Cavity Wall Insulation

Cootehill

Hey all,
I'm looking to get the cavity walls in my house filled with insulation and am lookin for some info if possible as cant get much sense from the companies. Is the beading or spray foam better and can anybody recommend a good company to do it? I'm in the north east area

sydthebeat

spray foam is not designed or certifed for use in a cavity wall, DONT USE IT.

the best product is platinum bead, this is a grey polystyrene bead.

just make sure the company is SEAI registered and the product has an IAB certificate

Cootehill

sydthebeat wrote: »

spray foam is not designed or certifed for use in a cavity wall, DONT USE IT.

the best product is platinum bead, this is a grey polystyrene bead.

just make sure the company is SEAI registered and the product has an IAB certificate

Thanks for the quick reply. I have a couple of companies coming in the next couple of days to price the job for me so hopefully they should point me in the right direction. It seems like every tom dick and harry has started operating these companies so i have gone with a couple who have been in the business a long time. 1 of the products mentioned was a Super Silver bead

ThePriest

Hi Cootehill,

Was wondering if you had any luck with the insulation and can you recommend anyone, im thinking of having it done myself.

Thanks

PauloMN

Having this done right now as I type, along with extra attic insulation. Will let you know how it works out.

Cootehill

ThePriest wrote: »

Hi Cootehill,

Was wondering if you had any luck with the insulation and can you recommend anyone, im thinking of having it done myself.

Thanks

hi,
Got few quotes and decided to go with a company in meath who have been doing this type of work for long time. PM if u are interested in the name of company as i got a ticking off for mentioning a company name here before!!!

Cootehill

PauloMN wrote: »

Having this done right now as I type, along with extra attic insulation. Will let you know how it works out.

hey,
If you dont mind me asking who you went with to do the job for you

PauloMN

Cootehill wrote: »

hey,
If you dont mind me asking who you went with to do the job for you

Sent you a PM.

muffler

Cootehill wrote: »

PM if u are interested in the name of company as i got a ticking off for mentioning a company name here before!!!

The ticking off was successful so

nophd08

PauloMN wrote: »

Having this done right now as I type, along with extra attic insulation. Will let you know how it works out.

Sorry to butt into this thread. Can you PM me also. Does your house already have any type of cavity insulation?. I was told by one company that I needed to put sleeve over mains cable in cavity as static will break it down over time. Another company, who have been in the game for years said not to bother as the insulation that was there already had no effect on it. There is 50mm aeroboard in cavity since build 10 years ago.

PauloMN

nophd08 wrote: »

Sorry to butt into this thread. Can you PM me also.

Done!

soloeffort79

Can you PM me the name of the company you used in Meath also, thanks.

PauloMN

soloeffort79 wrote: »

Can you PM me the name of the company you used in Meath also, thanks.

Done!

nophd08

Just wondering paulo, do you notice any significant heat retention in your house since your cavitys etc were done?

muffler

nophd08 wrote: »

Just wondering paulo, do you notice any significant heat retention in your house since your cavitys etc were done?

I got my cavity walls pumped last year with Ecobead Platinum (no connection with this btw) and there was a massive difference afterwards.

PauloMN

nophd08 wrote: »

Just wondering paulo, do you notice any significant heat retention in your house since your cavitys etc were done?

There's definitely an improvement. I had board in the cavity but there were gaps around windows etc.. In some areas, the guys said it took quite a bit of bead. I had 200mm more insulation added also around the attic crawl space. The heat does last longer in the house, and this weather is certainly a good test for it. I was finding that I'd feel the cold even half an hour after turning off the heat whereas now it's comfortable for longer after the heat goes off.

Cootehill

Rang the co who doing for me and asked them if any chance they could squeeze me in as soon as cos of this cold spell we having but no god. So i'm booked in with them on the 6th january so i hope to notice a huge difference!!!!:):)

_Whimsical_

What kind of prices have you all for getting beading done?

