jamiehamy

Okay - as I say, it's only my view for consideration. I'm trying to find some stuff I drew for my floor build up - we built on our own but I did some drawings to make sure I had it right - shows the full build up from beams, insulation, screed etc. If I can I'll post, it should be helpful.

Contradiction: "Thing is as much as I say I trust my builder(s).. with my experience here (nash xyz & bullying) its left me totally devoid of trust for anyone welsh its sad to say, but, only natural. So when my 2nd in command (one of the nicest people Ive met -tho f's & blinds like the wind- so there are exceptions thank goodness of course) says 'all fine/ will be rock hard/ see you monday' I just don't trust its true." Elaboration: You say you trust your builder and in the next sentence say you don't trust him.

I have taken time to read the full thread. Forums are just that, so I don't see any reason not to - it's your choice whether to take anything from this or not. I think there are two simple steps to be taken. 1 - Mark the Finished Floor Level on the wall of the existing structure. That means quiet literally that - the level that you want the final floor to be. And communicate that clearly to the builder. Nothing else matters here - the FFL is the concern, therefore mark where it's to be and that supercedes the drawings. It's been stated the builder knows what he's doing - leave them to it. 2 - You should step back entirely from this build after addressing the above and leave them to get on with it - you've said they are the best out there - so leave them to it. I get a real sense you are causing more problems than you are solving. Having read this thread from start to finish, the sense I get is that you are not really getting to grip effectively with the technical design. I say that respectfully and gathered from your own words. It is full of contradictions and all sorts of anomalies that others have pointed out. That's a fairly blunt response but there is no sugar coating this - you're out of your depth, but you have a competent builder, so leave them to do it. Your drawings are not clear in the slightest (I say that knowing you think the opposite) and therefore you have no right whatsoever to complain about things not being how you thoughts they would be. That's a decision you took - you can't have your cake and eat it - you can't provide the most basic level of drawings and then think you have a right to complain when the actual build isn't how you envisaged it - you should have done full drawings. This thread is, as others have said, going in circles. It's no problem being out of your depth - many here will admit to that, and that's what we're here for - but most will accept advice, filter through the various views, and act directly one way or another. Reading through this thread, there's been much good advice that it appears you ignore and provide excuses as to why - mostly blaming the builder who one minute is great and next will tell you to f*** off and walk off the site. That's whats' lead me to make this comment. ANd that's probably why someone suggested it's a wind up. I say this with the best will in the world - lots of people have given great advice and for the most part, you won't act on it - if you won't sack this builder, then you must let them get on with it and stop interfering. There is no middle way as you are unable to work productively with this builder. All the best with the build.

No need to be so rude mate. JS saved YOU the trouble. There's only one troll on this thread buddy and it's you.

Oh I knew who she was okay! Hails from Oxfordshire now and apparently holds events celebrating the lady part in question. But I digress....!

We used it for our floor using a pump. Went in quickly and not a huge amount of effort to level. There were a couple of low patches but fairly minimal. The concrete went off quite quickly and cracked before we were able to make cuts. It's all cracked pretty much where we were putting in the cuts.

Friend had a glass coffee table shatter into a squillion pieces recently

I switched the MhrV off today and the house stayed cooler, under 26degreea upstairs and 21degreea in the back bedroom. As you say, once the outside temperature gets above 22, it's just bringing warm filtered air in. I've put it back on now and will switch it back off in the morning.

I was refused entry to my local tip because it was closing in 15mins. (its only open 10 - 4). In this case I k my had two stinking bags. I blocked the gate, walked in to dump them. The guy came at me as if to stop me. I looked at him in the eye and td him if he laid a finger on me he would get a formal complaint and more. He backed off and I dropped my two bags. That sort of behaviour I don't like but in this case it was ridiculous. Stopping me dumping two bags? Utter power trip. The other experience I get regularly is when I take the wee camper van. They tell me vans are not allowed. I tell them it's not a van. They say it is. I say it's not, it has windows, kitchen and bed. Then they point out 'No vans'. Then I tell them it's not a van it's a motor home. Then they look baffled. It's one of the most bizarre things ever, visiting a tip. And of course where I live, we have a serious issue with Fly Tipping... Wonder why.

