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

Created on: 17 Oct 2016 19:17
D
DasLamm
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...
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garfunkel
12 Dec 2017 21:47
Unfortunately, I don’t remember the source. I found this while researching insulation materials myself.

When insulating a roof, if you insulate only from the inside, the rafters act as thermal bridges. Many people therefore include the rafters in the insulation, which makes sense. An alternative is exterior roof insulation.

For walls, the situation with battens is similar. In theory, this way there is no 1 cm² (0.16 in²) left that isn’t surrounded by insulation. However, the battens rest directly on the wall, which itself is another insulation layer. Also, these battens are not as large as roof rafters. As a result, heat transfer is—probably—less.

Still, overlapping insulation layers work better. It’s something to consider. If you plan to use 12–16 cm (5–6 inches) of facade insulation, I would recommend overlapping insulation. The second counter batten would be worth it to me.
A
alterego134
13 Mar 2021 12:47
Yes, I know. This thread is very old. But the topic fits perfectly, so I didn’t want to start a new post (if I should, please let me know).

Does anyone have experience with the renovation and retrofitting of an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) and the actual costs if no personal labor is possible? Even more interesting would be pictures of such projects. In the single-family home sector, this seems to be quite rare, and I haven’t been able to find many examples.

The significantly higher price compared to an EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish System) is, of course, hard to swallow at first, but the advantages are also quite convincing.
11ant13 Mar 2021 12:58
alterego134 schrieb:

but the advantages also seem convincing.
The advantages of: what exactly? I clearly remember that forty years ago, the air layer was considered a brilliant solution for thermal insulation; nowadays, however, I often read that it is even smarter to inject insulation material into air layers. So: what exactly are you planning, and which "convincing advantages" (compared to what?) are motivating you?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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Joedreck
13 Mar 2021 13:27
Air insulates. Materials like polystyrene, glass wool, etc., basically serve to prevent air movement.
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alterego134
15 Mar 2021 16:19
The advantages compared to an ETICS (which is the comparison I was aiming for) are:
- Structural separation of insulation and weather protection through the ventilation gap (which should hopefully result in a longer lifespan of the insulation material compared to an ETICS)
- Environmental sustainability due to the lack of adhesive use and the possibility of later pure-material recycling
- Free design options for the facade
- Because of the flexible facade design, exterior elements that require less maintenance are also possible compared to render

On the other hand, the main drawback is the significantly higher costs, which are somewhat offset by longer maintenance intervals.

I’m simply interested in practical examples, ideally with concrete information (photos, costs, etc.).
K1300S15 Mar 2021 18:58
I can gladly share with you the price difference we had between plaster with external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) and a curtain facade. Although we only planned it for the attic, the difference was quite impressive.

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