Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Continuous exterior insulation detailing
Passive
One of 4 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
Insulation wrapped continuously around the outside of the frame, with no gaps where beams or posts pass through. Without breaks, heat has no easy path out through the structure. The whole house stays evenly warm, and cold spots where condensation and mould form are avoided.
Matches the insulation material used (this is a detailing practice, not a separate material)
Embodied carbon
Low
Space / material use
Low
Output timing
None
Skill to repair
Basic
Regulation (FR example)
Changing the external appearance of an existing building normally requires a prior declaration (declaration prealable) at the mairie; stricter rules and an architect consultation apply within a protected or heritage perimeter.
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Continuous exterior insulation detailing (This page) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want every beam and post covered, leaving no cold spot anywhere on the house.
Strapped straw external insulation (ITE paille sanglee) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to wrap an old house in thick insulation cheaply, without touching the rooms.
Insulated slab edge and slab-to-wall thermal break Can I use it? Not in a flat · New build only What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you are pouring a new slab and want warm floors at the edges from the start.
Exterior slab-edge insulation (retrofit) Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if your house already stands on a slab and you want its cold floor edges put right.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.