Martin S

Final drainage connection is 770mm below internal ground floor finish level but pipes need to run ~50m.

Understood but seeking level thresholds for wheelchair access. Unfortunately can’t raise house - had to dig down in the site to accommodate ridge height - and connecting into pre-existing combined sewer at a certain height. Be great if, as a minimum, I could lay drain across sand blinding to gain its 50mm thickness and 150mm thickness of hardcore. If I could go across higher even better.

Thanks for the feedback, I’ll take a look but in the meantime any feedback re the drainage gratefully received. Avoiding need for a domestic pumping station is my main concern at the moment?

Thanks. So I could break through the wall through the PIR layer and through the DPM lapping up the internal face of the rising wall? The DPM is Visqueen R400 Radon Membrane as also acting as a radon barrier with sump below. Yes, using Polarwall.

Hi there I am self-building our family home and have minimal fall from ground floor level down to the combined sewer to make a connection without having to rely upon a domestic pumping station. We are building using ICF with strip footings and a ground bearing slab. Our floor build up is as follows per attached details: - nom. 25mm finish above screed level - nom 50mm self leveling screed (assuming 50mm rather than 60mm drawn) - Vapour control barrier/500 gauge polythene sheet over of nom thickness - 165mm thick rigid PIR insulation - Visqueen DPM of nominal thickness - 150mm reinforced concrete slab - 50mm sand blinding - min 150mm hardcore - min 225mm deep strip footings I understand that it is usual for the drainage to penetrate through the rising wall above the strip footings with flexible connections either side to allow movement and that there is no need for lintels given ICF walls. In terms of the floor build up what is the highest layer that I can penetrate the rising wall at, i.e. can the pipes penetrate down through the top of the floor, bend and penetrate through the rising wall within the hardcore, sand blinding, reinforced concrete slab or PIR insulation layer? Reference to relevant building regs would be greatly appreciated in case I'm challenged by Building Control. Thanks for your help. Martin

Anyone used Heat Cloud (https://www.heat-cloud.co.uk) instead of UFH in a new build? Claims to perform better than UFH in terms of efficiency, response times, cooling capability, ease of installation and future accessibility should it malfunction but can't find any reviews. Be great to have some feedback from anyone who has either looked into it or used it. Many thanks

Hi Onacrame. Here is the BBA Certificate, it only really covers fixing of internal plasterboard to the flanges rather than the concrete core. Nudura BBA Certificate Current.pdf

Anyone recently used this product? I like the look of it but I’ve read other threads on here raising concerns throw up by due diligence on the UK supplier.

Thanks, yes. Am going for the thicker external insulation so strap is embedded within the insulation. Any pointers re thickness of internal insulation? Am concerned about having to cut through strips when chasing electric cables.

I only have 10sq.m on ground floor to cover with Wild Stone or Z-clad stone panelling. Yes PW has horizontal spines but BBA certs of both PW and Nudura suggest that may not be adequate alone for external cladding and may need mechanical fixing to concrete core too. That lead me to possibility of builders board being screwed into spines and stuck to the surface of the EPS.

Am actually going with Polarwall ICF now as achieved better U-value for the money and could accommodate varying thicknesses of external insulation needed for my mix of cladding (render, stone and wood) without cost of additional 3rd party EWI. Was hoping to attach carrier board directly to EPS using adhesive such as base coat used for thin silicon render system without need for mechanical fixings. Ideally I want to avoid drilling through the insulation. No luck with this approach?

Interesting. What SAP rating are you achieving for the walls and overall? We’re aiming for an A rating and understood that this is not possible with the entry level Nudura wall.

Thanks Jenki. Following up on Big Jimbo's suggestion (thanks) having checked with a couple of structural warranty providers (Buildzone and Advantage) and a mortgage broker (The Mortgage Broker Ltd) I've been advised that both structural warranty providers and the majority of high street lenders accept Polarwall ICF.

Thanks for the feedback. jamiehamy do you know whether the system is flexible enough to combine varying depth of external insulation to accommodate a mix of render, wooden and stone panel cladding? Each type of external cladding has varying thickness from 4mm render through to 70mm for wooden cladding with cross battens and I don't see the point of paying for an ICF complete wall product and then compromising its insulation and thermal bridging advantages (by bolting on a raft of 3rd party external wall insulation with mechanical fixings through my insulation into the concrete core) and having to pay for 3rd party external wall insulation to enable it to accommodate my mix of cladding.

Hi Onacrame, is that the plus form with the additional insulation externally rather than inserts? I'm being told by my Nudura distributor that it is hard to source and being quoted exorbitant prices. How cost effective is it to use? Have you used a mix of Nudura products to accommodate a mix of external cladding of varying depth? Am not as far as engaging a warranty provider but was under the impression that you could affix cement building board and attach the stone slips to that. Is that not acceptable? My planning permission was granted after the new building regs kicked in.

Am considering using Polarwall ICF to construct the walls of my self-build. Has anyone got any experience that they could share good or bad? Is it acceptable to mortgage lenders?

Min U-value for a wall is now 0.26 and Nudura Standard Series struggles to meet that even when factor in Dryvit 500 ICF rendering system externally and 12.5mm gypsum plasterboard with 3mm skim internally. Am looking at Dryvit 500 ICF rendering system given its 30 year warranty when applied directly to Nudura ICF and the fact that it allows me to maximise my GIA given that it is only 4mm thick. Are there other more cost effective alternatives to this that you can recommend offering similar warranty period? Am looking into packing out with 3rd party EPS insulation but not sure how this affects BBA certification of Nudura ICF and if it precludes the use of the Dryvit 500 rendering system?

I'm being advised that it is no longer permissible to use Nudura Standard Series with 152mm concrete core under the revised Building Regs. Does anyone have any experience of using this product under the revise3d Building Regs? Also I have a combination of stone slip (40-50mm), wooden cladding (70mm) and Dryvit render (4mm) externally all with differing thickness. What is the most cost effective way to achieve consistent wall depths when mixing these claddings? Many thanks

Hi there My wife and I have moved back to our roots in West Devon with a young family to be closer to friends and family. The dream is to build an airtight house to Future Homes and Building Standard using a fabric first approach on a sensible budget. We're planning on using Nudura ICF, managing the build ourselves and looking to save where we can. This is our first self-build and we'll appreciate any help we can get!