17 Jun IMPORTANT POINTS IN THE REFURBISHMENT OF FACADES
REFURBISHMENT OF FACADES
HOW DO YOU REFURBISH YOUR FACADE?
When it comes to repairing, refurbishing and/or reforming the facades of houses, many questions are asked of us. You have to establish a plan about what is needed and know how far you want to go. You must know if what is needed is only repairing certain areas, or performing general work on the entire facade, which includes not only repairs, but at the same time, substantially improves the parts that form the facade. This serves to revitalise houses aesthetically while at the same time improving energy efficiency thereby adding value to the short-term savings.
For this you have to know some basic things.
MAIN PARTS OF A FACADE
There are two main parts to any facade. The main parts of a facade, without going into too much detail and leaving aside the merely decorative architectural elements, are the exterior surround, as is commonly known as the facade wall and the other, exterior carpentry or what is commonly known as windows and/or balcony doors.
Work on these two main parts can give great results, improving and refurbishing the entire facade.
HOW CAN PARTS OF THE FACADE BE IMPROVED?
Currently, the most commonly requested repair, refurbishment and renovation works is exterior carpentry (doors and windows) in buildings around 30 or 40 years old. Over time, the buildings’ facades lose their water seal, allowing for drafts, loss of heat and cool air, leaks and humidity among other problems.
Replacing the windows and doors and other exterior carpentry is a good and quick solution to the problems mentioned above. With this simple change you get amazing results, replacing old carpentry using new technology and new and improved materials, such as aluminum, steel, PVC etc …, together with the placement of a multi-layer glazing with interior insulating chambers.
Returning to the set of buildings between 30 and 40 years old, the issue in our opinion is how these were constructed, the types of materials used in the construction process, and especially the type of exterior surround. In fact the solution of a simple change of exterior carpentry leaves the job only half done.
Consider this: solving the problem of drafts greatly reduces losses from heating and air-conditioning, eliminating leaks and humidity but it must not be forgotten that we have only worked on 30% or 40% of the surface of the facade. To ensure a global solution, we must act on 100% of it. At this point we have to study the rest of the surround which has been left untouched, that is the exterior wall or facade wall.
WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH THE FACADE SURROUND?
The objective of repairing and, at the same time, improving the technical characteristics of a facade is a field which has developed a lot over the last few years, since it is a common problem that appears in certain types of construction, especially those around the age mentioned above.
There are various solutions, from the simple repair of existing coatings with new coatings to applying new high-performance coatings over existing ones; the application of layers of insulating materials to both the inner and outer face; the splitting of surrounds, either by placing a new ceramic sheet on the current surround or by creating a new outer layer as an envelope of the outer surround. The solutions are manifold and each one is specific to the conditions of each individual building.
In short, work on the facade surround passes through the exterior cladding, with the added value of renewing the aesthetic appearance of the building.
The conclusion of this blog is that although changing the carpentry indisputably improves the living conditions of houses, a very advisable step is to complete the job with work on the rest of the facade surround too.