Installing external wall insulation (EWI) can be a great solution for keeping your home warmer, as well as helping to lower energy bills and improve sustainability credentials. And while most installations go without a hitch and problems are rare, there are some elements to retrofitting EWI that could cause complications. so what can go wrong? We outline the possible external wall insulation problems to be aware of.

External wall insulation problems

‘If you put external wall insulation on the outside of a house then you will be getting a thermal upgrade, but remember that these buildings were not originally designed to have it,’ says Will Kirkman, Managing Director at Ecomerchant. The secret to making sure your existing property will cope with retrofitted EWI comes down to thorough research alongside an experienced and proven installer.

Here are five external wall insulation problems to avoid so you can ensure success.

1. Moisture build-up inside the house

Traditionally built properties were designed to breathe in a way that allowed water vapour to escape through the walls. Wrapping this kind of house with insulation will cut down draughts, which should be a positive thing. But if it’s done poorly, this could also reduce ventilation and air movement, and may even form a barrier that locks moisture in the living spaces. The long-term result: damp and mould.

Image credit: Future PLC/ Liam Clarke

‘Before you make any changes to a property, you need to understand the balance of how you use and heat it, and how that will change once you’ve adding insulation. Things can get worse if a house is shifted out of balance,’ says Will Kirkman at Ecomerchant.

It might be that additional ventilation needs to be added to the house to help keep things in balance. Using vapour-open insulation materials that preserve the breathability of the building fabric is a great solution – namely natural products such as wood fibre. ‘Vapour open before must be vapour open after,’ says Will Kirkman. An expert with a proven track record of working with your building type will be able to advise on the best solution for your unique home. 

2. The wrong wall finish

Following on from the above point, if you’re upgrading an older property with EWI, then it’s not just the insulation that needs to stay vapour-open. There’s no point investing in wood fibre and then covering it over with an inappropriate material like conventional sand-and-cement render. Lime render is a breathable option that could suit this kind of external wall insulation project. Remember: every layer added to the wall should complement the others.

Sometimes modern insulation products and external finishes can be the right solution, even for heritage walls. But this needs extremely careful design by an experienced specialist, as it might involve changing the wall from a breathable wall to a non-permeable wall. Consider cavity wall insulation to provide the best insulation for your home.

3. Planning permission challenges for EWI

Image credit: Future PLC/ Douglas Gibb

Even though adding external wall insulation to a house involves making changes to the external appearance of the building, it does generally fall within permitted development (PD). This means you don’t always need to apply for formal planning permission to add EWI to your house. However, PD rules are not applicable for every home. For instance, they don’t apply in locations where there are planning restrictions, such as conservation areas or listed buildings. 

EWI is generally installed to improve energy performance in solid wall homes, which are more common in traditionally-built, pre-1920 houses. This kind of property may have heritage value, so the local planners might not be keen for you to change their appearance. 

The best thing to do is check that an external wall insulation installation is allowed . Going ahead without such confirmation could result in costly fines or even a removal order. Pre-application advice is one option; or you can apply for a lawful development certificate. If it turns out that you can’t install EWI, then internal insulation could be your best bet.

4. Difficulty insulating around windows and doors

Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo

The frames and reveals at window and doors can pose a challenge for external wall insulation. Leave them uninsulated, and you’ll be creating cold bridges. As the name suggests, these provide a pathway for useful warmth inside the home to escape across the insulated envelope. This can drastically reduce your newly insulated home’s energy efficiency.

Gaps in insulation will also lead to drastic temperature differentials, which can cause condensation to form where warm internal air hits the cold section of wall – ultimately leading to damp and mould issues.

The problem is that window and door frames in traditional homes can be quite narrow. This makes it difficult to treat the reveals (the recessed side walls that join a window/door to the main facade) with standard external wall insulation.

You could switch to super-thin insulation for your property’s window and door reveals, which can achieve the desired performance in profiles as slim as 10mm. The right solution for your home will be decided during the pre-installation survey.

5. Installation mistakes

Image credit: Future PLC

All the above underline the importance of employing an experienced company to design and install the right external wall insulation for your property. 

There are lots of avoidable problems that you could face if you use an inexperienced installer. Such as incorrect fixings used to hold the insulation in place, issues around the depth of roof overhangs and more. Remember that your property is unique and needs a thorough assessment before any work is done. This will ensure your external wall insulation works as it should and you can reap the benefits of a cosy, efficient home. 

