Lovely video. With regard to helping remove moisture from the house. One technique which feels counterintuitive is sometimes called “burping” the house. Early every morning while the air outside is coldest, open windows and let the cool air flood the house then close them again. This brings cold air in which holds less moisture than warm air. It also removes the warmer air in the house which holds a higher percentage of water. The house will heat up more quickly this way and feel fresher. Sounds bonkers! But the science is interesting, worth reading up.
Thank you, someone else suggested a similar method but called it 'drafting'. It's very interesting to learn how people dealt with damp before dehumidifiers etc
I agree, dehumidifiers are the way to go. Run day and night for a week on full, won't cost much. You'll soon see by the end of the week if you can turn it down or off. I would say the black mould on bedroom wall is more likely caused by poor ventilation. Dehumidifiers are great for drying clothes. I've lived in old cottages all my life and encountered most problems. I have mice coming in now because of change in weather.
Belated welcome to Scotland. :) We actually use the same de-humidifer as you (we also leave it in the hallway with all the doors open). We also use the Ansio tubs, except we place them on windowsills in each room, they're quite helpful in fighting off condensation. Funnily enough, we also have a room with the exact same layout as your guest room, and the exact same spot is where we initially had trouble with damp as well. Along with the two things mentioned above, we pulled out the bed a bit from the wall which has the window, and we filled the space with a small deskside table which had a lot of airflow space around the legs. On top of that, pulling out the bed a couple of inches from the other wall (just so it's not close to flush against anything) will drastically help as well. Thick curtains will become your best friend in Scotland for conserving heat, although always have them open whenever the heating is on (talking from experience lol). As for the de-humidifer, we found that if we set it to 50 humidity on auto mode, after a while it did quite a good job of maintaining the humidity at that level and would turn itself on/off whenever needed. If the model is the same as the one we have (which I think it is), then it shouldn't be too bad on the electricity bill. Only thing we need to do is to empty the water container whenever it's filled. With a lot of the older cottages, it also might be worth having a wee inspection on the outer stone work just to see if you can find any cracks or holes as they will definitely be a culprit for damp. Another really good thing to do once every so often is drafting - if you can find a start point and end point for air to come in and leave to give the entire property a good draft it's really handy to do. Just be weary of any doors potentially slamming shut (some cheap door stoppers will help with that). If you can manage to have your exit point for the draft being in the kitchen or the bathroom that would be a plus. It sounds counter intuitive but my gran swore by it lol. Last but not least, I'd strongly strongly recommend staying away from any sort of wicker furniture or decor, they look really nice but they are terrible for harbouring moisture and damp, and sooner or later there will be entire eco systems growing around them in Scottish climate conditions.
Thank you for taking the time to write all this great advice - it's really helpful! I like the sound of drafting, I'm going to give it a try next time we have a good dry day. Grannies often give the best advice! Unfortunately we already learnt about what the Scottish climate can do to wicker furniture the hard way. The wicker chair we brought with us when we moved didn't last long before it had some fuzzy white species growing out of it!
@@LifeOnTheCroft - Oh no, at least you noticed it early! lol. Also I'm not sure if you are both aware, but the whole net zero and renewable energy thing is taken quite seriously in Holyrood, and there's quite a lot of grants and interest-free loans which are given through the Scottish Government for all sorts of things: geothermal pumps, air heat pumps, solar panels, insulation, hydro power, wind turbines, double glazing, biomass boilers, etc. The upside to it, particularly for rural homes up this part of the country, is that they can usually be hooked up to a battery pack which can be installed and it will act as a mini generator during any times of power cuts on the grid which can be really useful especially during the winter months. Oil tanks are what we use to rely on before (they're great, but as you said very expensive to run if it's not hooked up to a stove) but there's lots of options out there these days which are financially backed by the government. Funding for it all usually resets at the start of each new tax year, and usually they operate it on a first-come first-serve basis; and because you're in a rural area there's an uplift to what the government will cover as well - but it's definitely something worth looking into as the schemes are open to everybody regardless of income or work status. Had noticed comments some people made about the chickens in another video - pay no mind to them though, because you're actually doing the right thing for the highlands to keep them secure from any wildlife, especially if you're intending to hatch chicks. Oh one other thing - about the root you were trying to dig up but the ground was a bit too rough with the roots. If you have a sink basin or kettle, fill it up with some warm/hot water a few times and pour it around the soil, after about 15 mins it should be much easier to dig into. Also I'd recommend investing in a good digger shovel - something like the JML Rayzer Shovel Spade which you can find on Amazon (lots of teethed edges which is ideal for initial cuts into the soil we have, and will help with uprooting anything you want to take up); a shovel like that will be really good multi-purpose for any sort of landscaping you want to do as a first go-to (and your ankles will thank you for it lol), and then once you've broken into it, you can then use the flat-head shovel for moving in/out any excess soil. :)
Thank you - I've seen some of these renewable energy schemes but definitely need to research properly if any would suit our property. I like the look of that shovel too! Appreciate your comment about the chickens. It's a shame some people's first assumption is that we don't care about the chickens' welfare when we actually made these choices to protect them based on the advice of people who've kept poultry in this area for many years!
