External thermal insulation — ETICS

An ETICS brings together thermal insulation and a render system applied to the outside of walls. The installation service addresses the solution specified for the façade, including the areas covered, the proposed components and the junctions with the building. The proposal should make clear which system will be installed and which works accompany it.

The enquiry can form part of a wider external refurbishment scheme or focus on insulating the façade. Associated preparation and repairs are defined from the existing condition and the solution to be installed. Insulation applied internally has a different scope, as does the study or design that establishes thermal objectives and options for the building.

Before the work is finalised, it is useful to understand the façade materials, existing finishes, previous interventions and observed defects. General and detailed photographs, drawings and available records help prepare that assessment. Damp, cracks or deteriorated areas should be described in the enquiry, without assuming their cause from an image alone.

The scope identifies what can be retained, what needs preparation and which repairs should be considered. If information about the substrate or an observed problem is missing, that need is recorded before the solution is finalised. Insulation is not presented as an automatic answer to every façade defect.

Junctions with windows and doors, sills, balconies, the roof and the base of the façade form part of the work definition. It is also useful to identify pipes, equipment and other fixed elements that may need adaptation. The proposal should clarify which details and alterations are included and which existing components are to remain.

If window replacement is planned, the two works should be coordinated when selecting the solution and deciding the sequence of installation. Where the windows remain, their relationship with the new external work needs to be considered. This coordination helps define responsibilities and deliverables without assuming that every window will be replaced.

The installation scope identifies the proposed products and components, the intended finish and any available design references. Colour, texture and visual continuity with other parts of the building can be discussed using these references. The thickness and composition of the solution are defined for the work, without selecting a universal option from photographs.

Where the objective calls for a study of thermal behaviour or comparison of options, that work falls within the design or study scope to be agreed. It can be included in the same proposal as installation, with the documentation and decisions identified. The ETICS label alone does not establish an energy saving, a building rating or an identical result in every situation.

The building’s height and configuration, available space and the way the property is used inform the arrangements for access to the façade. The means of access are defined for the works and the setting; rope access is not assumed to suit every intervention. The proposal identifies associated works and coordination with windows, repairs and other external finishes.

The programme takes account of the organisation of work areas and the conditions anticipated for installing the chosen system. At handover, checking the areas worked on can be accompanied by identification of the products, finishes and care information included in the scope. These records document the intervention and are distinct from the building’s energy certification.

Send the building’s location, photographs of the façades and approximate areas if you know them. Indicate any observed problems, the purpose of the insulation and work already planned, such as repairs or window replacement. Designs, surveys and information about previous interventions help prepare the enquiry.

Also describe access conditions, how the property is used and the elements you want to retain. The proposal depends on the defined solution, areas to be confirmed, necessary preparation, junctions and associated work. Your preferred appearance can accompany the enquiry but does not replace this information.

• Internal thermal and acoustic insulation

  Insulation works carried out internally, with their own scope.

• Façade refurbishment

  Repairs and refurbishment of the façade as a whole, coordinated with external insulation.

• Window and door frames and glazing

  Elements of openings and junction details to coordinate with the external work.

• Rope access work

  A means of access to consider according to the intervention and site conditions.

We welcome enquiries in Lisboa, Oeiras, Cascais, Sintra, Amadora, Odivelas and Loures. Availability and the feasibility of the work are assessed for each enquiry.