Thanks to healthy, diffusion-open building materials

The challenge

Refurbish an old farmhouse still in its original state (1907). The building was without central heating, which had prompted the previous owners to use portable electrical heaters. Fortunately, the roof didn’t require refurbishment. The new owners desired that the entire house be brought up to today’s energy-efficiency and living standards. They also wanted a solution that would allow them to do some of the work and would use natural, wholesome building products to create diffusion-open structures.

Our solution

To retain the natural beauty of the brick walls, we chose to insulate their interiors, preserving their exterior aesthetic value. GUTEX Thermoroom® in 60-mm thickness was the ideal solution here. In addition, we installed blow-in wood fibre insulation in the ceiling between the ground and top storeys, the pitched roof areas between the top storey and exterior wall, and blew in loose-fill in the cavities between the ceiling joists accessible in the top storey ceiling from the unused attic.

Project features

  • 300-square-metre living area, built in 1907 and virtually unaltered since then
  • Beautiful terrazzo floors
  • GUTEX Thermoroom® insulates the interior sides of exterior walls, which feature in-wall heating and clay render
  • Clay render with milk paint, an old technique
  • Cavity insulation with GUTEX Thermofibre®
  • Insulation of top storey with GUTEX Thermofibre® loose fill
  • The roof remained uninsulated (cold roof)
  • New bathroom fixtures in three bathrooms
  • New electrical and heating systems

Construction solutions

Would you like to see the construction details? You'll find similar constructions described here.