In the News
- Simon Hollis
- Mar 18
- 18 min read
Updated: Mar 21
I'm not a footballist, but I remember being in my friend's dad's car as a child and there seemingly always being 'Praise or Grumble' on the radio. In case anyone else is not a footballist, I will summarise - armchair pundits go on the radio and air their praise or grumble about the day's football antics, usually making positive/negative comments about their team/manager/opponents etc.
30 or so years on from the trips in JB's car, other than water and concrete, the next biggest commodity seems to be data. Most of my time in and out of work is generally spent on something to do with buildings, the Internet seems to have picked up on this and the clever cookies and algorithms (I'm also not a computer/tech person) keep suggesting news stories related to buildings.
Some of these stories are generally accurate (praise), others are well-meaning, but nonsense, (grumble), and others appear to be written by people who have no place giving incorrect/inappropriate/dangerous advice to the general public, and should be stopped from doing so (grumble).
Below, I will blow off some steam and have a praise or grumble about the various things that are in my news feed (I only have paid access to The [Sheffield] Tribune so the articles below are likely skewed to free-to-view content). It might take a while to get the formatting of this correct, let me know if you would like to see any changes.
All copyright to the respective publishers.
Manchester Evening News - 21st October 2024 - Grumble (at the 'system')
Property developer forced to pay £485k after illegally building seven 'inadequately sized' flats
Link: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/property/property-developer-forced-pay-485k-30193629.
This is a grumble about the planning and judicial system as opposed to the MEN. Timeline of Events:
May 2015 - Reports of illegal extension received and site visit undertaken. A shop/three flats turned into seven flats in a Conservation Area.
2016 - Enforcement notice issued requesting reversal of the scheme.
January 2020 - Council decided to prosecute the freeholder.
February 2023 - enforcement notice complied with
October 2024 - various fines issued.
Westminster City Council seem to see this as a good result. Taking 8 years to reverse the illegal works and 9 years to fine the freeholder is far from a good result, in my opinion.
BBC - 25th September 2024 - Grumble
Council set to scrap £7m energy efficiency schemes
I have grumbled on several other posts about inadequate surveys leading to inappropriate retrofitting works. So I'm running the risk of sounding rather hypocritical here when I question how £553,000 can be spent on a viability study of the proposals to undertake this works?
Paying a consultant a healthy fee of £150 per hour allows for 3,686 hours, or more than two years spent full-time solely on this instruction, just to get to the viability stage and conclude it is unviable. How much would have been spent to get to Technical Design stage? Where does all this money come from and go to? I thought Local Authorities were skint?
Wales Online - 21st September 2024 - Grumble
Unusual 'cream' trick keeps homes warmer and saves money, says heating engineer
This article is about 'hacks and tips' from a gas engineer.
The article recommends using masonry waterproofing cream to keep solid internal wall insulation dry.
Keep your walls in repair, any kind of waterproofing cream should not be needed if the wall is functioning correctly. If it is not, waterproofing cream is not the answer.
I have seen bricks painted in these waterproofing creams go nearly solid green with algae building up on them.
I am unclear about the reference to solid internal wall insulation - if this is stick-on type insulation, this should not be used on solid walls.
I am unclear as to how this will improve the thermal performance of the building. Dry walls have a lower u-value/higher thermal performance than wet walls, however, as noted above, I have seen these creams trap moisture in walls and so make their thermal performance worse.
Underfloor heating - electric underfloor heating is generally not very energy efficient. Turning off radiators should be discouraged at all times.
Bleeding radiators - agreed.
Blocking redundant chimney flues - not recommended - redundant flues need to be ventilated to mitigate condensation-related defects.
Blocking gaps in flooring - this can be done providing there is adequate sub-floor ventilation - there often is not.
Mail Online - 4th January 2023 - Grumble
How to Unusual 'cream' trick keeps homes warmer and saves money, says heating engineerget rid of mould: Ultimate guide to preventing and removing dangerous fungus - using sprays, dehumidifiers, hair dryers... and one savvy mother's 9p salt water tip to beat condensation
Where to start - this is another well-meaning/headline-grabbing article that should have been read by an appropriately experienced surveyor before it was published.
Generally speaking, black-spore mould is caused by condensation. Condensation is caused by inadequate heating/ventilation. Improving heating/ventilation reduces condensation and black spore mould. Enough said. Whilst some of these 'tricks' may help the symptoms, the cause will not be addressed until the property is adequately heated and ventilated. Money spent avoiding dealing with these two elements is generally money wasted. I digress.
