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Building an extension for my mother-in-law

I love my mother-in-law but I never planned on living with her permanently. I have been enjoying her living with us now that we have kids but I feel like we all need some extra space so I am getting a granny flat built at the back of our block. This should allow us to have some extra space to make sure everyone has the privacy that they need whilst we can still be a family. This block has some tip on the process of building a granny flat including how to choose a contractor and how to get the council approval for the build.

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Building an extension for my mother-in-law

Why You Should Insulate Your Older Home

by Chloe Cooper

If you live in an older home, you may love its authenticity, character or quirkiness, but may nevertheless need to bring it up to date in certain areas. You will undoubtedly want to renew the wiring and add much-needed outlets, but you'll want to ensure that it is as energy efficient as possible as well.

What can you do to insulate this type of building to the best effect?

Walls

If the building is particularly old, then it may have a solid external wall. This can be insulated in two different ways, either on the inside or the outside. If you would rather work on the interior, then you can add plasterboard which has an insulating material attached to the rear. This would typically go on top of any internal boarding to be the most cost-effective. You may be able to add insulating material to the outside before covering it with cladding, although this is typically the more expensive of those two options.

Upstairs

Have a look in the attic to see if a previous owner has added any insulating material. If they had, but it appears to be past its better days, you should get it removed and replace it with new material. Before starting, however, make sure that your attic is in generally good condition and you don't have any issues with condensation or leakage. Then, you can introduce strips of insulation, which should be placed in between the wooden beams or cross members. The material may need to be installed using a special blower, especially in the more difficult to reach places.

Other Areas

Whenever you add new insulation, you should pay particular attention to edges, windows, loft access doors and chimneys. These will need to be carefully insulated and sealed so that you do not create any drafts or throw away all of your good work.

A modern-day home is built with energy efficiency in mind and insulation is a top priority. This was not the case in the "old days" however, and your home may not have been modified in any way to take this into account.

You'll be surprised to see how much money you can save on your monthly utility bill once you have properly insulated your old home. It's nevertheless crucial to do this correctly at the outset, and you should, therefore, bring in a residential insulation provider for the detailed work.

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