Hi. I really enjoyed this video and subscribed. I really like the dialogue over top of a video style. It’s like spending time with a friend and watching home movies. ✌️
Rules: 1) Never put furniture on outside walls. 2) Always have 20cm space between small furnishings and outside walls for circulation. 3) MOST IMPORTANT...open all windows to change the house air out in the mornings and evenings every day, all year around.....just long enough for air exchange (eg 5 mins).. this does not cool down the house if your heating is on. We do this in Germany even with -10°C or lower.. it is even required by law in rentals.. because this is the main way to stop condensation and moisture build up in a house. 4) use dehumidifiers during worst (humid) weather. 5) clothes can dry outside in cold windy weather.. a tumble dryer is good... I have one that collects the water.. then you just empty the tank after use ie. The moisture does not go into the house air.
@@j.pappas9083 In Germany plumming is kept away from outside walls so the pipes don't freeze to. We can get -20 to -25°C in Winter but never really much lower (although a record low in 2001 was -45.9°C in the Bavarian Alps). They live in Scotland and although it gets cold and snow, they rarely get as cold Germany and definately not as cold as you in northern Ontario which experiences more influence from Arctic Fronts. Average Winter temperatures in Scotland are around +4°C, with the odd days below zero.. so they can definately open their windows 98% of the year!.. so they can apply the same air exchange methods as we do in Germany to remove moisture. Even the Scandinavians air their houses the same way as the Germans (minus temperatures permitting). Its definitely the best way to remove stale moist air...and in Winter when it is really cold, it take only a few minutes to exchange the air especially when its minus degrees outside, thats the best because that air is dry!
@@j.pappas9083Thanks for providing the Canadian perspective. We live in Saskatchewan; the idea of opening the windows in winter is a non-starter. Rather than a de-humidifier, we require a humidifier because of our arid climate. Stay warm!
@@valeriemulholland4282 I also live in Canada, but in Vancouver which has a climate more like Scotland's. I think one thing folks may not think about, apart from variations on how dry the air is in different colder climates as you allude to, is how differently our houses may be built. I would think a house built of stone would create very different issues to one built of 2x4 or 2x6 wood frame. I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all solution, in other words.
I also daily air out a small 1945 grandma house to let it breath & release the moisture. Airing out a house twice daily is also key to release any natural radon gas build up! Fun fact - “So deeply ingrained in German society is the act of airing out the house that there are multiple styles of Lüften, all of which have a specific name in German. The most common of these is “Stoßlüften”, pronounced “Sh-toe-ss-lüften”, “shock ventilation” or “impact ventilation”.
I can't believe I've never heard of this before! Of course I know to open the windows but this idea of opening everything in one go or 'shock ventilation' is new to me, but we've had quite a few people mention it. So interesting.
At first I was all "don't paint the wooooood 😩" but the room does look really nice! Very scandinavian, I think. Enjoyed the video, didn't notice any issues with the iphone footage tbh, just enjoyed the shots :)
Whilst there is no one using it, pull that bed out into the room so that the air circulates behind it easily. You are probably doing that now anyway. It will help. I too live in an old stone cottage and this year damp is a worse problem than ever before. It's been such a wet year. And some problems with the road surface outside (now hopefully fixed) has made my utility store room very damp. I hadn't realised. The floor level is below the outside council owned ground level at this end of the house (way above ground level at the other end, joys of living on a hill). But we stuffed this room with things as Covid kicked off, emergency supplies, things to cope with lockdowns etc. Plus we hadn't cleared it out in years before that and we had moved some tools and supplies into it from our barn when we converted it for mum to live in. All in all it was silted up like a ditch! As I've been clearing out I have realised that the tumble dryer has been leaking underneath. Result? Mould and a musty smell when I move boxes that have been packed into the cupboards. I'm having a massive clearcut. The dehumidifier (essential in old houses) is working overtime and I've used white vinegar in a spray bottle to kill the mould. But I can't get to the back at the bottom of this huge built in cupboard. I'm considering calling in a mould killer expert, empty the huge cupboard again and get them to treat it. They will have gear with long wands and the proper cleanup tools. Annoying, but I needs to be sorted out before winter sets in. I need to get my tumble dryer fixed. Laundry is a pain in the bum in an old house in winter.
