Yearly archives: 2018

20 posts

Interaction of historic building fabric and atmosphere

The purpose behind traditional decorative Architectural detailing. The historic building fabric was designed and detailed to manage moisture vapour by successfully interacting with the atmosphere. Before modifying the original, the function and purpose of the existing form should first be fully understood.

It’s not something I’ll ever forget again! – learning in a revolutionary way

As an adult, it is easy to forget the joy of learning through doing. I have recently had the luck of having my passion for learning kinaesthetically reignited and I would recommend this workshop to absolutely anyone and everyone.

Insulating my cold damp house

The home I live in needs to change: warmer, less damp, increase comfort, create an open plan room for more family-focused lives, improve aesthetic quality to the rooms and spaces, and a short term solution to create separate bedrooms for the kids.

I can well believe the resulting assembly has a beneficial sanitary effect on the internal environment. 

It is undoubtedly the best hemp-lime application I have seen in several years. It is also one of the best wet-applied, breathable solid wall internal wall insulation systems I have seen, yet I believe it may be one of the cheapest. Well done Neighbourhood Construction

Fitting my own thermostatic-radiator-valves – TRV’s

Lifting the ambient temperature in the kitchen and bathroom will help prevent moisture fall out, during cooking and bath times. When Spring comes, it’s possible we’ll only want to heat these two rooms for this purpose. So, it was here we decided to start.

A beautiful 1850’s Semi – a history of chimney damp spots

Since purchase in 2016, various damp problems have manifested in numerous locations, several of which focus upon the centrally located chimney stack. Despite multiple attempts to resolve the problem; chimney and roof repairs, clearing and repairs to gutters, the symptoms have persisted.

March 2018 – evening talk

Evening talk and social. When: Monday 26th March, 7 – 9 pm Where: The Portcullis, 3 Wellington Terrace, Bristol BS8 4LE [Map] Cost: Free, booking essential A series of short talks from practitioners that would like to share their stories. No-cost and low-cost interventions – Operating the operable, electricity, plumbing, vents, voids, doors and windows. The […]

February 2018 – evening talk

Evening talk and social. When: Monday 26th February, 7 – 9 pm Where: The Portcullis, 3 Wellington Terrace, Bristol BS8 4LE [Map] Cost: Free, booking essential A series of short talks from practitioners that would like to share their stories. Introduction – what we do in our homes and to them affect how they behave […]

Plaster

Workshop
Plaster: applying coarse base-coat and fine top-coat Lime plaster to cast bio-aggregate.

Booking
– When: Monday 19th February 2018, 10 – 5 pm
– When: Monday 26th February 2018, 10 – 5 pm
– Where: Bristol
– Cost: £240

Open day – drop in, take a look and maybe have a go!
– When: Monday 19th February 2018, 1 – 4 pm
– When: Monday 26th February 2018, 1 – 4 pm
– Where: Bristol
– Cost: Free

Playing with plaster

The BEACON project is supported by the European Regional Development Fund, through the Welsh Government, and the primary aim is to undertake company-relevant innovation and R&D in relation to biorefining and the low carbon economy. One of our interests is in plants as building products. This week, together with Neighbourhood Construction, we have been working on creating samples of breathable plasters containing plant materials, in order to investigate their thermal properties and their capacity to buffer moisture. 

Evening talk and social

Evening talk and social – a series of short talks from practitioners that would like to share their stories. The evening will be interspersed with conversation and the opportunity to meet others undertaking successful home improvements.
The Portcullis has good pub food, we’ll be convening upstairs from 6 pm, presentations will be 7 – 9 pm and there will be plenty of time for conversation afterwards – Join us.

76-year-old non-scientific woman gathered the following

One of the things I have been impressed with is the idea of the partnership between ‘customer’ and ‘provider’ of work. The ethos of the Co-operative is to encourage the owners to join in and experiment for themselves. This can cut down cost and spread the knowledge around.

Don’t beware the temporary measure

The evidence-led approach provides a clear understanding of why, how, what and where the house is reacting in this way. Looking at things in context, the short, medium and long term also, makes you think about future ownership of this house and how I could make a more positive contribution as part of its history.

Moving on… or fixer up’er

For the past thirteen years, I have lived in fear of selling my house and “downsizing”. Down deep is the fear that a prospective buyer will discover just how many faults this huge Georgian house has. The Neighbourhood Construction home tutorial showed me that these fears are totally unfounded.

Cold damp and rather miserable – Victorian house

We spent the best part of a day looking at my project in my house. It was one of those moments when all of those question marks, all of those suspicions about what I could do, or should do with the property were crossed off my list. Decisions that I had put off for three years were made that day.

What is third fix carpentry?

Most of the work I do revolves around fixing doors and windows. Draught proofing them is often what people come to me for but the door or window in question is often malfunctioning. It usually has some form of wear or damage that is stopping it from performing it’s primary function thus creating the draughts in the first place.