External Wall Insulation Contractors

Hi,I have been reading back through the posts here on External Wall Insulation which I hope to get done shortly and I see that Phenolic is the best way to go- better it seems than Rockwool/Mineral Wool which is what I had sort of planned on getting.I am in Dublin(Lucan) and wondering firstly is there one manufacturer of external insulation better than the other-the contractor I spoke with uses Weber.He has quoted me €11,000 inc vat for a 3 bed semi,old style council using 1200 Mineral Wool.Would love to hear is this in and around the join rate and if anyone has a contractor they would recommend.Thank you

larbar said:

He has quoted me €11,000 inc vat for a 3 bed semi,old style council using 1200 Mineral Wool.

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Presumably, this is after deducting the grant?

Sorry,no before grant.It's actually €10,915 and the grant of €2,700 comes off.

That sounds really good - I have been looking at getting a 3 bed semi done and although I haven't gone out to get quotes, a lot of people I've spoken to have been talking about sums in the region of 13 and 14K pre-grant.

larbar,
There are recent reports from the UK of problems developing with shrinkage of Phenolic insulation boards, see the thread below:



Based on the discussion in the link, I would think twice before using a phenolic EWI system.


www.studioplustwo.com

Elginelf,that is what I was quoted about two years ago.€14k minus the €4k grant.But the grant has come down and between that and the recession,prices have come down too.The guy who gave me the quote which I obviously didn't take up at the time,range months later to say he could drop the price but it wasn't a good time to get it done.It's more now about the different materials and am interested in how others got on with their respective contractors.Thanks for that link threebedsemi.It might be that there is problems with all the materials depending....

It's good to hear that prices have come down larbar. I'm trying to identify all of the potential pitfalls around getting external insulation. From what I've read, the important thing is to make sure that the contractor is SEAI listed and NSAI approved? And as regards the product, there seems to be a lot of concern about the phenolic option currently. I haven't really come across a clear discussion on the pros and cons of polysterene vs rockwool. Can anyone point me in the direction of literature/opinion on this?

There was a thread on about page 10 here where a poster called coolaboola was asking about external insulation and someone was saying that the rock wool starts to go limp after a number of years,a bit like the stuff in the attic flattens out after time when the air starts to leave it.Or something like that?? I was always given to believe that the rock wool was best especially for houses with pebble dash where the solid board will just lie on it and there will be a cold space.The rock wool boards have a 'soft' side and sold side and the soft gets in between the dash.Again that was my understanding and maybe not be true.The rep from Weber who came with the contractor giving me the quote said likewise but trying not to be too suspicious, they are all selling their own version.I have a mate in Drimnagh who called the acrylic version done and it was really scary cheap by comparison but then you get thinking 'if it's too good to be true, it usually is"Don't ask me what the acrylic stuff is because even she didn't know.The price was right and she took it.What will happen down the yeas is the question??But I too would appreciate all advice and opinion.

why spend ten grand on a system if its not going to be done right and please consider the following:

detailing : get detailed drawings from your preferred contractor and discuss them here if yee like. this is the main problem imo with EWI. you have a few young lads banging it up and plasterer finishing it, very little consideration for the junctions at eaves, windows, ground, ventilation, fire breaks etc.
product guarantee: 'Sto' seem to be the only ones
materials: from an enviro prespective I'd go for the mineral wool or Cork ewi.
space issues: phenolic offers a good thermal value ratio to thickness, rockwool and eps are about the same, the Aerogel stuff is great in this regard as although its expensive it could be used where homes are on a footpath and space is an issue.
suitability: if you live in an old house (defined by if has ever been lime-washed) then EWI must be approached using breathable materials and preferably specialist advice
U-value: is 120mm enough? if it was a new house it might be 200mm or more.. but whats the point, if the thermal bridges are not dealt with when working out the details

We have just had the external wall insulation done on our house, a detached bungalow. The system used is called Parex Lanko I believe. We also got extra attic insulation, and upgraded our oil boiler. We got a few quotes. Prices have definitely come down from the figures being mentioned here. The external insulation & attic insulation came in about €7k after the grant. The company we dealt with also gave a further €600 discount for getting all 3 upgrades done (walls, attic, boiler). We are delighted with the results and would recommend getting it done if you can afford it. This has brought our house up from a BER rating of D2 to B3, so outside of the comfort we now have and our reduced energy bills, we have hopefully also added value to the house if we ever plan on selling.

Hi jtDublin, would you be able to give me the name of the company that did yours? I am starting to look into mine

thanks

Hi jt_dublin

Could you send me the name of the company you used? I'm getting the same done in my place.

Thank you,
John

Please keep all posts seeking recommendations in the Recommend tradesmen and suppliers forum.