Kind Supply investment opportunity
Kind Supply are looking for investors who share their ethos to join the team and push forward the movement towards a more sustainable construction industry. Please contact Andrew on 07704 123343.
Kind Supply
Kind Supply in Lewes are a local builders merchants specialising in natural materials and running lots of events – very welcome indeed!
Cork insulation seconds
If you are interested in cork insulaiton with some bitumen contamination on some of the faces (but removable with a band sore) 120mm thick varying length/width and disaggregated form in bags please contact Rob Smith at rob@material-index.co.uk.
APU webinar on how to specify window reveal beads for external wall insulation (EWI)
APU webinar now confirmed 3pm (GMT) Thursday 11 March. Still time to register your interest with Peter.Joerimann@apu.ch (and cc me if you would) and let him know if you’d like to receive samples in the post.
APU webinar on how to specify window reveal beads for external wall insulation (EWI)
External wall insulation (EWI) is likely to be one of the corner stones of the retrofit drive to reach zero carbon but requires careful detailing. One of the most critical elements is the reveal bead which seals the EWI to the window frame but many systems seem to rely on basic components potentially increasing the risk of failure. APU (often used as a generic name for reveal beads) are market leaders and will be discussing how to specify this critical item during a free webinar, open to all. Please register your interest with Peter.Joerimann@apu.ch (and cc me if you wopuld) and let him know if you’d like to receive samples in the post (which will greatly assist understanding during the webinar). The date of the webinar is TBC but will be in early March. Worthwhile waching this video which shows how the expanding foam tape allows greater movement.
Free Foamglas
Free to collect form Hove a bag of Foamglas bits, contact Dan on 07776 213922
Hempcrete in action
Martin’s done a lovely job on his Hemcrete outbuilding (now clad in chestnut shingles) as a proof of concept for his new house for which the excavations have been completed. There’s a fantastic view from his outdoor bathtub while he’s ‘camping out’ during the build!
Hempcrete in action
If anyone would like to see Hempcrete in action, a colleague has built an outbuilding (as a trial run for a house) on the outskirts of Brighton. Please call Martin on 07890 724634.
VANA surf?
Apologies, never got back to you with the results of the Proclima Tescon VANA repair to my surfboard… used the board twice in heavy swells and the tape didn’t seem to notice! The tape looked exactly the same afterwards (which I was expecting) but it’s always good to check out manufacturers claims!
VANA surf?
Can Proclima’s very effective and useful Tescon VANA tape hold an ageing suf board together in the sea? I’ll report back after the weekend!
dav
Victorian ‘EnerPHit’ insulation to walls
A continuous 40mm semi rigid woodfibre batt thermally isolates the timber studwork from the (external) masonry party wall to the west with further woodfibre batts between and being water vapour open (and with the lime parge) should be a long term robust solution. The east party wall is more complicated due to the elevated risk of damp due to the neighbour’s chimney stack and the MVHR ducts so vermiculite was poured all the way down the chimney flues and continued up to insulate the wall in the loft. vermiculite doesn’t have quite as good thermal performance but it’s ability to flow into every area was critical and should stop flanking noise travelling up the chimney flues and negating efforts made with the floors!
Victorian ‘EnerPHit’ Triple glazed sash
Today we installed the new bathroom window, and true to the retrofit mantra of doing it once and doing it right, the window is made from Accoya timber so is dimensionally stable and will last perhaps 60 years plus, the glazing is triple with krypton gas to reduce sash thickness, high performance airtight seals all round, concealed balances within the sashes (which are not visible at all) and reduce air leakage and cold bridging. This is a window developed over 2 years for another project and should be rolled out to the retrofit market! Manufacured by Westgate Joinery. Period detailing to match existing windows and you really can’t tell it’s super high performance. Beautiful installation of expanding foam airtightness to the frame.
dav
Victorian ‘EnerPHit’ – steels
The steels supporting the new loft floor bear into the party walls and until the neighbours undertake loft conversions this will be a significant heat loss. The beam ends have been encased in Purneit (a structural insulation left over from another job) with 10mm of Spacetherm blanket behind. Without going to the expense of 3D thermal bridge calculations it’s impossible to determine the improvement but simple U value calculations suggest both the Spacetherm and Purenit reduce the heat loss by a factor of 3. The black paint is Blowerproof which provides the airtightness which is especially critical here as the brickwork is thin and weak. The second image shows where the Purenit has been routered to seat the steel bearing plate with the Spacetherm behind
dav
Innovative support for windows
Conker Conservation has used a Purenit frame fixed around an opening to provide thermal bridge free installation of this tricky detail.
Ecobuild Highlights
Ecobuild seems to be getting a little smaller every year… Internorm had individual MVHR units built into it’s windows, Compacfoam had a stand, couple of companies offering timber sliding sashes with a hidden sliding systems and impressed by knowledge and products at Back to Earth
Any recommendations for fenestration suppliers?
Can anyone recommend a supplier of inward opening aluminium clad timber windows (and ideally front and folding doors) for a low energy domestic retrofit in Brighton?
There’s so many out there, it would be good to hear about examples of companies offering excellent windows at a decent price and with good customer service…
Brighton Sustainable Building Drinks – Mar
Great meeting last night, some very interesting discussion including lots from Rafael of London Insulation on sprayed foam insulations such as Walltite and Icynene and also Warmcell. Good to see some old faces, and was there talk of a BSB trip to see a rocket stove….? Next meeting Tuesday 11th March from 7pm at the Battle of Trafalgar, 34 Guildford Road, BN1 3LW. All welcome. All welcome, but please get in touch if you fancy coming along.
Compactfoam solves ackward cold bridging
Compacfoam CF200 is a strong lightweight rigid insulation made from thermoplastic foam, based on polystyrene which can be used in a wide range of applications where structural support and the possibility of obtaining secure fixings into the material are required. It can often be used as a replacement for timber battens for installation of fenestration and is available from GBS
Brighton Sustainable Building Drinks – August
Just a reminder that this months meeting is this coming Tuesday 13th August at 7pm, Battle of Trafalgar, 34 Guildford Road, BN1 3LW. All welcome. Do get in touch if you want to join the mailing list. Should be a lively discussion as usual and this month’s topic is spray foam insulation such as Walltite.
Icynene sprayed insulation
Has anyone used Icynene sprayed insulation which the manufacturers claim is made from natural materials, water blown, airtight and vapour open? I have a project where my client is considering it beneath a warm roof for added insulation between the joists.Icynene-Brochure