Heating thick-walled cottages without losing character

A thick-walled cottage — the facts that change the job

• Wall thickness is measured on site before a flue route is finalised
• Cob and lime walls need breathable detailing around new penetrations
• Internal stud partitions are sometimes the easier route for pipework
• Low ceiling heights can restrict where a wall-hung boiler practically fits
• Older cottages may have had solid fuel appliances removed previously

How we read a thick-walled cottage on site

Core-drilling through very thick solid walls takes longer and sometimes needs a different tool than a standard cavity bore, and internal wall thicknesses can vary even within the same room. Cob and lime-built walls also need breathable materials around any new penetration, since sealing them with modern cement-based products can trap moisture in the wall. These factors are checked at survey stage rather than assumed from the outside.

Where we deal with this

• Wookey Hole (BA5) · 11 mi
• Frome (BA11) · 7 mi
• Compton Dando (BS39) · 7 mi
• Bishop Sutton (BS39) · 6 mi
• East Harptree (BS40) · 7 mi

How this plays out across our coverage area

Cottages around Chilcompton, Kilmersdon and the wider Mendip villages often have walls of varying thickness even along a single elevation, so a route that works on paper is confirmed against the actual wall on the day.

Questions we get asked

Can a boiler always go where the old fire was?

Sometimes, but the flue route from that position needs checking against wall thickness and nearby openings before it is confirmed.

Will drilling damage a cob wall?

Not if it is done correctly with breathable materials, but cob needs different treatment to modern block or brick.