ᐅ Ventilated rainscreen facade instead of ETICS (external thermal insulation composite system)?

Hello,

has anyone had a ventilated rainscreen facade (VHF) installed on their house?

So far, a traditional external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) was planned (for an older building), but I have never been particularly enthusiastic about it (especially not with EPS insulation). Ventilated facades are said to offer many advantages, mainly in terms of building physics and design possibilities. However, of course, they come at a significantly higher cost (we are still waiting for a detailed quote in our case).

A large part of the additional cost seems to come from the necessary substructure and the actual facade cladding. Although I could also live with a classic plaster facade, I simply find the overall construction much "cleaner" (meaning the separation of the insulation layer from the weather protection layer or cladding).

Does anyone have concrete experience, especially regarding the extra costs? How about DIY work? Could something like the substructure be done by oneself?

Some of the companies that provided quotes for an ETICS locally mentioned that this is very rarely done in the private sector due to the high costs, with ETICS being almost the standard. Is that really the case? I personally only know of one case with a VHF (new build, wood cladding). Perhaps there are also only a few contractors who can offer this professionally. I don’t think every painter/plasterer can do it properly...

So, I’m planning to install a ventilated façade (VHF) on a gable wall before winter.

Basically, it’s not too complicated.
First, you install vertical battens into which you then fit insulation (mineral wool, Isover Ultimate) about 6cm (2.5 inches) thick. That means the battens also have a thickness of 6cm (2.5 inches).
Then you add horizontal battens, and the spaces in between are again filled with insulation, for example, another 6cm (2.5 inches) of mineral wool.
This results in a total insulation thickness of 12cm (5 inches).

After that, you fix another set of vertical battens, this time with a 3–4cm (1–1.5 inches) gap to the mineral wool—this gap serves as the ventilation space behind the façade. The cladding is then attached to these battens.

I wouldn’t use wood for the façade. There are plenty of alternatives that look like wood, and you usually see the façade from several meters away, so the difference is hardly noticeable.

I will probably use Eternit Cedral for the façade. It looks like wood, comes in various colors, and the material is extremely durable.

I think any reasonably skilled DIYer can handle this. Just pay attention to edge finishes, the distance to the roof, and so on. Before starting work, make sure to research details thoroughly and consider problem areas like windows and balconies.

Eternit and probably many other manufacturers usually offer comprehensive all-in-one systems.

For me, the clear advantage of this façade is the ventilation behind it. In my opinion, it’s a clean solution and also much more resistant and better for sound insulation.
I’m a bit skeptical about adhesive-applied rigid foam insulation in this context.

You should also check how much roof overhang will be left after the façade is installed. If there’s too little, I’d rather reduce the insulation thickness a bit. That’s my plan at least.
I still need to find out how many centimeters are absolutely necessary or recommended there.
There are probably systems that can reduce the roof overhang to almost zero without issues, but the overall appearance of the house still has to look right.

Material costs for insulation, battens, Eternit façade, and small supplies will likely be around 70–80€ per m² (6.50–7.50 USD per sq ft).

I find that price acceptable.

That already sounds pretty good.

At that price, I would definitely prefer that over an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) / external wall insulation. However, the costs are estimated to be easily twice as high if the work is done by a professional company.

I assume you don’t plan to do just that one wall? Is it an existing building or new construction?
I also assume the insulation is divided between battens and counter battens to minimize thermal bridges as much as possible? Otherwise, it could be insulated with just a single layer of battens.

From what I’ve read, mineral wool is almost always used as insulation for ventilated facade systems (VFS). Isn’t that risky during installation? Mineral wool should not soak up water, but doing it yourself will probably take some time until the exterior cladding/weather protection is in place. I’m a bit concerned whether everything will work out well.

We have an eave overhang of about 40cm (16 inches) on the gable sides. So far, about 14cm (6 inches) of ETICS was planned; for a VFS, we would probably go for about 18–20cm (7–8 inches). That’s tight, but if you use a proper exterior material, it should hopefully still be okay.

I completely agree with your assessment of the advantages of a ventilated facade system.

The ventilated façade (VHF) is also expensive because the substructure must be precisely aligned using a level and laser. This requires time and experience. Otherwise, the ventilated façade can quickly appear uneven or wavy...

By "substructure," you probably mean the load-bearing framework for the cladding?
That is certainly correct; accuracy is essential here.

However, with the battens/counter-battens, into which the insulation is installed, not every millimeter is likely critical. Of course, the insulation should be tightly and securely fitted.
This is where I see the greatest potential for DIY work.

I won’t be using a laser to build the facade...

Yes, the mineral wool should not get wet. Of course, it depends on the weather. I’m hoping for one or two dry days so I can get it done... I’m not expecting to spend a whole week on it anyway. There aren’t that many square meters I need to install.

I’ll only install it on a gable wall, and only halfway up, because there’s already a garage roof underneath.

If you have a larger area and are doing the work yourself, you might be able to protect the wool with a tarp or plastic sheeting. But I’m not sure if that works well enough...

It’s an older building.

I’m only doing this now before winter because a new roof was installed over the summer and the facade near the roof edge got a bit damaged.

Otherwise, I’d probably wait until summer. There’s more daylight then, so it’s easier to get work done.