@@lizad5772 If I had the choice I'd definitely put the dryer out in a shed. It's the dryers that cause the condensation issues which can lead to mould. Not ideal if it's raining, but better than a damp house. Ideal situation would be to have one of those heated drying racks out there too if you want to spend less on electricity to dry a few things. It doesn't even have to be an enclosed shed for a tumble dryer, as long as it's dry inside and the machine is a the back well out of the way of wind-driven rain reaching it.
My thoughts: To help circulation in the bedroom in spare bedroom perhaps use a bed with legs so air can circulate better or move bed away from exterior walls, if possible. Lovely video.
I'm in a similar age of property, a bit further north than you and on a north-facing slope, so virtually no direct sunlight on the house between October and March. I'd be interested to know about the air flow for your fire and your boiler. When these houses were built, open fires sucked huge amounts of air through the building, taking the damp air out up the chimney. Nowadays we try our best to block up any air ingress and then duct air for the heating combustion, directly from outside to the boiler/fire. It's no surprise that we then need to replace that air-flow with a dehumidifier. In my house, with a wood-burner in the lounge and an oil-fired Rayburn in the kitchen (coupled with old drafty windows and doors) we have much less of a damp issue in the winter than we do in the summer, when the wood-stove and Rayburn are seldom used. I'm not suggesting people should block up the air supply to their boiler and, of course, every combustion appliance must be coupled with a Carbon Monoxide alarm, but I do think it is worth considering whether the combustion devices can be used as part of the humidity and air-flow management in the building.
That's interesting what you say about open fires sucking out damp air, as I've often wondered how people coped with the damp in houses like ours in the past. Although I do think I'd take the dehumidifier over the air quality they must have had from burning peat in an open fire! There are purpose built vents on the outside walls by our oil fire and the boiler for the air flow issue. We also find that unless it's really hot in the summer (so hardly ever!) the damp can be worse than winter due to the heating. We turned our heating on last week and now I notice the dehumidifier tank is filling up about half as fast. We've considered switching from oil to a heat pump system but the engineer who came out to quote said that unless we put in significant insulation (walls, floors, more in the roof etc) then we would spend thousands more on electricity and still be cold. But I've also heard that old houses were 'designed to breathe' and would quickly become mouldy with modern insulation. I'm no expert so finding it difficult to decide what approach is best!
@@LifeOnTheCroft Welcome to the basic conundrum everyone in an older property faces! With regard to the past, if you look at any old pictures of towns and villages, you will notice that most of the windows are open. I'm guessing that people had a better discipline of opening windows in the morning and shutting them at night back then. The problem in summer is that the volume of water contained in the air is related to the temperature, so if the humidity outside in summer is 80% at 16C, it contains about twice the volume of water as it does at the same humidity and 5C in winter. In summer, if your inside walls are cooler than the outside air temperature, they act like your dehumidifier and when you open your windows to let that air in, all that water can condense out on the wall surface. I've found that modernising my heating controls has made a big difference - I bought a Hive system, but I think Tado is probably better. This allows me to have the heating set at a low level and it will switch in and out throughout the day and night, giving a much more even drying effect on the air (and walls) rather than having it warm the house up only at times when we are feeling the cold. We seem to have a reduced oil consumption because we don't end up leaving it switched on for hours on end and it allows the "heat the person not the room" principle to be more effective. In winter I have it set for 16C during the day and 12C or 14C overnight. If we need more heat than that, then it is over to the woodburner. You seem to have space and access to allow a big log delivery, so in your shoes I would be considering a log burner - either just to replace your oil fire or for a wood-fuel boiler for the whole house. As mentioned elsewhere in the comments, a wood-fuel boiler could be approvable for government subsidy, but this would only bring the cost down, it would still cost more than a modern gas or oil boiler. I notice you have modern windows but they don't seem to have trickle vents, so you have probably already compromised the breathability of the building - I'd suggest leaving the catches on their vent setting on the side of the house that is away from the wind if you can. But if the double glazed units need the window-vac than they are perhaps past their best. My house is still single-glazed with really poor windows, but I don't want to get on to that treadmill of modern DG units that need replacing every few years!
