ᐅ Extension, appearance of exposed masonry and insulation

Hello everyone,

we will soon be taking over a family house and would like to plan a room extension. It is intended to be a kind of conservatory with a roof terrace, but with large sections made of masonry.

Personally, I find the look of painted bricks very attractive, both inside and outside.

Now we have the question about insulation. What is the best approach for this?

We are planning two fixed side walls (the existing house is also built of brick) each with a transom window or regular window. The entire front will then be made up of windows with a larger patio door. However, the front windows will not be floor-to-ceiling but installed on a low masonry base for heating installation reasons.

I hope you can help a few complete beginners a bit 🙂

Thank you very much in advance!

A cavity wall construction is recommended here. From inside to outside: plaster (or facing bricks for the appearance), load-bearing masonry such as sand-lime brick, insulation such as rock wool, air gap, brick cladding.

Alex85 schrieb:
A cavity wall construction would be suitable here. From inside to outside: plaster (or facing bricks for the appearance), load-bearing masonry, for example calcium silicate bricks, insulation such as mineral wool, air gap, brick veneer.

Thank you for the quick response, that sounds very good.

Is it necessary to have an architect involved for a building permit / planning permission, or is it sufficient to work with a structural engineer?

As always, you first need to clarify whether your construction project is even eligible for approval under building and planning regulations: site utilization (floor area ratio / plot ratio), building lines/building boundaries, whether a development plan applies, setback distances from property lines, etc. These are all points that can only be properly assessed with the appropriate information, preferably by an architect. If necessary, these questions must be addressed in a preliminary building inquiry.

If it is a year-round conservatory or sunroom intended as an extension of living space, for example, it cannot simply be built within the 3.00m (10 feet) setback distance from the property boundary. If it is closer than 2.50m (8 feet) to the property line, the wall running parallel to this boundary must be constructed as a fire-rated wall with a minimum rating of F90. Glazing that meets this standard tends to be very expensive. Additionally, the 2014 energy-saving regulations governing building insulation apply. There are therefore many factors to consider that can only be properly evaluated on site.

For the building application, you will need an architect, or possibly a structural engineer authorized to submit plans, provided that no design services or detailed construction planning for the conservatory are required. Some companies offer conservatory construction including structural engineering and building permit application services. However, whether they are capable of adequately assessing the specific building situation in terms of building and planning law is questionable.