I intend bricking up below a kitchen window and have a few questions about what to use.
My house is built from no fines concrete so there is no cavity. It is currently waiting for external wall insulation because the semi solid concrete walls loose so much heat. It is this which has prompted me to remove the panel which are situated below the PVCu window so that it can also be insulated. The panel is two sheets of metal, aluminium I suspect, with a foam layer between them and a plastic coating.
I have worked out that I should be able to cut the lower section from the window because I do not wish to replace the window itself and it's all one unit of double glazed window above and panel below. The panel is just fitted with beading and can be removed fairly easily. It's the angled section which tapers to the panel which will need to be cut off.
I intend moving the kitchen radiator onto this new wall because it seems the ideal place for it. Therefore I want to make it as thermally efficient as possible, keeping as much heat from the radiator inside the room.
The main outside walls have no cavity but I thought that it might be worth creating a cavity wall for the bricked up sections below the window. Then fitting some insulation inside as I do it. What type of insulation would be best to use? Not much is required as the wall will be 1.3M x 93cm tall
What type of bricks would be best to use? The outside will be rendered so no bricks will be visible. I would like it as thermally efficient as possible. I don't think that I will need any conventional bricks, blocks might be best. Would aerated blocks or aggregate blocks be suitable? There is no load on it but the thermal performance is what I am considering. I suspect that the aerated blocks might have the best thermal efficiency but I would like some confirmation.
How best should I ensure that a crack doesn't form where the new wall meets the no fines concrete? If I used smaller bricks, I could work the bricks into the concrete by a small amount, however I don't want to weaken the wall too much by removing concrete with all the weight from above. That would be far more impractical with larger blocks. Is there something which could be pushed in to the holes in the concrete or a few pieces of the large aggregate stones in the concrete removed and some cement added to fix it and then that built into the wall to stabilize it? Some form of thick wire, I have seen figure of 8 type fixers before and something similar might do what I require. There are two floors with a floor above the kitchen.
1/ What bricks/blocks to use?
2/ How to prevent a crack appearing where the new wall meets the concrete?
3/ What insulation to use in the cavity? Will need to fit a 40 to 45mm cavity if using 100mm bricks/blocks.
4/ DPC - anything in particular to go for? How should I meet it with the current wall?
Total wall thickness = 28cm, including approx 20mm outside render and 10-15mm internal plaster
My house is built from no fines concrete so there is no cavity. It is currently waiting for external wall insulation because the semi solid concrete walls loose so much heat. It is this which has prompted me to remove the panel which are situated below the PVCu window so that it can also be insulated. The panel is two sheets of metal, aluminium I suspect, with a foam layer between them and a plastic coating.
I have worked out that I should be able to cut the lower section from the window because I do not wish to replace the window itself and it's all one unit of double glazed window above and panel below. The panel is just fitted with beading and can be removed fairly easily. It's the angled section which tapers to the panel which will need to be cut off.
I intend moving the kitchen radiator onto this new wall because it seems the ideal place for it. Therefore I want to make it as thermally efficient as possible, keeping as much heat from the radiator inside the room.
The main outside walls have no cavity but I thought that it might be worth creating a cavity wall for the bricked up sections below the window. Then fitting some insulation inside as I do it. What type of insulation would be best to use? Not much is required as the wall will be 1.3M x 93cm tall
What type of bricks would be best to use? The outside will be rendered so no bricks will be visible. I would like it as thermally efficient as possible. I don't think that I will need any conventional bricks, blocks might be best. Would aerated blocks or aggregate blocks be suitable? There is no load on it but the thermal performance is what I am considering. I suspect that the aerated blocks might have the best thermal efficiency but I would like some confirmation.
How best should I ensure that a crack doesn't form where the new wall meets the no fines concrete? If I used smaller bricks, I could work the bricks into the concrete by a small amount, however I don't want to weaken the wall too much by removing concrete with all the weight from above. That would be far more impractical with larger blocks. Is there something which could be pushed in to the holes in the concrete or a few pieces of the large aggregate stones in the concrete removed and some cement added to fix it and then that built into the wall to stabilize it? Some form of thick wire, I have seen figure of 8 type fixers before and something similar might do what I require. There are two floors with a floor above the kitchen.
1/ What bricks/blocks to use?
2/ How to prevent a crack appearing where the new wall meets the concrete?
3/ What insulation to use in the cavity? Will need to fit a 40 to 45mm cavity if using 100mm bricks/blocks.
4/ DPC - anything in particular to go for? How should I meet it with the current wall?
Total wall thickness = 28cm, including approx 20mm outside render and 10-15mm internal plaster