‘Issues with retrofit insulation are extremely uncommon and installers approved by industry bodies have to install approved systems to industry technical best practice in order to be issued with a guarantee, which will protect the homeowner,’ says Nigel Donohue, CEO at the Insulation Assurance Authority. The IAA has a list of regional approved installers on its website.

The post External wall insulation problems – what can go wrong? appeared first on Ideal Home.

There’s literally thousands of home loans available to borrowers who are trying to get on the property ladder, so which are the best first-time buyer mortgages?

The good news is that interest rates remain low, despite the increase in the Bank of England’s base rate in February from 0.25% to 0.5%. But best doesn’t always mean cheapest.

As inflation rises to 5.4%, household budgets are under pressure so you might prefer the stability of a long-term fixed rate or a low-deposit mortgage that requires less savings.

That’s why, with almost 3,000 mortgage deals open to first-time buyers according to finance experts Moneyfacts, it’s worth shopping around before choosing your first mortgage.

Aaron Strutt of mortgage broker Trinity Financial says: ‘If you only approach one or two lenders when you’re looking for a mortgage deal you could miss out on the cheapest rate, the most generous income stretches or a greater choice of medium and long-term fixed rates.’

Some banks and building societies offer first-time buyers or professionals a mortgage that is 5.5 times their annual salary to boost their buying power. Some lenders offer even more.

Lenders also offer a range of low or no deposit deals, fee-free options, cashback incentives and mortgage terms of up to 40 years if you want to keep your monthly repayments low.

‘The bank of mum and dad has been busier than ever but there are other guarantor options such as a joint borrower, sole proprietor arrangement to explore,’ explains Aaron. ‘Parents join first-time buyers on the mortgage but they are not added to the title deeds of the property.’

Here’s a round-up of the best first-time buyer mortgages:

Yorkshire Building Society – first-time buyer exclusive

• Rate – 2.36%
• Type – fixed rate
• Duration – two years
• Minimum deposit – 5%
• Mortgage fee – £995

The society offers a free valuation and £250 cash back when the mortgage completes. If you want to repay the loan early penalties will apply. Overpayments of your mortgage are restricted to 10% of your balance each year.

Santander – residential mortgage range

• Rate – 1.64%
• Type – fixed rate
• Duration – two years
• Minimum deposit – 10%
• Mortgage fee £999

With a 10% deposit, first-time buyers can lock into a low fixed rate for two years. The deal comes with Santander’s Homebuyer Solution package which offers a free standard valuation and £250 cash back on completion. Penalties apply if you repay within two years.

Nationwide Building Society – Helping Hand range

• Rate – 2.49%
• Type – fixed rate
• Duration – five years
• Minimum deposit – 10%
• Mortgage fee – £995

First-time buyers can borrow up to 5.5 times their salary. Ten-year fixed rate deals are available along with fee-free options. Self-employed borrowers are excluded. Free valuation and £500 cash back on completion. Mortgage term of up to 40 years allowed. Early repayment fees apply.

HSBC – sub 1% for deposit-rich buyers

• Rate – 1.24%
• Type – tracker mortgage
• Duration – two years
• Minimum deposit – 40%
• Mortgage fee £999

No early repayment charges apply. The mortgage rate is 0.74% more than the Bank of England base rate, currently 0.5% – so you pay 1.24%. If the base rate rises, so does your mortgage rate.

Metro Bank – joint borrower, sole proprietor

• Rate – 2.09%
• Type – fixed rate
• Duration – two years
• Minimum deposit – 25%
• Mortgage fee – £999

Add immediate family members to your application to boost your borrowing power. Everyone named on the mortgage is liable for the debt but the extra applicants are not named as owners of the property. Overpayments of 20% a year are allowed penalty free.

Barclays – Family Springboard

• Rate – 3.7%
• Type – fixed
• Duration – five years
• Minimum deposit – 0%
• Mortgage fee – £0

Family Springboard is a guarantor mortgage. Family or friends must deposit the equivalent of 10% of the purchase price of your property into a Barclays savings account which is locked away for five years. If you keep up to date with your payments for five years, your helpers get their savings back with interest. A 35-year mortgage term is available. Early repayment charges apply.

Image credit: Future PLC/ Robert Sanderson

How to find the best first-time buyer mortgage rates

You can search online for the best first-time buyer mortgage rates using a price comparison website. By submitting basic details such as your annual salary, credit commitments and the value of your deposit you’ll find out how much you can spend on a house and which lenders are offering the cheapest deals.

You can also use an online mortgage broker. After completing an online questionnaire and a credit check you’ll be sent a list of mortgage deals with the cheapest rates tailored to your circumstances.

