Hebel VS Brick house?

Well - when I was about to build these houses - the first thing I asked was what can I do to shave the cost, so basically rather than have a majority brick house - I split it half hebel half brick which got me 10% of the building price per house (which give or take was 13-16K) end of the day happy with the builder speeding the build and also passing the savings on to me. Most of the tenants have mentioned it is much cooler than a brick home during the summers.

Not sure where you live and as mentioned there is no issue with combination hebel brick such as the ones below there are build everywhere without any issues. Brick still has it's place but not double brick as it is relatively more exp and majority ppl dun see a need for double brick for the price. IF you have a fully brick home - it gives the view that it is in the 80s with many of the villa units build like that in Melbourne,



I sold one hebel/brick house 6-7 months ago and there were 10 signed offers on the table.without any mention or question of hebel or brick

from your strong views on brick - one might think you are a bricklayer . End of the day - whatever makes a gain for me in the less cost effective way.

 

Pros and Cons of Hebel Wall Panels

Good comparison (WA based)

 

"I split it half hebel half brick which got me 10% of the building price per house (which give or take was 13-16K)"

When I check with my builder, they just say a $0 promotional offer?

This is for my living and double-story house in Melbourne, South East.

 

You had my undivided attention until i read the bit where you wrote "Today's buyers are mostly very well researched and if they find out you used a 10 to 20 mil sheet to build your house instead of brick it will hammer you in resell."

Id like to point out to you that hebel comes in 50mm and 75mm for external cladding.

 

For me Hebel has a lot going for it as others have noted. The only caveat I have come across is that the structure is more rigid than brick and so requires a very stable slab/foundations.

 

I work for a Builder and we can not get enough brickies... We have our usual long term gangs but with the amount of work we have on the teams can not keep up and are losing their guys to gangs offering more money. Prices are continuing to go up per brick so we have looked at Hebel and are offering it to our clients to avoid delays. Their choice though, we have advised if they stick with brick there will be delays.

 

Many two level dwellings may use hebel at height as its less prone to damage there and is lighterweight. Sometimes panelling is added as a surface enhancement to disguise the internal core. Render style coating like Armawall is costly but has exceptional life v paint. A specialist render paint system like Moroki can also be used for a bagged appearance / texture. Moroka is a two step system that is VERY well wearing. When incorporated with same texture on the lower level the use of hebel is barely noticeable perhaps not all all. The lower level may even use cheap bricks rather than more costly bricks.

 

I disagree with a little bit of this.

Can't say I've ever heard concerns regarding Hebels use as a ground level material. It's not any more prone to damage than most other cladding materials. The render will crack well before the hebel itself is damaged. If you put enough force through an object to break a corner of hebel, it is likely you would have broken a brick if installed in place of it. Foam on the other hand....

As mentioned a few posts above, apart from Hebels thermal performance, the main benefit of it's use atm as a ground level cladding is the fact it can be installed by carpenters. There's generally a shortage of bricklayers atm and has been like that for 5+ years.

I'm not sure what you mean by "panelling is added as a surface enhancement to disguise the internal core"? Hebel is an aerated concrete with a reinforced mesh core. You can't see the core once installed and rendered. If you are installing a secondary cladding over the top, its purely an aesthetic decision (and an expensive one)...

 

As a panel it's far more likely to crack across a joint line than a few hundred individually laid and staggered bricks.

It's just the reality of that stress joint.

Unlike brick though, it isn't a natural product and doesn't expand and shrink depending on environmental conditions.