In a cavity wall construction, one would expect that the damp proof membrane to be at the same level on both walls. It turns out this is not always the case and my house is a good example where the internal wall's DPC is more than a brick lower than the external wall DPC. I didn't even think to check this before reading the CIGA Technical note 14 . This clearly states that if the distance between DPC and ground level is within a brick (as was the case with my property at time of install) then 'numerous other factors' must be assessed before declaring the dwelling as being suitable for CWI. CIGA  Technical note 14 . One of the factors is the relative level of the inner and outer leaf DPC. This is exactly what I found in my property. Ive used a floorboard to show the position of the internal floor. The DPC is clearly a brick below the floorboard and less than brick above the block paving. External leaf DPC is 1 brick below the floor level. ...

In my previous posting Unable To locate DPC  I discussed the integrity of the DPC(damp proof course) and how making blind assumptions can lead to violations of the Agrément certificate and thus and thus building regulations.  This post deals with bridges and what installers and CIGA inspectors should check. A damp-proof course is a barrier, usually formed by a waterproof membrane such as bitumen or a non porous stone such as slate. Without a DPC, water can travel up through mortar beds and porous bricks from the ground through capillary action. The effect varies depending on the type of brick and mortar, soil type and drainage,  rate of evaporation from the walls and anything that might hinder evaporation (impermeable paints or cementinous renders). During the building of a dwelling a lot of care is taken to ensure that no structures accidentally create a connection between the ground and the wall above the DPC (known as a bridge. It's usually some well meaning...

The BBA Cerficate for our CWI Agrément Certificate No 01/3789 states that the bottom row of drill holes should be maximum 800mm above the damp proof course (DPC). Agrément Certificate No 01/3789 The DPC is quite tricky to spot because the bottom row of bricks are undrendered but painted black. The home buyer surveyor was not able to identify the DPC and two CIGA inspectors did not look or document it despite concluding that the installation was done to system designer's specification. It's not possible to assertain if the installation was correctly done to industry standards without locating the DPC. CIGA have stated that drill hole patterns were the key factor in their conclusion of conformity but  have told me it would be unreasonable for me to have that information (I was present for both inspections and no measurements of drill holes were done). For my property one might ask which DPC?  The 1960s extension has a brick external leaf which has been t...

The last quarterly reports were rushed out after CIGA 'forgot' to publish them for 3 quarters despite being key Each Home Counts commitment ( page 40 in the report ). This was very shortly after I pointed this out. Of course it's good to have reporting but the number are not terribly useful for consumers. It would be so much more useful to know for each concern the date it was installed to give us an idea of lag time vs recent installs, how many extractions were done and  products associated with worst failure rate etc. A few comments: Q1 2019 has a Basic maths error again. ((1626-1114)/1626)*100 is not 16% . This would have been signed off by CEO. That fact that the they have under calculated indicated incompetence rather than conspiracy. From Q4 2018 "Historically water penetration influenced by weather conditions has resulted in claims being received. We continue to see a reduction in the level of claims received in this area due to improved weather co...

My house, as well as others in the street, immediately stick out as being unusual.  They were built in the art deco style in 1930 but have been modified replacing original windows with uPVC and some have had their original flat roof replaced with a pitched roof.  There are some clear remnants of the original ere however. One of the defining features of art deco houses is the use of cantilever overhangs over windows, flat roof sections and for crisp clean (often curved) balconies. There are two such cantilever overhangs on my house.  The canopy over the front door (see photo below) and a wrap around flat roof over the bay window at the front of the house.  Cantilever canopy over the front door( possibly over specified  as can easily take 2 people jumping  on it it!) As part of my ongoing investigation into the construction of the house I decided to look how the overhangs were constructed. The roof at the front is only a thin strip of roof ju...

In 2017 BBA CIT (a subsidiary of BBA) was tasked by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) with conducting the largest survey to date of properties installed with Cavity Wall insulation(CWI). The NIHE is sponsored by Department for Communities a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. This incredibly important report was published 3rd May 2019 and provides a pretty hefty blow to the CWI industry and associated 'independent' guarantee companies.  The NIHE has a considerable investment in CWI following an extensive programme of insulating cavity walls across its housing stock in the 1980s. This survey comes on the back of a previous survey of 206 homes from NIHE Stock done in 2014 which concluded. "The research found that many homes suffered poor and inadequate levels of thermal protection. Only 9% (19 homes) were deemed to have sufficient cavity wall insulation and be fit for purpose" This new report...

I finally got a response from Group Head of Marketing Communications at the Energy Saving Trust in regards to the CIGA. (see previous blog entry for background). We are writing to you in connection with our response to your email of 07 January 2019 in which we wrote: “We should point out that we are in no way connected to CIGA. We are not sure why our name would ever have appeared on a CIGA certificate, though it is possible they may have provided us a source of general information on insulation and other energy saving measures.” Since the sending of this letter – we have carried out a further investigation into this matter. It has now been established that the statement we made in our email of 12 February 2019 was not accurate. CIGA were granted permission to use the Energy Saving Trust In-Partnership brand mark in 2005 until it was withdrawn when the Energy Saving Trust rebranded in 2011. We therefore apologise for the inaccuracy in our earlier email and trust the a...