Cinder block houses

[Adrenalyn]

Does anyone have any experience of living in a cinder block house? The house we are looking at renting, has a wood pellet stove. We are just wondering how easy it is to heat in the winter etc. Any input gratefully received.

[tommy]

You'd want to determine if it's insulated. If it's not, it will be difficult to heat, with the block walls retaining alot of the cold in the winter, and heat in the summer. It'd also depend on how much sun and shade it gets, as to how much heat the block walls would absorb. The blocks could be insulated with insulation inside the cavities, or insulation on the inside of the building. Talk to a prior resident. Good luck.

Does anyone have any experience of living in a cinder block house? The house we are looking at renting, has a wood pellet stove. We are just wondering how easy it is to heat in the winter etc. Any input gratefully received.

[2Bwacco]

Holmes on Homes (Home & Garden TV, weekdays 6 pm -- followed by Income Property) has done a lot of basement renovations where the concrete/cinder blocks are visible on the interior and usually painted. i sincerely doubt one would find insulation in the cavities -- that's a lot of work -- builders generally want to do as little work as possible, just enough to make it look like it was done right (when it wasn't).

the technique used appears to be rigid foam panels on the interior (at least 1.5") with vapor barrier. these panels are easy to purchase at all the home improvement stores.

they also use spray on (mixed two parts at the site) foam insulation which seals everything and makes a thermal break.

depending on the age of the building it is a good bet there is no insulation. you could talk with the owner about working with them doing the upgrade

You'd want to determine if it's insulated. ... The blocks could be insulated with insulation inside the cavities, or insulation on the inside of the building. Talk to a prior resident. Good luck.

[Tars]

Does anyone have any experience of living in a cinder block house?

I live in cinder block, and heat with a fireplace insert. In winter the insert keeps our living/dining/kitchen nice & warm. I use propane/kerosene heaters in the outlying rooms. We're nice & comfy in the winter.

Good luck in your home search!

[battindown]

I suggest that you or the owner have a certified Home Energy Rater conduct a complete audit on the house. The specific test that will answer how well the exterior walls are insulated is the Infrared video scanning. This test show where the walls are warmer or cooler than the ambient temperature. From these images the rater can make calculations as to how well the walls are insulated and, if necessary, make recommendation for improving the insulation. BTW the HERS audit will also check for air leakage do to poor sealing of the building envelope, quality of interior air, efficiency of heating and cooling systems and other things that effect the home's energy efficiency. Hope this helps.

You'd want to determine if it's insulated. If it's not, it will be difficult to heat, with the block walls retaining alot of the cold in the winter, and heat in the summer. It'd also depend on how much sun and shade it gets, as to how much heat the block walls would absorb. The blocks could be insulated with insulation inside the cavities, or insulation on the inside of the building. Talk to a prior resident. Good luck.

[dominus]

Prices for pellets will be going up and they will be harder to find. This is because pellets are a by product of the construction industry and manufactured from waste. With the building sector now considerably slowed down as a result of all the new foreclosures available, pellets aren't being made the way they once were when building new houses was occurring. Also, a pellet stove still uses electricity in order to run.

[Adrenalyn]

I live in cinder block, and heat with a fireplace insert. In winter the insert keeps our living/dining/kitchen nice & warm. I use propane/kerosene heaters in the outlying rooms. We're nice & comfy in the winter.

Good luck in your home search!

Thanks for letting us know how it feels in practice. We got the house which has open living/dining/kitchen and the bedrooms are in the back, which sounds like a very similar layout to yours. Thanks again!

[Adrenalyn]

Prices for pellets will be going up and they will be harder to find. This is because pellets are a by product of the construction industry and manufactured from waste. With the building sector now considerably slowed down as a result of all the new foreclosures available, pellets aren't being made the way they once were when building new houses was occurring. Also, a pellet stove still uses electricity in order to run.

Thanks for the info. Would have preferred a wood stove, but it is what it is.