External wall insulation · County Antrim
External wall insulation in Belfast
Homeowners and landlords in Belfast can get a free survey and a fixed written quote for external wall insulation, covering BT1 and the surrounding area. Whole-house jobs and single elevations are both quoted in Belfast; a cold gable or rear wall can be done on its own where it suits.
- Free survey in BT1 and nearby
- Guide price from £105 per m² + scaffold, 0% VAT
- Fixed written price before work starts
Free survey in Belfast
Postcode, service and a phone number is all we need.
What the job covers
- Work happens outside, so you can live at home throughout
- Boards chosen for the wall: EPS, mineral wool, wood fibre or phenolic
- Typically takes a 225mm solid brick wall from around 2.1 W/m²K to about 0.30 W/m²K with 90–110mm of board
- Installing wall insulation in homes is currently zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027
What we look for in Belfast
We cover Belfast and nearby Castlereagh, Newtownabbey and Holywood. Northern Ireland has many rendered and pebble-dashed homes, older solid-walled rural houses, and estates built by the Housing Executive.
Parts of County Antrim fall in the higher wind-driven rain exposure bands, especially coastal and upland sites, so render specification, movement joints and detailing at cills, verges and the base of the wall matter more than usual.
For homes in Belfast, the survey starts with the wall itself: solid brick, stone or concrete, and whether any old render is sound enough to insulate over.
- Postcode district
- BT1
- County or area
- County Antrim
- Nation
- Northern Ireland
- Nearby
- Castlereagh, Newtownabbey, Holywood, Lisburn
Approvals in Northern Ireland
Before quoting in Belfast, we check whether the property is listed or in a conservation area, which changes what needs planning permission in Northern Ireland.
External wall insulation is building work under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, so council building control is involved, with Technical Booklet F1 covering dwellings.
How does external wall insulation work?
Heat moves out through a wall faster when the wall is solid or poorly insulated. EWI wraps the outside face in a continuous layer of insulation, so the masonry stays on the warm side and the cold bridges at floor and party-wall junctions are reduced. The boards are bonded with adhesive and, on most walls, mechanically fixed. A base coat with an embedded glass-fibre mesh goes over the top, then a primer and the decorative finish.
Because the wall itself sits inside the insulation, it stays warmer and drier, and the rooms keep their full size. That is the main difference from internal insulation.
External wall insulation prices in Belfast
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EPS system with silicone render | £105–£145 per m²0% VAT | Most common choice for houses |
| Mineral wool system | £125–£170 per m²0% VAT | Non-combustible, vapour-open |
| Brick-slip finish over insulation | £185–£260 per m²0% VAT | Where a brick look is wanted |
| Three-bed semi, EPS + silicone (incl. scaffold) | £10,200–£17,7000% VAT | 80–100 m² of wall; depends on detailing and access |
Confirmed by a fixed written quote after survey. 0% VAT: installing insulation in a home is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, so these figures are the total; 5% applies from 1 April 2027.
How it works
Enquiry
Send your postcode and a few details.
Measured survey
Walls, damp, eaves, cills and services recorded.
Written price
A fixed price with the specification attached.
Work and handover
Installed, inspected and documents handed over.
External wall insulation in Belfast: questions
Does external wall insulation cause damp?
Not when it is specified and detailed properly. Problems usually come from poor detailing: no starter track above the damp-proof course, gaps at cills and penetrations, or a vapour-closed system on a wall that needs to breathe. The survey checks moisture, ground levels and the wall type before a system is chosen.
How much does external wall insulation cost?
Our guide price for EWI is £105–£170 per m² of wall depending on the system, plus scaffolding. A typical three-bed semi with EPS and silicone render comes to roughly £10,200–£17,700 for the whole house, including scaffold. Installing insulation in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, so that's the total. You get a fixed written price after a free survey.
How long does external wall insulation last?
A well-installed render system is commonly expected to last 25–30 years or more, with occasional cleaning and inspection of sealants. The system manufacturer's documentation states the expected service life for the specific build-up.
Do you cover Belfast?
Yes — we survey and quote external wall insulation in Belfast (BT1) and nearby Castlereagh, Newtownabbey and Holywood, with a fixed written price before any work starts.