PERFECT HOMES MAGAZINE - Issue 13 Issue 13 | Page 56

SADLY IT’S NOT ALL GOOD NEWS! Con 1: Older converted railway carriages aren’t as well insulated as newer ones, which are guaranteed to be more expensive Old converted railway carriages might be cheaper to buy, but they’ll be more expensive to fit sufficient  insulation  and more efficient heating in. With their thinner, overly conductive wall material, you’ll have a hard job feeling warm in the winter and less hot in the summer. Newer trains will naturally have better insulation, but you’ll be looking at a very huge price tag to buy one in the first place. Con 2: Converted railway carriages can also be very un-green You may not be using many building materials, but you’ll have to figure out a way of transporting the carriage to where you want it to be. This will likely 56 require some kind of very large, heavy road vehicle, which needless to say will not be good at all for carbon emissions. Railway carriages are extremely heavy and cumbersome and are only easily transportable on rail lines. Also, as mentioned above, older carriages aren’t going to be easy to insulate. Con 3: Older converted railway carriages will need regular maintenance Whatever money you save and notability you gain could be short-lived if you don’t regularly maintain your railway carriage house. Old carriages in particular will need lots of internal and external maintenance to the paintwork and structure to keep it from succumbing to general wear and tear, weather damage, and the inevitable alterations to fit in modern appliances, pipework and wiring. THE ESSENTIAL COSTA DEL SOL WEBSITE - www.simplymedia-group.com