Tom's Barn

Hi All I am in the process of looking for a window supplier for our new house. There are a vast array of suppliers out there and as always many great sales people reinforcing the benefits of their approach and product. I am keen to hear from those who have selected a window supplier. Who did you choose? Why? Now that you have your windows are they any good and do they live up the salesman's patter? I am looking for triple glazed windows that are tilt and turn; we like the European approach to windows. We like sliding doors not bifolds and the window frames (dictated by the conservation officer) have to be RAL 7016 (grey) aluminium; it is so nice to have choice... Thank you for taking the time to share your experience Tom

I really like the Ubiflex suggestion. In fact I am going to use Ubiflex extreme under my fibre cement boards and with this as the covering material for the insulation I will not need to cover over the expansion gaps. Thanks for sharing

Finally we have our plans sorted in preparation for our long awaited Isotex build. We will be using the 380mm peripor insulated blocks to create what the conservation officer at CDC was happy to approve. The roof covering is corrugated steel (arthacite) panels and the Isotex walls clad in Larch. Now the foundations are finished the big build begins over the next few weeks. I will post a few updates as we go but I know Jamie at Insulhub is sharing the build online so that other self builders can better understand what is involved with this specific type of ICF build. Here we go..... 1489_502_C_proposed GF plan.pdf 1489_503_B_proposed FF plan.pdf 1489_504_B_proposed section 1-.pdf 1489_505_B_proposed section 2-.pdf 1489_506_B_proposed elevations 1-.pdf 1489_507_B_proposed elevations 2-.pdf

wow just seen the picture; this does not look good. We have an insulated raft foundation but we are covering the outer edge with fibre cement board and behind that will be a vapour barrier. What is the block on top of the insulation (Durisol) ?

thank you John for your reply and information. That is a great solution for hiding the insulation used in the raft. I will do some hunting for different board options. Just one final question. What did you do for the gaps between each board. I presume there is a trim you can buy to hide the gap? Thank you

Hi John, you mentioned your insulated formwork is covered with upvc (the black area under the cladding). Please can you let me know what product that is specifically? I was looking to cover ours but the only suggestion so far is fibre cement which I don't think is the best long term option. Thank you

Just a quick update for those interested in following the project. We have now installed the Izodom 2000 insulated raft foundation ready for our ISOTEX walls. We have a few details in the roof structure to finalise but we hope to be onsite with the blocks in mid to late September. Anyone who is interested in looking at the insulated slab let me know. Tom

Hi @K78 I have selected Isotex because it creates a much flatter final finish for my external wood cladding. Also it creates a much better continuous line of concrete and insulation because of the inner web design. I will try to arrange a timelapse camera so you can see progress once we start. We are starting construction drawings this week. Any questions let me know. I am no expert but learning fast.

thanks @scottishjohnI knew you would have a solution. This for me, being a simple chap, is too involved. Alan at the Tinhouse said his standard velux flashings were working well and he fitted them himself. I think I will try this route to start with. Thank you for the idea though. I will keep it in my list of options should we hit issues. thanks

Sounds like a great project Col and great to be able to reuse stuff you have been given. I never get given anything! Good luck with the remaining works and I will keep you posted on any other learnings. T

thanks @Tosh good shout. I will try our local fabricator as he has done a few bits over the years. I have just been in touch with Alan at Tinhouse on the Isle of Skye and he tells me he used Velux windows with standard flashings for a corrugated roof. All has worked well but you need to be careful with the detailing and height of window. That information alone is extremely useful. Tom

Hi Col many thanks for the pictures; the house looks great. Your advice re the edge flashing is spot on and matches recent advice from an architect who built a school building with a corrugated roof and vertical timber. I really like the three windows at the top of the gable. I have just been looking at the tinhouse on the Isle of Skye. The corrugated roof Alan has fitted is very good and the detailing around the skylights looks as impressive as your work. Thanks again for all the details. Tom

Hi @Cpd thank you for the additional information. I had noted from the initial photos how you have screwed down the flashing in order to stop lift in strong winds. The cutting is also a good idea that I had not really focused on. I assumed from various bits of info online that the valleys should also be turned up using a special tool as a way of stopping wind driven rain. Do you do this on your roof? Also, on the ridge how did you ensure wind driven rain was not pushed under the ridge profile. The profile you have is not one I have seen before. Can you let me know where this came from; it is definitely different from the ones I have looked at to date. Many thanks for your detailed support on this matter. When the council first insisted on this I thought great, a nice simple roof covering but I am learning that it is but you need to get the detail just right. Tom