Some analysis:
Placing bowls of salt on your windowsills - salt is hydroscopic, so, it will absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Putting fresh salt out every day for this purpose is not a sustainable way to address moisture in the atmosphere. Opening the windows and cross ventilating the house is a sustainable long-term solution.
Clove oil and chalk - it is correct that chalk absorbs moisture however, ventilating draws and wardrobes is the correct long-term solution to this, not spending money on chalk every week. I am not medically trained so I cannot comment on the mould-killing abilities of Clove oil, unfortunately. I do however read a lot of books on building defects and this is the first time I have seen anyone suggesting using Clove oil to kill mould. I await research proving me wrong.
Using a hairdryer to get rid of condensation - a terrible idea. holding a hair dryer over condensation will turn it from an easy-to-capture liquid into a challenging-to-capture gas. This can then circulate back around your home until it finds somewhere else (or the same place) to condense back into a liquid. This must be the worst idea I have ever heard to eliminate condensation.
Ventilation - I am not sure if something has got lost in translation here or whether the writer does not have the correct understanding of condensation?
"Ventilation will stop humid air from being released, preventing cold water droplets from forming."
We want ventilation to release (exhaust) humid air externally. That is its principal purpose. The mind boggles.
How to remove mould from walls - as I have covered in other articles, painting over mould with shellac is not the answer. Painting over something does not remove it.
There are some helpful comments:
Clearing out clutter to improve air circulation.
Do not dry clothes indoors
Clean out extractor fans (the first time they are mentioned in this article, despite them being absolutely vital).
This is a long article and yet fails to cover the basics, focusing instead on 'quick fixes'.
The Express - 19th December 2022 - Grumble
'Mould never returned': Dad's 'game changer' hack to eradicate 'damp & condensation'
In the words of The Fresh Prince of Bel-air - this is a storey all about how a Dad eradicated damp and condensation...
A building in repair and with adequate heating and ventilation and an educated occupant should not present a condensation risk. Points to note from this article:
Condensation should not be streaming down the walls of any home and if it is, it suggests that basic steps are not being taken mitigate water vapour.
If the building is in repair, a dehumidifhyer should not be needed to control the internal atmosphere.
Mould spray remover should not be used as a 'cure' for black spore mould. It can often cause more damage to the property and make the problem worse.
Whilst a relative humidity of 80% is high, a relative humidity of 20% is far too low and is also likely to cause building and health-related problems.
PIV units can help atmospheric conditions in homes, however, they should not be nesesarry if there is adequate mechanical ventilation in the kitchen and bathroom and occupants open the bedroom windows for a short amount of time in the mornings.
PIV units are not without their problems. The chap in the article advises that his unit draws air from the outside whilst also stating that it draws air from the loft and it is this latter statement that is of concern.
Water has a lighter atmospheric weight than air which in practice means that is rises up through the house and collects in the roofspace, which if it is not adequatley ventilated, will cause condensation-related problems such as roof mould, timber decay and create the ideal environment for wood-boring insect attack. If the PIV unit is drawing air from the roofspace and circulating it back into the house, it is effectively re-circulating the warm moist air from the roofspace back into the house.
Units that source external air do not present as much of a problem. however, unless there is a thermo-hygrometer sensor at the end of the intake duct, the unit will not know if it is drawing in air that is more satuated that the air in the house i.e. if the internal RH is 60% and the external RH is 75%, the unit will draw in moist air and make the internal atmosphere wetter than if the unit was turned of.
Some further detail would have been helpful.
The Express - 14th December 2022 - Grumble/Praise
Paint expert shares when and how to paint over 'unsightly' mould for 'lasting protection'
The title alone is enough to send shivers down a surveyors - first the term 'Paint Expert' and second, how to paint over mould for lasting protection.
If you have a mould problem in your home, you need to remedy the cause of the defect, not literally paint over the symptoms...! On this occasion, this is at least mentioned partway into the article, despite being next to a photo of someone painting white paint over a large area of black mould...
The article then makes the connection between ventilation and condensation, which many do not.
It is then suggested to make 'homemade "DIY surface mould remover"' with 2 parts bleach and 10 parts water and spray this onto the wall. I do not recommend that you do this. Bleach contains lots of salt which is hydroscopic so attracts moisture and so you do not want this soaking into your walls. Wet building materials generally have a higher u-value than their dry counterparts, so liberally spraying the walls should be avoided, together with any salt absorption.
Damp-seal and mould-resistant-type paints should be avoided - these are akin to painting plastic on your walls and will trap any remaining moisture beneath them/stop any traditional building materials from being able to buffer moisture.
