Bauwer Group Ltd
Building Construction in Liverpool

Most traditional buildings are made of permeable materials and do not incorporate the barriers to external moisture such as cavities, rain-screens, damp-proof courses, vapour barriers and membranes which are standard in modern construction. As a result, the permeable fabric in older buildings tends to absorb more moisture, which is then released by internal and external evaporation. When traditional buildings are working as they were designed to, the evaporation will keep dampness levels in the building fabric below the levels at which decay can start to develop. This is often referred to as a breathing building.& Materials used for insulation and maintenance must be selected with care to preserve this permeability. In the case of your traditionally built house, it is important to remove any impermeable materials such as cement concrete off the walls to allow moisture to pass through freely.& Lightweight, breathable thermal renders and plasters effectively control dampnesRead more...

Bauwer renders and plasters regulate home humidity levels, absorbing and releasing moisture while improving overall comfort, thermal performance and overall appearance of older homes being able to withstand harsh coastal weather. Bauwer insulation carries out multiple functions and creates healthy and warm living environments, whilst also being ecologically sustainable and cost efficient.

Confusion among the few architects was also with the targeted U value, with several architects advised us of 0.3 W/m2K as a target for the solid wall insulation. When we asked why the target for the more advance and modern cavity walls insulation was only 0.55 W/m2K they again were not able to explain such a discrepancy. Looking at the building regulation L1B, part 5.12 (see below) we demonstrated that the U value of about 0.7W/m2K is about three times improvement vs as-built and generally sufficient for the traditionally build stone or brick wall insulation which enables usage of permeable insRead more...

It is important to understand that moisture in solid walls comes from several possible sources:
Water from rainfall: This obviously affects solid walls but not all internal damp is a result of penetrating rain. With the exception of extremely exposed locations such as on the coast or high ground, it is unusual for driving rain to pass through most solid walls in good condition. Normally, it will only saturate the outer part of the wall, which will then dry out when the rain stops.Rising ground moisture: This can be present in any solid wall which does not have a physical damp proof course. In such situations the moisture level is generally controlled by the breathability of the material, which limits total moisture by allowing the excess to evaporate harmlessly away.Moisture generated in the building: It is often underestimated how much moisture can be generated by people living in the building, simply through breathing but alsoRead more...