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A logo for Dai King, a "Dai'd" Sheep.

Worth mentioning that Kore EPS for the floor system we have has a lower lambda than some EPS, the info is on the Kore website here: https://www.kore-system.com/kore-products/floor-insulation/kore-floor/technical PIR has a lambda of around 0.021 W/m.K to 0.022 W/m.K, and Kore under floor EPS has a lambda of between 0.031 W/m.K and 0.036 W/m.K (the 0.031 W/m.K figure being for EPS70, the higher lambda for EPS100). So the ratio between EPS and PIR is not as bad as 2:1, more like 1.6:1 for a structural floor, or around 1.5:1 for a non-structural floor. For example, to get the same sort of U value as we have, for a structural slab, but using PIR instead of EPS 100, would (simplistically, and ignoring perimeter loss) reduce the insulation thickness from 300mm to about 190mm.

So we ended up with 2 builders in the running. One who has built SIPS before but who was quite negative, (saying his guys wouldn't like the travel, his masons wouldn't like the reclaimed stone and his roofer wouldn't like the slate... he was also not happy with how he'd get pallets of the stone to 1 side of the house where it's near the boundary) and the other who had a "nothing is a bother" attitude, and an excellent reputation locally. As it happened, the second one also had the most competitive quote, and we have gone with them.... and very pleased we are too. They've turned out to be very careful in their work, but also breezy and cheerful and nothing is a problem to them. We ended up needing more hardcore stone for the ground than expected and the garage foundations had to be way, way deeper than expected, yet they charged us not a penny more. So in barely 2 weeks the site has been cleared, foundations dug (archaeologist found nothing of interest thankfully) , poured, blocks up and the beam and block floors as well as the drainage pipes are all in now. BC guy was helpful and happy with the work as was the warranty surveyor. The only blip just now is Buildstore and the mortgage. After a month and hearing nothing I chased it up to find they hadn't yet submitted the paperwork. By the time they did, the bank statements and payslips we'd sent had "expired" , so we had to send new ones in. More delay. We've been asked for paperwork in dribs and drabs - so they ask us to send 1 thing in then 3 days later ask for something else... and so on *repeatedly*. In the end I complained and someone got onto it and they finally submitted the paperwork to the lender that week. But sure enough, they then wanted something else. So I sent it along with an email telling them it would be far more sensible to A. pass the stuff straight to the lender rather than hanging on to it for a month before doing so and B. Just ask me in one go for everything they need &I'll send it, rather than wasting even more time. I got a call assuring me that absolutely the lot.... then guess what happens 3 days later? Really fed up with them. The latest is asking us to prove we've paid rent for the 3 month period BEFORE the 3 month period they already have evidence for ! (we sold our house asked are renting while the build goes on... Though it's been 2 years now). It's just illogical really, & whilst it's apparently come from the lender, why not just ask us for the 6 months evidence straight away if that's what that lender requires? It's just being dragged out over months and months as slowly as possible for either inefficiency or reasons they are not telling us and we just cannot understand. I do fear something is being lost in translation netween us and the lender with having to communicate via buildstore. If I were to use them again I'd definitely recommend chasing them every week to ask if they've done anything as we lost over a month where it seems our paperwork just sat on a desk and more weeks due to this drip feed of documents thing. So next we ae hoping for a dry weekend to dig the water pipe trench, do some ground levelling (we have a small version of mount everest in topsoil ?) & various tasks like that. But until the mortgage is finally sorted the SIPS cannot progress.

This forum has given me soooo much important information to allow me to plan my build exactly as I want it and to the best standards available.

Thats new MoT1 - quarry is Maltby and the haulier is John Owen Aggregates

It's really largely about getting the detailing right, and a bit of research before work starts can reap a useful benefit at little or no additional cost, or may even give you a cost saving.

I too applied the tape in the gap after windows and doors in situ. Dortech had some videos on utube for fitting compriband which I found useful. One thing to watch out for on the doors is that mice can't reach it! They love to chew it.