Thanks, lots of good info here. We are currently saving to replace the oil fire with a good quality log burner, hopefully in the new year. One day replacing the dated double glazing will also reach the top of the long list of things to pay for!
Hello just stumbled across your channel. As someone who has not long moved out of a damp cottage I hate to tell you this but you might have inadvertently caused more of an issue by painting the wooden floors. If it was an upstairs room it would probably be ok but definitely keep an eye out. It wouldn’t be this winter, it will be next that the problem might come back. Apart from what most other folk have said the only other things that I can recommend for keeping damp and mould down is clearing the guttering all the time and fitting an extractor in the kitchen and bathroom. Unfortunately with mould it’s a total pain to deal with I know how you feel on this one.
The same is here - in Manchester. it rains and rains and my old house has got a leak ( which 2 roofers couldn`t fix ) and a lot of dump and mould or even something that looks like rusty spots..? Never ending story...
Love what you did in your spare room..looks great finished..Yes we have to have dehumidifiers here in Texas because it's very humid here and we get mildew problems..like you I hang clothes on racks and run the dehumidifier in the room..I just added a fan in there for air movement around the laundry..Just found your channel..look forward to seeing your other videos..❤😊
We bought the same dehumidifier last year after we moved into a small stone terraced house - we were getting mould growing on everything and water dripping down the inside of the windows. Apart from helping with the moisture, I found that the dehumidifier also kept the house warmer - must be something to do with the air circulation. We moved again a few months ago and find one room in this old stone house to be very cold - both external corners of the room are damp. I've been worrying about what to do but after watching your video and reading the comments, I realise that this might just be an unavoidable issue that needs to be managed day to day, rather than something that need a one time (expensive) fix - which is reassuring in a weird way. Glad I found your channel and looking forward to seeing more :)
Thank you! Yes we are learning that moisture inside needs to be something we think about day to day. However it's worth investigating the outside walls where the damp is for cracks or leaks, and make sure you cut back any vegetation that's against the walls. The outside ground level can build up over time and cause damp and issues with drainage too. Sorry if this is all stuff you've already thought of!
@@LifeOnTheCroft actually when we had the buyers survey done, the surveyor did say that it might be a good idea to take the ground level down by 15cm on that side of the house. I've started doing it but I'm only doing one bucket full a day because its such an unpleasant job (its actually more like one bucket per week 🤣) I actually didn't realise that the ground level could build up over time so that's good to know.
I have just discovered your channel, the videography is lovely despite your usage of an old iphone. The spare room looks good after its refresh and I hope the mould stays away.
I have a 75 year old house with no central heat, my living room wood floors had horrible pet stains, I sanded and painted the floor a French gray. What an improvement. What about a wood burning standing fireplace? The heat and warmth is just wonderful in the colder months.
is there insulation and a vapour barrier under the floor? do you have a crawl space under the cottage? Pretty colour for the floor. I would have sanded before painting regardless of the wood.
Lovely video. With regard to helping remove moisture from the house. One technique which feels counterintuitive is sometimes called “burping” the house. Early every morning while the air outside is coldest, open windows and let the cool air flood the house then close them again. This brings cold air in which holds less moisture than warm air. It also removes the warmer air in the house which holds a higher percentage of water. The house will heat up more quickly this way and feel fresher. Sounds bonkers! But the science is interesting, worth reading up.
Thank you, someone else suggested a similar method but called it 'drafting'. It's very interesting to learn how people dealt with damp before dehumidifiers etc
Good video. very interesting and so satisfying to pick your own veg.
The best advice anyone gave me before I moved to the west of Ireland was to invest in a couple of dehumidifiers. They are a godsend.
I agree, dehumidifiers are the way to go. Run day and night for a week on full, won't cost much. You'll soon see by the end of the week if you can turn it down or off. I would say the black mould on bedroom wall is more likely caused by poor ventilation. Dehumidifiers are great for drying clothes. I've lived in old cottages all my life and encountered most problems. I have mice coming in now because of change in weather.
Nice video!
