Bob and his family have lived at their home in Wokingham for over 20 years. Over that time, Bob had made improvements such as installing Cavity Wall insulation, Loft insulation and replacement double glazing, as well as upgrading to a new energy efficient boiler. However, the bedrooms at the front of the house were still very cold.
“The kids’ bedrooms were permanently cold – absolutely freezing in winter,” says Bob. “I’d spoken to a couple of our neighbours about it, but the belief was that nothing more could be done. The front of the houses in this particular area are traditionally tile-hung, and that was the problem. We’d already approached several companies to find a solution to the cold spots affecting our home, but we were told the front wall was ‘un-insulatable’. There seemed to be no answer.”
“InstaGroup is a well-known local contractor, and I’d heard about their expertise with homes that are hard to insulate. So I arranged a survey to see if they could offer a solution.”
The InstaGroup professional home survey revealed that the tiles on the front elevation of Bob’s house were hung onto breeze blocks – so the whole of the front wall was a single skin and effectively leaking heat.
“The recommendation was to strip off all the tiles at the front of the house, and to install Solid Wall insulation on the outside wall to solve the problem with heat loss in this area. InstaGroup gave me a quote that was totally clear and easy to understand. It included all the preparation work, scaffolding, rendering and even the hire of a skip, so I knew the total costs upfront. There was a separate price for itemised windows and doors*, in our case. I felt confident to go ahead, and I paid the deposit. The work was then scheduled in for a couple of weeks later.”
“On the day of the installation the InstaGroup team turned up on time. They spent the first day stripping off the tiles, and the surface was made ready for installing the Solid Wall insulation on the outside of our property.”
For this property, InstaGroup applied its specialised insulation panel system directly onto the external wall surface. Once the system was complete and waterproofed, it was rendered in the colour of Bob’s choice. Bob says, “While the work was progressing, three different neighbours knocked on the door to ask about the process and who to contact.”
When the installation was complete, the house front looked like new, with a modern, clean appearance. “It’s completely transformed the visual appeal of our property, as well as giving us a warm, cosy, protective layer. Seven locals have now called in to ask about the makeover and the work we’ve had done.”
Bob wants people to know it’s less disruptive than you might think to get Solid Wall insulation installed. “You do have to prepare for it to be a bit messy around your home for a while, but all the work is done outside. It was a bit dusty, and we had a skip on the driveway for a while to take away all the old tiles and off-cuts. Also, if you hit a patch of bad rainy weather like we did, the job may take a few days longer.” In Bob’s case, the installation took two weeks.
Installing effective insulation alongside the double glazing and previous improvements he had made has completed the ‘thermal blanket’ at Bob’s home, delivering a full solution against heat loss.
Bob says, “Where other companies said it was impossible, InstaGroup understood how to solve it. The family have noticed a real difference and aren’t complaining about being cold any more! It’s great to enjoy our home without any cold spots.”
