TonyHSFC

Hi all, Has anyone had a retrofit attic room insulated? In the trade its called Room in Roof insulation and can only be fitted if you have a proper staircase leading to the attic, which probably covers a lot of the houses in Sheffield. My house was built in 1909 so Edwardian and currently is already converted to a room but without the insulation. I am wanting to bring my house up to EPC level C and this is shown on the current certificate as the only reasonably priced work to possibly achieve this. I have already had one silly quote so would love to hear from anyone who has had it done at a reasonable price. If there are any tradesmen out there that do this type of work to the bulilding regs and you have excellent reviews I would also like to hear from you. I have thought about doing it myself but would prefer guarantees and paperwork to satisfy the EPC assessor and from what I have read so far you have to be careful not to get things wrong such as ventilaton etc. I am also getting on now so I don't mind paying for a great job at a sensible price so recommendations and costs would be appreciated. If you don't want to state how much it cost then please PM me if possible as I suspect there may be a wide range of costs. Many thanks in advance. Tony PS: I know there is a lot of results on my search about insulation and I will work through them to get more information but thought I would see if anyone has had this Room In Roof Insulation (RIRI) done

Hi All, I am considering moving to South Yorkshire. I am thinking of buying either a flat or small 2 bed house in any of the following areas, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds or anywhere in this area that people might recommend. Since I am not from the area I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has experience of these areas in terms of where to buy and where to definitely avoid. I know that I can contact estate agents but would be wary about the information I might receive and think that it’s better to ask local people who have local knowledge. A nice flat always seems a good choice but I am concerned about the maintenance charges being high as this could easily add £100 or more to my monthly bills so it would be nice to have an insight of what I could expect to pay although I expect it can vary greatly. A freehold house with a nice small maintenance free garden might appeal too and would mean no monthly maintenance charges. My criteria is to get the area right and obviously it needs to be attractive and no work required. Other considerations are the job market in those areas and unemployment rates. I realise that I have to do extensive research which is just beginning so any advice and tips about where to get additional information would also be greatly appreciated. My initial review has revealed that there is no shortage of properties on the market and from what I am seeing plenty are selling so that's obviously a good sign too. I would also be interested in opinions on the merits or disadvantages of buying close to the city centre. In the past I have always thought that property close to the centre tends to have a higher purchase cost...but given what is happening to the high streets with businesses closing even before Covid 19 does it really mean much these days? I am wondering if it could be a disadvantage given that many centres also have a lot of trouble especially at weekends when people go out and drink to excess. I have seen a couple close to the centre so just wondering what others think concerning this. I might be emigrating in about 12 to 18 months too, so if I do buy it would be nice to also know that it’s in a good area so would not be difficult to rent out as I will want to keep the property for the income it could generate. I will have my own 'wish list' which should help me narrow properties down quickly but it's the areas that I'm stumped on. Any help and advice would be much appreciated. Thanks Tony