Hi guys I'm comparing 2 builders in QLD at the moment. They are very similar in price, but one uses brick and the other uses a rendered hebel product. Just wondering what everyone's thoughts/experiences are with regards to the quality of each product and whether a valuer will look at them differently (and if so, which would win?). Cheers
Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) will give you a better insulation. Other than that I can't see much difference between the two products, perhaps ask to see some of their houses that are currently in construction to see what the workmanship is like.
I have a client who thought Hebel was fantastic when it first came out. He changed his mind completely after two projects. It was a while ago, so I can't recall the details, but it was a complete about face. Brick - well, unless using a double crick wall it's "just" a cladding material. No great insulation value if used externally (reverse brick veneer walls are good for thermal control), in fact can have adverse impact (west facing walls heating during the day and radiating the heat in the evening - not great in summer). People just see the "look" and no painting required - primarily a visual thing
As noted above, reverse b/v is possibly the more thermally effective design whether it's using AAC or brick. I've never built a house with it but used it extensively in BCA upgrades for fire escapes/tunnels, fire rated enclosures and commercial structures. Easy to work with at the end of the day. Needs to have the correct adhesive and acrylic render to finish. It is soft, so use appropriate fixings when hanging cabinetry on walls & fixout.
Thanks. Regarding it being soft, I inspected a home being built from hebel and saw a spot where a wheelbarrow must have hit the wall and it completely crushed the wall. I'm guessing it's just a quick patch job, but I'm not sure how often it would happen if you had tenants that didn't care about the property, and it was also be a PITA to fix all the time and repaint etc. There's also the repainting every 7-10 years of the render... What are everyone's feelings on how it would value... rendered hebel vs brick? Would the rendered product get a better valuation and/or better resale price? Cheers
Reverse b/v - you get very few tenants pushing barrows down hallways. Painting required is no different between reverse b/v and rendered. Unless it's weatherboard, valuers won't worry too much on construction materials.
just use a mixture of hebel and brick. this was after it was nearly freshly build. Double brick is gonna cost $$ in hindsight I would use no hebel for entrances and exits to the doors -as there were a fair bit of chips after tenants used the place. But really highest sold on the street for the size - chips did not make that much of a diff
Hebel is better for the environment, via its raw materials, manufacturing process and energy saving properties. These, in my opinion, are the best reasons to choose it. Dont be put off. You really notice the difference when you walk into a Hebel build, better temperature and its very quiet. If I have to do some maintenance in 20 years like a whether-board house, its worth it. A fully rendered look and NO SHEET INFILL above the windows - brick. We have just built and put in a ROUND WINDOW! yes, you can do this with hebel! without it costing a bomb
We have built Hebel , brick ,rendered block and cladding over the last 2 years. Haven't been able to tell difference between rendered brick and rendered Hebel appearance wise. Brickies are getting hard to find. So Hebel will get more common I believe.
