Internal wall insulation in Kingstanding.

What are Kingstanding houses usually built like?

Most of Kingstanding was built by the council between the wars, so many houses share a design: brick semis and short terraces, simple frontages, hipped or gabled roofs and gardens front and back. Many were bought by tenants and are now owner occupied or let privately.

Construction varies more than the matching frontages suggest. Some have 225mm solid brick walls, others have an early cavity, and some cavities have since been filled. A small number of homes across Birmingham were built with non-traditional methods such as concrete or steel frames, which need a different approach. I check what you have before suggesting anything.

Why does replacing the windows sometimes make mould worse?

Old windows leaked air all the time. That wasted heat, but it also carried moisture out. Sealed modern windows stop both. If nothing else changes, the humidity indoors rises and condensation moves from the glass to the walls, especially the reveals around the new frame and the corners behind furniture.

• Keep trickle vents open, even in winter.
• Use the extractor in the bathroom and kitchen, and leave it running after a shower.
• Do not dry washing on radiators in a bedroom with the door shut.

Those habits help, but if the wall itself is cold, mould will keep returning. The reveals are often the worst spot because the new frame sits in a cold opening. When I insulate a wall, the reveals are included. The guide to mould behind a wardrobe covers the corners you cannot see.

My cavity was already filled. Is internal insulation still worth it?

Sometimes not, and I will say so. If your walls are a cavity that has been filled properly and stays dry, internal insulation may not be the best use of your money. The cold may be coming from somewhere else: the bay, a lintel, a thin wall at the back, or poor ventilation.

If the fill has settled, got wet or was never suitable, or if the walls turn out to be solid, internal insulation becomes a real option. That is why I check rather than guess. Small regular holes in the mortar outside are a sign of an earlier cavity fill.

The mould is in my child's bedroom. Where do I start?

That is the most common call I get, and it is a sensible place to start. Children's rooms are often the small front or back bedroom with one or two outside walls, a bed pushed against the coldest wall and the door shut all night.

First, the existing mould should be removed safely, wearing a mask, and the wall dried out. Bleach on its own is not a fix. Then the cold wall needs warming and the moisture needs a way out. The guide to black mould in a child's bedroom explains what helps straight away and what fixes it for good.

My condensation and mould service combines both sides: insulation of the cold wall and ventilation organised through trusted trades.

I was told I don't qualify for a grant. What now?

Grant schemes are means-tested and often go through large installers who work to a set specification. Many Kingstanding households are right on the edge of eligibility, and a rejection is common.

If you do not qualify, you can still insulate privately, and you can do it in stages: one wall, one room, then the next. I price each stage separately so you can plan it around the family budget. The guide for people who didn't qualify for a grant sets out the realistic options.

Which system suits an ex-council house in Kingstanding?

On a dry, sound brick wall, PIR fixed with PU adhesive is often a good fit: thin, efficient and quick, usually £2,300 to £3,000 per wall over three to four days. Where there is any history of damp, a breathable system of wood fibre and lime is safer, at around £3,000 and about five days.

Many of these houses have small rooms, so thickness matters. Expect 20mm to 80mm per wall including plaster. The comparison of insulation systems explains why I choose one over another, and every choice is backed by a moisture check.

Do you cover Kingstanding and the streets around it?

Yes. Kingstanding is usually 20 to 25 minutes from Bloxwich. I also work in neighbouring Great Barr, Perry Barr, Erdington and Streetly.

You get the same process wherever you are: free home visit, written quotation, a pre-start guide and a follow-up call about four weeks after the job.