I had been told a few months by a friend that it was around 2000 for a 3 bed semi but I've heard since that it might be cheaper.

nophd08

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

What kind of prices have you all for getting beading done?

I had been told a few months by a friend that it was around 2000 for a 3 bed semi but I've heard since that it might be cheaper.

That seems a lot, I've been quoted E900 - 1050 + vat from three different installers for a 2000sq ft bungalow.

Cootehill

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

What kind of prices have you all for getting beading done?

I had been told a few months by a friend that it was around 2000 for a 3 bed semi but I've heard since that it might be cheaper.

The company i'm going with are doing my house for 900( thats walls and attic). its 4 bedroom detached

soldsold

It certainly seems a lot. I got my 1000 sq ft bungalow downstairs (with unconverted 600sq ft attic, just to get an idea of size) pumped up to the ridge for 800 euro, and am getting an extension (to bring the total size to 4100 sq ft) pumped for 2200 euro.

maddragon

To get a standard 3 bed semi done for Walls and attic should be around 1500 euro. I would be suspicious of companies doing it for much less than that. I have seen shocking examples of pumped cavity wall insulation lately. Alot of cowboy firms are not doing the insulation under window sills or in Walls between a house and it's inheated attached conservatory for example. Like the BER scheme, there are a huge amount of chancers and downright incompetents out there.

maddragon

Ps: a bungalow should be cheaper as it is obviously easier to access all the wall area.

soldsold

Just for clarification, I didnt get the attic pumped, just the walls.

Also I have, as part of the extension, taken out 5 windows and one door, the back porch was also removed, and I cut a space for another 2 new doors, also opened the wall to fit an RSJ.

In all areas the beads were filled to the brim, so Im happy the price was for a good honest job.

PauloMN

maddragon wrote: »

Ps: a bungalow should be cheaper as it is obviously easier to access all the wall area.

You mean the height? Probably balanced out by the fact that a bungalow will generally have more wall area to cover, and of course 4 sides to be done compared with 3.

€900 sounds very cheap for walls and attic of a 4 bed detached.

gar

Hi
could people pm me the companies they used please?
Looking to get this done.
House has been an ice box the last few weeks

Thanks,

Gar

Antrim_Man

Would love to get this done. The house has cavity wall but the kitchen extension is freezing. It has just a single brick wall and plaster board. Can this be insulated or does the kitchen need ripped out and insulated plaster board put up?

nophd08

Antrim_Man wrote: »

Would love to get this done. The house has cavity wall but the kitchen extension is freezing. It has just a single brick wall and plaster board. Can this be insulated or does the kitchen need ripped out and insulated plaster board put up?

External insulation might be better option.
Depends how much wall is being covered by your kitchen units, its a big revamp drylining a kitchen. Is your attic well insulated, ie 200mm?

Antrim_Man

nophd08 wrote: »

External insulation might be better option.
Depends how much wall is being covered by your kitchen units, its a big revamp drylining a kitchen. Is your attic well insulated, ie 200mm?

Do not want external as it will make the side entry narrower. Attic is only partially insulated and its just polystyrene boards which are not that thick, although the attic has been floored with fibre glass underneath.

Cootehill

PauloMN wrote: »

You mean the height? Probably balanced out by the fact that a bungalow will generally have more wall area to cover, and of course 4 sides to be done compared with 3.

€900 sounds very cheap for walls and attic of a 4 bed detached.

Thats €900 after i get my grant. Its costing €1550 before i take the grant out of it. Have looked around at a lot of companies before i settled on the right people for the job.

nophd08

Antrim_Man wrote: »

Do not want external as it will make the side entry narrower. Attic is only partially insulated and its just polystyrene boards which are not that thick, although the attic has been floored with fibre glass underneath.

When you say partially insulated? with polystyrene boards and fibreglass underneath floorboards. I presume its polystyrene everywhere apart from underneath a bit of flooring.

