My Barn Conversion

Often made from recycled newspapers, cellulose fibre is a loose fill insulation. Description As a loose fill insulation it does not come in blankets, sheets or boards, rather as a loose fibres that are blown or laid into place and must be protected from drafts or breezes. Additionally, to maintain optimal performance it must beContinue reading Insulation ~ Cellulose Fibre

I promised I’d post a picture of the view from the gable end bedroom so here it is. the view across the valley I’m pleased with the window and the view and light that it provides – the thick wall and small window provide a narrow glimpse of the outside. A slight shame in thatContinue reading A Room With A View

Perhaps one of the most talked about and attractive recent innovations, sheep’s wool insulation is of particular attraction to those of us who to the woolly West or North of the UK. But does it live up to the hype? the donor! Description Sheeps wool is a renewable by-product of the farming industry. It hasContinue reading Insulation ~ Sheep’s wool

We have windows and a couple of doors, both big and small and all of them white. They’re not all in yet, but we’re getting there. a new white window… The windows are hardwood and were hand-made relatively locally from (sustainable we are told) African hardwood. I never intended to go for hardwood windows –Continue reading Windows

From a full Passivhaus design to a simple loft conversion the effective use of insulation has never been more high profile. One of the key features of current renovation and new building design is the effective utilisation of insulation to minimise heating requirements. Whilst in the UK we historically tended to think of insulation inContinue reading Insulation

Insulation. June has been a pretty slow month … progress has been dominated by insulation and plasterboard. First fix electrics and plumbing are complete. The roof and walls are being insulated and plasterboarded. Internally, the old stone barn is being lost behind a new structure of wood, plasterboard, insulating panels and rock wool. It feelsContinue reading Building Progress ~ June 2008

Expanded Polystyrene insulation is made from small beads of polystyrene that are heated to expand them. To create boards, the beads are heated further to fuse the beads together. Boards are typical used in walls, roofs and floors. Polystyrene beads can be used as lose cavity fill in masonry walls. Description Lose or in boardsContinue reading Insulation ~ Expanded Polystyrene

last weekend’s raking out In what seems to be an annual event, I’ve restarted repointing the exterior of the barn. When working with lime you have to take a break over the cold, wet winter months – it’s taken me this long to get restarted. This time, I’ve taken a more scientific approach and attemptedContinue reading Lime Pointing ~ Summer 2008