External Wall Insulation: End of my tether

lauraj27

Hi there, 
I am really struggling at the moment. 
Our house was built in 1925 so the walls are solid and not cavity wall. The external walls have been rendered, however the render has been failing for some time and it has got worse over the last month.  Lots of cracks and disintegration which is causing some discolouration on the internal walls. 
A few years ago we got quotes to have the house re-rendered (it's a semi detached), however the quotes were coming out at £25K which we just could not afford. 

With the introduction of the Green Homes Grant scheme we thought that this would help. We went through every company listed as being trademark registered for EWI in September, but only one actually got back to us and provided us with a quotation. When I chased the other companies up they basically told me they didn't know how the scheme would work or that they would get back to us at some indeterminate point in time. 

We submitted the application for the Green Homes Grant scheme with the one quotation we were able to obtain; after 8 weeks they got back to us requesting that the quote be updated into my husband's name, a date added to the quote and required the installer to provide a justification for the cost.  I sent numerous emails to the installer as well as calling them once a week for the last 3-4 weeks and each time they told me that they would respond to my email and provide the necessary information by the end of the week but this never happened. 

Today, I spoke to them on the phone and they told me that there were not willing to provide the information because they are no longer interested in doing work under the Green Homes Grant scheme because they haven't been paid £200K for work that they have already undertaken under the scheme. 

We cannot find a trustmark registered EWI company who is willing to provide us with a quote and/or the work. 
We have tried to contact non-trustmarked EWI companies as we just need to bite the bullet and get the work none, but again none of the companies get back to us with a time to arrange a quotation or if they do, they then don't send the quotation to do. 

My house is falling down around me and I cannot do anything internally until EWI is done so if someone could recommend a reliable EWI company based in Stoke-on-Trent who is actually interested and willing to carry out the work I'd be extremely grateful. 

Doozergirl

I think you'll be lucky to find one. 

Anecdotally amongst building companies, those who did it last time got stung by the government (like yours) and those who haven't done it had to jump through all sorts of a lengthy and very expensive hoops to be available to do it in a very short time frame.  A time that began before anyone was even able to consider gearing up for it.  

Then the demand has been massive, so those who might be doing it would have been inundated.  And there's also a thread full of people that haven't received their vouchers despite signing up at the beginning.  

There's probably a few tory donors that have done well out of it, but the rest of us are left scratching our heads.  

If you want to message me, I'll send you the number of the director of the company that did our house.  They're Walsall based, I think, so maybe not too far.  I'm not sure that they'd be involved with the grant scheme.  

Jeepers_Creepers

Laura, are you planning to have it re-rendered after the insulation is added, or going with something more adventurous like shiplap-type cladding?

If the latter, I think I know what I would do - forget external insulation and line the insides of the exterior walls instead. Then clad the outside. I'd know that this would transform the insulation value in a very practical and noticeable way, and the outer skin could breathe away happily under the cladding and not cause any issues at all to the inside.

lauraj27

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Laura, are you planning to have it re-rendered after the insulation is added, or going with something more adventurous like shiplap-type cladding?

If the latter, I think I know what I would do - forget external insulation and line the insides of the exterior walls instead. Then clad the outside. I'd know that this would transform the insulation value in a very practical and noticeable way, and the outer skin could breathe away happily under the cladding and not cause any issues at all to the inside.

I'm not sure how this would work as given the cracks and disintegrating render already present that seems to be causing a degree of water damage so surely we would need to have all the render taken off before putting cladding on which may up the price even more? 

I've never heard of shiplap-type cladding and I'm not sure where I would be able to find a reliable, interested and willing tradesperson. 
I've also been trying to get in touch with several landscape gardeners as whilst we can't do anything to the inside we can try and get the outside  tidied up but despite numerous messages they haven't called back. 

Jeepers_Creepers

lauraj27 said:

I'm not sure how this would work as given the cracks and disintegrating render already present that seems to be causing a degree of water damage so surely we would need to have all the render taken off before putting cladding on which may up the price even more? 

I've never heard of shiplap-type cladding and I'm not sure where I would be able to find a reliable, interested and willing tradesperson. 
I've also been trying to get in touch with several landscape gardeners as whilst we can't do anything to the inside we can try and get the outside  tidied up but despite numerous messages they haven't called back. 

It would have to be something you actually like the look of, but it's seemingly currently in vogue.

This sort of stuff - weatherboarding/ New England style exterior: https://www.google.com/search?q=new+england+style+exteriro&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjzj9uO67rvAhVQaBoKHczbDbUQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=new+england+style+exteriro&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECAAQQzoCCAA6BggAEAgQHjoECAAQGFCGmwNY96wDYP6wA2gAcAB4AIABSIgBnASSAQE5mAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=78xTYLPcM9DQacy3t6gL&bih=938&biw=1920&client=firefox-b-d

https://www.pvccladding.com/weatherboard-cladding-c-535/

To install it basically requires vertical battens to be attached, and then the boards clip on to that. This leaves a small ventilated gap which will keep the exterior skin dry, so there should be no risk of damp or anything else coming through to the inside (ie - rain, no chance, and even any 'rising' damp will be ventilated away). It also shouldn't matter too much what the current state of the render is - it's all going to be covered! The inside can then be Dot and Dabbed with insulated plasterboard of whatever thickness you can get away with - even a single inch will be transformative, and two would be phew. You would, of course, only insulate the insides of the exterior walls.

I'm not saying this is the thing to do, but just that it's worthy of consideration, and certainly so if it's also an aesthetically-attractive solution. It would not only transform the insulation value of your house, but would also take care of the outside wall maintenance.

I would personally choose interior insulation over exterior any day.