Insulating outside walls.

[angusmcdangle]

We bought a 1950s chalet bungalow last summer - very cold when heating goes off we have found.
Looks like its construction is brick, small cavity, then a thin 'clinker block (?)'.
The cavity has some weird white powder in it on the section I inspected. Also suspended floor with air-vents.

I would like to clad the exterior of the home to improve aesthetics of the current ugly brickwork, so would also like to combine this with a program of insulation under the cladding - is this a common, easy/difficult job? Its been suggested there are even kits to do this, with coloured concrete cladding, but I've not seen this (not sure what to search for). May be a bit much for fully DIY but want an idea of the project's feasibility?!

Thanks

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What you want is external wall insulation.

Lots of systems - don't know how easy it is to buy the components for DIY install, nor how easy it is to do a DIY install. You'd need good "spread" skills.

Not cheap - see if you can get any form of grant towards it.

suspended floor

Is there insulation between the joists? If not, that's not difficult to do, assuming you can get the floors up without much bother.

Is the roof insulated OK?

 

[elmsoft]

When you say there is "white powder" in the cavity, do you mean the cavity is filled- ie insulated?
Obviously the cavity has to be completely sealed before insulating the external leaf would achieve anything- and the energy companies do that FOC
Consider getting them to do a (free) survey?

 

[angusmcdangle]

Haven't been under the floor yet, so don't know, but suspect it isn't insulated.
Upstairs... we think there was one room (at the front) which was original to the 1950s build - it is like a walk-in freezer in there. The rest is a recent conversion (velux windows etc) and is pretty snug. Again, been suggested that the roof may have to come off to properly insulate that front bedroom?

 

[angusmcdangle]

White powder... I removed the horizontal flue from the boiler over xmas (boiler change) and to my surprise (after being told we had 9" solid brick walls) found a small cavity between external brick and clinker block. In the cavity was white powder. It didn't spill out, so don't know if its everywhere, but thats what was there, white powder-like substance... not wool or polystyrene etc??!!

 

[catlad]

Euroform do a weatherplank cladding.

 

[elmsoft]

I have no idea what the "powder" could be either - but I do know you need to sort out the exact construction of your walls and the mysterious cavity. Any vents or weep holes to be seen?
Still reckon a FOC survey, courtesy of your gas supplier is a good start.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You'd need good "spread" skills.

because:

... coloured concrete cladding ...

The only EWI systems I've seen use coloured render applied to mesh fitted over the insulation panels. Not to say there aren't systems using concrete panels, but you'd have to wonder why, how heavy they would be and how you'd fix them.

 

[mikeey84]

I have heard of brick effect panels being fastened to the external walls of houses using a bolt gun.

Not sure of their construction, but they are liftable by 1 man, so probably not made of concrete.

if they have brick effect, I am sure they would have others
Note- Brickshield is its name

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Brickshield is just brick slips, not whole brick effect panels, and yes, other EWI companies offer that as an alternative to coloured render.

If you really want to keep a brick appearance then it's the only way to go, but if you're having it done it puts up the price - basically you're having the entire outside of your house tiled...

 

[mikeey84]

Brickshield is just brick slips, not whole brick effect panels, and yes, other EWI companies offer that as an alternative to coloured render.

Ah, ok, maybe i misunderstood the story I was told. Pity, as that would be a very useful product.

The only reason I havent DIY'd external wall insulation is the same reason mentioned above. My trowel skill as lacking. I thought this might have been the solution.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

How are your tiling and pointing skills?

 

[mikeey84]

How are your tiling and pointing skills?

In the cr*p- really cr*p bracket!

I did see a "Grand Design" where they glued plastic yellow london brick style tiles over the rendering. It actually looked really good, and he kept a couple of cases in the garage just in case any needed repairing/replacing.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I saw that one.

Plastic doesn't seem right.

 

[mikeey84]

I saw that one.

Plastic doesn't seem right.

I was as skeptical as Kevin McCloud was until I saw the finished article