Big Neil

so glad @willbish asked this question. Does rigidity play a part in this at all? Also, in an ICF situation if you were building into the wall after the first pour, I assume you'd have to protect the end of the joists with something, even if only a layer of polythene around those ends?

I can come crap on some granite if it helps the selection process.

Most of the pictures i've seen on here appear to have used EPS as opposed to XPS. Was/is this a particular consideration for either of you, whether on grounds of compressive strength or other factors?

sort of more confused now than I was before, but thanks. I'll take a longer look at home later

Smashing - taaaaa. On the subject of re bar someone mentioned above. Is there any real harm - cost aside - from 'throwing' some cage in during the pour as a sort of insurance, that is to say, would it do any particular harm?

I don't get window installation. Was trying to find a video on YouTube last night that would show me what I wanted but couldn't. So when you have an ICF house, lets say 100mm insulation inside and out, and you want stone cills on the outside, I just can't picture the buildup. What goes where to fill that hulking gap in the wall? Can anyone help with maybe a cross sectional sketch/diagram?

could be anywhere! apart from the west coast of scotland, we've at least got scenery when looking out to sea. That view is bang tidy!!!

Maybe consider Polarwall (assuming you haven't already discounted it), as Alan there is incredibly knowledgeable and extremely helpful. I believe Vijay on here is using that system.

quality stuff chaps - thanks

Just seen this @Declan52 - thanks. So essentially, short edge of the board as will always be flat, to end on a joist, but as the long edge will be perpendicular, needs to be tongue and groove. Sorry to seem dense but I just want to be sure. Seems there are so many products out there and everyone seems to have broadly conflicting opinions. I'm still a bit conflicted of course, having seen structural ply used before.

Just watched it - luckily at my desk at work... Quick note - I would make sure you're not with the wife and your kids are out at swimming when watched because the combination of smart batteries, mention of things being cheap and Maddie Moate bouncing around, is enough to send Pfizer bankrupt...

To be fair I was asking because I didn't know, and never said it was something volume builders SHOULD do, or that i wanted to consider the convenience of a future owner. It jyst seemed like it was a reasonable method. @Declan52 - so 8 X 2, T+G, P5 rated chipboard. Why tongue and groove and not straight edged?

also- is tongue and groove preferable or not and in either case, why??

Thanks - I'll look up D4 glue as I've currently no idea what it is - I thought D4 was Eminem's crew So is there a particular reason why you say chip board and screws as opposed to say Ply and Nails for example. Is it personal preference or is there something i'm missing? ooooo - is D4 glue that stuff that foams up??? Will this method actively prevent squeaks?

I really believe that if most people had a little bit more understanding about how things SHOULD be done, there would be less shoddy tradespeople around because they'd never be hired as people would know more about what was and wasn't acceptable. One of the things that had me asking about this was trying to understand the timing and process of installing underfloor heating with spreader plates upstairs. Seemed like it would involve less error putting walls up THEN putting down spreader plates etc etc. Logically speaking that still seems correct, particularly given that people are saying 'well if work is needed at a late point just cut the board and pull it up'. Seems a bit like saying you want decent structural integrity while you're erecting a building but if something goes wrong at a later point, well (expletive deleted) the structure just cut bits out and patch it up. I'm sure Peter is probably right, but for the novice I can understand (given that I am one) how general good practice, can seem counter intuitive when opposed to another seemingly reasonable option. I had previously though the existence of load bearing internal walls, an out skin whatever the type, and installed floor joists of the relevant size, was in itself enough structure. I now stand corrected. Tomorrow's question - Is it ok to have my toilet, in the middle of my kitchen???????

is there any chance you could also add a diagram even just a hand drawn scribble if you get the chance, of the setup, describing (for the numpties amongst us who want to know) the various functions of each bit? The setup i'm most familiar with is having a normal bog standard combi boiler - no tanks, no UFH. Just hot taps, cold taps and radiators on the wall - so to speak. ...lovng the blog by the way, just discovered it a couple of days ago - very informative.

