A weekly webinar was about the right insulation and heating for old houses.The questions to the experts were manifold.Here are some answers and tips.Insulation is an important element in adapting a house to today's standards and requirements.There are a few things to consider.(Image source: Schildmann)Many questions arise when you want or need to renovate an old house.Where should we start?How do we come up with a concept and how much does it all cost?Finding answers is often not easy and in the end each house needs individual consideration.This was also evident in the weekly webinar "Insulation, heating, funding: making old buildings fit for the future".Daniel Hidding, architect and energy consultant from Rosendahl, and Thomas Weber, energy consultant at the Münster advice center of the NRW consumer advice center, were able to answer many questions directly.Here we take up some topics that concern many people.Daniel Hidding answers central questions about building and renovation.We don't want to use the attic.Can we then leave the roof untouched and only insulate the top ceiling?If I can check the old roof, then I can. That means the roof must not be clad from below.Otherwise, in case of doubt, damaged areas will only be noticed if water has run into the purlins for too long.As a walkable covering over the insulation on the top floor, I recommend simple shelling, i.e. solid wood with tongue and groove.Water can then evaporate upwards.OSB panels do not allow water vapor to pass through very well.Then mold threatens.When I renovate the roof, I also want to ensure that it doesn't get unbearably hot underneath in the summer....Many questions arise when you want or need to renovate an old house.Where should we start?How do we come up with a concept and how much does it all cost?Finding answers is often not easy and in the end each house needs individual consideration.This was also evident in the weekly webinar "Insulation, heating, funding: making old buildings fit for the future".Daniel Hidding, architect and energy consultant from Rosendahl, and Thomas Weber, energy consultant at the Münster advice center of the NRW consumer advice center, were able to answer many questions directly.Here we take up some topics that concern many people.Daniel Hidding answers central questions about building and renovation.We don't want to use the attic.Can we then leave the roof untouched and only insulate the top ceiling?If I can check the old roof, then I can. That means the roof must not be clad from below.Otherwise, in case of doubt, damaged areas will only be noticed if water has run into the purlins for too long.As a walkable covering over the insulation on the top floor, I recommend simple shelling, i.e. solid wood with tongue and groove.Water can then evaporate upwards.OSB panels do not allow water vapor to pass through very well.Then mold threatens.When I renovate the roof, I also want to ensure that it doesn't get unbearably hot underneath in the summer....Many questions arise when you want or need to renovate an old house.Where should we start?How do we come up with a concept and how much does it all cost?Finding answers is often not easy and in the end each house needs individual consideration.This was also evident in the weekly webinar "Insulation, heating, funding: making old buildings fit for the future".Daniel Hidding, architect and energy consultant from Rosendahl, and Thomas Weber, energy consultant at the Münster advice center of the NRW consumer advice center, were able to answer many questions directly.Here we take up some topics that concern many people.Daniel Hidding answers central questions about building and renovation.We don't want to use the attic.Can we then leave the roof untouched and only insulate the top ceiling?If I can check the old roof, then I can. That means the roof must not be clad from below.Otherwise, in case of doubt, damaged areas will only be noticed if water has run into the purlins for too long.As a walkable covering over the insulation on the top floor, I recommend simple shelling, i.e. solid wood with tongue and groove.Water can then evaporate upwards.OSB panels do not allow water vapor to pass through very well.Then mold threatens.When I renovate the roof, I also want to ensure that it doesn't get unbearably hot underneath in the summer.How can I do this?For this you need a heavy insulating material under the pans.This then stores the heat and cools down again when the sun is gone.Soft wood fiber boards or cellulose, for example, are suitable for this.Although the latter insulates worse than mineral wool, it is heavier and therefore better for summer heat protection.Another advantage is that cellulose gets into all the cracks.I would like to insulate the outside walls of our house later.Insulating materials that can be blown into existing layers of air are advertised in many places for this purpose.What do you think of it?This is a good way to achieve something with little effort and manageable costs.For an average single-family house, I would calculate costs of around €4,000.The air layer should be at least 4 cm thick, older houses often have 6 to 8 cm.I should remove rubble and mortar residue as much as possible before blowing it out, for example by taking out every second or third stone at the bottom and then scraping out the dirt.Otherwise there will be thermal bridges, which I must at least keep an eye on.You should seek advice when blowing out air layers, especially when choosing the material.Many things are possible, from ground glass wool to perlite.We have quarry stone exterior walls that are between 40 and 60 cm thick.Do I have to insulate such walls additionally?An old wall does not insulate well, no matter how thick it is.Insulation from the outside is the most effective.I have fewer physical problems there.For example, I can insulate 16 cm, leave an air gap of 2 cm and then pull up a 11.5 cm thick clinker.If I work with a thermal insulation composite system and a plaster facade, I always get a problem with algae in the long term and have to paint regularly.I have to be extremely careful with interior insulation because I'm changing the construction.Mistakes happened quickly.So I would always bring in someone with expertise.Any thermal bridge, for example an inner wall abutting the outer wall, must be taken into account.With drywall I have a slimmer wall structure, but I have to make sure that the version with foil is absolutely airtight.Craftsmen recommended that we leave an air gap in the new interior insulation for our half-timbered house.What do you make of it?It is true that wood must always be able to dry out.But I also have to get heat to the half-timbering.Therefore, experts advise against an air layer in half-timbered houses.I shouldn't insulate as much as with a new building and choose a vapor-permeable construction so that moisture can escape quickly.Moisture-variable films can be used for this, for example.They help dry out the construction.A ventilation system can also be useful because the humidity in the interior then remains under control.Where can I find individual advice for my house?I recommend hiring an experienced architect, civil engineer or energy consultant.Specialists who are also familiar with the federal subsidy programs can be found on a list from the German Energy Agency.Register now and we will automatically send you more articlesCopyright by Landwirtschaftsverlag GmbH.All rights reserved.