Insulating and wiring

The structural upheaval from last week continues this week, and Matt and Rowena and the team get down to the nitty gritty.
The outside wall in front of the old kitchen is now gone and it�s time to get down to making the home warm and energy efficient with some quality insulation. The insulation went in while the wall linings are off � Matt and Rowena go with R2.6-rated Ultra in the walls, 1.6-rated Snugfloor� underneath the floorboards and 4.0 Ultra in the ceilings (the higher the R-rating, the better the insulation). Because Matt and Rowena live in Auckland, where the temperature is relatively mild, they only required a R1.6-rated Snugfloor as opposed to the R2.6. All Snugfloor insulation is fire-retardant and made from 80% recycled materials. Snugfloor is easy to cut and it also fits into uneven joists and does not damage PVC electrical cables as some products can. All the Pink Batts products were fitted by specialist PinkFit� installers, who ensure that all products are fitted neatly to achieve the optimal levels of insulation.

While all the linings were off, NRG came in to start wiring the place up for their new home theatre. When wiring up a home theatre it pays to do your homework. You must know exactly what type of equipment you will be installing, both now and in the future. It pays to allow a bit of room to upgrade your system as technology improves and as your financial situation improves over the coming years. While you have the electrician in, get them to check the status and safety of the circuitry. Especially if you�re living in an older house that has had alterations done, previous owners may have just kept adding new light fixtures and outlets to the existing circuit. This can lead to overloading, which can be unsafe as well as inconvenient. As it turned out, Matt and Rowena were definitely in need of an upgrade, because they were constantly suffering from overloading and MCB (miniature circuit breaker) and RCD (residual current device) protection are now legally required.

To assist further with keeping themselves and their family warm and healthy, Matt and Rowena installed an HRV heating system in their home. The HRV system has many benefits, including exchanging the air in their home to get rid of moisture (especially important for asthmatics) and only having the running cost of a small lightbulb. Matt and Rowena also put down Cavalier Bremworth Ridgway carpet in Velvet Brown to hide the stains that inevitably come with having small children. The wool carpet is both tactile and environmentally friendly and Matt and Rowena are already looking forward to curling their toes into the carpet. The Drawing Board has a full section of tips on how to select carpet for your home.

It was soon time to cover up the walls again and stop the joins and sand in preparation for painting. The team went with Dulux primer for its excellent adhesion, durability and grain-filling ability. They then went over that with the Dulux Colours of New Zealand range, with a Double Haast on the walls and Half-Haast on the ceilings. These are grey colours that give a nice earthy counterpoint to the Velevt Brown carpet. They opted for the Wash and Wear range to combat the sticky handprints that their kids will no doubt leave. For more info on selecting paint colours, go to our tips and tricks section.