Looking at the outside cladding of a completed home, it can be easy to think that all of them are much the same; some cladding on the walls and it’s as simple as that, job done. Well it can be, but that is a long way short of what a modern home should be.
The performance of not only the cladding products, but also how they are installed, has a wide ranging effect on the day to day liveability of the home. This effect, either positive or negative, lasts the life of the home. Building from scratch allows the opportunity to get this right and improve the liveability of the home for its lifetime.
At Peninsula Homes, we use a batten method for our cladding products instead of simply nailing the cladding directly to the timber frame.
The Batten Method
This method provides an air gap between the back of the cladding product and the Enviroseal Wall Wrap that is fixed to the framework. This air gap is consistent from the bottom to the top of the walls and, when paired with fan-driven roof ventilation, provides space for air movement in the wall cavity.
The Importance of Air Movement
Air movement enables the wall to breath and allows the bulk insulation batts installed within the timber frame to operate at their highest capacity. It also stops the build up of heat over each day. Because the air is renewed, it allows the wall to cool down on a summer’s evening, ready to absorb the heat the next day.
Renewal of air between the cladding and wall wrap keeps the living spaces of the home consistently comfortable. All of these elements work passively and without maintenance. This allows the home to feel much more comfortable all year round which, in turn, means the home requires less air conditioning and heating, saving the home owner money for the life of the home.
