ᐅ Insulation of Older Homes with Natural Stone / Sandstone Cellars
Created on: 2 Jun 2020 09:26
S
schnouvHello everyone,
Since this is my first post, I would like to briefly introduce myself.
My name is Rouven, I am 24 years old, and I come from the south of Baden-Württemberg.
After much back and forth, I was finally able to buy my "dream house" the week before last.
It is an old villa with 450 sqm (4844 sq ft) of living space from 1939 on a 4500 sqm (1.1 acres) plot of land.
The villa is built on a sandstone cellar, which stands on compacted clay with a natural soil base. Some of the flooring is covered with natural stones (possibly bricks?). The large vaulted cellar has no flooring. Currently, there is a lot of moisture and some mold in the cellar. I assume it has hardly been ventilated.
I plan to start a major renovation of the villa from August. This means a new hipped roof including insulation, doors, windows, wall and floor coverings, as well as all the utilities will be renewed. There will also be some changes to the floor plan.
Although I am quite experienced in industrial construction, renovating or remodeling an old building is new to me. I hope to count on your help!
After our initial consultation, my architect said that because of the "breathing" sandstone cellar, the walls should never be insulated. Otherwise, it could damage the building’s structure. He recommends insulating the roof structure instead. Heating would be through radiators connected to a heat pump.
The house is planned to have a decentralized ventilation system.
Now my question: Do you agree with this approach? I want to renovate the house professionally from the ground up, so everything fits together when I move in. Investing so much money and not insulating the house these days seems a bit odd to me. What do you think?
Many thanks in advance,
Best regards!
Since this is my first post, I would like to briefly introduce myself.
My name is Rouven, I am 24 years old, and I come from the south of Baden-Württemberg.
After much back and forth, I was finally able to buy my "dream house" the week before last.
It is an old villa with 450 sqm (4844 sq ft) of living space from 1939 on a 4500 sqm (1.1 acres) plot of land.
The villa is built on a sandstone cellar, which stands on compacted clay with a natural soil base. Some of the flooring is covered with natural stones (possibly bricks?). The large vaulted cellar has no flooring. Currently, there is a lot of moisture and some mold in the cellar. I assume it has hardly been ventilated.
I plan to start a major renovation of the villa from August. This means a new hipped roof including insulation, doors, windows, wall and floor coverings, as well as all the utilities will be renewed. There will also be some changes to the floor plan.
Although I am quite experienced in industrial construction, renovating or remodeling an old building is new to me. I hope to count on your help!
After our initial consultation, my architect said that because of the "breathing" sandstone cellar, the walls should never be insulated. Otherwise, it could damage the building’s structure. He recommends insulating the roof structure instead. Heating would be through radiators connected to a heat pump.
The house is planned to have a decentralized ventilation system.
Now my question: Do you agree with this approach? I want to renovate the house professionally from the ground up, so everything fits together when I move in. Investing so much money and not insulating the house these days seems a bit odd to me. What do you think?
Many thanks in advance,
Best regards!
I don’t think the basement needs to be insulated, unless there is living space down there. I would either insulate the basement ceiling and/or, if the ceiling height allows, the ground floor slab.
Moisture in the basement is best controlled with dew point-controlled ventilation fans. Are there even windows to allow for ventilation?
Is your architect also an energy consultant? If not (or even if they are), I would consider bringing one on board. Our first energy consultant was also an architect and recommended some really poor solutions for energy-efficient renovation, so I’m skeptical about this combination. Also, if you want to apply for KfW funding, you’ll need an energy consultant anyway. You can find one through the KfW website.
Moisture in the basement is best controlled with dew point-controlled ventilation fans. Are there even windows to allow for ventilation?
Is your architect also an energy consultant? If not (or even if they are), I would consider bringing one on board. Our first energy consultant was also an architect and recommended some really poor solutions for energy-efficient renovation, so I’m skeptical about this combination. Also, if you want to apply for KfW funding, you’ll need an energy consultant anyway. You can find one through the KfW website.
Thank you for your response,
The basement is partly above ground. The exposed section includes a self-contained apartment, which I would like to rent out. As far as I know, there are no windows in the "house basement." I am referring to insulating the ground floor walls.
I will take care of the energy consultant, thank you!
The basement is partly above ground. The exposed section includes a self-contained apartment, which I would like to rent out. As far as I know, there are no windows in the "house basement." I am referring to insulating the ground floor walls.
I will take care of the energy consultant, thank you!
T
T_im_Norden2 Jun 2020 14:05Requests for experts in historic building renovation.
An architect who wants to heat a non-insulated house with a heat pump and radiators doesn't sound like a good idea.
An architect who wants to heat a non-insulated house with a heat pump and radiators doesn't sound like a good idea.
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