You need to replace all polystyrene with fibreglass and plenty of it, 2-300mm layed between joists and then layed in other direction on top. Probably only 100mm under your floor. You can get insulated slabs for attic floors. If you get this done you'll notice HUGE difference.

Antrim_Man

Cootehill wrote: »

Thats €900 after i get my grant. Its costing €1550 before i take the grant out of it. Have looked around at a lot of companies before i settled on the right people for the job.

Who are you using?? You can PM me the company name if you don't wish to post it. Ta.

Antrim_Man

nophd08 wrote: »

When you say partially insulated? with polystyrene boards and fibreglass underneath floorboards. I presume its polystyrene everywhere apart from underneath a bit of flooring.

You need to replace all polystyrene with fibreglass and plenty of it, 2-300mm layed between joists and then layed in other direction on top. Probably only 100mm under your floor. You can get insulated slabs for attic floors. If you get this done you'll notice HUGE difference.

The fibreglass is underneath the flooring and the poly sheets are under the roof felt but only half the roof is completed. Was like that when I bought the house.

PauloMN

Cootehill wrote: »

Thats €900 after i get my grant. Its costing €1550 before i take the grant out of it. Have looked around at a lot of companies before i settled on the right people for the job.

Ah, that's more as I expected. Forget the grant when you quote costs, not everyone will get a grant.

Cootehill

Hi folks,
Just a quick update. Got my walls pumped with beading and the attic topped up with insulation as well. It turns out that i had no insulation whatsoever in my walls which would probably explain why i was losing heat quickly!! Anyway had it done thursday and the guy said it would take a few days to notice the difference so warm house here we come!! I dont follow the technical stuff but all he said was that it took 15cubic meters to do the job and he said thats quite a lot. does it take that long for the job to start having an effect? something about the adhesive to cure??? like i said i'm not up with all this lingo:D

JohnnyHogg

Hi Cootehill & PauloMN

Could you both please PM me what companies you employed to insulate your house and what you paid?

I am in the process of arranging this at the minute and would appreciate learning from your experiences.

Thanks

J

Fallschirmjager

what the man above said...

if you could pm me the 2 companies also...

thanks

PauloMN

PMs sent earlier guys.

Cootehill wrote: »

Hi folks,
Just a quick update. Got my walls pumped with beading and the attic topped up with insulation as well. It turns out that i had no insulation whatsoever in my walls which would probably explain why i was losing heat quickly!! Anyway had it done thursday and the guy said it would take a few days to notice the difference so warm house here we come!! I dont follow the technical stuff but all he said was that it took 15cubic meters to do the job and he said thats quite a lot. does it take that long for the job to start having an effect? something about the adhesive to cure??? like i said i'm not up with all this lingo:D

I'm no expert either, but it might take a few days for the walls to build up heat now that you have insulation in the cavity - maybe that's what the guy meant.

I'm happy with the work I had done overall, makes a difference, and I had some insulation already in the cavity.

Tomjim

Is there a difficulty with the bead if it gets wet, ie rain comes through the external block. I heard that if the bead gets wet it is impossible to dry.

caesarthechimp

No, thats the blown fibre; there are concerns with that getting wet.

Tomjim

what is blown fibre

What are the different types of cavity insulation

Thanks

Digger01

" Hi folks,
Just a quick update. Got my walls pumped with beading and the attic topped up with insulation as well. It turns out that i had no insulation whatsoever in my walls which would probably explain why i was losing heat quickly!! Anyway had it done thursday and the guy said it would take a few days to notice the difference so warm house here we come!! I dont follow the technical stuff but all he said was that it took 15cubic meters to do the job and he said thats quite a lot. does it take that long for the job to start having an effect? something about the adhesive to cure??? like i said i'm not up with all this lingo ""

Cootehill ,Could you please PM me the company name in Meath, also the price you paid,
and type of house ,semi d etc. Also more importantly have you noticed any difference. And any other advice . Thanks

Antrim_Man

I have <SNIP> calling out to quote me next week. A work colleague used them and said they were good.:)




Mod edit: Please read the forum charter - no names allowed. Send any recommendations you have by PM.