At the moment no, I live in Manchester. Occasionally although too rarely at the moment, in the Oxford region

of course i'm not suggesting money should be spent frivolously, but if cost was the only consideration, surely we'd all be living in communes of shipping containers lined with recycled newspaper for warmth and cuddling our childhood teddy bears for comfort seems like a poor reason to maybe do something incorrectly. would we not all be livid if a professional did something poorly because of that same attitude? I read a post on here about someone whose floor tiling was screwed up by a mate of their PM. Seems that was his attitude and a lot of the tiling chaps on here were appalled right you are, so external walls up, roof on, joists in and then board out the first floor (albeit with maybe some other bits in between such as laying UFH etc? And would you be screwing or nailing them aswell as gluing. Alternatively would you just use that tape like stuff on top of the joists to prevent squeaking, then just nail or screw them down? What to the last and maybe most crucial point about flooring type? Chip or Ply, whatever the relevant thickness?

I feel somewhat stupid having read but barely understood any of the clearly informative text above. Sorry to slightly hijack the topic for a moment, but is there anyone who understands everything above and knows possibly as a supplementary area, about various heating and hot water setups, who would either be willing to have a probably lengthy conversation with me either on the phone one evening or bob over and do the same over a cuppa. I want to understand it all but i'm a complete amateur at most DIY type stuff, so some of the bits above are properly confusing...

I get the safety aspect, but one could either compensate for this to a degree - so a crash deck for example, a fall arrest system attached to the rafters or maybe just a 7 foot pile of old mattresses with a peas underneath. In either case, why restrict ones access if there is an alternative Juzst like it would be easier to buy a bottle of pop instead of a sodastream, but people can choose whichever system they want Why put a system in place which could later create issues where they could otherwise be avoided, by changing ones approach? if of course there's a fundamental reason for putting the wall on-top of the flooring AFTER the floor has been put down, then fair enough.

I don't quite understand something surrounding stud walls - So. ON my newbuild estate, they build the houses in a traditional manner, brick and block, cavity wall. When they get to the first floor level, the either (i assume depending on the house design) either crane in ready assembled floor panels, or more often, place I-joists, then glue/nail weatherproofed chipboard on top. Following this, the rest of the walls go up, the roof goes on and only when the tiles are on, are the interior stud walls erected (on the first floor anyway. So this tells me that they construct the walls which are nailed/screwed straight on top of the floor itself. So firstly, why is this done instead of putting said walls (nominally standard 2X4 timber studs) on top of the joists directly, then adding in 'noggins' (if that's still what they're called when in a floor not a wall), around the perimeter of a room, to support the edge of the floor boarding? IS either method more wrong or right than the other? It strikes me that when constructing the separating walls on top of the floor boarding, that gives potential issues later on if you happen to need to make modifications, or get to an issue. Is this just misinformed? Next point. Although it seems most volume built new houses, use chipboard flooring panels, usually glued to the top of the joists. I’ve always found when helping to remove these for whatever the reasons that the gluing not only tends to contribute to the board not coming up cleanly, but seems to flex more than other materials. My father for example who has replaced the entire upstairs of his 4 bed, used I think 18mm structural ply. It’s pretty solid, no noise, no apparent flex or owt. What is the preferred and generally better option, and why?

I'm terrible with technical terms, but is your walling going to be a sort of patchwork like in some of those pictures, or are you going for varying course heights and fairly standard joints? D you have a blog you'll be putting any pictures on? I'd certainly be interested to take a peek

Hello Alex - did you go with the guys you first mentioned in the end, or get any other prices?

Can't find any real stone cladding going onto ICF - at least not for the UK. Any further Ideas?

Silly question then. If they're so efficient, and can be in the broader scheme of things relatively cheap to buy. Why doesn't everyone have them. Should I get one in my current house and throw the boiler out maybe?? And I'm not missing something am I. Just as with GSHP units, they can be sized to supply all hot water and heating yes?