tightness is basically covering up leakage points in your home so the cold air can't get in. Drop methods such as trickle vents and open fires in favour of a Heat Recovery Ventilation System and tripled glazed windows.

Heat Recovery Ventilation

If you want your home to be airtight you need some form of ventilation. Heat Recovery Ventilation works by supplying and extracting air throughout your home continuously, it replaced stale air with fresh outside air. You will also be pleased to hear it will save you money on your heating bills as less fuel is require for general heating as it’s reusing the warmed air produced within the home!

Turn down your thermostat

Another obvious one but even turning down your thermostat by a barely noticeable 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent and typically save you around £60 per year. Also, if you have a programmer, set your heating and hot water to come on only when required rather than all the time. Don’t have your home too cold or this could cause health issues, a healthy 18 °C is recommended.

Check your windows

It doesn’t get much simpler than this, but closing curtains is really effective and acts as another barrier to prevent heat escaping. If you do still feel a draught, it might be time to consider replacing your windows for modern, energy efficient alternatives.

Here’s to a more energy efficient and healthy 2014!