ᐅ Masonry quality of a specific semi-detached house?

Created on: 12 Jun 2014 20:12
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Tom Ezio
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Tom Ezio
12 Jun 2014 20:12
Hello!
We are beginning to look into the topic of "buying a house" and have a specific offer in mind, but due to our lack of knowledge, we are not yet able to assess its "quality."
It concerns a semi-detached house designed by a developer, and initially, it’s about the walls.
- Load-bearing walls between floors: made of lightweight expanded clay aggregate masonry, for example, Liapor or Thermoton, thickness = 24 cm (9.5 inches)
- Party walls: made of sand-lime brick masonry or solid lightweight expanded clay blocks, thickness = 15 cm (6 inches), with a sound insulation board in between
- Stairwell walls: depending on the structural requirements, made of sand-lime brick or solid lightweight expanded clay blocks
- Non-load-bearing interior walls: 10 cm (4 inches) solid gypsum masonry

In particular, "Blähton" (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) as a masonry material is unfamiliar to me and difficult to evaluate.

If anyone would like to share comments about "Blähton" and the other types of walls, I would be very grateful in advance for any feedback.

Regards from Tom
One0014 Jun 2014 08:19
Try searching for Liapor / expanded clay or enter it into the search function here; you will find a lot of information.

Are you referring to bricks or to prefabricated elements?
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TonyUsedom
15 Sep 2014 14:58
Hello! I am currently facing the same "problem" as the original poster.
We are also in the process of building a house and are considering a company that offers solid construction houses using prefabricated elements.
The house would be built with a 26cm (10 inch) expanded clay wall, 14cm (5.5 inch) polystyrene insulation, and plaster.
I spoke with a homebuilder from my social circle who said that if you build, you should use a 36cm (14 inch) aerated concrete wall with facing brick.
That is probably the best option, but not affordable for everyone.

Now my question...
Are the walls I first described completely unsuitable, or is this simply a modern building method where thick masonry is no longer necessary?

I have also heard that polystyrene can promote condensation on the exterior surface, which eventually leads to mold. Is there any truth to this?
Thank you in advance for your answers.