Cunning Plan Leads to Cosier House

When Antonio Kingsley-Brown needed help insulating his house he contacted Waste Exchange. Antonio’s home, built over 110 years ago, had two open fires and both fires need to be lit to even begin warming the house. The house also suffered from damp and Antonio believed that damp earth beneath the house, combined with poor insulation, contributed to the home being uncomfortably cold during the winter months. 

After a brief discussion Waste Exchange facilitator Jim Forsman was able to help Antonio access large plastic sheets (approximately six metres long by one and a half metres high) which were used to cover the ground beneath the house.

Antonio then used a glue gun to secure expanded polystyrene (also accessed from Waste Exchange) to the underside of the floor boards to provide insulation. Antonio attached polystyrene sheets to the underside of the floor, and used small off-cuts as packers between beams. The job of crawling beneath the house to fit the plastics sheets was one of the messier aspects of the task, but it did make Antonio’s later task of lying beneath the house to attach the polystyrene to the floor boards easier and more comfortable.