ᐅ Adding insulation to existing brickwork?

Hello everyone,

We want to insulate the exterior of our house (built in 1977).

The exterior walls consist of 24cm (9.5 inches) calcium silicate brick plus 11cm (4.3 inches) facing brick... however, the facing brick is installed directly on the wall, without an air gap.

Now we want/need to implement the most cost-effective solution and were thinking of using 10–12cm (4–5 inches) of polystyrene insulation with plaster.

Is it even possible to insulate a wall with facing brick, or does the facing brick have to be removed?

If the entire facing brick has to come off, we will give up... it’s not worth it.

Regards

Ekkehard

They have often done this with us in older houses, usually an optical upgrade but mostly more of a mistake, well, anyway! If money were no object, I would rather extend the wall inward using calcium silicate bricks.

(Note: I am just an amateur)

blurboy schrieb:
They have often done this nearby to older houses as well, usually it was more of a mistake cosmetically, but oh well!
If money is no object, I would rather continue building the wall inward with calcium silicate bricks.

(Note: I am just an amateur)

Hello,

why was that a mistake?

Regards

Ekkehard

Because this mainly happens with older houses from around 1900, whose entire character is lost with such a "plastic wall," but in the 1970s many houses were often just architectural standard designs, it might not be such a big deal in your case.

blurboy schrieb:
Because this usually happens with older houses from around 1900, where the entire character is lost with such a "plastic wall," but in the 1970s, often just architectural cookie-cutter buildings were constructed, so in your case, it might not be so critical.

Ah... thanks for the info!

Well, that was less of an information and more something you ultimately need to decide. However, you might want to have your values recalculated by an energy consultant, as investing in good windows is often the better option since they are usually the main source of heat loss.