Use the water from dehumidifier to water your houseplants.
Belated welcome to Scotland. :)
We actually use the same de-humidifer as you (we also leave it in the hallway with all the doors open). We also use the Ansio tubs, except we place them on windowsills in each room, they're quite helpful in fighting off condensation.
Funnily enough, we also have a room with the exact same layout as your guest room, and the exact same spot is where we initially had trouble with damp as well. Along with the two things mentioned above, we pulled out the bed a bit from the wall which has the window, and we filled the space with a small deskside table which had a lot of airflow space around the legs.
On top of that, pulling out the bed a couple of inches from the other wall (just so it's not close to flush against anything) will drastically help as well.
Thick curtains will become your best friend in Scotland for conserving heat, although always have them open whenever the heating is on (talking from experience lol).
As for the de-humidifer, we found that if we set it to 50 humidity on auto mode, after a while it did quite a good job of maintaining the humidity at that level and would turn itself on/off whenever needed. If the model is the same as the one we have (which I think it is), then it shouldn't be too bad on the electricity bill. Only thing we need to do is to empty the water container whenever it's filled.
With a lot of the older cottages, it also might be worth having a wee inspection on the outer stone work just to see if you can find any cracks or holes as they will definitely be a culprit for damp.
Another really good thing to do once every so often is drafting - if you can find a start point and end point for air to come in and leave to give the entire property a good draft it's really handy to do. Just be weary of any doors potentially slamming shut (some cheap door stoppers will help with that). If you can manage to have your exit point for the draft being in the kitchen or the bathroom that would be a plus. It sounds counter intuitive but my gran swore by it lol.
Last but not least, I'd strongly strongly recommend staying away from any sort of wicker furniture or decor, they look really nice but they are terrible for harbouring moisture and damp, and sooner or later there will be entire eco systems growing around them in Scottish climate conditions.
Thank you for taking the time to write all this great advice - it's really helpful! I like the sound of drafting, I'm going to give it a try next time we have a good dry day. Grannies often give the best advice!
Unfortunately we already learnt about what the Scottish climate can do to wicker furniture the hard way. The wicker chair we brought with us when we moved didn't last long before it had some fuzzy white species growing out of it!
@@LifeOnTheCroft - Oh no, at least you noticed it early! lol.
Also I'm not sure if you are both aware, but the whole net zero and renewable energy thing is taken quite seriously in Holyrood, and there's quite a lot of grants and interest-free loans which are given through the Scottish Government for all sorts of things: geothermal pumps, air heat pumps, solar panels, insulation, hydro power, wind turbines, double glazing, biomass boilers, etc.
The upside to it, particularly for rural homes up this part of the country, is that they can usually be hooked up to a battery pack which can be installed and it will act as a mini generator during any times of power cuts on the grid which can be really useful especially during the winter months. Oil tanks are what we use to rely on before (they're great, but as you said very expensive to run if it's not hooked up to a stove) but there's lots of options out there these days which are financially backed by the government.
Funding for it all usually resets at the start of each new tax year, and usually they operate it on a first-come first-serve basis; and because you're in a rural area there's an uplift to what the government will cover as well - but it's definitely something worth looking into as the schemes are open to everybody regardless of income or work status.
Had noticed comments some people made about the chickens in another video - pay no mind to them though, because you're actually doing the right thing for the highlands to keep them secure from any wildlife, especially if you're intending to hatch chicks.
Oh one other thing - about the root you were trying to dig up but the ground was a bit too rough with the roots. If you have a sink basin or kettle, fill it up with some warm/hot water a few times and pour it around the soil, after about 15 mins it should be much easier to dig into.
Also I'd recommend investing in a good digger shovel - something like the JML Rayzer Shovel Spade which you can find on Amazon (lots of teethed edges which is ideal for initial cuts into the soil we have, and will help with uprooting anything you want to take up); a shovel like that will be really good multi-purpose for any sort of landscaping you want to do as a first go-to (and your ankles will thank you for it lol), and then once you've broken into it, you can then use the flat-head shovel for moving in/out any excess soil. :)
Thank you - I've seen some of these renewable energy schemes but definitely need to research properly if any would suit our property. I like the look of that shovel too!
Appreciate your comment about the chickens. It's a shame some people's first assumption is that we don't care about the chickens' welfare when we actually made these choices to protect them based on the advice of people who've kept poultry in this area for many years!
