13th July
2009
I love Kingspan. It is the best building material in the world bar none. If I could build a house out of just kingspan I would. If I ever find myself in the fortunate position to actually do a proper grand design it’s gonna be plywood and kingspan – just huge.
What’s so good about it?
I’m going to use some 50mm Kingspan in between the beams in my shed then cover it with thin board. I hope it keeps me cool in Summer and warm in Winter, as opposed to roasting in Summer and cool in Winter! 🙂
Hi Dom, have been thinking about insulation materials for my project, so was wondering if you could tell us more about the Kingspan, eg, how much is it, best suppliers, is it an easy material to work with? Presumably you just cut it to shape. How ecologically sound is it, and what other alternatives did you look at? Cheers Graham
i’m interested too.
are you doing
WOOD | KINGSPAN | WOOD
With the electrics surface mounted on the inner walls?
(reply to Craig) Wood| 75mm Kingspan | wood sandwich for walls, electrics buried in the sandwich.
(reply to Graham) Well, I’ve used Kingspan before, so I didn’t do a huge amount of research in this respect – it’s not the cheapest out there but it’s just so damn easy to use – it’s strong, rigid, lightweight – you can cut it with a stanley knife (like a knife through butter) – for my purposes (I’m effectively laminating it to 12mm exterior plywood and making modular wall units out of it) it makes for a strong, lightweight, very thermally efficient wall which I can manhandle by myself. It’s also a perfect fit between my 4″ square corner posts making for a simple, neat construction. (The supplier I used, Thermap in St. Helens is just up the road from me – is significantly cheaper than B&Q etc and you can buy on eBay – prices include delivery if you’re buying more than 10 sheets) – I spent about £350 on insulation in total … I plan on working out exactly how much the shed has cost me in a post once the shed’s complete… hint – it’s more like a real grand design than I originally thought(!)
(reply to Stephen) Well, it will certainly help! – I’ve used 50mm in the roof and floor, 75mm in the walls – so I’m essentially sitting in a foam and wood box… I can’t comment on its full effect yet, as I’m still missing an end wall(!) but I’ve noticed it’s definitely a much cooler place to be than outside when the sun peeps through the clouds. It was an important consideration when I was designing the shed as my feet freeze when I’m sitting in the (centrally heated) back room for any period of time (don’t ask why – I don’t know either)
Thanks Dom, I’m glad it has some cooling properties as I always associated insulation with heating and thought that insulating my shed would make it like an oven in Summer! (even more of one!)
If you’re spending £350 on insulation alone, then are you gonna redo that £1 Grand Designs banner?! 😛
yes 🙂 But only when I know how much it actually cost in total. It wouldn’t be a grand design of any kind if I didn’t go a wee bit over budget would it? Besides I saw these lovely taps in Turin…
The good news is you CAN build a house made of Kingspan. There is a product called Kingspan TEK, a Structural Insulated Panel system. In fact the July edition of Grand Designs magazine has a feature on SIPs and features Kingspan TEK, the product used in the construction of the UK’s first Net Zero Carbon House – The Lighthouse.
Wow, that’s pretty cool. I’m loving the lighthouse – thinking it may be something very close to my ideal house but… I’m guessing here… more of a grand design than a one grand design? I think I may well get in touch – if only to try and blag a Kingspan TEK t-shirt 😉
I must say that overall I am really impressed with this blog.It is clearly seen that you love to write. I wish I had got your ability to write. I look forward to next post and will come back again.
I haven’t used Kingspan yet but I”ve had my eye on it as it’s getting rave reviews all round. I think it’s time to take the plunge and find out myself why! Cheers