Ok Velux state that you must use the EDJ flashing kit with the roof light when combined with corrugated roofing and a slope between 15 and 90 degrees. The document is just a series of pictures which I assume will be good for anyone who has installed these before. I will keep you posted on progress but this is a very useful start. Thank you. Customer Support Mailbox <customer.support@velux.co.uk> 16:19 (10 minutes ago) to me Good Afternoon Tom, Thank you for contacting VELUX. Please see attached, the installation instructions for installing a VELUX window into corrugated sheeting. If your corrugated sheeting: > Has built in installation (is double skin) + is being used on a roof pitch of less than 15° - You will need to create an on site upstand and use a VELUX ZWC Special Head Flashing > Has built in installation (is double skin) + is being used on a roof pitch of more than 15° - No upstand will be required however you will still require a VELUX ZWC Special Head Flashing. > Has not got built in installation (is single skin) + is being used on a roof pitch of less than 15° - You will need to create an on site upstand and use a VELUX ZWC Special Head Flashing > Has not got built in installation (is single skin) + is being used on a roof pitch of more than 15° - You will need to use our EDW flashing kit (standard installation) or our EDJ flashing kit (recessed installation). Please follow the below links to get access to the relevant information for your requirements: ZWC Window Profile Set - Single Installation EDW Installation Instructions EDJ Installation Instructions Tom

Hi @Cpd thank you so much for your detailed information and pictures that really helps. It is also worrying that you have seen multiple installations and all of them have issues. My project is just outside Cirencester if that helps with any recommendations. However, I know that many skilled roofers will travel in order to complete specific works. Any other comments regarding an install or learning regarding velux and corrugated roof details please let me know. I am going to contact velux now; many thanks for the idea @Ferdinand Regards Tom

Good afternoon forum... We have had the planners insist on corrugated metal roofing for our new house that is surrounded by fields. What seemed to be a great solution to start with is actually causing a slight headache.... My issue is finding a contractor that has fitted corrugated metal roofing including velux lights. Many have done agricultural work but not many have ventured into domestic house installs. Therefore, does anyone know of a good metal roofing contractor with these sorts of skills? Many thanks in advance of your assistance. Tom

Hi Adam good to know; thank you. We are purely above ground so that is a great start. What ICF did you go with?

Hi @Sue B ok Premier Guarantee will not cover warranty insurance as they don't do self builds anymore...I am talking with Protek, LABC and Build Store. ISOTEX have a European Technical Approval - ETA 08/0023. This I am told should be as good as a BBA and ETA's are acceptable by building control departments. This could be my route through. I will keep you updated.

Hi @Sue B it was great to catch up with you and Peter again - it is becoming a habit and a good one as we share what we know. I agree with you comments about the block. I am wood cladding the exterior of my house so a flush wall to batten is extremely important; an uneven wall at this stage will lead to uneven cladding which is not the look I am going for. I did also pick up the two points about "you must not use": 1. Metal hammers to tap blocks into place - rubber mallets are the way forward 2. A drill set to hammer mode. I definitely need to ensure everyone understands this onsite or it will lead to issues fitting my cladding. I did learn the following: 1. Mark every block that has been cut / modified so that it can be supported with shuttering during the pour 2. Concrete must have 10mm aggregate not 20mm which is the norm 3. Using spray plaster internally (floor to ceiling) negates the need for an air-tightness layer first 4. Use foam tape around windows to ensure air-tightness ( I don't have a name for this product...) 5. All webs need to be in-line when you look down during stacking. The webs at the pass block step will be slightly out of line 6. Pass blocks help achieve the brick bond need for structural strength 7. Build good quality window boxes with diagonal bracing 8. Cement to be used is either RC30 or RC35 9. From my notes it would seem there is a structural engineering pack for this product (did I get that right?) I thought the training was very good especially the practical element that focused on building a wall and window opening. Completing that small project was important in building my understanding of how the system worked. I received my planning permission yesterday so we are now off and running. However, based on the fact that there is no BBA Cert for this product as yet I am going to have to build my garage of something else if my building control officer states he needs this in order to approve it. Hopefully by the time the main house starts the BBA cert will be in place. If anyone knows of a pour taking place for a ISOTEX build let me know. I am keen to see one taking place for the final piece of my learning. The journey starts here....

well done Sue; I was the same on my last training day. Loads of questions. It is the only way to understand the product as they information on the web is out of date.

https://durisoluk.com/app/uploads/2017/02/Certification_BBA.pdf found it

Hi Sue I would be interested in a visit on the same day. Please do keep me in the loop. I am going to check that Durisol has one; just interested to know.

Happy to but I thought the idea of a forum was to share what we know or have learnt.

Good to talk earlier John. I agree. The salesman has been promising me a quote since I sent the plans in December of last year. I have sent some updated plans (minor change in building length) to see if that prompts a quote and so far I have not heard anything. The salesman keeps saying how straight talking they are but no one has actually said why it is taking a long time to get a quote. I would have thought that as a new business that new orders for houses being built this year were a priority. I am certainly not feeling the as though my build is important to them. We shall see. I will give it another week and see if I have a response.

Hi @scottishjohn if you are interested in talking on the phone to share some thoughts on build systems I am happy to share what I have learnt so far. Send me a message if you are interested in chatting things through.