Spanish house building

[Don]

No not a gripe but a question to those who may know more. When I first bought my house I thought all walls were solid with those hard air bricks then faced with brick or rendering. That is the kind of construction I have seen around in new builds to fill in the walls after constructing the reinforced concrete earthquake proof cage. I didnt think they used cavity wall construction in Spain. Now having removed most of an old fireplace in preparation for a new efficient estufa, I find the walls are actually concrete block faced with brick on the outside then an air gap of some 100 mm or so then an inner wall of hard brick tiles rendered over with plaster for the inside room wall. I do have the reinforced concrete cage too. How common are air cavities within Spanish house walls ?

[El Cid]

It depends how old they are but it is normal in new build to have two brick walls with a big cavity and to spray the inside of the outer wall with about 5cm of foam insulation.

This is what ours looked like.

Sid

[Wicksey]

Blimey Sid, that looks posh! The houses I've seen constructed around here up to now have been built with those large red honeycomb bricks, presumably the ones Don was referring to. No sign of cavity walls and insulation. Just bricks, then plastered on the inside and concrete render on the outside.

[Don]

Thanks Sid. Mine is 20 odd years old and what I have seen built around here as new build bears little resemblance to your insulated version apart from the reinforced concrete cage. Yes wicksey, the ones I have seen are as you describe. Mine however has this uninsulated air gap between the main wall and the inner skin. Maybe I should also take a pic and post for clarity. Interesting though to note that cavity and insulation is more widespread than thought.

[julian]

Depends on what the client aks for and pays for, mine was built with the "honeycomb" type, which has it´s own cavity inbuilt, certainly keeps the house cooler in the summer and holds more heat in the winter than the concrete blocks, it´s like everything, you get what you pay for, some want to build cheap, and others want insulation etc etc

[geegee]

Interesting to see a cavity wall construction here - I had been warned against this on the basis that they don't know how to do it properly here - the reason being the air cavity insulates, but if the cavity is 'bridged' (ie through not using the right ties or not building the window/door reveals properly) then it just sucks the cold air in and fails to act as an insulator.

What do our builders and surveyors out there think??? Is it better to stick to a single skin Termoarcilla construction (the large honeycomb clay blocks) to create a well-insulated house? How does yours perform in the heat/cold Sid??

[flan_taster]

I have a simple building that is double skinned with cavity and those insulation boards installed in between. So far the place has been cool in summer and warmer in winter. Built about 3 years back and the architect insisted on the cavity insulation also for the roof. i would imagine that most architects who do the job properly would nowadays do the same.

[peteroldracer]

most architects who do the job properly

That would be about six, in the whole of Spain then?

[El Cid]

How does yours perform in the heat/cold Sid??

As far as I can tell it works fine - but then how can you judge that? We also have 70m2 of windows which will always have a tendency to keep it hot in summer and cool in winter!!

I have a feeling that all new builds now have to have insulation - certainly judging by the number I have seen under construction. I also think that solar water heating is now mandatory.

Hillybilly should know.

Hilly??

Sid

[hillybilly]

Hello!

Cavity wall construction (muros capuchinos) isn't common here but I have come across a couple of new builds constructed that way. In many old houses you will actually find cavity walls where a false wall has been constructed inside the original wall to square up rooms - both my party walls are like this...but not full height.

All new builds (and extensions etc to existing builds) have to conform to the relevant Building Regs re thermal conductivity. Every part of the building envelope has a thermal resistance and all these are added together to come up with a final figure for walls, floor, roof etc. Then, to meet the specific requirement for the geographical area (it varies across Spain), extra insulation may have to be added to comply...eg thicker walls, wider cavity (camara de aire), sheet insulation etc etc.

I'm a great fan of Termoarcilla blocks and am building a first floor extension from them right now!

[geegee]

Hi Sid, I guess what I meant is does it keep warm in winter and cool in summer, but if you have large expanses of glazing or a poorly insulated roof, yes, this will affect the 'performance' of your construction in terms of thermal efficiency, as Hilly explains much better than I can. However, I find trying to get an architect or builder here to understand the new thermal efficiency regs, the differences in micro-climate in any particular province, how to specify the construction to ensure it complies etc., is as easy as herding cats

[esteponaman]

Hello all,
can anyone tell me if it is possible to buy polyeurethene rigid panel insulation (kingspan, quinn therm or gypsum warmboard).
I want to increase the insulation on a villa that I am completing. At the moment i have cavity walls with sprayed polyeurethene against the inside of the outer cavity. i plan to dry ling the inside with the insulation panels .
can anyone help on where they are available. I quess that there is more availability for insulation in northern spain.
Thanks for help.

[hillybilly]

Yes, many makes available, generic name is panel de aislamiento/aislante térmico rígido. Egs are Alpharock by Rockwool and Unimat by Lafarge

[Jool]

Its available easily over my way (hottest driest part of Spain) and comes in different thicknesses.....

[esteponaman]

Thanks for replies

I tried leroy merlin in marbella. They only have polystyrene backed boards
Do you have a name of suppliers ?

Thanks

[hillybilly]

The likes of LM aren't usually your best bet for stuff like this. Go to a proper builders merchants or ask any of the manufacturers who your nearest stockists are.

[esteponaman]

Hillybilly,
thanks for that.
Yes ,I looked around builders providers but got the impression that if isn't in the yard it's not available.
Always suprised with building standards in southern spain. They seem to build just for the summer and ignore the colder months.

[julian]

you will find the type of thing you are looking for in an almacen opposite the policia local in marbella, next to GRUAS CABEZA

[peteroldracer]

Just a suggestion - the British Builders yard at Elviria?