Imported Insulation

newhouse87

Has Anybody brought in high quality insulation from Europe for cheaper then here, any info appreciated.

Dudda

I'd have presumed the cost of delivery due to the bulk would outweigh any savings.

You can get what are refereed to as 'seconds' and are basically insulation with minor imperfections that don't pass quality control. Amounts are limited and you have to pick from whatever they've available. For example a 100mm sheet might be 110mm at one side and 90mm at the other or you could have a void in a sheet you need to fill with spray foam yourself. You have to consider where they're used though as they could impact on finishes if levels are off etc and will take more time to fit but you can make savings if doing the work yourself.

newhouse87

Dudda wrote: »

I'd have presumed the cost of delivery due to the bulk would outweigh any savings.

You can get what are refereed to as 'seconds' and are basically insulation with minor imperfections that don't pass quality control. Amounts are limited and you have to pick from whatever they've available. For example a 100mm sheet might be 110mm at one side and 90mm at the other or you could have a void in a sheet you need to fill with spray foam yourself. You have to consider where they're used though as they could impact on finishes if levels are off etc and will take more time to fit but you can make savings if doing the work yourself.

Cheers for reply, ah i wouldn't be into seconds, its a new house i building but thought it might be cheaper to bring in from Germany, its hard to find anybody that as done this however.

sydthebeat

newhouse87 wrote: »

Cheers for reply, ah i wouldn't be into seconds, its a new house i building but thought it might be cheaper to bring in from Germany, its hard to find anybody that as done this however.

j

Just make sure the product is fully tested and certified

newhouse87

sydthebeat wrote: »

j

Just make sure the product is fully tested and certified

Yeah will do, would just like to know has anybody got any companies in Europe that they have used before. Insulation costs are going up again in January i hear.

Panjandrums

Why shy away from a product that is produced and widely used in Ireland?

Theres plenty of stories of floors having to come up due to defective insulation.

newhouse87

Panjandrums wrote: »

Why shy away from a product that is produced and widely used in Ireland?

Theres plenty of stories of floors having to come up due to defective insulation.

I would just like to compare prices really for same quality, its one of the more expensive things when doing the house.

Calahonda52

Panjandrums wrote: »

Why shy away from a product that is produced and widely used in Ireland?

Theres plenty of stories of floors having to come up due to defective insulation.

If you are referring to who I think then I suggest you bone up on Grenfell and then decide would you ever use or recommend, any of their products again.

I know I wont, ever.

newhouse87 wrote: »

I would just like to compare prices really for same quality, its one of the more expensive things when doing the house.

How did you arrive at that conclusion?
Have you a priced BoQ?

beolight

newhouse87 wrote: »

Has Anybody brought in high quality insulation from Europe for cheaper then here, any info appreciated.

I have brought in Wood fibre insulation direct from Germany it’s only economical if you need a full truck load and have space for unloading a 45 foot high loader but yes it can be done and offer savings against an Irish distributor doing the exact same thing.

Dudda

Why not look at changing the type of insulation? Eg if you've very high quality PIR insulation that's say 100mm thick then you could use a much cheaper EPS insulation that's 200mm thick but gives the same performance. For a floor it makes almost no difference if you use 100mm of expensive PIR or 200mm of cheaper EPS. Same if you externally insulate. If you've an attic space then cheaper fiberglass that's 400mm thick has the same thermal performance as 150mm of higher quality.

Is the house block or timber frame? If timber frame you could use cellulose in the walls and roof. Having the same insulation everywhere and pumped all in one day also has savings.

newhouse87

Dudda wrote: »

Why not look at changing the type of insulation? Eg if you've very high quality PIR insulation that's say 100mm thick then you could use a much cheaper EPS insulation that's 200mm thick but gives the same performance. For a floor it makes almost no difference if you use 100mm of expensive PIR or 200mm of cheaper EPS. Same if you externally insulate. If you've an attic space then cheaper fiberglass that's 400mm thick has the same thermal performance as 150mm of higher quality.

Is the house block or timber frame? If timber frame you could use cellulose in the walls and roof. Having the same insulation everywhere and pumped all in one day also has savings.

Its block house, ah to be honest, if there was savings i would have found other people who imported but that does not seem to be the case so will stick with here for all things it looks like, seems like alot of hassle, was going to import windows too but but dont think there is any massive savings either.

vintcerf

join the irishself build facebook group, loads of people import building materials from mainland europe and some even share containers to lessen the shipping costs.

helpful post here:

snip/

gazahayes

newhouse87 wrote: »

Cheers for reply, ah i wouldn't be into seconds, its a new house i building but thought it might be cheaper to bring in from Germany, its hard to find anybody that as done this however.

Used seconds here for underfloor insulation. Only a few bits of voids in them. For the price difference could have nearly doubled the thickness for the same money