In home construction there are only two design styles available, the traditional solid wall and the more modern cavity wall construction.
The traditional solid wall was popular until the 1920s, when it was superseded by cavity wall. The cavity wall, in turn, was used unchanged until the 1970s, when it underwent a significant design change when insulation was added to the construction.
In the older traditional method, the walls would be built in a single solid wall, usually 500mm thick. This single wall would fulfill all the necessary functions of supporting the roof and upper floors, preventing the entry of water into the living areas and keeping the interior of the property warm.
Too often, while the traditional method had no difficulty in accomplishing the first of these three tasks, the job of keeping moisture out and heat in was outside the design parameter of solid walls, especially in smaller, more affordable properties. , where the workmanship was and still is of very poor quality
Older properties (with the exception of larger and more expensive properties that were normally very well built) often suffer from groundwater penetration problems resulting in damp walls or rotting wood on floors or ceilings and while in the summer the thick walls offered a cool atmosphere. and cozy interior, in the winter months the lack of insulation on the exterior walls resulted in a drafty and very cold living space which was expensive to keep warm.
As a direct result of these problems the cavity wall was born. The advantages of using cavity wall construction are many. Firstly, the cavity prevents the passage of water into the house, which immediately solves the problem of damp walls. Secondly, the addition of waterproofing methods ensures that there are no more problems with water ingress from the ground or ceiling.
The cavity design also offered another benefit in that insulation could be added to the cavity (although this did not come into effect until the 1970s) helping to retain heat in interior spaces. In today’s energy conscious society, there is now an even greater requirement to super-insulate our homes.
One point to note is that while cavity construction has secured a lasting place in the construction of our homes, there is and has never been any legislation enforcing this common design.
The use of solid walls has some benefits that should not be ignored. The first of them is the dough. The greater depth of the wall offers its own natural insulation and has the natural property of keeping the property cool in hot weather. The wider distribution of wall load also makes the property stronger and the foundation less likely to fail.
The higher cost of construction and the additional design considerations of foundations, cpd, and other waterproofing elements are the main reason why this form of construction is no longer used in everyday home construction.
Solid wall construction can also be combined with a timber frame or, as in the case of straw bale construction, built entirely from straw. The options are endless.