Hello everyone,
We are currently planning our own home and are quite overwhelmed by the many controversial opinions regarding walls and construction techniques.
Our current ideas:
Now, the question for us is the construction method.
As far as I understand, the three options remaining for us are:
Are my statements accurate so far?
Have I overlooked any essential aspects in my considerations?
How should claims like “sand-lime bricks offer better sound insulation” be evaluated?
Is this only relevant in noisy locations (airports, busy roads, etc.), or should it be given more thought generally?
To what extent are properties like sound insulation more important when planning with mechanical ventilation with heat recovery?
Are my concerns about algae growth on external insulation systems outdated? Are there new variants that no longer have this problem?
Lightweight expanded clay / Liapor seems very interesting at first glance based on marketing promises, yet I have the feeling I might be missing something important.
I would be very grateful for your suggestions.
We are currently planning our own home and are quite overwhelmed by the many controversial opinions regarding walls and construction techniques.
Our current ideas:
- Urban villa, or if the zoning plan does not allow it, possibly a mansard roof; in any case, two full stories.
- Should be KfW 55 standard, hoping to get better financing through additional subsidies (no equity available apart from the land purchase costs)
- The lower half should be brick-faced
- Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery for better indoor climate and comfort
- We do not want prefabricated timber houses.
- I have ruled out aerated concrete blocks (Ytong) because we are not skilled in craftsmanship, and I worry about leaving large damage when attempting installations.
Now, the question for us is the construction method.
As far as I understand, the three options remaining for us are:
- Poroton (clay blocks)
- Pros
- Drilling is straightforward, possibly special anchors needed?
- Cons
- Sound insulation is poor compared to the others
- Brick facing involves high additional costs since usually only fine plaster is applied
- Sand-lime bricks (Calcium silicate blocks)
- Pros
- Drilling is straightforward
- Good sound insulation
- Brick facing relatively inexpensive since a separate façade is needed anyway
- Cons
- Problems with algae growth on the exterior insulation system (ETICS/WDVS)
- Lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) / Liapor (possibly prefabricated walls)
- I have found only a few usable sources on this, but from what I have read so far, it could be an alternative?
Are my statements accurate so far?
Have I overlooked any essential aspects in my considerations?
How should claims like “sand-lime bricks offer better sound insulation” be evaluated?
Is this only relevant in noisy locations (airports, busy roads, etc.), or should it be given more thought generally?
To what extent are properties like sound insulation more important when planning with mechanical ventilation with heat recovery?
Are my concerns about algae growth on external insulation systems outdated? Are there new variants that no longer have this problem?
Lightweight expanded clay / Liapor seems very interesting at first glance based on marketing promises, yet I have the feeling I might be missing something important.
I would be very grateful for your suggestions.
B
Bieber081522 Nov 2016 10:35Egon12 schrieb:
The windows were all tilted open whenever we were at home This matches my observations of new buildings without mechanical ventilation systems. I don’t like that; the mechanical ventilation was one of the best decisions we made when building our house in 2016.
ypg schrieb:
The more porous the brick, the easier the drilling. I don’t really agree, or it depends. A highly optimized porous brick contains hardly any solid material, mostly air. Cliché: a 6mm (1/4 inch) drill bit creates a 10mm (3/8 inch) hole. Sand-lime brick is much more reliable in this regard—it allows drilling exactly as intended, and any standard anchor will hold well.
Bieber0815 schrieb:
Cliché: 6mm (1/4 inch) drill bit ⇒ 10mm (3/8 inch) hole But here you go again using the wrong tool or wrong "settings."
Sounds familiar from my old man. Use hammer mode, put on a big drill bit, and just go for it. Instead of drilling a pilot hole without hammer mode first, then switching settings if necessary.
We’re drifting a bit off-topic, but we no longer tilt the windows; instead, we ventilate twice for about 10 minutes each time by opening them fully across, including after cooking. I also check the hygrometer from time to time.
Folded windows have always been part of the cityscape for me, so they don’t bother me. Of course, the windows are never tilted open when we’re not home, so the house is neither more nor less attractive to burglars.
Besides, any burglar would probably move on quickly if they risked looking in through the window 😉
Regarding the building material, craftsmanship depends heavily on the right tools. My 6mm (1/4 inch) drill bit also makes a 6mm (1/4 inch) hole (the drill bit is straight and the chuck isn’t loose). Knowing the properties of the material also has its advantages. Aerated concrete becomes stable when compressed, which is why the “mega-large impact anchors” can hold a huge load… as I said, you just can’t be too gentle.
Otherwise, BehaElja has already said a lot; more important than the material is a company that knows its craft.
Folded windows have always been part of the cityscape for me, so they don’t bother me. Of course, the windows are never tilted open when we’re not home, so the house is neither more nor less attractive to burglars.
Besides, any burglar would probably move on quickly if they risked looking in through the window 😉
Regarding the building material, craftsmanship depends heavily on the right tools. My 6mm (1/4 inch) drill bit also makes a 6mm (1/4 inch) hole (the drill bit is straight and the chuck isn’t loose). Knowing the properties of the material also has its advantages. Aerated concrete becomes stable when compressed, which is why the “mega-large impact anchors” can hold a huge load… as I said, you just can’t be too gentle.
Otherwise, BehaElja has already said a lot; more important than the material is a company that knows its craft.
B
Bieber081522 Nov 2016 10:49RobsonMKK schrieb:
But here you are using the wrong equipment again, or the wrong "settings". No, just take a look at an insulating Poroton brick from the inside, it is a highly porous material. It has nothing to do with impact (which I could have mentioned).
Drilling into aerated concrete is really that simple. It hardly matters which drill bit you use, as even a wood drill bit goes through it like butter. For lighter tasks, standard anchors work just fine.
However, if you want to hang something heavy (e.g. kitchen cabinets), you should definitely use specialized anchors.
I was once advised to drill the hole half a size smaller and then hammer the anchor in properly. I tested this. For hanging small items, a 6mm (1/4 inch) drill bit with a 6mm (1/4 inch) anchor is sufficient. For heavy loads, it’s best to use impact-driven anchors specifically designed for aerated concrete.
However, if you want to hang something heavy (e.g. kitchen cabinets), you should definitely use specialized anchors.
I was once advised to drill the hole half a size smaller and then hammer the anchor in properly. I tested this. For hanging small items, a 6mm (1/4 inch) drill bit with a 6mm (1/4 inch) anchor is sufficient. For heavy loads, it’s best to use impact-driven anchors specifically designed for aerated concrete.
B
Bieber081522 Nov 2016 10:59To avoid misunderstandings. I did not say anything about aerated concrete. I only wanted to add the statement: "The more porous the brick, the easier it is to drill" in the context of increasingly porous Poroton bricks, as these highly insulating bricks have very little mass, making it sometimes difficult to create a clean, well-defined hole.
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