“Using a primer over a damp or mouldy surface will help cover over some of the discolourations and marks it may have left. You can also use a seal such as Polycell Damp Seal, this paint has been specially formulated to seal patches of penetrating dampness on interior walls and ceilings in just one coat, preventing them from showing through and spoiling decorations.”
No, no, no!!! This statement contradicts the earlier (correct) statement advising not to paint over damp and mould. Painting over any damp patches or mould will only seal them into the wall, make the wall wetter, and increase its u-value making it harder to heat and making it more susceptible to condensation.
Homebuilding and Renovating - 13th December 2022 - Praise (and lots of it)
Mould on skirting boards? Why it happens and how to get rid of it
Without being biased, you generally know that if Ian Rock is involved in an article, it's generally speaking going to be good and based on well-reasoned advice. Things I like about this one:
It sounds simple, but the phrase "Don't Panic" is a good start and hopefully discourages people from steaming into a rushed diagnosis and possible inappropriate remedial works.
It states that mould could be part of a wider issue, which is correct.
It differentiates between condensation and damp.
It correctly states that condensation can be problematic in any space if ventilation is poor.
It states that before the mould can be fully resolved, it will first be necessary to understand what causes damp - this is overlooked in most of the articles that appear in my news feed.
It correctly identifies the link between mould and condensation and states that once the condensation has been eliminated, there should be no further mould.
Steve Jenkins identifies that good home ventilation is vital and recommends both passive ventilation (opening windows etc.) and mechanical ventilation (extractor fans etc). At last, music to my ears.
Ian Rock then comments on cold floors attracting condensation and recommends warm floor construction and extractor fans dispursing humid air.
This is the first article that I have 'reviewed' that mentions problems caused by using inappropriate modern materials in traditionally constructed houses, again, music to my ears!
One of the most common problems I advise on is problems caused by incorrect/inappropriate floor construction and coverings in traditionally constructed houses, they have even managed to reference that here too. Reminder to self to write-up my site notes, photos and videos on laying limecrete floors...
Ground levels and camber are both mentioned here too, again, the first time I have seen these mentioned in the articles in my feed. This one really does cover all bases.
Homebuilding and Renovating - 29th November 2022 - Grumble
'I've lived with black mould and damp in my home for a year'
Link: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/news/ive-lived-with-black-mould-and-damp-in-my-home-for-a-year.
Despite being published on the same outlet as the article above, the information provided here is at the opposite end of the spectrum.
The summary states that the protagonist has been struggling with penetrating damp in her home for 12 months.
Together with a photo of the occupant, there are two photos, neither of which appear to show the symptoms of penetrating damp. The top photo appears to show moisture being driven up into the walls from an inappropriately detailed floor construction the second shows some minor condensation staining.
The paragraph below notes some causes of penetrating dampness and a phenomenon I have not come across before* 'Window Condensation'. *Unless this is just condensation on windows...
The protagonist notes that mould appeared as it got colder. There is no explanation for why this happened in the article - some commentary on surface temperatures and dew points and their relationship with condensation would have been good as this is what this article is above, after all.
The company linked in the article, Cyteq may no longer be in business as all of the pages have been removed from their website. Cyteq is quoted:
"If the damp comes from a structural issue, it will require work on the house to tackle the leak and then extensive damp-proofing work by a professional, which involves chemical sprays to kill the mould and then waterproofing agents."
This is not entirely correct. Whilst work may be required to repair any leaks etc. the rest is nonsense - extensive damp proofing and waterproofing agents should never be used.
Cyteq then goes on to state:
“As soon as the moisture is out of the air, you don’t have pathogens or allergens in the air, and heating bills come flying down because you’re not paying to heat heavier air."
This sentence is somewhat confusing... Water has a lighter atmospheric weight than air, so, rises up through the house...
We won't go on to discuss the spelling and grammar...
The Express - 28th November 2022 - Grumble
'Can do it yourself in a day!' Budget DIY loft insulation that could save you £355 a year
In short, yes, you can fit your own loft insulation and this will likely improve the thermal performance of your home if the works are undertaken correctly. I do not advise you follow all of the advice in this article; however.
There is no mention of clearing out all of the debris in the joist bays to ensure this does not trap moisture against the roof structure.
Photo two shows insulation batt being installed right into the eaves of a property with Type 1F (bitumen-soaked hessian) roofing felt. This roof will likely have been designed with eaves cross-flow ventilation and blocking the eaves with insulation batt will likely stop this from functioning as it was designed to do. If the cross-flow of ventilation is blocked across the eaves, it is likely that condensation-related defects will follow.
Retrofitting insulation to 270 mm will likely require two or 3 layers of insulation to be laid at 90 degrees to each other, the top two layers will go over the ceiling joists/trusses making access across the roofspace significantly more challenging as these elements will no longer be visible.
