Home projects - new central heating

When we bought our home 30 years ago, it had supposedly open fires, except for over five years the house had remained empty, and the chimneys (4) were crumbling.  We took out three of the chimneys and blocked up the fireplaces.  We paid out hundreds of pounds to have the fourth chimney relined, then another hundreds of pounds to have coal fire central heating installed with the coal fire and back boiler. 

During the next five years we had to call the chimney guy out several times because something was not quite right with the lining, eventually he stopped trading and we were left with a faulty chimney which the only solution was to take it down altogether.  By then the coal fire central heating had sprung a leak, and many "cowboy" plumbers later who did untold damage we were left with one solution  and that was to take it out and start again. 

The children were young, we could not afford to just go out and get new central heating, so we took away the radiators and put convector fires on the walls. 

It was always freezing in winter and most of the summer.  With no wall insulation and only wooden single glazed windows, the house was very cold in winter.  In fact it was not unusual for us to go to bed with ice on the inside of the bedroom window, which remained there for several weeks.  It was so thick it would not chip off.  And then when it did thaw, we had to have several towels on the window sill to catch the water.

But I have to say, we never had colds or flu during those cold winter months - nor did our children.  Well I am not surprised because who could live in below freezing conditions, other than ourselves!

About six years ago, we had the walls insulated, and then double glazing put in.  Having the walls insulated has caused more problems than we imagined, now with damp patches appearing inside on the outside walls.  More work for us to put right.  But the double glazing for sound proofing has been a godsend. 

So here we are 30 years on......and not a lot of progress on the heating front, but we are planning to have electric wet heating installed very soon - and excitment to a point (parting with money isn't that exciting), but I went shopping today to buy the new radiators and electric boilers. 

After all our bad luck with tradesmen in years gone by, I can at least say I have a great Heating Engineer now, and I can't wait til he gets started.  Hopefully we will be warmer this winter and many winters to come.  More update on this project soon.