|  | The Ecohome : Ground floor bedroom
This was previously two rooms - a study/bedroom and a utility room/kitchen to the rear, complete with washing machine plumbing, stainless steel sink, and laminate cupboard units. The two rooms were separated by a non structural brick wall. There was one step down into the utility but no change in level where the current steps are, so that the floor level in the study/bedroom was the same as the lobby.
The floor was solid, tiled and carpeted, as in the lobby and WC. The back wall housed the original back door which was draughty and damaged and a small PVCu window. The chimney breast was originally 500mm deep and housed the old uninsulated hot water cylinder and yet another 1940s fireplace complete with a defunct back boiler.
The decision was made to make this the family room despite it being on the colder north side, because of the importance of a connection with the garden.
The door and window on the rear wall were removed and the openings bricked up, while a new opening was created for the new French windows (to the same specification as the set in the kitchen), but they were not installed immediately to avoid damage and facilitate builder access to the room. This presented a security issue and - because it was late winter- a very cold space. In spite of these factors work proceeded smoothly and the windows were installed undamaged on completion of the floor.
The chimney breast could not be altered until the all-new hot water system was in operation which, once completed, allowed the old cylinder to be removed. The floor joists above had to be strengthened before the entire chimney breast could be removed, and a single skin of brick was built up in its place, its top stepped to line up with the one above.
The old worn-out (non-wool, therefore non-biodegradable) carpet was discarded, the tiles taken up and stored for reuse and the cracked uneven concrete taken up. The sink was removed and reused in the current kitchen on a temporary basis. The intermediate wall was knocked down and the bricks salvaged for reuse in the garden. As in the lobby/WC, the soil below the floor was excavated, this time by upto 16" (400mm), not only to accommodate the sand, damp proof membrane, 150mm polystyrene insulation and 150mm concrete, but also to drop the final floor level to form one continuous level. This resulted in a higher ceiling and greater privacy from the side window. Again, 50mm insulation was employed vertically around the perimeter. The floor was finished with Cornish slate and coated with Aquamarijn Revol.
The entire room was rewired with non-PVC cabling prior to plastering and fitting of the stainless steel fittings.
Although the exterior wall will be insulated from the outside, some interior wall insulation was also required in order to avoid cold-bridging - the phenomenon of disproportionate heat escape in spots where there are gaps in the insulation.
Cold bridges can also lead to localised condensation problems, and the problem can be much more acute in a well insulated house. The corner of the room where the external wall adjoins the party wall is one such vulnerable place, where the outside insulation will end, leaving heat to escape diagonally through the corner.
To avoid this, 52.5mm dry-lining board was placed in the corner forming an L shape some 400mm wide each way. To prevent a 'bitty' appearance on the affected walls, they were studded out in timber and lined with plasterboard to the same thickness, concealing the corner insulation. Square and rectangular niches were formed for visual interest, picture hanging and CD storage. All the way along the base of the party wall was another potential cold-bridge to be avoided - caused by dropping the floor level - where heat could escape into next door's floor. A 400mm high strip of dry-lining board was placed here, concealed upto the chimney. Around the chimney and upto the steps a thinner, exposed board (42.5mm) was used with a softer, angled edge, cut on site by the contractor.
Claytec undercoat, was used where necessary on the walls and ceiling. It is particularly suitable for patching and renovation work because of its flexibility and strength afforded by its straw fibre reinforcement.
Gil and Penney needed a new lounge suite and opted for a set made of beech frame, covered in linen and filled with duck feathers, providing long-lasting quality from natural materials.
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