Building up the insulation above the height of the ceiling joists/truss will likely block eaves ventilation (see above).
There will likely be electrical wires running all over the roofspace. The article casually states that these should be rested on top of the insulation. Whilst this is not incorrect, it is very unlikely that there will be enough slack in the cables to facilitate this without re-wiring the roofspace.
The article advises sealing any gaps around the ceiling with the room below, however, fails to advise that these rooms will now need an alternative source of ventilation if they were previously relying on ventilating into the roofspace.
Maintaining an air gap is mentioned for the first time when fitting the second layer, however, there is no explanation of maintaining this for the first layer, why this is important or the risks of omitting this.
The Guardian - 25th November 2022 - Grumble (more at the scheme than the reporting)
UK government to introduce grants to make homes more energy efficient
Here we go again, another ill-thought-out scheme to improve homes... Every time this type of proposal gets mentioned, I put the palms of my hands over my face and think the following:
The scheme will be overly complicated, poorly administered and deadlines will be unrealistic.
There will be a delay in getting the scheme off the ground.
This will lead to a rush to get jobs completed and elements of inspection and on-site work will get rushed and corners will be cut.
As many qualifying elements as possible will get simultaneously installed in every home inspected regardless of construction type or condition.
Lessons will be learned on the first few hundred projects on-site as opposed to learning lessons from what has happened on previous similar schemes.
Based on the figures in the article*, there will be 300+ projects on-site across the country, every day. There will likely be no independent Clerk of Works inspecting the on-site element of the project. There may only be a final inspection once everything has been closed up - not really much use...
The scheme will get cut short in advance of the originally published deadline. Uptake will likely have been dramatically less than forecast. The government will look to portray any improvement as a success, the rest of us will think otherwise.
Any snagging/remedial works will be challenging to arrange and many will be incomplete at the end of the scheme.
Any warranties issued will not be worth the paper they are written on in the event of a problem further down the line.
*Roughly based on 70,000 homes receiving work and 250 working days over 3 years.
Perhaps most concerning is the proposed £25m advertising bill...
The BBC - 22nd November 2022 - Grumble (at the Council as opposed to the BBC)
Dry rot found at Burnley Council-owned listed building
It should be noted that the photo in the BBC's article is not the building in question, but a building (No. 12) further down the same street.
There are several points of interest in this article/planning portal:
Burnley Council have undertaken works to a Grade II Listed building without the correct consent in place and have therefore had to apply for retrospective Listed Building Consent. There is no mention of an Urgent Works Notice.
Dry rot is caused by an excessively moist atmosphere - one wonders why checks were not being undertaken on the building which the article states had been unoccupied by the Council for the previous ten years.
Owners of Listed buildings have a statutory duty to maintain them - why was this not the case here?
Looking at the building on Google Streetview, there are several sub-floor ventilation grilles along the plinth of the building, these only stop in two places - where the ground levels have been raised up to create level access into the building. These ramps are substantial and have been constructed hard up against the front elevation, blocking the sub-floor ventilation grills for many meters - how did this proposal make it past the design stage when it should have been obvious that building over the sub-floor ventilation was ill-conceived.
The proposals for addressing the dry rot are of most concern "All exposed areas of masonry will be spayed and injected with an approved fungicide chemical treatment, applied by a specialist contractor. All exposed timbers will be sprayed to prevent any further reoccurrence of dry rot. It should be noted that, no reinstatement of any disturbed or removed material i.e. wall plaster, ceilings including cornice details, timber panelling or flooring is to be undertaken.". These proposals are inappropriate for any building, let alone one that is Grade II Listed and it is disappointing that these proposals were approved by the LPA. Undertaking the works outlined in the planning documents has resulted in this building being unnecessarily butchered as a result of inadequate repairs and maintenance and an ill-informed remediation plan (which is referred to as "best practice methods" in the Decision Notice.
It is disappointing that the Decision Notice states that "The works were limited to the interior of the property which does not make any meaningful contribution to overall significance..." and "The works were informed by a sound understanding of the significance of the heritage asset..." This is not reflected in the Heritage Statement submitted by the Council.
The Express - 19th November 2022 - Grumble
‘So important’: Five crucial things to look for when viewing a property - how to spot damp
The end tag of the headline "how to spot damp" - the article advises prospective purchasors to look for peeling wallpaper, musty smalls and open windows which grossley oversimplifies this complicated subject. Unfortunately, at no point does it mention that if you suspect there may be a problem, to contact someone who has the relevant qualifications and experience to investigate further.