Hi. I really enjoyed this video and subscribed. I really like the dialogue over top of a video style. It’s like spending time with a friend and watching home movies. ✌️
Well said & I did as well❤
Thank you, what a lovely comment to read! :)
Rules:
1) Never put furniture on outside walls.
2) Always have 20cm space between small furnishings and outside walls for circulation.
3) MOST IMPORTANT...open all windows to change the house air out in the mornings and evenings every day, all year around.....just long enough for air exchange (eg 5 mins).. this does not cool down the house if your heating is on. We do this in Germany even with -10°C or lower.. it is even required by law in rentals.. because this is the main way to stop condensation and moisture build up in a house.
4) use dehumidifiers during worst (humid) weather.
5) clothes can dry outside in cold windy weather.. a tumble dryer is good... I have one that collects the water.. then you just empty the tank after use ie. The moisture does not go into the house air.
Thank you this is great advice
@@j.pappas9083 In Germany plumming is kept away from outside walls so the pipes don't freeze to. We can get -20 to -25°C in Winter but never really much lower (although a record low in 2001 was -45.9°C in the Bavarian Alps).
They live in Scotland and although it gets cold and snow, they rarely get as cold Germany and definately not as cold as you in northern Ontario which experiences more influence from Arctic Fronts. Average Winter temperatures in Scotland are around +4°C, with the odd days below zero.. so they can definately open their windows 98% of the year!.. so they can apply the same air exchange methods as we do in Germany to remove moisture. Even the Scandinavians air their houses the same way as the Germans (minus temperatures permitting). Its definitely the best way to remove stale moist air...and in Winter when it is really cold, it take only a few minutes to exchange the air especially when its minus degrees outside, thats the best because that air is dry!
@@j.pappas9083Thanks for providing the Canadian perspective. We live in Saskatchewan; the idea of opening the windows in winter is a non-starter. Rather than a de-humidifier, we require a humidifier because of our arid climate. Stay warm!
@@valeriemulholland4282 I also live in Canada, but in Vancouver which has a climate more like Scotland's. I think one thing folks may not think about, apart from variations on how dry the air is in different colder climates as you allude to, is how differently our houses may be built. I would think a house built of stone would create very different issues to one built of 2x4 or 2x6 wood frame. I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all solution, in other words.
I also daily air out a small 1945 grandma house to let it breath & release the moisture. Airing out a house twice daily is also key to release any natural radon gas build up!
Fun fact - “So deeply ingrained in German society is the act of airing out the house that there are multiple styles of Lüften, all of which have a specific name in German. The most common of these is “Stoßlüften”, pronounced “Sh-toe-ss-lüften”, “shock ventilation” or “impact ventilation”.
I can't believe I've never heard of this before! Of course I know to open the windows but this idea of opening everything in one go or 'shock ventilation' is new to me, but we've had quite a few people mention it. So interesting.
At first I was all "don't paint the wooooood 😩" but the room does look really nice! Very scandinavian, I think.
Enjoyed the video, didn't notice any issues with the iphone footage tbh, just enjoyed the shots :)
enjoyed this, lovely and calm, like a swan. i bet you are serene on the outside and paddling madly underneath x
Thank you. Haha, yes, you're spot on!!
Thanks for another interesting chapter of your daily life. Best wishes! 🌺
Thank you! 😊
Whilst there is no one using it, pull that bed out into the room so that the air circulates behind it easily. You are probably doing that now anyway. It will help.
I too live in an old stone cottage and this year damp is a worse problem than ever before. It's been such a wet year. And some problems with the road surface outside (now hopefully fixed) has made my utility store room very damp. I hadn't realised. The floor level is below the outside council owned ground level at this end of the house (way above ground level at the other end, joys of living on a hill). But we stuffed this room with things as Covid kicked off, emergency supplies, things to cope with lockdowns etc. Plus we hadn't cleared it out in years before that and we had moved some tools and supplies into it from our barn when we converted it for mum to live in. All in all it was silted up like a ditch! As I've been clearing out I have realised that the tumble dryer has been leaking underneath. Result? Mould and a musty smell when I move boxes that have been packed into the cupboards.
I'm having a massive clearcut. The dehumidifier (essential in old houses) is working overtime and I've used white vinegar in a spray bottle to kill the mould. But I can't get to the back at the bottom of this huge built in cupboard. I'm considering calling in a mould killer expert, empty the huge cupboard again and get them to treat it. They will have gear with long wands and the proper cleanup tools. Annoying, but I needs to be sorted out before winter sets in. I need to get my tumble dryer fixed. Laundry is a pain in the bum in an old house in winter.
