A marked home improvement

Various improvements have been made to the house in Sæby in northern Jutland, so that it is now a much-cherished and practical home. However, the process is not quite finished.

A large sloping ceiling brings together all the main rooms around a new patio, which faces the sea. An east-facing window that runs flush with the edge of the roof allows the daylight in at ceiling height and provides a sense of light and space in the living room. The house was built in the 1980s, when it was common to install tongue-and-groove wood ceilings for their rustic look, but they do nothing for the acoustics. In fact, it was the problematic acoustics with the long, hard reverberation time that prompted the family to take down the wood ceiling and replace it with white Troldtekt acoustic panels. At the same time, the ceiling was given an extra 45 mm of insulation, which obviously reduced the heating bill. However, the best thing about the new ceiling is that it markedly improved the acoustics from one day to the next, as promised by the Troldtekt consultants. Moreover, the entire interior received a visual boost with the light Troldtekt acoustic ceiling, which extends into the kitchen and bathroom.

One of the people living in the house, who teaches electricians at the University College of Northern Jutland, has made so many home improvements over the years such as replacing the glazing with low-energy glass in all the windows, making the switch from having an oil-fired boiler to district heating, and installing solar cells on the roof, that he has acquired enough experience with regard to climate and sustainability that he can use it in his classes.
“It has been a real ‘Wow’ experience replacing the wood ceiling with a sound-absorbing material. It works so well that we are now planning to install Troldtekt acoustic panels in the rest of the house. However, we are not just making this improvement for financial reasons, but primarily because of ‘social sustainability’ – i.e. for the acoustics and visual properties.”