Construction Manager - 16th November 2022 - Praise
Child’s mould death: Call for tougher enforcement of Building Regs
Although my views tend to be at odds with those of PCA contractors, at least highlighting humidity and inadequate ventilation is a step in the right direction. I hope Steve Hodgson's message gets through to the operatives on the ground and we begin to see a step-change in how symptoms of 'damp' and black mould are investigated and addressed.
I visit many homes whose occupants are unaware of the importance of adequate heating and ventilation, how to control the atmospheric conditions in their homes and the consequences of getting this wrong.
I visit many homes where there is no externally exhausting mechanical ventilation to either the kitchen or bathrooms and the absence of these critical elements are not noted/addressed before the walls are injected with chemical injection damp proofing products and the walls are covered in tanking membranes and slurries which only serve to address the surface problem whilst making the underlying cause worse.
The Express - 9th November 2022 - Grumble
'Holds onto moisture': Simple remedies to prevent black mould around windows
The article states that 'experts' are providing their advice on preventing black mould around windows. There is nothing in the article stating what makes the contributors 'experts' in this field.
"...Leaks and condensation are the two leading contributors to black mould..." states the article, without reference. Unfortunately, no material attempt is made to explain the difference between these two defects or provide a satisfactory explanation on the causes of condensation.
Trickle vents do not provide an adequate cross-flow of ventilation to be the sole source of domestic ventilation through the winter months and so should not be relied upon as a substitute for appropriate mechanical ventilation and opening the windows.
Whilst a dehumidifier can be helpful in some situations, they are generally not suitable for placing in bathrooms. If mechanical ventilation and space heating are functioning correctly, there should be no need for a dehumidifier and they should not be relied upon as a substitute for heating and ventilation.
Mould should be cleared away with a vacuum cleaner with an appropriate filter and a stiff nylon brush. If this does not remove all of the mould, a cleaning wipe/cloth that is ever so slightly damp should be used - introducing any excess moisture to the wall must be avoided as this will likely make the problem worse.
Painting wet timber window frames could be the nail in the coffin, especially if modern plastic-based paint is used. Any timber must be dry before it is painted, and only a linseed oil-based paint should be used. If the timber is wet, addressing the cause of this is significantly more important than painting over the symptoms.
The article then abruptly ends.
The Express - 6th August 2022 - Grumble
Homes Under the Hammer buyers add £21k to value of ‘disappointing’ house laden with damp
This headline does not appear to accuratley reflect the points covered in the article. Dispite the headline grabbing damp problem, there is no mention of what had caused the damp and how this had been addressed.
There is mention that self-levelling [compound] had been used across all of the ground and first floor. No mention is made of what had caused the assumed deflection to the floors. One can only imagine the dead loading that this has added to the existing structure and the problems that this will cause with future maintenance.
The Guardian - 1st August 2022 - Praise and Grumble
How much could insulating Britain save the average home?
This article begins with a summary of rising energy costs and then a nice interactive animation of a heat loss/emissions and cost in a cavity-walled home (something akin to The Economist).
There are some limits to the animation:
The insulation placed on the first floor ceilings is fitted to the wall plate and will therefore restrict ventilation to the roofspace. There is no mention that certain types of insulation can hold moisture against the fabric of the building and create an environment for timber decay and wood-boring insect attack. And no mention of not placing the insulation around recessed lighting and electrical cabling.
Installing cavity wall insulation is not without problems if its own and cases where this has caused problems are well documented. The challenges of removing it are not.
The comments on government policy are generally good and highlight a problem that seemingly everyone can see but no one is doing anything to address - start/stop, poorly administered and inconsistent grant schemes create a boom/bust economy for installation contractors. The schemes do not provide enough consistency and long-term certainty for contractors to establish themselves and undertake the necessary staff training to diligently survey, design and install insulation measures. This can lead to incorrect/inappropriate specifications/designs and poor quality work that creates defects in homes.
The Guardian (Australia) - 2nd July 2022 - Grumble
Air flows, draught sealing and double glazing: how homeowners can retrofit houses for warmth
This article appeared in my feed despite being from Guardian Australia. The summary being that the author has used a thermal imaging camera to investigate why their home is cold. The cold has been attributed to drafts coming into the home and the recommendation is to plug these areas.
There is no mention of replacing the ventilation that will be lost if these gaps are plugged and the consequential condensation-related problems that will be caused by this.
Lessons to be learned - if you are going to plug these gaps, you must make sure that an alternative source of ventilation is provided for example adequate mechanical ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms and operational windows to other habitable rooms. If you are planning to seal around ground floor suspended timber floors, ensure that there is adequate sub-floor ventilation to allow ground moisture to escape.
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