Home Insulation

Home Insulation

When we carry out a home renovation, we don't just focus on upgrading the interior, but also on insulating the building envelope. In recent years in particular, the need to save energy has grown considerably. The economic crisis and rising oil prices have pushed households towards other forms of heating. But however economical our heating may be, if we can't keep the warmth inside in winter – or the coolness in summer – the savings will be small. A home must be properly insulated. So renovating a home also means renovating its insulation.

There are various types of insulation that can be applied to a home. Our job is to advise you on the right insulation for your own home and your own renovation. Insulation falls into two categories: waterproofing (damp-proofing) and thermal insulation. Both are equally important.

Waterproofing: this refers to building an insulation layer that stops moisture from the surroundings from penetrating into the home.

Damp problems are divided into those coming:

1. From the ground. Renovating an old ground-floor home will almost certainly require treatment for rising damp, which starts at the base of the building and usually extends up to about one metre up the side walls.
2. From the side walls. Lateral damp is rarer in most homes, unless the external walls are badly damaged.
3. From the roof. The most common source of damp is the roof of the building. This is where most problems arise, as flat roofs bear the brunt of the weather and are exposed to the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

All of the above problems can be solved with the right interventions.

Thermal insulation: this refers to the ability of a building to keep the temperature it needs inside, regardless of changes in the outside temperature. Think of every home as a box that loses heat from all its sides. The more sides we insulate, the smaller the losses. The sides of a home fall into three categories: roof, side walls and floor. Most of a home's heat escapes through the roof. Smaller losses occur through the floor (when there is an open pilotis below) and the least through the side walls.

We are ready and specialised to take on your home renovation and turn your home into an energy-efficient property.