Create incorrect timber framing

Producing false half-timbering An old brick house - no half-timbering - must be insulated according to the building authority's specifications under the Energy Saving Ordinance; unfortunately, the old appearance is lost in the process. We don't like clinker bricks (and those that we somewhat like exceed our budget), plain plaster would simply look awful (right in the middle of the forest) - now the responsible district forester had the idea: "Just make a fake half-timbered house" The basic idea is: apply an insulating composite system (Styrofoam) according to specifications, then put corresponding "wooden boards" on it, plaster in between. That way the little house would fit back into the landscape. Unfortunately, no one can tell us how the technical implementation, especially the fastening of the wood to the insulating composite system, should be done so that the composite system is not damaged, no thermal bridges occur, etc. Who has an idea or - even better - experience with this. Looking forward to a response. Best regards Mara

Hello,

...An old brick house - not a half-timbered house - must be insulated according to the requirements of the building authority pursuant to the Energy Saving Ordinance; unfortunately, the old appearance is lost in the process.

Why, since it is an existing building? What is the building authority’s justification?

...
- now the responsible district forester had the idea: "Just make a fake half-timbered house." The basic idea is: apply an external insulation composite system (Styrofoam) according to the requirements, then attach corresponding "wooden boards" on it, and plaster in between. That way the little house would fit back into the landscape.

Certainly not a construction expert, but the idea is quite helpful and also feasible if EICS is mandatory, which I doubt.

Best regards.

Hello, well, we can’t avoid the insulation – it was difficult and expensive enough to preserve the little house (I’m just saying: hourly rate of the lawyer for construction and administrative law €400, and almost two years of fear that the cabin would have to be demolished and that nothing could ever be built on the property again – AFTER already investing a six-figure amount!). And we have numerous conditions; including insulation (which certainly makes sense with 24 cm masonry). Interior insulation is pointless due to the building’s dimensions – the house is small and narrow. Of course, our district forester is not a construction expert and we are looking for an affordable and sensible solution. And we quite like the forester’s idea. But as already described, the technical implementation is problematic. The house is located in the forest in the middle of a nature reserve; normal plaster, which would certainly be appropriate in a typical housing estate, would be an optical disaster for us and we want to avoid that. But it also has to be affordable. Best regards Mara

.... And we have numerous regulations; also insulation (which certainly makes sense with a 24 cm masonry).

In this situation, external insulation certainly makes sense, completely independent of regulations.

....Of course, our local forester is not a construction expert

He is not, but his idea is well usable.

....But it must also be affordable.

What high expectations do you have? The effort is manageable and can certainly also be done through own work.

Hello Euro, what expectations do I have? - Very simple - it should look "old" again and fit into the landscape. If the effort is manageable and can definitely be done as a DIY project, then we are back to my initial question: HOW do we implement this? So far, I have not found any helpful instructions on the internet. How do you, for example, attach the wood to the WVS - gluing definitely doesn’t work. Henkel has very good adhesive advice, but they don’t have anything in their range that would be suitable... Screwing it on is probably not so clever because of thermal bridges. And - how do you avoid the wood from cupping? Any ideas??

Hello,

....HOW do we implement this? ...

Unfortunately, I cannot provide an instruction manual, as I simply do not have the time for it. If I were faced with this challenge, I would know how to accomplish it.
Overall, this is an unusual special case. Therefore, one is unlikely to find many instructions. Consequently, one must also accept a certain residual risk, which I believe is quite manageable.
A homogeneous overall surface will not be achieved, as the plaster in the infill certainly behaves differently (volume change work) than the overlaid wood. Therefore, plasters with a high modulus of elasticity should be used here.
Certainly, there are detailed, small thermal bridges at the doweling. But how high is their total proportion? Hardly measurable!
The overlay requires more maintenance afterward than the infill.
In conclusion: You cannot have everything; sometimes you have to make compromises and endure the results of them.

Best regards