Articles by Argile

When a client wants to heat the house and produce hot water with the same installation, you're the one who has to quickly separate promises from job-site reality. With the right configuration, you can aim for concrete savings on the bill, without complicating maintenance or overloading the boiler room. Here's a rundown of the choices that really matter, from sizing to connection.

5 min read

When you renovate an old wall, the real challenge is gaining comfort without trapping moisture in the masonry. With a well-proportioned lime and hemp mix, you can smooth out walls, improve the sensation of warmth and keep walls that breathe, without overengineering it. That gives you a simple, coherent and durable solution to offer your clients.

5 min read

Your customers want to use their solar electricity in the evening, without depending on the grid. With a properly sized home storage system, you turn a daytime surplus into real comfort and visible savings. The right choice hinges on usage, power demand and available space, not on a marketing promise.

4 min read

With stone walls, you don't play sorcerer's apprentice. For you as a tradesperson, the real challenge is keeping the wall healthy, without blocking moisture or creating hidden condensation, while still gaining comfort. Before choosing a build-up, check the condition of the joints, rising damp, and ventilation. A good solution respects the "breathability" of the old building, and saves you from costly callbacks.

5 min read

On a poorly set domestic hot water (DHW) system, the health risk arrives fast. As a tradesperson, your value is delivering safe hot water production without overconsuming or tweaking settings blindly. Temperature, heat maintenance, circulation, draw-off points, every detail matters on site and in maintenance. With a clear method and robust settings, you secure the installation and avoid callbacks.

5 min read

When you're doing external wall insulation with a rendered finish, everything comes down to the details. Substrate flatness, layout, mechanical fixing, treatment of singular points, each step protects your project from cracks and rework. With a clear method and clean finishes, you gain perceived quality and long-term peace of mind.

5 min read

When a heat pump keeps short-cycling, efficiency drops and wear speeds up. By adding a properly sized volume of storage water, you smooth out the cycles, stabilize the flow temperature and gain comfort, without tinkering with the controls. Getting it right comes down to a few simple choices, set from the moment of installation.

6 min read

Between an internal lining and a continuous external envelope, the performance threshold does not move: Approved Document L asks for the same renovated wall U-value either way. What moves is façade access, junction detailing, moisture behaviour inside the wall and the floor area you take off the client. The method is decided at the survey, not in the catalogue.

6 min read

Your clients want shade in summer without giving up garden space. Adding solar panels to a lightweight structure near the house creates a pleasant outdoor living area and an electricity output that shows up on the bill right away. What remains is to secure the siting, waterproofing and grid connection for a clean, profitable job.

5 min read

Radiant ceilings have no unified installation code. The plasterboard electric version is governed by a CSTB technical prescriptions guide, and the hydraulic version by a technical approval issued system by system. The figures that bind you are therefore in those documents, not in a general standard, and they look nothing like underfloor heating figures. Here they are, and here is when the ceiling genuinely beats the floor.

5 min read

Between waterproofing rules, aesthetic constraints and the fear of "adding weight," your clients often hesitate to go solar on the roof. With integrated photovoltaic tiles and slates, you can offer a discreet result, with no compromise on the roof covering, provided you frame the installation and specific points from the quote onward. This secures your job and avoids bad surprises at handover.

5 min read

Between available space, truck access and dust you'd rather avoid, fuel storage is often decided down to the centimetre. As a tradesperson, planning the usable volume, the flow slope and the feed path to the boiler from the start saves you time and callbacks. A few simple choices in the right place, and the installation becomes reliable, clean and easy to maintain.

5 min read