Josephine O'Connell

It seems to me that your house needs to be insulated to a better standard. You say your house is full of character, this is usually an auctioneers term for 'plenty of problems'. Being such an old property there is probably little or no insulation in the attic and the roof may be in bad repair with some missing slates perhaps.

You probably have some ceilings that have some minor holes which would let in draughts from the attic space, maybe where pipes or cables are coming through. Are your windows double glazed? If not, I suggest you do this as a matter of urgency.

Are the window frames in good condition? Check your front and back doors for draughts, if they are old timber doors they are probably warped and causing a draught to come throughout the house.

The main things to tackle "rst are 1) Insulate the attic space. 2) Fit double glazed windows and doors. If you do these two things you will notice a big difference to your comfort level and your gas bill.

Q I moved into a new apartment three years ago and there was some settling cracks on the walls. Now in the en-suite bathroom, there are really bad cracks on the wall - it literally looks like the wall is imploding. Is it up to the original builder to sort this out or should I get a plasterer to take a look? There is no external window in the bathroom but the fan is working fine and comes on with the light switch. I am thinking of selling the apartment soon and am concerned about how this looks Clara McDermott

If you try to sell the property with such a bad crack you will put potential buyers off. Your apartment should be covered by a builders' 10 year guarantee scheme such as the Homebond Policy.

As always contact the original builder of the apartment and ask him to come and have a look at the crack. He should rectify the problem for you.

If you think it is more than a settlement crack I would recommend obtaining advice from a chartered structural surveyor. Although this may initially cost you some money at least you are getting independent advice, rather than taking the word of the builder.

I am not saying that your builder is not reputable but it is better to cover yourself. Take some photos of the cracks for reference.

Q I have decided to add an en-suite to the main bedroom. I have got three quotes from different builders. The builder I have decided on wants 50% deposit. Is this normal?

J Byrne

Did he give you any particular reason for such a high deposit? When getting work done, some builders will ask for a deposit, but 50% is a high deposit. Is your builder fully insured? Have you seen an up to date copy of his insurance policy? Did he give you a detailed written quotation for the works you require?

This is an absolute must so you and your builder are reading from the same hymn book. It is no use saying "but I thought you were going to do so and so" at the end of the job as the job has been "nished and the builder will say that he has carried out the work that he quoted for. Make sure everything you have asked for is in the written quotation and make it clear on actual "xtures and "ttings or better still supply these yourself.

WRITE TO US If you have a building/renovation-related query that you'd like Steve to help you with, email: doorstepdoctor@tribune. ie Steve Guerin is managing director of www. tradesmenireland. com, the one-stop website that will help you find a tradesman, a site for sale, a property to rent or buy and all the plant hire and machinery you need to complete your house build or renovation