"External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) being added to a house in Dublin's Northwall ."
This case study is one of a series produced by www.wallinsulation.ie to illustrate aspect of external Wall Insulation projects.
ETICS in a tight space
This house in the north inner city of Dublin was originally built in the 1880s to house railway workers. In the 1890s construction of the Midland and Great Western Railway viaduct demolished part of the terrace and came to dominate the rear of this pretty house.
Besides the physical bulk of a railway viaduct in the rear garden the house is quite beautiful and ideally situated for access to the centre city.
Like so many of this type of house the walls 
were completely uninsulated stone walls. When the heat was turned on the stone walls would slowly warm up, but once the heating went off again the temperature plunged once more into the icy depths.
It is difficult to see how any other form of construction could have been carried out in the very tight spaces pinned between the house and the railway line. Fortunately with External Thermal Insulated Composite systems (ETICS) it is possible to work quickly and safely in very tight spaces.All the while making sure that we protect the original house and amenities
Our primary material which we work with is insulation. Our insulations come in various sizes but each sheet can always be carried easily by a single man. This means that we do not need hugely complex construction systems to complete an insulation project.
ETICS and lambda values
Insulation can be cut using to shape on site using simple tools and the off cuts can be used in a different part of the project. Thus minimising waste, which reduces the cost to you the end customer and to the environment.
To insulate this house we decide to use Graphite Enhanced Expanded Polystyrene as the main insulant. With a lambda value of 0.031 Graphite Enhanced Expanded Polystyrene gives a lot of insulation for a small price.
We have a range of insulation available for all kinds of scenarios and budgets, so if you have a query just call us.
All wires which had been carelessly added in a haphazard way over the years were 
placed in conduits and buried under the new facade. All Electric lights, post boxes and pictures, were removed and stored ready to be replaced once the new faced was ready At this point we also have to remove any pipe-work from the facade. When required we arrange temporary plumbing for the residents so that life can continue as normal inside, while a new facade is being constructed outside.
Building standards
In order to qualify for Irish Governments grants under the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI formerly SEI) Home Energy Saving scheme (HES scheme), there are some rules we have to follow.
These rules are for the protection of the householder and the state who gives out 4 000 euro for each ETICS project deemed acceptable. The general principle is that homes are brought upto the current "Part L" standards
One of these rules which we have to take seriously is the risk of fire. Obviously gas flues where there are exhaust gasses at high temperatures needs to be treated properly.
NSAI who have a role in assessing ETICS systems and installers are very alert to the spread of risk laterally between houses. With this in mind we always apply a 300mm (one foot) strip of Lamella Rockwool between attached houses.
Today when the neighbouring house will probably not have any external insulation this may seem like a silly step. However in years to come when ETICS becomes the de facto standard in Irish homes, it will be seen as far more important. By adding a fire break now, you can relax knowing that your ETICS systems is future proof.
The final appearence
The final render chosen for this home was a neutral grey which tones in very nicely with the other homes along the street. The render is applied over a basecoat of adhesive.
For this type of large house with 
large amounts of exposed walls we apply roughly 10 tonnes of cement and renders to the walls. This bulk helps reinforce the fabric of the wall as well as keep the heat inside.
With terraced houses, people are always concerned about having a house which protrudes further than others. After we completed this project the house including the new finish was 110 mm (4 1/3 inches) proud of its neighbour.
This is not actually very much and we can normally engineer a drain pipe which conceals the step between the houses. If you are concerned about this or any other point, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will endeavour to put your mind at rest!
Click here to return to examples of external insulation projects in the Dublin Area.
If you would like to learn more about External Wall Insulation please contact us now to learn how your home can benefit..