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THE HEALTHY WAY TO STOP THE LEAKS, WOOD ROT & HEAT
LOSS AND MAKE A BUILDING LOOK GOOD
In
2005 when faced with the need to begin large-scale
renovations at Plas Baladeulyn, the main house,
we wanted to work with environmentally friendly
materials where possible. The project included the
replacement of the roof, rainwater goods and nine
windows, plus a complete external redecoration.
We also wanted to use local suppliers, though in
practice this was not easy.
The roofing slates came from the Penrhyn Quarry,
Llanberis two valleys away. All roofing timbers
were treated with boric salt impregnation for protection
against fungi and insect attack. Boric salt is completely
free of heavy metal salts and volatile synthetic
agents and volatile organic solvents.
The
roof insulation is Thermafleece,
manufactured from sheep's wool from British hill
sheep. Thermafleece requires only 14% of the embodied
energy used in the manufacture of mineral fibre
insulation. It proved easy to handle and had no
loose particles to irritate the skin or breathing
as often associated with mineral fibres.
New
windows were made from Welsh softwoods and treated
with a borax impregnation primer, again completely
free of organic solvents, heavy metal salts and
volatile synthetic agents. The windows were fitted
with 28 mm Pilkington K double glazing units, and
special units made so the decorative Victorian painted
glass windows could be retained.
All
the exposed woodwork was painted with Aglaia natural
paints. These are manufactured from natural raw
materials and use no petro chemicals. They are also
free of the offensive vapours associated with standard
paints.
The
existing wall rendering, of very variable quality,
was treated with Beeck's Quartz Filler, a fibre
re-inforced silicate primer to cover small cracks
and to level out the surface structure. The aim
was to avoid the large-scale removal and replacement
of cracked render with all the cost and waste involved.
The masonry was then painted with Beeck's Silicate
Masonry paint - a natural paint, free of artificial
resins and solvents. It is also non-flammable and
no toxic gases are given off.
The
rainwater system is of galvanised steel and produced
by Lindab. This is much longer lasting than brittle
plastics, is virtually maintenance free and manufactured
according to ISO 14001 environmental management
standards.
Note:
Most standard paints and wood treatment products
contain organic compounds and solvents that are
potentially dangerous. Even when used according
to instructions they give off vapours that adversely
affect many people. Inorganic compounds do not suffer
these problems and are safer to use and live with.
Our
main supplier of paints, timber treatment and insulation
was Calch
Ty-Mawr Lime
See
"Trigonos:
Social Enterprise and Sustainability" for
full policy on Sustainability.
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