Oh dear, hope you can get your mould problem sorted out without too much hassle. Fingers crossed next year's weather will be a bit more forgiving!
Would you recommend putting laundry machines in the shed across a 4m yard? I'm designing layout now for a small cottage renovation.
@@lizad5772 If I had the choice I'd definitely put the dryer out in a shed. It's the dryers that cause the condensation issues which can lead to mould. Not ideal if it's raining, but better than a damp house. Ideal situation would be to have one of those heated drying racks out there too if you want to spend less on electricity to dry a few things. It doesn't even have to be an enclosed shed for a tumble dryer, as long as it's dry inside and the machine is a the back well out of the way of wind-driven rain reaching it.
My thoughts: To help circulation in the bedroom in spare bedroom perhaps use a bed with legs so air can circulate better or move bed away from exterior walls, if possible. Lovely video.
You're right with hindsight this bed was not a great choice! It's positioned further from the wall now. Thank you for watching!
I always have beds away from the wall, it stops spiders from running over you as they go about their business in the wee small hours!
I’m new to your video showings. I look forward to seeing your cottage and your gardens
Best way is a real open fireplace. Draws damp air out and you don’t need to open the windows.
Just found you tonight, and subscribed! Great Vlog and look forward to following you xx
Thanks so much, we really appreciate it!
just watched all your videos l like the calmness, the voice overs and mixed subjects, new subscriber l look forward to follow your journey ☺
Thank you, we appreciate it!
I'm in a similar age of property, a bit further north than you and on a north-facing slope, so virtually no direct sunlight on the house between October and March. I'd be interested to know about the air flow for your fire and your boiler. When these houses were built, open fires sucked huge amounts of air through the building, taking the damp air out up the chimney. Nowadays we try our best to block up any air ingress and then duct air for the heating combustion, directly from outside to the boiler/fire. It's no surprise that we then need to replace that air-flow with a dehumidifier. In my house, with a wood-burner in the lounge and an oil-fired Rayburn in the kitchen (coupled with old drafty windows and doors) we have much less of a damp issue in the winter than we do in the summer, when the wood-stove and Rayburn are seldom used. I'm not suggesting people should block up the air supply to their boiler and, of course, every combustion appliance must be coupled with a Carbon Monoxide alarm, but I do think it is worth considering whether the combustion devices can be used as part of the humidity and air-flow management in the building.
That's interesting what you say about open fires sucking out damp air, as I've often wondered how people coped with the damp in houses like ours in the past. Although I do think I'd take the dehumidifier over the air quality they must have had from burning peat in an open fire!
There are purpose built vents on the outside walls by our oil fire and the boiler for the air flow issue. We also find that unless it's really hot in the summer (so hardly ever!) the damp can be worse than winter due to the heating. We turned our heating on last week and now I notice the dehumidifier tank is filling up about half as fast. We've considered switching from oil to a heat pump system but the engineer who came out to quote said that unless we put in significant insulation (walls, floors, more in the roof etc) then we would spend thousands more on electricity and still be cold. But I've also heard that old houses were 'designed to breathe' and would quickly become mouldy with modern insulation. I'm no expert so finding it difficult to decide what approach is best!
@@LifeOnTheCroft Welcome to the basic conundrum everyone in an older property faces! With regard to the past, if you look at any old pictures of towns and villages, you will notice that most of the windows are open. I'm guessing that people had a better discipline of opening windows in the morning and shutting them at night back then.
The problem in summer is that the volume of water contained in the air is related to the temperature, so if the humidity outside in summer is 80% at 16C, it contains about twice the volume of water as it does at the same humidity and 5C in winter. In summer, if your inside walls are cooler than the outside air temperature, they act like your dehumidifier and when you open your windows to let that air in, all that water can condense out on the wall surface.
I've found that modernising my heating controls has made a big difference - I bought a Hive system, but I think Tado is probably better. This allows me to have the heating set at a low level and it will switch in and out throughout the day and night, giving a much more even drying effect on the air (and walls) rather than having it warm the house up only at times when we are feeling the cold. We seem to have a reduced oil consumption because we don't end up leaving it switched on for hours on end and it allows the "heat the person not the room" principle to be more effective. In winter I have it set for 16C during the day and 12C or 14C overnight. If we need more heat than that, then it is over to the woodburner.
