Declan52

The panels with small arrow like openings are used to join pieces of timber together. They are punched through so the missing bits act like nails and hold it all nice and tight. If your really bored and don't like your wrists try and batter one of. You will get tired, sore and bored very quick.

Would def stand out and if he's stuck for a kerb painter there are plenty round Belfast with nothing to do once they have signed on.

Buy a few brushes and get started. Only thing is it will need repainted in the future but other than making a mould and doing your own there's not many options to do it on the cheap for the look you want.

Buy the cheap concrete version and paint it with masonry paint.

Use a tanking kit.

You would use a laser and Mark on a peg driven into the reach corner the height you need to built to. Then build each corner to that height. Strike a line between each corner and build that section. Some walls might be 3 courses of blocks and others might be 2 block and one brick for example. It doesn't really matter as all your doing is taking out any variations in the concrete. All that matters is the top course is level from corner to corner and everything in between.

When you say one course do you mean on just one length or a complete course round the whole building???

I built mine in 2014 so costs would have been nothing compared to what they are charging now. It should still be cheaper than a trad retaining wall as it's DIY, don't need massive width of concrete or any steel and it's a finished face so no extra costs with render or a brick face.

They don't need to be buried like a trad retaining wall. Only need to go deep enough so you don't see the actual compacted hardcore or concrete. The wall is built leaning back wards as the lip on the back of the block means it can't be plumb so each block steps back an inch at a time. So maybe the wall is sitting at 10_15 degrees of the plumb. They are fairly large heavy blocks so not going to move once they are in and backfilled with clean stones and if you use geo grid to hold the layers in place. Another option is too use a smaller block and have 2 walls. I did this with my front garden 1 wall about 500mm high then some garden covered in decorative stone then another wall at 1m holding back a bank and path/road. As the wall is a finished product you don't ever need to worry about plastering it or painting it.

I built a retaining wall to hold back my driveway using this. https://ag.uk.com/professionals/products/walling/anchor-diamond/ Can be built with no concrete foundations, compacted hardcore is suitable. It's easily doable DIY as the blocks have a lip on the back so you just set them ontop of each other and pull forward until the lip hits the block beneath. Just use an adhesive like stixall to hold the top coping in place.

https://passivehousesystems.ie/ Try their Irish website.

Ask who ever your architect is do they know anyone local. A quick Google for Northern Ireland brings up a lot of possibilities but can't say if any or all good or not.

The tapes are like scrim cloth so a scratch coat will adhere to them.

Is PA ratio correct??

I have a 75mm sand and cement screed and it is solid with no cracks. As long as you have expansion gaps at doors it shouldn't crack. I have no experience of polished concrete so not sure if it has to be 100mm thick. That will be for you and whatever company you go with to figure out.

The ufh will still work. It will just mean you need to run it at a slightly higher flow temp to account for higher heat lose into the floor. You could maybe need a flow temp 3-5 degrees higher. The actual figure will depend on all the heat loss from your house.In the grand scheme of things 25mm less isn't a lot. You can easily overcome this by reducing the air leakage for example. Realistically the savings on 25mm less insulation should cover the extra heat demand for a good few years anyway.

Ok going from your pic in the other thread can you not just lift head height by a brick, 75mm. This will give you more than enough room for more insulation. You will have to go round and put a course of brick under any cills where the heights matter like if they are at a kitchen worktop area. Otherwise you can leave them as is and have slightly bigger Windows or build a course of brick to bring them up to the correct height. Or just leave it as it is and accept the higher heat loss into the ground.

At what stage of the build are you at??

You will have to find the balance between how much heat your rooms will loose and how much you can put in via the floor. Start with a temp at the mixer of 35 degrees and see how it copes. If your room never gets warm then you need to increase the flow temp at the manifold until you find that sweet spot. Will take a few attempts to find out so don't stress out to much. Just increase it by 2-3 degrees reach time. I think 55 degrees is the highest temp you would put into the floor but hopefully you find yours before you get this high.

https://www.carparts4less.co.uk/p/normfest-off-shore-silver-brake-protection-spray-400ml-NOR2894449?gclid=CjwKCAiAtouOBhA6EiwA2nLKHyAo5S5jzgH2qTmGwHGxSHDVBp1UNRJhccnbkCg5w9oy0vspGT06whoCbFUQAvD_BwE

Brake disc spray paint would do the job. It's just finding a colour that would be suitable.

That might be a decent idea as it's only the window and door revels that need some so not really a lot of mix needed.

They aren't flexible. As the walls shrink a tiny bit this adhesive will allow the tape to move so you won't end up with cracks at the joins and in turn air leakage. They are also very very sticky. You will understand when you get it in your hair!!

I reckon I got maybe 5m of a bead from a tube. This was mainly due to the rough texture of my lightweight blocks. If your blocks are smoother with not many holes then it will go much further. On blocks I cut the nosel much wider compared to when I had to stick the tape to concrete on the back of my window cills. Maybe talking at least double the amount of adhesive coming out of the tube on rough blocks compared to smooth concrete.

You really notice the benefit of the slide and hide door when your lifting out a massive Turkey. You can get right in close to lift it. It's no smaller than a normal oven. The door is pretty easy to remove when the glass needs cleaned as well.