We've got a Sage machine with built in grinder. Takes time to use and a while to get setting right but with the right beans, it's better than most coffee shops. Nespresso should be banned in my humble opinion. The sheer wastefulness of a global scale should be deemed un acceptable. We buy a large bag and grind ourselves. One single bag waste for around 100 coffees rather than one capsule per coffee. Sister says they can send them to get recycled but that rather misses the point. That rant brings me to mine! Lol. Beans to cup surely got to be far better for the environment? A coffee machine is a luxury but art what cost?

We claimed and had accepted Vat back for our detached garage. Was in plans.

If you can bag it somehow, the right wording on gumtree could see it gone in a day. I sold all my spare insulation in jig time? 'ceiling insulation balls free' should do it!

Planning don't really care too much about internal layout so I do wo see whether this is being over thought? Looking at the issues, I doubt Planning would even care and were it me I'd put these in for non material variation after built. Just my tuppenth.

Same here and I did 3. One is a tiny bit off level I think but it doesn't affect operation and you wouldn't notice u less you stared at the water and carefully watched the flow towards the outlet.

The Moffett Mountie! The brainchild of my sisters husbands Aunt!

Plus the weight considerations - 750kgs! All the parcels go in there and we also have a letter box. Camera keeps and eye on everything.

We've just had our driveway finished with Bodpave. Very grippy. Was super easy to put down once the levelling was done. Quite a bit of it showing, going to give it time to bed in and maybe put some more chips on top.

Hear hear! Had issue with them this week. A tracker that doesn't work. A pgone system that doesn't recognise postcodes or their own tracking numbers. A phone system that tells you the number has changed to..... The number you're calling on. Missing items. Dpd have had the same driver for over a year and its brilliant. Earliest delivery we had was our mattress - at 7am.

So, because we were using a 2inch line pump and pumping up to 40m, we needed a good flow. Oversanded mix helps along with the 10mm aggregate (it also by default has more cement too) . Because of this its a fairly wet mix and simply didn't need a poker. It flowed perfectly into all the corners. I did some samples after by taking off small bits of icf and the cores were perfect. But that was for ours, with 'normal' mixes then a poker may be needed. BTW, I owe you a drawing. I did one but it was wrong and not sat down to redo it yet @vijay

It was indeed. We didn't use a poker, we used a line pump with 10mm aggregate and an oversanded mix and advice was that is wasn't needed. The pump crew agreed as the mix was spot on and flowed very well.

Agreed however were not talking about bursts, rather stability and safety during build and during pour. In short @scottishjohn is advocating building this type of icf without bracing, implying that experience makes this possible. Where we are we often get 30mph gusting 50mph winds when the wind comes from the east. Something to do with the warm air on the Moor gathering speed coming down the Glen. It happened on the day of our pour incidentally. It's careless and worrying to suggest something can be done a certain way without cautioning on the limitations, hence my question on windspeed. I'm confident that this particular product and many other icf products would not withstand a night of strong wind without either major damage or movement. That's not a criticism of any product either. And I'm certain that if it fell on you from the first storey just before pour, you'd get seriously injured. @AnonymousBosch will concur. Icf builders will weigh up the costs and risks when deciding on bracing. It didn't even enter my head to build our icf without bracing just to save a few hundred quid.

Okay, clearly we're not going to agree on this or come close. For any icf'ers reading this thread I would suggest being very wary of building icf without bracing even if it's suggested. There are multiple reasons for this, from basic Health and Safety to implications for the subsequent concrete pours. Maybe 4 courses might with stand a strong wind but then you have two concrete pours not one. And how one keeps the walls plumb is beyond me - they are lightweight and have in many cases no inherent stiffness. And once you add in tons of concrete it's all magically to stay absolutely vertical? Each to their own of course.

So what wind speed can it withstand unpoured?

No bracing is 'obviously' not a problem? Sorry, but not only on the theoretical side, we have a builder here who has proven it. I wonder then what wind or force the unbraced unpoured icf can withstand? Its an important point and worth discussing. They appear not even to have a click lock or locking mould which adds to my concern over this particular product. Never mind gravity it looks like you could gently push the whole lot down.

'no bracing needed' - because UK self builders are able to summon a flat calm for the duration of construction. Tbh, if they are claim that, its utterly irresponsible in various ways. If they make that claim, they can claim anything. There's nothing to lock those blocks in places - wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.