Lod32

Hi, I am looking to insulate the house as my house is cold and expensive to heat. I have looked at different forms and feel external cavity insulate might suit my house best. I gather there is a problem with blockage in the cavity walls so it may be difficult to insulate efficiently.

However looking at people experience it seems a good solution. I have a four bed detached house and the finish on the outside requires no further painting or upkeep. This makes me feel wrapping the house in external insulation will not work. Also the is the bridging factor where heat appears to be lost and the long term implications.

Anyway, I need to find a someone who can do a good job and I need to know the cost to ensure it is affordable. I see you recommended someone in Meath. I also intent to insulate the attic, put down click boards and insulate the roof. Hope this helps.

Thanks for you help.

annie gilpin

muffler wrote: »

The ticking off was successful so

hi muffler,i have got a bit of work done on site since i was chatting to u last.road made into the site,founds in and subfloor built.Building to start when weather gets a bit better.was wondering whats your view on cavity insulation,beads or boards?iam also dry lining. cheers

muffler

annie gilpin wrote: »

hi muffler,i have got a bit of work done on site since i was chatting to u last.road made into the site,founds in and subfloor built.Building to start when weather gets a bit better.was wondering whats your view on cavity insulation,beads or boards?iam also dry lining. cheers

I would recommend the bead insulation as you will ultimately achieve a better rating. The wider the cavity the better.

This would be a good time to get a BER assessor on board and they could give you some good advice.

Quiksilver

nophd08 wrote: »

Sorry to butt into this thread. Can you PM me also. Does your house already have any type of cavity insulation?. I was told by one company that I needed to put sleeve over mains cable in cavity as static will break it down over time. Another company, who have been in the game for years said not to bother as the insulation that was there already had no effect on it. There is 50mm aeroboard in cavity since build 10 years ago.

The cables may be fine at the moment but there is still a chance of the cables breaking down ( by the way it's not static that breaks down the cable.). All insulation contractors are supposed to cover all non-protected pvc coated electrical cables. It's not worth the risk really. If the cables can't be covered by the insulation contractor they should block the area where the cable is and not pump that area.

u2thepale

HI,

I had a company out which quoted me just before Xmas and I was intending getting both cavity wall insulation (beads) and Attic insultaion within the next few months.. However I read an article in the Irish Independant dated 13th Jan 11 .
This year which has made me postpone for the time being anyhow...

Obviously this could all change but it's definately worth Noting...

http://www.irishlife.ie/uploadedFiles/Retail/body/guides/irish.life.independent.finances.guide.pdf

This year which has made me postpone for the time being anyhow...

Article was in the "Your Money" section under energy saving..

However, one of the problems withthe grant schemes, particularly today,
is that you have to pay for the energy-efficiency project yourself
and then get a rebate.The ongoing credit crunch means
it is proving hard for many people toraise the initial cash.
The good news is that the Departmentof Communications, Energy andNatural Resources is set toreplace the current energy-saving
grant schemes with a new discount based“retrofit” scheme this year.
Under this new scheme, fundingwill be passed on to customers as upfront
discounts on the costs of project srather than the customers
having to wait for grant payments after they have completed their
projects.

shaneox

Hi,

Would it be pos to PM me the companies that you guys used for the cavity wall job?

Thanks,

S

Lod32

Hi Folks,

Thanks for all your information to date. If someone can PM the name and contact number of a good company that can deliver a good job I would be delighted. I will also keep my mind open in relation to any change over in the grants system.

Thanks

Shannon2011

Hi all,
I've had 3 quotes in from diff companies for pumped cavity insulation.
Details: 3 bed semi in kildare. 108 sqm

A- €1053
B- €1200
C- €1272

Can anyone please let me know if these are competitive prices, the fact that they are all in & around the same price mark, makes me think the price is ok.
Also the 1st company said I need to get a BER cert to qualify for the goverment grant. Is this correct?