Owning your own home

My latest fictional plan is heated ceilings

How many Grand Designs have you been watching?

Its a thing.
Means you can get a very nice soundproof ceiling at the same time, and less work than ripping out floorboards and installing underfloor. Fitting the size radiators needed for low temp here would be annoying, and heated walls are a bit scary because walls are for hanging things.
But then I would also need new windows, one room with loads of external walls insulated and so on.
All very unlikely as I don't think I will ever get a chance to buy this place, more an exercise in what if/is there a chance to heat all the old buildings in a climate neutral way.

Ha!
None, as I never get around to install a vpn so I can watch BBC.
Which might be for the best in this case, as I do enough daydreaming as it is.

One way to do a heat pump in a small flat would be a mini split air conditioner. The indoor unit(s) on those are normally mounted high up, so not far off heated ceilings.

Fitting the pipe runs and power for the internal units would be a ballache but yeah, it's possible. Getting the freeholder to agree to the external unit, locating it where it won't piss the neighbours off and sorting approval for it would be a pain in the ass I'd imagine too.

sorting approval

I think you are allowed one external unit under permitted development, any more and you need planning. Ad-hoc installations of one per flat on a block is really ugly and likely to run into issues. It really needs a big system installing on the roof or something but then it's big works, freeholder run etc. Basically a nightmare.

big works, someone else gets rich, building becomes a fire hazard etc

indeed

We had ceiling heating in one house growing up (moved there in mid 80's). Worked well, the heat doesn't just simply stay at the top of the room.

Can see the appeal of not having any radiators on the walls. Also it'll be electric so moving away from gas a good thing.

I think you are allowed one external unit under permitted development

I thought flats had NO permitted development rights? All your rights are belong to the council etc

I think heated clothes will be the future.
wear a jumper that heats up via magnets, room stays cool, but human becomes toasty.

I thought flats had NO permitted development rights? All your rights are belong to the council etc

I'm fairly sure you can do some things, for example install one satellite dish. The second would need planning permission. That particular rule doesn't seem to get a lot of enforcement though.

A bit of digging turns up a kind of helpful page from Camden. 1 dish for a block of flats under 15m high, 4 if you are over 15m high, without planning permission.

https://www.camden.gov.uk/satellite-dishes-planning-permission

Some further digging on their website turns up https://www.camden.gov.uk/documents/20142/303233873/Air+source+heat+pumps+and+hybrid+pumps.docx/7085f903-46ac-3497-d7a5-614407041a34?t=1608630904387 which says an sir source heat pump is permitted development on a 'dwelling or block of flats' providing a bunch of conditions are met including only one ASHP. Different rules for Conservation Area (not visible from street) or Listed Buildings (so much paperwork).

Permitted development (planning permission is not required) if:

• The air source heat pump complies with the MCS Planning Standards or equivalent standards;
  
• There is only one ASHP proposed;
  
• The volume of the unit must not exceed 0.6 cubic metres;
  
• Set in 1m from the property boundary;
  
• Installed on a flat roof and is set in 1m from the external edge of the roof;
  
• Not on a wall or which fronts a highway
  
• Not installed on a wall above the level of the ground storey;
  
• Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as reasonably practical;
  
• Used only for heating purposes;
  
• Positioned to minimise its impact on the external appearance of the building and amenity of the area;
  
• Is removed as soon as practicable when no longer needed
  

A single unit which is below 0.6 cubic meters in size is probably bugger all use for a block of flats though so effectively if you live in a flat you are going to need planning permission. Unless it gets ignored like satellite dishes.

Unless it gets ignored like satellite dishes.

It would be ignored until someone complains about the noise.

If you get in first you're OK.

Any recommendations for a slim wall mounted electric radiator pls? One where you can set a timer/schedule would be handy.

london man left shocked after his garages are stolen. police are looking for one "neil dammit" in connection with this offence
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-59069662

Insulating the floor turn out to be the best (and insanely expensive) thing we’ve done.

We got the floorboard ripped out to put insulating that’s hung on the suspended timber, which took 4 days (2x room) and over 2 grand to do.

Last night we turn the heating on, and turn it off after 10pm before went to bed, the next morning, the room is no longer freezing.

It’s a weird feeling being in an late Victorian house that doesn’t feel like a gigantic walk-in freezer in winter.

what material did you use for insulation? I've been reading loads recently about how insulation a victorian/edwardian solid wall home is great but that it can decrease the building's ability to breathe, which brings moisture problems.

Some insulation materials are better than others for avoiding this. Just something to be aware of.

insulate britain corbett

We have always know our walls between our neighbour are thin, but they've now mounted a TV on Vistoe shelving on the wall that adjoins our two lounges, I can hear the TV word for word, both in my lounge, and in my bedroom which is directly above the lounge.

My understanding is that there is brick with plasterboard on either side, really thinking we might need to rip out the plasterboard and insulate the adjoining walls on this side.

We think this has already been done by the neighbours on the otherside as depsite it being the exact same setup we cannot hear a single thing they do.

You have to be careful with retrofitting insulation to any property really, nothing is risk free.

Grenfell being a worst case scenario

Other dumb things like filling wall cavities (30s housing) with spray insulation that then allows damp bridging, filling the roof void with spray on insulation that then prevents any form of maintenance, fitting external insulation that prevents brickwork from drying out.

All this stuff those Insulate Britain clowns pretend isn't a thing

This could be a bastard to sort because the sound might be traveling up and through the ceiling or floors.

Fitting insulated plasterboard might sort it, but no guarantee.

Do they have the TV on one of the metal shelf, or a wooden cabinet ? If it's on a metal shelf I reckon that would make it much worse, as they have very little mass to act as damping.

I really really wish we’d done this. Particularly in the kitchen.

Rockwool, normally for lofts but work well underneath, should be breathable.

We benefit more because we live in a terraced house so we don’t need both wall to be insulated (fortunately, don’t want to make the flat any smaller).

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Metal from what I can tell.

We are already in the process of getting carpet with good underlay fitted in the bedroom (currently bare floorboards) so I’m hoping that helps alot.

However getting insulation in the wall might be smart to do pre-carpet now i think about it

How is it hung? Happy with the installer? Also SE based and might have to do it fairly soon so recommendations would really help

Other dumb things like filling wall cavities (30s housing) with spray insulation that then allows damp bridging, filling the roof void with spray on insulation that then prevents any form of maintenance, fitting external insulation that prevents brickwork from drying out.

Could be a dumb question, but does rendering over brick front and back in a victorian terraced create that problem? Or is it about how and what rendering is done?