It wouldn't surprise me to find that the RoI decide to adopt the Passivhaus standard as their new Part L, as there's a lot more interest in building passive houses there than there is here, despite the dire economic situation (or perhaps because of it). Passive House magazine is an RoI magazine, or was originally, and has only in the past year or so switched to publishing a UK edition, but even that is mainly full of RoI builds. I don't think it's an accident that companies like Munster Joinery and MBC are doing pretty well over here in the UK, either, as there aren't many UK suppliers offering passive house performance at prices that aren't much greater than conventional builds over here (given that build prices down in the South of England tend to be higher, anyway). I've had some feedback from the radio bit this morning already, including a couple of builders that reckon our house would be "impossible to build"..................

@JohnW, your build up looks better, as you're partially mitigating the thermal bridge at the internal wall/floor junction with the Quinnlite blocks, but I'd question the need for the separate, cold, sub-floor. I think you could useful change this detail to the one in the Kore link I gave earlier, leaving your foundation and wall detail as-is. If you have room, then I'd suggest laying the insulation either direct on to a blinded, packed type1 sub-base (cheap!) , or with the blinding covered with the DPM, then the insulation, and making the finished floor the structural layer, with the UFH pipes closer to the top than the bottom, to further reduce losses. If I get time later I'll try and do a sketch to show exactly what I mean, but I'm pleased to see that some effort has been taken to reduce thermal bridging in the internal wall - this is a detail that is often overlooked, it seems.

@daiking Done. Quite fitting TBH. You ended up here as you needed an sos call answering, and had to finish most of it yourself so that ok?

This talk of avatars has made me change mine. Not sure the old scrapheap photo looked right, somehow. I reckon one of the mods should crop that shampoo bottle photo and upload it as @daiking 's avatar........................

Dry fit the window so that it is packed level with fixing straps attached, then remove it. With some windows you can also add the tape after the window is installed as per Jamie's method. In warm weather keep the compriband in the fridge. Get the right width for the gap you are aiming to fill. It can expand a lot but if it expands beyond the rated range it will be less effective at sealing. One side is self adhesive with peel off backing and you can stick either to the frame or the opening. If you go round the corner of the frame or opening, introduce a bit of slack. Do not stretch the tape.

I used Tremco TP600 for ours. The way we did it was to cut the tape to the right length, offer it up to the gap to check. Then remove, peel back the top, offer back up to the gap and with a paint scraper to the non sticky side, slowly pull the backing tape downwards and towards you, pressing with the scraper as you go downwards. The backing tape goes to the window side. It's quiet therapeutic!

I remember seeing this some time ago ..... American, but might be of help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmUJQHN7ALw

@JohnW I am thinking that perhaps you need to be questioning that concrete screed. One question to ask might be by how much it increases the "thermal mass" over concrete. The not very meaningful answer is likely to be to do with the increased density - and I suspect the increase is not very much. The cost per cubic meter difference and the pfaffing involved in 2 materials means you may be able to fund a West End theatre weekend (or a posh meal out) to help you unwind from the difference while it starts to set. You can never have too many unwinding weekends.

As regards Aedis. They are doing my BR so I thought I may as well get them to do the warranty as well & paid them (thinking wrongly as it turns out that logically they'd just get one inspector to do both) ... then to my horror discovered the folks we've applied to (via buildstore - and there lies a whole other story!) for our mortgage don't recognise them! Now here's where I gets weird - the mortgage provider and Aedis turned out to be almost next door to each other on the same business Park! So Aedis nip across the road and speak to manager of building society, who then got in touch with me and say hereafter they'll now accept aedis ?. Phew.

What has your architect specified for your insulation??? What width will your cavity be??? Are you going to use joists or slabs for your first floor??? What spec are you looking at for your windows and doors?? I take it you will be going for ufh with a heat pump and what about the first floor more ufh or rads either oversized or electric. Loads of people here using heat pumps but to get them to work efficiently then it's all about the finer details.