Thanks very much for that, good to hear from someone who experiences a similar climate to us. Out of curiosity, did you construct a single level or 2 storey house with hebel? I've seen a few people recommend it for 2 storey homes but believe that with the right type of insulation you can get the same thermal properties using brick for a single level. We are building a single level home so that intrigued me.

I've read that the maintenance required is just a pressure wash every year & then it will require repainting approx. every 8 years. Do you not believe this to be the case?

we've been very disappointed with Hebel panels because the joints failed (bad workmanship?) and the extra work and cost of render and painting, we've also tried the thick foam cladding with render and paint and been surprised at how hot the walls are on the outside reflecting baking heat into the garden and verandahs on an already hot day and you can't screw anything to the wall..another surprise!!.both the Hebel and the foam definately retain internal heat in cold weather as expected but in our new construction we plan to use anything that doesn't need lots of extra money and work to "finish" like galvanised iron and unpainted concrete NB we built in a cold climate and retaining heat is good for our cold winters but i believe that in your area the walls should be very lightweight and avoid storing heat with extra reflective roof insulation to shade the house and surrounds to keep heat from being stored in any solid walls, floors, paths or decks..good luck with your new home

Hi Liana / Louise

The home was a single storey and was done approx 9 years ago. It still looks the same as the day it was installed and there are no cracks.

It also meant timing was shorter as we went from slab down to lock up in approx 4 weeks (ie roof on, windows in, cladding etc)

RE maintenance, a pressure wash every 18 months or so depending on location is all it needs. If you want to keep it looking new, you could re-coat it every 10 years. I do not paint over texture coat but you certainly can do that.

RE thermal performance, the entire system far exceeds brick. A standard double brick cavity wall R value is around R 0.5 from memory. The Hebel allows for an R2.0 batt in the stud work which takes you to a total of around R3.0, or approx 6 times greater than brick without the thermal mass.

We also found that unlike brick, the walls didn't radiate heat into the house at night and aircon wasn't often needed ( I like it cool at night)

As I said previously, the methodology is important.

For example, during the design of the house the stud framing capacity needs to take into account the fact that the Hebel is being used.

The panel size (height) needs to be selected and laid out taking into account both the set down in the slab (exterior course is lower than internal) and the height to the eaves + 50mm. I always go a longer panel so that I don't have joins everywhere rather than patching short ends

Control joints need to be properly spaced (these are the gaps in the panels at long intervals to allow for movement that are caulked)

Positioning items such as window in increments of 300mm from each other eliminates extra joins and pieces.

In relation to cracks, the use of a textured acrylic such as Acratex means it is an elastic (movable) finish and if it is properly installed you should have no issues.

I have seen people just render and paint the exterior and as this isn't flexible enough it will likely crack. I would not do it this way and do not ever recommend a render.

Texture coating is the more expensive finish but is far and away the most durable in this case. As an aside, upmarket homes are almost always texture coated here in WA.

I would suggest you simply take your plans to your local CSR Hebel supplier and work with them. They will plan the panel layout for the job with you or the builder can do it with them. The supplier will also point out changes that can be made to your advantage ie panel sizes, joint locations in effect all the things I have mentioned above they will do.

There is also a web site available called Hebel Matters that is a blog style and you can get lots of info from that.

RE the foam, we had experience with that in Melbourne when we lived there and I am not a fan of it for anything other than a second storey.

As I said at the outset, if you set it up properly and finish it in a quality texture, you will not regret doing it for the advantages you gain in thermal performance.

Cheers

Thanks for your comprehensive explanation Two's Company i think our problem was inexperienced installers and this is a situation where depending on an experenced builder is worth the extra time and money

Superb explanation by Two's company. We are just building Hebel house here in Vic. So this review will help.

Hi Guys - thanks so much for the information - very insightful.

We are building a double Storey in Melbourne bayside - and will have lots of windows and a void. So the insulation properties of Hebel sounds perfect.

QQ - can we put screws etc on hebel - like we do with bricks - for hanging / lights etc etc

2- if we are using hebel - does it make sense to have Axon Cladding / Similar on top of Hebel

https://www.jameshardie.com.au/productrange/categories/cladding/scyon-axon-cladding

so if I live in an area of extreme temperature (ie Penrith NSW) could I get away with not installing ducted air conditioning and just having ceiling fans? I would love that, but don't want to have regrets.

it's possible to avoid AC but you need to carefully choose passive Solar design with suitable orientation, shading and insulation...check out yourhome.gov for information

Hebel panels are porous, Please be aware of cracks and