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So all of the ICF quotes are in. I've tried to standardise them as much as possible, but some have interesting notes which I'll detail below. Putting this up for others who might find it useful in deciding their supplier or working out costs, but also for any feedback or thoughts from the more experienced (that's all of you!). Our build is approx 220sqm footprint and 260sqm of wall. Durisol includes a 22% discount that they put on without negotiation Beco Walform have quoted for the 375 but say the 313 would save around £8K (inc vat) and only increase the U value to 0.165 (though the published value is 0.18) so much better value Nudura say that a U value of 0.24 is plenty and anything more gets really expensive Velox includes the steel that goes inside the wall. I've included a price of concrete at £100+vat/cbm. This is a little on the high side, but it gives comparison. None of the quotes include rebar (if required [except Velox]) - would have to wait for SE calcs. Can anyone suggest an amount (in £ or quantity) that they used on their build? I know that we'll be able to reclaim the VAT on a new build but were costing things as a worst case scenario. Labor to construct I'm guessing at 9 days for 1+1+me: 2 days build, 1 day pour (lower ground). 3 days build 1 day pour (upper ground). 1 day build, 1 day pour (gables, finishing off etc). Hope that helps someone and thanks for your thoughts!

Use CT1 to stick the profile to the wall, but you could use silicone as it is screwed on anyway. Use silicone on the outside of the profiles.

It is probably waterproof, and will stay that way, do don't get stressed about it. Main thing is that it is cosmetic, and fixable.

Sorry, no I meant I used silicone not ct1... I didn’t know about it before, but now I do I’ll use it when I refit the shower frame.

I still do not see anything in the picture of the CU posted to suggest this originated via the mains supply. So in the absence of any explosive issues within the CU I dount a plastic one would have faired any worse.

Yep, just had a quote for less than that for £500k of cover. Our building control folks are in Bristol and they will be covering both building control and warranty inspections which simplifies things a bit and so far (early stages) they’ve been good to deal with. PM me if you’d like details.

@joe90 there is a large scorch mark on the side of the cu where the bt socket went pop. Not sure a plastic cu would have been as robust.

My brain or fingers confused this. Cut back, wait for new growth, then spray. If you need to clear a site, spray a couple of weeks before you remove the weeds, so the roots will die and no new growth will regenerate.

I think you can do better. I was getting quotes around that or less, for a house three times a big.

Easiest people to sell to.

We have a vaulted ceiling and the ducting ran under the steel ridge. In hindsight I could have run the ducting in the warm roof space as I had 70mm timber on top of the rafters. My solution was to make a curved ceiling.

If you are single skin brick or block an Straight forward RSJ will be fine If double Skin a welded plate is added to the underside to carry the second skin You will be suprised how little difference there is in price between a Rsj and a good quality lintel Once the beam is in you can forget about it and will give you a solid fixing points

Right, the ASHP we're using (Ecodan 8.5kw) controller has an output to manage an electrically actuated mixing valve, see snippet from the MIs copied below. It has thermistors on the flow and return to the UFH so in priciple can be as good as a thermastic analog valve, failure modes excepted. This is quite a nice setup, as it means the ASHP can do the right thing to actively manage cooling as well as heating temperature for two emitters running simultaneously at different target temps, and also in principle could close off (set to bypass) the mixer valve when the zone is not being actively driven, which would allow the zone pump to overrun too (i.e. support 24/7 UFH recirculation as discussed above). Now assuming we don't trust this setup to protect our expensive floor finishes, yet would still like to have that motorized mixer valve for the fine control it gives, would it make sense to use both a blending TMV pumpset and the motorized valve? We'd put the TMV on the UFH side of the motorized valve (i.e. integrated with the pump). For this exception situation only use-case, using a standard (less expensive) TMV from wunda that only goes down to 30ºC maybe ~OK as this would only close off in error case anyway? (Still can't help it feels OTT. The alternative safety measure that comes to mind is to put an additional thermistor in the floor screed or on the UFH flow pipe, and have it trip a relay to cut out the pump if it ever exceeds a set point). Bonus question: recommend me an appropriate motorized valve? ? (2L+N connections) Cheers

The handy thing I find with a steel is that you can jack the frame up tight against the underside and know it will never move The four that we fitted a few weeks back and the one on my house have no adjustment So you are relying on Toe and healing the glass Any movement and the doors won’t open Our structural engineer refers to lintels as his bread and butter jobs and hates any lintel over 2000 mil

I had some larch off cuts from my cladding and put them through the planer And made a walkway with them between two rooms that were build at ether end of a shed up in the roof. I used a two part floor varnish and it worked great, holding up really well with lots of use. The varnish really brought out the colour.

Just phone or email a couple of structural engineers for a quote to size the steel and spec the bearings. You will need drawings, including the roof makeup. The cost is v. low. They will spec something that will work without being heavier than needed, which will be far better when it comes to installing it.

IG do a free design service if you send them specs of your building, they'll run calculations and specify a lintel for the job, i've used it before, and it was pretty quick

The problem you have with lintels If there’s not much above them they are likely to move Anything over 2ntrs I used a steel with a hit and mis plate For one skin a steel is perfect Especially with bifold This is one of three that I’ve just fitted

How are you planning on insulating this room ..? That will have a bearing on the beam type and also the lintel construction method

I think uncle @Nickfromwales told me this when he was upstairs tiling the bedroom with mummy again .

Well Joe90, maybe constant cutting will work for you, but after 20 years here it hasn't ?

I just read up about ct1.. it sounds good and perfect for the job... but definitely right in waiting for someone who knows wtf they are talking about.

Crumbs ! Hold on ! Let someone confirm I’m right first . Christ ! People think I know what I’m on about !!! ????

Today some potential customers were coming to look at my glass balcony arranged by the installer of course . Unfortunately I couldn’t be there so I just left the side gate open and informed the company to help themselves. I decided ? to watch them on my Cctv . Unbeknown to them my Cctv has an audio feed ? They liked the balcony and phoned the installer / manufacturer once they had a good look . The customer on the phone said “ I think you’ve got it wrong that the balcony was installed 2 years ago as we assumed a finished house “ Installer replies Customer then says ” It’s a bloody total building site , I’d sack his builder ! “ Audio though is only 1 way . I did respond but alas they never would of heard my fruity words .... ?

Better than selling someone else's glazing, which you seem to have done successfully.

I only (expletive deleted) my friends, not the whole country. So normal.

If only you had 2 way audio, could have sold them some walk on glazing.

I went to a minor public school that was surrounded by a haha. Just come out in a cold sweat remembering the debaggings, dunkings and floggings. I could have been prime minister. Luckily I turned out normal.

I reckon the builder's been sacked a few times from there tbh! ?

I think the Russians tend to use Albanians these days for the simple jobs. There prefer to be able to keep some distance.

This has al the makings of a crime thriller plot. Did the buzzard have a Russian accent?