You seem to have space and access to allow a big log delivery, so in your shoes I would be considering a log burner - either just to replace your oil fire or for a wood-fuel boiler for the whole house. As mentioned elsewhere in the comments, a wood-fuel boiler could be approvable for government subsidy, but this would only bring the cost down, it would still cost more than a modern gas or oil boiler.
I notice you have modern windows but they don't seem to have trickle vents, so you have probably already compromised the breathability of the building - I'd suggest leaving the catches on their vent setting on the side of the house that is away from the wind if you can. But if the double glazed units need the window-vac than they are perhaps past their best. My house is still single-glazed with really poor windows, but I don't want to get on to that treadmill of modern DG units that need replacing every few years!
Thanks, lots of good info here. We are currently saving to replace the oil fire with a good quality log burner, hopefully in the new year. One day replacing the dated double glazing will also reach the top of the long list of things to pay for!
Hello just stumbled across your channel. As someone who has not long moved out of a damp cottage I hate to tell you this but you might have inadvertently caused more of an issue by painting the wooden floors. If it was an upstairs room it would probably be ok but definitely keep an eye out. It wouldn’t be this winter, it will be next that the problem might come back. Apart from what most other folk have said the only other things that I can recommend for keeping damp and mould down is clearing the guttering all the time and fitting an extractor in the kitchen and bathroom. Unfortunately with mould it’s a total pain to deal with I know how you feel on this one.
WILL BUY HUMIDIFIER MENTIONED, THANKS FOR THAT
You're welcome it works great for us, hope you like it!
The same is here - in Manchester. it rains and rains and my old house has got a leak ( which 2 roofers couldn`t fix ) and a lot of dump and mould or even something that looks like rusty spots..? Never ending story...
Love what you did in your spare room..looks great finished..Yes we have to have dehumidifiers here in Texas because it's very humid here and we get mildew problems..like you I hang clothes on racks and run the dehumidifier in the room..I just added a fan in there for air movement around the laundry..Just found your channel..look forward to seeing your other videos..❤😊
We bought the same dehumidifier last year after we moved into a small stone terraced house - we were getting mould growing on everything and water dripping down the inside of the windows. Apart from helping with the moisture, I found that the dehumidifier also kept the house warmer - must be something to do with the air circulation.
We moved again a few months ago and find one room in this old stone house to be very cold - both external corners of the room are damp. I've been worrying about what to do but after watching your video and reading the comments, I realise that this might just be an unavoidable issue that needs to be managed day to day, rather than something that need a one time (expensive) fix - which is reassuring in a weird way. Glad I found your channel and looking forward to seeing more :)
Thank you! Yes we are learning that moisture inside needs to be something we think about day to day. However it's worth investigating the outside walls where the damp is for cracks or leaks, and make sure you cut back any vegetation that's against the walls. The outside ground level can build up over time and cause damp and issues with drainage too. Sorry if this is all stuff you've already thought of!
@@LifeOnTheCroft actually when we had the buyers survey done, the surveyor did say that it might be a good idea to take the ground level down by 15cm on that side of the house. I've started doing it but I'm only doing one bucket full a day because its such an unpleasant job (its actually more like one bucket per week 🤣)
I actually didn't realise that the ground level could build up over time so that's good to know.
Great pieces of advice, thank you 🙏
Thank you for watching!
I have just discovered your channel, the videography is lovely despite your usage of an old iphone.
The spare room looks good after its refresh and I hope the mould stays away.
Thanks so much appreciate your kind words
The room is very bright it looks good. Is that stream on your property?
Thanks! No it's just a small river that's nearby our village
Yep, can’t live without window vac and multiple dehumidifiers in autumn/winter - south of England
Use dehumidifier. ❤ glad you are using one.
I have a 75 year old house with no central heat, my living room wood floors had horrible pet stains, I sanded and painted the floor a French gray. What an improvement. What about a wood burning standing fireplace? The heat and warmth is just wonderful in the colder months.
Amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do. We're saving to replace the oil stove with a wood burner but life keeps getting in the way!
is there insulation and a vapour barrier under the floor? do you have a crawl space under the cottage? Pretty colour for the floor. I would have sanded before painting regardless of the wood.
I think I would have opened the base of the wall where there was mold to see the extend of it
You just ruined really nice floor boards...
Thanks for watching!