BUILD Q4 2019

23 Q4 2019 BUILD Case study - refurb Actis Hybrid-insulated Airbnb water tower conversion wins renovation award An ‘upside down’ water tower conversion in Warwickshire, insulated with Actis Hybrid products, won a renovation award from the Federation of Master Builders and is now a holiday Airbnb let. The 12 metre concrete tower was converted by Anton Richards, a Nottinghamshire builder from WA Richards Contractors Ltd, who has a morbid fear of boring day-to-day extensions and a passion for tackling projects no-one else will touch! The formerly dilapidated and decommissioned concrete edifice is at the bottom of the garden of retired neurosurgeon Peter Stanworth and his wife Janet. Anton explained: “Our company speciality is unusual con- versions and agriculturally based projects such as tea rooms and farm shops. I want to work on something that no-one else knows what to do with - the weirder the better. “We normally use Actis. And in this case the client wanted the insulation to be as good as possible – so Actis fitted the bill. I much prefer Actis to hideous fibreglass or PU, because the dust and price are horrendous. Actis is a much better product. It meets the U-value requirements and it’s easy to use. Why wouldn’t I?” He chose 125mm honeycomb style Hybris insulation in the internal walls, and insulating breather membrane Boost R Hybrid externally. The 70sq metre bijou upside down hilltop holiday let has two bedrooms, with a spiral staircase leading up to the lounge in the old water tank, which offers spectacular views across the trees towards Kenilworth Castle, the Cotswolds, Rugby and Coventry. Case study – new build Actis Hybrid proves such a hit Scandia-Hus chooses it for second showhome Swedish timber frame manufacturer Scandia-Hus was so impressed by the thermal efficiency of its first showhome that it chose exactly the same insulation materials for a second sample house at its Sussex HQ. The 3,500 sq ft mock Tudor style property has a U-value of 0.14 in the roof and 0.16 in the walls, thanks to the use of vapour control layer HControl Hybrid and honeycomb design Hybris panels in the pitched roof and walls. Scandia-Hus trialled the Actis Hybrid system a few years ago, carrying out a thermal imaging exercise after completion to help determine whether to switch to the system for future projects. The results, which showed an impressive lack of thermal bridg- ing, convinced them that this was the best insulation for most of the homes it builds every year. Scandia-Hus MD Derek Dawson said: “We were extremely pleased with the installation side of the material and from now on can reduce insulation installation time by up to 30%. “Actis Hybris panels are easy to cut to exactly the right size so they simply slot into the stud wall which reduces cutting and installation time. “Other benefits were minimal wastage (just three black sacks) and site cleanliness. And as if that is not benefit enough, the Hybrid range does not produce irritant and messy dust when installing.” Actis UK and Ireland sales director Mark Cooper added: “Because it’s flexible and can bend around corners, not only does this make fitting it much more straightforward than cutting rigid board, it also addresses issues of thermal bridging and air tightness. It was these factors which meant the thermal imaging experiment was such a success.”