Felixandrews

Rice husk. Insulative, natural, breathable, mould-resistant, fire-resistant, and a cheap waste product. Now I just need to figure out how to make it stick together.

This 36-year-old cottage at the bottom of the garden needed a rethink. Cold in winter, hot in summer, draughty, energy-guzzling… and the deeper I looked, the more problems emerged.

Schedule of materials with costing.

Every home needs decent windows. Of course these come at a price. So I tried my hand at making my own timber windows.

A healthy space should be based on managing moisture. Constant ventilation, vapour permeable walls, and hygroscopic clay plaster.

Having a flat roof is asking for trouble. So: sheathing for a clear drainage plane; battens for a ventilation path; ribbed metal roofing.

A ceiling of limewashed OSB. A floor of salvaged hardwood floorboards. Both are cheap, functional, and cosy.

What if there was a material that buffered temperatures; didn’t trap moisture; was durable; cheap and easy to buy; an agricultural waste product?

It turned out that all the electrical wiring needed to be replaced. Anyway, new wiring was needed for outdoor lights, an exhaust fan, and a split system heat pump.

Before anything can happen, we need to shore up the walls. And then rebuild the roof so it can take the loads of insulation and overhanging eaves.

The plan is to add eaves; build massive insulation into the roof and floor; seal up major air leaks; get good windows; and improve moisture management in the bathroom.

How it’s going after 2 years

Oops, forgot to add fresh air.

Schedule of materials with costing.

An insulated door and a uPVC window. Thrifted luxury.

Insulated limecrete with slate tiles.

A traditional lime & sand mix on both the outside (render) and inside (plaster).

A good hat: keep out rain and summer sun; don’t trap humidity.

Hemp hurds mixed with lime packed into walls and roof. A continuous shell 250mm thick.

Walls and roof framed with timber. Some recycled, some engineered. Straight enough.

Good boots: hold up the walls, keep out surface water, and don’t lose too much heat.

Comfortable, healthy, durable, low-impact, and delightful living space.

The missing overhang made real at last.