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GETTING YOUR HOUSE renovated soon? You might want to take a look at these photos before you make any rash decisions.
The NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland) is sending out a stark warning that substandard retrofit insulation is not only detrimental to your home, but it can also potentially pose a risk to your health.
The NSAI independently audit, assess and certify insulation building products and installers. It received three complaints in relation to its registered installers in 2014 and one complaint in 2013. All complaints related to external insulation.
It says that homeowners have spent over €624 million on renovations and extensions under the Government’s Home Renovation Incentive Scheme since it was introduced in October 2013.
It is advising people to only use NSAI quality certified products and installers when insulating their properties, to avoid issues like those pictured.
NSAI Certification and Inspection Officer Robin Byrne said he has come across substandard insulation work.
Substandard retrofit insulation can be hugely detrimental, not only to your property, but it could also potentially pose a risk to your health.
He pointed out that if insufficient ventilation is provided to the home, it can lead to “unhealthy living conditions, mould growth, and potentially a build-up of carbon monoxide”.
Items such as gas and electricity meter boxes and electric cables also require proper attention by the installer.
“There is currently no legal requirement for an insulation installer in Ireland to become NSAI certified, and the NSAI only has the power to carry out audits on businesses that are certified. Therefore homeowners need to be careful and do their research,” said NSAI CEO Maurice Buckley.
Recommendations
The NSAI recommends that homeowners should take the following six steps before deciding on an insulation contractor:
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Pity they didn’t open their beaks when builders were allowed run amok ..home bond? …b…ards
HomeBond was a complete scam
I think there should be some kind of insurance policy put works done between the contractor and the client or maybe something akin to consumer rights when purchasing products. If you bought a stereo that didn’t work I’m sure you would get a replacement or a refund. This type of thing happens all to often and puts good tradesmen in an bad situation too. It always ends up costing the client money to have things fixed or restored. Or maybe the councils should have an engineer to sign off on works of a particular scale.
Just to add to that. It would also help to distinguish between good and bad builders based on their premiums.
Philip wouldn’t matter as 9 times out of 10 people would still go with cheapest
That’s my second point. It will make it more expensive for shoddy builders to do business due to high insurance costs or worst case they get black listed and can’t get insurance(in which case tough shit you get what you pay for). I’m sure there are ways around it such as starting a different company under the wife’s name and so on but I’m sure it would benefit clients.
I have 2 poorly fitted and now broken windows in our apartment in Clongriffin. Home bond not worth a shite and told us to contact the builder, who isn’t interested. Complete sham.
Put a brick through one of his windows,see if it gets his attention.
Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be fixed in a heartbeat and homebond will pay with a smile!
Cowboys Ted
Fe)k sake that Algea and Fungal growth in the pictures are horrible looking crap.
We got a fire engineer to check our house and help us make it as safe as possible. The results scared the crap out of us. The doors are treated but the frames aren’t the switches and plugs can allow a flame to get into the cavity’s. the bracing on the attic rafters are only barely holding the rafters in place and there are no nails fixing them in place. The skirting boards will allow flames pass into the wall cavity’s as well. If the neighbour had a fire and it got to their attic it would cross into ours in minutes. Our house is only 19 years old !!!!. (The engineer is a friend and has no agenda to punt for work) But it really brought the dangers to the fore.
Architects and Engineers have a lot to answer for. They supposedly oversee and sign off on works.
Ditto building control
This insulation thing is going to bigges problem in the next couple of years, In most case it no different than what they did back in the 60s sticking plywood panels, form ceilings, asbestos etc… over surfaces.
I have seen insulation been stuck over houses with bad cracks in the walls, some one buying this will look and think its a lovely house but they wont see whats behind it, also been put over damp, Or if water gets in behind it.
This is exactly the point of this article.get certified and approved installers to carry out the works and this will provide the homeowner with a guarantee that the works were carried out to the correct specifications and detailing. Insulation,be it cavity or external has been around for 30-40 years
I know that but there has been a huge increase lately, and I have a seen many shabby houses looking great now, and I know you can get a cert but not every one would thing to ask for when buying they would just see the nicest without thinking,
But this is the point if a certified installer completes the works they will have submitted for a project specific design from the system manufacturer who will advise the installer on the correct installation procedures.The manufacturer also issues a guarantee in conjunction with the installer. If a problem such as subsidence occurs in the future it will not have been present at the time of installation If you are buying a house that has been insulated your engineer will ask for a copy of the guarantee and the certification,if this cannot be provided then it shows that more than likely the works were completed by unregistered contractor.buyer be where
Sorry to say trev but the building trade and governing bodies are a joke still. .guarantees mean nothing in this corrupt country ..the same crap is still going on..
Derek,are you speaking from experience or anecdotal evidence.it’s a fairly shocking indictment of a whole industry.As I said earlier this article is about making sure people use certified tradespeople and about tying in system manufacturers to guarantees,who’s reputation is alot more important than a guy in a van.
Speaking as a registered Nsai insulation contractor, believe me if every construction were policed by the Nsai it would solve a lot of the shoddy work going on. When we get audited it’s a full scale interrogation , everything is the recorded and photographed , batch numbers of materials etc.. . It’s good on a way because it keeps the cash guys away from the industry
I could fix all those problems on a wet weekend.
Are the inhabitants a bit thick?
A lot of VECs run night classes on basic renovation /diy..well worth signing up if your need to learn the basics or improve..
Pat are u a builder?..or were you a builder about 10 years ago…
I’d say every weekend is a wet weekend in Pat’s house.
Pat the Builder.
Bobs his uncle !
I worked on 2 3 bed houses in Dublin with attic converted illegally put windows in after home bound came guy didn’t even check attic space complete tick the boxes exercise for them
Poor detailing? The window’s been ‘fitted’ with nothing but expanding foam to hold it in from what I can see! I always remember a builder pebble – dashing over a vent in a wall he’d just fitted. Some of these guys are comical. I wonder how many “How’s it going boss?” elements are involved in all this? The ones who keep putting leaflets in my door at 7 a.m. despite a no junk mail sign?
I used to think standards were applicable until I worked for myself as a qualified self employed architect. I inspected some work carried out by SEAI qualified installers and it was really poor. There is no leadership on this issue. The only hope is that private companies/ organisations will promote standards as the government/ professional institutes are incapable of doing it. http://energy.gov/energysaver/insulation
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