External house insulation

jrar

Apologies if this has been asked before, or indeed if this is the wrong forum to ask it !

Looking for advice on house insulation - this Winter I've noticed more and more how badly insulated my house is. I did get some work done about 18 months back (internal insulation) but a large section of the house remains basically uninsulated courtesy of the cowboy builder who built it.

Has anyone any experience of getting their house externally insulated, and if so, what were the results like ?

I know I'd have to shell out the guts of 15K to get it done but I'm sick of living in a permanently cold house apart from 1/2 rooms that are not too bad. The thing is, am I mad to believe that a coating of chemicals/finish can magically transform my cold house into a snug warm den i.e. can it really substitute for having proper insulation installed at the build phase ? Also, is there a danger of trapping moisture / creating dampness if I go down this road i.e. how do the walls "breathe" afterwards whilst still retaining heat ?

Really interested in hearing anyone's experience of this procedure, whether they feel it's "worked", and whether there are particular good or bad insulation companies offering this service.

xper

I would suggest asking over at Construction & Planning. Lots of insulation discussions and knowledgable posters on this topic there: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=876

Victor

Altering the external look of your property may need planning permission. However, for most properties it would be a straightforward permission.

Typically 50-100mm of insulation is added. Provided the correct vapour barrier is used, moisture shouldn't be a problem.

When was it built?

jrar

1998 - during a period when builders couldn't wait to get on to the next money-spinning development..........and it shows !

jrar

Mods, can this be moved to the Construction forum or do I need to re-post the OP there myself ?

Alias G

Out of curiosity, does anyone know any companies/sites that have good online galleries of external insulation jobs. I'm just interested to see some of the types of finish/render that can be applied.

Victor

Moved from Accommodation & Property

Moderator

MicktheMan

jrar wrote: »

1. The thing is, am I mad to believe that a coating of chemicals/finish can magically transform my cold house into a snug warm den i.e. can it really substitute for having proper insulation installed at the build phase ?

2. Also, is there a danger of trapping moisture / creating dampness if I go down this road i.e. how do the walls "breathe" afterwards whilst still retaining heat ?

3. Really interested in hearing anyone's experience of this procedure, whether they feel it's "worked", and whether there are particular good or bad insulation companies offering this service.

1. If the major mechanism of heat loss from your house is by conduction through your walls then it's the bees knees (caveat - specified and installed properly). If this is not the main heat loss mechanism (for instance, heat loss caused by draughts) then it will have little effect. Before spending money on insulation that may or may not work, have a reputable company do a heat loss survey including air tightness testing and let them advise you on your best options. Note, this is not a BER. They should also be able to advise on wall breathability etc.

2. Depends on your wall makeup and product used.

3. There are a lot of insulating companies promising the sun, moon and stars. If going ahead then do your homework, read the guarantees / nsai product certificates etc, seek references and visit previous jobs and/or get independant professional advice.

jrar

MicktheMan wrote: »

1. If the major mechanism of heat loss from your house is by conduction through your walls then it's the bees knees (caveat - specified and installed properly). If this is not the main heat loss mechanism (for instance, heat loss caused by draughts) then it will have little effect. Before spending money on insulation that may or may not work, have a reputable company do a heat loss survey including air tightness testing and let them advise you on your best options. Note, this is not a BER. They should also be able to advise on wall breathability etc.

MicktheMan, many thanks - that's the rub though isn't it, finding a reputable firm to first establish that majority of heat loss is through walls (I'm betting it is 80%+ in my case), and then finding a company who will specify and install properly without charging the sun, moon & stars !

Is there an optimum time to have this done i.e. I want to get the actual work done before next winter but is now a good time to measure heat loss given the weather we've been having and with the heating on full ?

Does anyone have any good recommendations based on having had this type of work done, starting with the heat loss surveyors ?

Thanks in advance for any help on this

MicktheMan

jrar wrote: »

1. Is there an optimum time to have this done i.e. I want to get the actual work done before next winter but is now a good time to measure heat loss given the weather we've been having and with the heating on full ?

2. Does anyone have any good recommendations based on having had this type of work done, starting with the heat loss surveyors ?

1. Yes, it is optimum to do it during the heating season but can be done at other times too given the correct conditions. Generally a >10 degC temperature differential required.

2. PM sent

needto

I have had a bungalow externally insulated. The insulation is very effective in terms of heat retention BUT several cracks have developed in the finish (which may have long term implications) and the finish is pealing off completely from some of the window sills. Although the supplier (who issued the guarantee) and the applicator were SEAI approved, I can get no reply from either in terms of having the problems fixed. I actually copied the SEAI in my correspondence but nothing from them either. So as well as your cowboy builder there would seem to be cowboy insulators out there as well.

needto

Mick the Man, you sent me a mail but it is coming up with the following message "This message cannot be displayed because of the way it is formatted. Ask the sender to send it again using a different format or email program. text/plain"