Or you can ask a traditional mortgage broker to search for the best deals on your behalf. After a phone call or face-to-face interview they will select the best deals for your circumstances rather than just the lowest rates.

The post Best first time buyer mortgages on offer: February 2022 appeared first on Ideal Home.

After having their son, the owners of this 1920s semi had outgrown their two bedroom terraced home in Linthwaite near Huddersfield. It was on a main road, but their ideal house was a semi or detached home on a quieter street with parking and a garden.

When the couple moved in, the kitchen felt disjointed with not enough storage and the bathroom carpet had to go Most of the walls were beige, which wasn’t to the owner’s taste. They’ve since added a new downstairs loo, replaced the family bathroom and updated the existing kitchen, as well as re-rendering the exterior. Every room’s been redecorated – so it’s an eclectic mix of dark cosy tones with pops of colour and pattern.

The kitchen

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

There wasn’t much storage in the kitchen when the couple first moved in. Despite being a a big room, there was one pine wall cupboard, which looked more like a bathroom cabinet, and a peg rail all around the room. With no blinds, it felt very bare and the couple wanted to make it more of an entertaining space.

Lockdown created the perfect opportunity to re-think the space. Rather than ripping out the kitchen and starting again, they bought an island unit, re-painted the existing base units in blue, swapped the handles and added new shelves. To make it feel like new, they also sanded down the worktops and re-varnished them. The mustard kitchen splashback idea and some blinds make it feel cosy and warm.

The kitchen details

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

The home owner painted this charity shop dresser the same as the kitchen units and new IKEA island. The previous owners had a big black American fridge, but the retro look of this design from Appliance World fits in much better.

The dining area

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

The dining area is kept simple and stylish. Three clear lights from Wayfair aren’t too in your face. They work well with the industrial table and bench from eBay.

The living room

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

The living room has a really big window so it can take darker colours. ‘It was initially painted pale grey, then navy blue, which was too dark for my husband, but not dark enough for me,’ says the owner. ‘Eventually I told him I’d ordered some paint but didn’t say what colour and sent him out for the day while I got decorating with an off black colour. Luckily he liked it when I’d put all the furniture back. I’d love to wallpaper the ceiling too, but I’d probably be crossing a line there!’

The living room detail

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

The living room wall art idea started with a round picture of some hydrangeas the owner found in a charity shop. It set the tone for different shapes and sizes, mixed with the odd 3D element.

The hallway

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

The hallway was a naturally dark space so the owners didn’t want to go totally black in there. Instead they painted it dark green and the bannister black with a gorgeous hallway wallpaper idea up the stairs.

The bathroom

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

The dated 1980s bathroom got ripped out a year after moving in. It had a carpet, bath panel and separate shower cubicle so felt a bit cramped. The colour scheme is very simple with white tiles and dark walls, but the floor tiles from Tiles Direct give it a lift.

As it’s not a massive space, this bathroom renovation idea needed careful planning. Having considered a bath under the window, it would’ve been costly to move all the pipes. In the end, they kept the loo in the same spot and installed a freestanding bath with a shower and curtain, which meant there was more room for storage at the end. Getting rid of the separate shower made the space feel bigger.

The master bedroom

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

The one room that never really got that loving touch was the master bedroom, as it was put on the back burner by the couple. However, during lockdown the couple decided to create a feature wall behind the bed. With some careful calculations and the help of some engineering software, the pieces of wood were cut to size at B&Q, fixed to the wall and painted in a colour match of Farrow & Ball’s Blue Black.

The starting point for the colour scheme was a gorgeous pink velvet bedspread with an Art Deco feel, which led to pastel accessories that work well against the dark walls. They also upholstered the old grey headboard in a lovely striped fabric.

As the bedside tables are quite small, hung bulbs from Creative Cables on some brackets free up space for accessories.

The children’s bedrooms

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

For their daughter’s bedroom, they swapped the plaster pink walls, which looked dull against the dark grey carpet, for Blue Gravel by Crown. It’s been paired with floral bedding from Next.

Image credit: Future PLC/Katie Lee

For their son’s bedroom, they chose a jungle theme and added a wall mural from Untouchables UK which really breaks up the dark green walls.

‘Even though there are lots of dark walls in my house, I love a pop of colour, too,’ says the home owner. ‘For instance when I started painting my son’s bedroom dark green, he was scared it was a bit too dark. But when we added the wall mural and adhesive vinyl on the wardrobes, it really broke things up.’

The post Step inside this eclectic 1920s family home, brimming with colour and personality appeared first on Ideal Home.