Air conditioning in Offham
Air conditioning for Offham cottages and houses
Apex fits air conditioning in Offham that heats as well as cools, which suits stone cottages that feel chilly in winter and stuffy in summer. Offham is about 13 miles from our Dartford base. Olly surveys each home, checks for listing and gives you a fixed written quote.
Heating and cooling a ragstone cottage
Many of Offham's older houses are built of Kentish ragstone, with thick walls and smaller rooms. Those walls hold heat once they warm up, so a bedroom can stay warm well into a summer night, and the same room can feel cold and damp in January.
A heat-and-cool split handles both. It is an air-to-air heat pump: it cools in summer and gives quick, efficient warmth in winter. In a small cottage room, a compact 2.0 or 2.5kW indoor unit is often enough.
Later houses in the village are usually simpler, with a rear wall or a garden pad for the outdoor unit and a short run to the room. A garden room or home office at the end of a long Offham garden can be done too, with the pipes run underground or along a fence.
Getting pipework through thick stone walls
The pipe route matters more here than on a modern house. Old stone walls are thick and uneven, so we core-drill carefully, sleeve the hole and seal it inside and out to keep damp out.
The outdoor unit usually goes in the rear garden or against a later extension rather than on an old stone front, which also tends to keep the pipe run shorter. The condensate drain needs a proper fall to a gully or soakaway, and we plan that at the survey too.
Inside, a low ceiling and small windows leave less room for a wall unit. A floor-mounted unit under the window, or a slim wall unit set to one side, often fits a cottage room better.
Not sure which unit suits your Offham home? A couple of photos usually settles it.
Near Offham
A review from Offham
Olly came to quote the job promptly and the quote was very reasonable. The work was carried out in a professional, clean and friendly manner. He spent time making sure the unit was fully operational and fitted to a high standard. Very pleased with the service.
Air conditioning in listed Offham homes
The parish has more than 30 listed buildings. If yours is one of them, an outdoor unit needs listed building consent from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council before it goes up.
For unlisted houses, a heat-and-cool system is usually permitted development if it meets the size and siting rules and passes the 37 dB(A) noise check. We explain both routes in our guide to air conditioning and planning permission.
How a survey in Offham works
Start by sending Olly a photo of the room and the outside wall on WhatsApp. He then visits, measures up, checks where the outdoor unit and pipes can go, and asks about listing.
You get a fixed written quote that names the units and the position of everything. See what an air con installation includes. We also cover West Malling, Addington, Leybourne, Platt and Wrotham Heath.
No obligation: a survey in Offham, then a written price.
Air conditioning services in Offham
Reviews
Reviews from Offham and across Kent
Word for word from Checkatrade and Google.
Olly who runs Apex, was excellent throughout the entire process - The pricing was very fair and the service was outstanding. Everything was faultless: - Quote returned promptly - Price we were quoted was the price we paid - Prompt delivery of ordered units - The work was carried out on the days it had been scheduled & was completed in good time - Friendly, polite & professional team - They kept us informed throughout - Quality products and full instruction on how to use was provided Delighted with our air con and Olly and his team!
The installation of 2 air-conditioning units (1 in the lounge and 1 in the bedroom) was seamless from olly coming to my flat to the compleatd installation. Olly was very professional in listening to my requirements and giving advice. On the day of installation Olly and Andy carried out the work in a professional, timely and clean manner. I would 100% recommend them to friends and family.
Questions
Air conditioning in Offham: questions
Can air con heat an old stone cottage in Offham?
Yes. A heat-and-cool split is an air-to-air heat pump, so it warms a room as well as cooling it, and it reaches temperature quickly. In a ragstone cottage with thick walls, it works well for the rooms you use most. It does not replace radiators throughout the house, but it can take the chill off a room on cold mornings.
Will drilling through stone walls cause damp?
Not if the hole is done properly. We core-drill a clean hole, fit a sleeve so the pipes do not rub on the stone, and seal it on both sides. The pipe run falls slightly to the outside so water cannot track back in. On thick Offham walls we plan the route at the survey so the hole goes in once, in the right place.
Do I need listed building consent for air con in Offham?
If your home is listed, yes. Listed building consent from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is needed for an outdoor unit and for any drilling that affects the historic fabric, even where planning rules would allow it. We check whether your house is listed or in a conservation area before quoting, and give you the details for an application.
Which villages near Offham do you cover?
We cover West Malling, Addington, Leybourne, Platt and Wrotham Heath, as well as Borough Green, where two of our Checkatrade reviews come from garden room and garden office jobs. The process is the same in each: a photo on WhatsApp, a free survey with Olly, then a fixed written quote.
Still got a question?
Ask Olly directly about your Offham home or business.
Free survey and a fixed written quote for new systems. No obligation.