An Orkney Build (in ICF)

A very tidy bit of work on the foundation, but where did the drainage and ducting go?

Edited June 6, 2016 by IanR

The second picture you can see the drains just visible through the surface of the quarry dust blinding. At the moment they just go through the ICF wall and no more.  All the drain runs will go in once the scaffolding comes down.  In the third picture you can see what looks like a drain in the insulation, this and the white pipe beside are actually ducting for water and electric cables for the kitchen island. Ducts for BT and main electric come up next to the UFH pipes  at the main entrance.

It does indeed look like everything has disappeared under the floated concrete slab. Everything was capped and is just below the slab surface, 1 or 2 mm ( when you are on the slab you can see where they all are) and easy enough to uncover again. Just seems to be the way the builder and plumber do it, I think primarily to ensure the floor can be properly and easily power floated.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Stones

I think he means in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th pictures there are drain runs under the slab. but now the slab is poured, they don't come through the surface of the slab.  Is that a "whoops" or are the positions accurately known so you can break through to them later (with the risk of damaging the pipe?)

Again that site is far too tidy, you are in danger of getting builders a good name.

As per my last comment, covering the drains was intentional on the part of the builders.  All were cut such that they were just below the level of the rail system used for the vibrating leveller.  Standing on the slab you can just see the circular outline of the various drains as they are literally a few millimetres below the surface, so I don't envisage the builders having problems locating or breaking through to them.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Stones

Did the drainage pipes have connectors already attached or is it just bare pipe under the surface of the concrete?

I hope they plugged the ends!!!!!

I can see why they want to do it that way to make power floating the concrete easy, but I would want it in the contract that THEY are responsible for ensuring the drains pass the pressure test, and they are responsible for fixing any damage to the pipes in the proceess of uncovering them.

 

Prior to the concrete pour, the guys ran the vibrating leveller down the rails to make sure the drainage pipes were just below the surface.  In the picture below, you can just see the grinder used and a small offcut of pipe where one of the drains was trimmed down.  All of the drainage pipes were finished with a coupling and plugged with rubber type bungs.  The ducts were plugged with a duct tape covering.

 

I like the marking out on the EPS to show where walls are - I'm looking at using a self compacting / levelling concrete to remove the problem of levelling, but I want to weld in threaded studs to fix the stud walls down prior to pour. Marking walls would make that easier !

That sounds like a headache. TBH, if you primer the floor, lay a bead of exp foam, drop a stud on it and hold it whilst it goes off, it'll be like it HAS been bolted down. Unless you're stick building, I think that'll be a logistical nightmare, trying to pre drill the footers to allow them to slide over exposed studs, and for the stud to be in perfect position afterwards.........seems a bit too optimistic to me. 

Good idea with the ground workers setting the penetrations under the surface of the slab. That must give an uber flat floor vs trying to go around obstacles. The only thing I'd have done ( unless they did so ) would have been to put 6" blank plugs ( upside down ) over the top of the 4" sockets so that they could be removed after the pour in case of damage to the seals. The plugs would get chipped out / against as sacrificial units leaving the sockets free to be removed and a gap around them, but still maintaining a good seal below of the concrete against the actual pipe. Breaking out concrete around a set penetration is a right pita, and to do so without causing damage to the pipe makes it incredibly slow going. On a previous job I had to dig 4 of them out! They were in the right place as far as MBC were asked to put them, but then the customer changed the remit and I had to move / cut back almost every one . Not a nice or easy job, especially when I had the rebar in the slab to avoid.

Looks a nice neat job with these guys though so it must feel great to have a clean working platform now   

 

 

1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said:

That sounds like a headache. TBH, if you primer the floor, lay a bead of exp foam, drop a stud on it and hold it whilst it goes off, it'll be like it HAS been bolted down. Unless your stick building, I think that'll be a logistical nightmare, trying to pre drill the footers to allow them to slide over exposed studs, and for the stud to be in perfect position afterwards.........seems a bit too optimistic to me. 

 

Plan is to use metal stud so expanding foam may not work - it does give me a bit more flexibility in locating studs on pins.

Ah! Agree, and with wood not so easy . I've never found a house with metal stud work that has anywhere near the feeling of strength in the walls that you find in a all timber property. When doing my BIL's bathroom in Kent I literally had to stuff the throats of the metal studs with ply, then overboard them with 18mm shuttering ply ( cheap and light ) and then fix a 9.5mm plasterboard to that and then tile. I was in no way happy to tile the existing walls as I could literally move them by pushing / leaning on them. It was a mass produced cheap n cheerful house, but just something for you to consider. Maybe ask for an example wall to be erected on 400mm centres and then see if you may be better at 300? I'd think long and hard about over-boarding in the bathrooms and kitchen at least. 

Ask who...?? I'm the builder... 

I will be using Fermacell on the walls and using that on metal stud both sides is pretty bomb proof and feels very solid. There are very few internal stud walls due to layout so it's a speed vs hassle discussion on using metal or timber.

Ok, I'll concede that fermacell will change the characteristicts vs regular PB. Just a bit of inside info for you in case you ended up with wobbly walls . 

7 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Ok, I'll concede that fermacell will change the characteristicts vs regular PB. Just a bit of inside info for you in case you ended up with wobbly walls . 

What are you saying about my ability to use a spirit level..??!! 

I said wobbly, not squiff . 

59 minutes ago, PeterW said:

What are you saying about my ability to use a spirit level..??!! 

My speciality is getting things just enough off horizontal such they are really annoying, and people remark on it.

Did it with an extractor fan. Yesterday afternoon :-).

Why do they have to put their logos on the damned things? If it was white and round no one could tell.

Ferdinand

 

Edited June 13, 2016 by Ferdinand

I absent myself for a few hours and you lot end up discussing wobbly walls and squint extractor fans! Focus people