Well we have gone and done it! We have taken further steps towards a more liveable home.
Kim and I have placed a deposit on the roof insulation, the double glazing at the front of the house, and paid to replace one of the lounge windows with glass bricks.
We had to tighten our belts but the great thing is that we have saved enough money by paying triple payments into the mortgage offset account, that essentially, all the work will be paid for with cash. It will just take a little longer clearing the mortgage, which I am ok with. I would rather have a more comfortable home during the extremes of summer than retire early in a hot box!
We saved some money from our workshops and I even drew down on the money I saved from eBook sales and the small amount of advertising revenue from the blog to pay for the glass brick window. Thanks to all of you who bought an eBook or looked at an ad, we can pay cash for this window as well.
The insulation gets fitted in September, and the glass brick window next week. The double glazed window units will take six weeks from when they are measured, which happens some time next week as well.
Kim designed a pretty cool glass brick pattern. I like it a lot. It will be the feature eastern window in the lounge area. It should quell her desire for a stained glass window, and make the room a little more interesting. Besides that, the bricks act like a double glazed unit and is well insulated.
So there you have it. More about the progress when the installation of each item occurs.
Oh, by the way, we are still going strong with the Brass Monkey Challenge. I will have a final update on our quest to go the entire winter without using the built-in natural gas heating once the gas bill arrives. That in itself should be an interesting exercise.
Good Job Gav. those glass bricks look great. It will interesting to hear back on the improvement in the house environment after the work is completed
Cheers
MOC
Cheers Mick. A full report will be posted on the blog. I will include energy consumption data as well, which is about the only thing we can measure other than temperature that will be an indicator of our success or failure.
your house is so warm I thought you already had insulation in the roof !!!
It is Phil, but not very well. The current R value is only 0.8 as the blown cellulose has moved in many places. This additional insulation will take the R value up to 3.5! Nice and toasty in winter and cooler in summer.
You have ads? I never noticed!
Only one, and it is very discrete due to my values. However, there are a few more on my cheese making blog which helps pay for hosting fees. Gav
Brass monkeys here, but our summer has ended quickly and it’s chilly. Jumpers, wooly clothes, hot water bottles. Saving for a wood burner and the wood – we’ve now got double glazing, curtains and blinds and thicker quilts. No money for gas Central heating any more – just wrap up.
Brilliant effort Jane. Will you be able to source the wood sustainably in your area?
Hi Gavin,
I’m happy for you, the insulation and new windows will no doubt make you both so much more comfortable.
I had to smile about Kim wanting a stained glass window – obviously another romantic soul like myself! The glass bricks will look beautiful.
Madeleine.x
Hi Madeleine, she certainly is that!
We retro-fitted our house with double glazing three year ago, it was a good move. You won’t regret it!
Cheers Nicola. Thanks for the heads up!