Century/Kingspan - Ultima Wall Timberframe

Mike2006

Hi,

I am currently in the process of pricing my build. I have decided to go dow the Timbeframe route, insulate as well as I can, thus reducing the heat demand for the house.

I am out to a few TF companies and one have come back with a price/spec.

Has anybody got any opinion on the Ultima Wall offered by Century/Kingspan?
It has the Airtightness membrane inside the insulation so that you won't penetrate it with services...

Not quite sure how it performs against the regular airtightness installation on face of wall)...

Any opinions on the product???

Cheers,

Mike.

Sticky toffee

Hi Mike,

I am in pretty much the same position as you. I am hoping to start my build very soon and the more I look at timberframe the happier I am to go with it.
I narrowed it down to 2 companies, the 1 you mentioned with the Ultima wall and another company with the standard wall setup. It was a tough decision to make but it looks like I am going to go with the other company with 220mm frame pumped with cellulose, taped osb to provide a reasonable airtightness and service cavity with fermacell on the inside. The reason for this spec is I wanted a good u-value with reasonable airtightness. This gives me a u-value of around .14-.16, similar to the Ultima.
If you go down the total airtightness route you need to put in a hrv also and its a personal thing but I am not convinced its worth it. There is also a cost saving of about 15k+ of my spec over the ultima wall not including hrv. There are also people in the industry who question the properties of Kooltherm over a period of years.
Please bear in mind I am not involved in the Industry and this is purely a personal view from my research for what its worth..

archtech

A client of ours used Kingspan's ultima system or possibly its forerunner last year and achieved a good airtighness of below 3. Penetrations in an air tightness membranes,have the potential reduce their effectiveness,so on that front I think kingpsan's system is a good one.

Mike2006

Sticky Toffee,

Was the 2nd price you got from C****m?
If so, I am waiting from a price back from them too..

Mike.

Retro-Fit

Its a very basic system for a time when people are looking at Passive house as an option. The insulation is Polyisocanurate, which has very little capacity to maintain stable temperatures and off gasses over time, fine for floors but not acceptible for walls.It also has gaps between the timber and insulation. Celulose or wood fibre needs twice the wal thickness but modulates temperatures durning the day night cycle. The wall u value claims 0.16, this is true perhaps for a solid state test of the best part of the middle of the wall and does not account for the 15% timber bridging or the cold bridges at junctions. The closed panel wall system sits on a standard footing or slab which is a massive cold bridge. 3 is a very ordinary level of airtightness, Passive houses requirement is 0.6 ach. Passive is not expensive, there is a extra cost for north facing windows, but if the house is designed architecturaly in a simple form taking advanytage of daylight, then attention to detail will get you a passive house at about 4% over the cost of 2008 part L regs. I have 2 passive houses which I am bringing in under conventional build cost, and they require no heating systems for a house that can be heated by a hairdryer. The post heater in the ventilation system will boost the temp up to 20 degrees. There is a passive house in Sligo, which maintained 18.7 degrees in the winter without recourse to the duct heater. I'd investigate the passive house concept as starter point. An A1 house is not a cheap house to build run, DEAP measures energy balence, passive measures performance. Kingspan will get a kick in the pants with the 2010 building regs. They will lose their market share if they dont produce a diffusion open, decrement delayed, natural material airtight, thermal bridge free build system which performs at a u value of 1.5.

Mike2006

Retro-fit,

In your opinion, who or what is the best option for a timberframe at the moment?

Thanks,

Mike.

Retro-Fit

In Ireland, Keenan Timber Frame, MBC in Tipperary.

Ochs in Germany http://www.ochs.info/en/

good article here

http://constructireland.ie/Articles/Design-Approaches/Transition-movement-inspires-dramatic-carbon-cuts-in-house-refurb.html


simple construction
http://www.greenhusltd.com/technical/pdfs/240mm_stud_section.pdf
http://www.aerobord.ie/supergrund.html

Ultra low energy can be done with cavity wall, using 150-200 cavity, inner leaf built first to ensure air tightness. Low conductivity block at floor junction.

rodred

hi guys,

can anyone give me an idea of what percentage of the total cost
does a closed panel system make up.
i have 2 quotes in at the moment, one from one of the companys you have listed there. and the price is extortionate. nearly 200k for the kit, inc foundations, not including windows, electrics plumning etc.. and onlt a 120spm 2 story house.
the other i have is about 60k for closed panel kit, c/w windows, doors, elec conduit factory fitted, supply of all plasterboard for the ceilings and insulation for same, ground works not included.
what you think of thoses prices..
all info much appreciated.