Hello everyone,
I have just purchased an old building from 1908 and now plan to carry out a full renovation.
The interior work is mostly clear to me – I will also discover many things once the building is stripped down.
My question is: the house has solid 60cm (24 inches) exterior walls, as was common back then. Is external thermal insulation useful with this wall thickness, or is it rather ineffective?
I look forward to your suggestions.
Best regards, Jürgen
I have just purchased an old building from 1908 and now plan to carry out a full renovation.
The interior work is mostly clear to me – I will also discover many things once the building is stripped down.
My question is: the house has solid 60cm (24 inches) exterior walls, as was common back then. Is external thermal insulation useful with this wall thickness, or is it rather ineffective?
I look forward to your suggestions.
Best regards, Jürgen
hampshire schrieb:
Between 1880 and 1915, houses were built very solidly. Money was abundant, and the French paid very high repair claims. Well, 1908 was still before World War I, and 1870/71 had already been over for a few days. Solid, yes, but not extravagant. Here, the pumice concrete was faced with brick on the street side; in the Vulkaneifel region, basalt was used all around.
dertill schrieb:
When they replaced the windows and inspected the masonry, they saw a cavity wall made of 24 cm (9.5 inches) bricks, a 13 cm (5 inch) air gap, and an 11.5 cm (4.5 inch) outer leaf. More like 25 cm (10 inches) and 12 cm (5 inches), back then using the old imperial format.
dertill schrieb:
60 cm (24 inches) walls rarely exist without an air gap. I agree with that.
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dertill schrieb:
With a 60 cm (24 inches) wall thickness, I wouldn’t consider adding another 10-16 cm (4-6 inches) unless you’re aiming for a bunker look.
What type of building is it? A "villa," an old church, or a former craftsman’s house?
Neighbors on our street bought a "villa" from that era. The wall thickness is about 50 cm (20 inches). When they replaced the windows and inspected the masonry, they found a cavity wall made of 24 cm (9.5 inches) bricks, a 13 cm (5 inches) air gap, and an 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) outer leaf (plastered). They installed blown-in insulation in the cavity at a reasonable cost, the windows are triple-glazed, and the roof is well insulated. Their energy consumption is comparable to a new build.
Many buildings from around the turn of the century have cavity walls (some plastered) – it’s worth checking in your case as well, since 60 cm (24 inches) walls rarely don’t include an air gap.Sorry, I was away on business for a few days, so I’m only replying today.
It’s a “normal” house—not a villa or church building. From what I could find out, it belonged to a small business owner.
It is not a cavity wall.
If I understand correctly, the general advice is to avoid external insulation—because I wasn’t aiming for a bunker look anyway.
Thanks for the suggestions.