Thorfun

it was Alwitra VSK https://www.icb.uk.com/products/waterproofing/alwitra-single-ply-membranes/evalon-vsk. I had it installed by a roofing company and that was their product of choice

We had single-ply membrane on our flat roofs which are green roofs. Was recommended it over GRP as we’ve got a timber frame and it survives the movement of the TF better. Had 3 different roofers say the same thing.

cheers. designer has used other control systems and DALI but she's not involved in the control of the lighting just the concept design. we have taken that concept design and will source light fittings and controls/drivers ourselves. pretty sure it'll be DMX. I already have the DMX module for Loxone and the DALI drivers are just more expensive. I also don't think we'll have loads of dimming lights as the design has been done in a way to not need them. and Loxone dimmers are just stupidly expensive. only time will tell if my decisions were right!

then that makes perfect sense. you can fit 68mm guttering and bends behind two 2 x 2 battens. just wouldn't be possible with 1" battens!

does this help? https://issuu.com/structuraltimberassociation/docs/timber_frame_pocket_guide

did the builders do it? or did you do it yourself? if they did it how grumpy were they? 😂

ok. I understand now and, yes, if using OSB for a VCL then I would 100% do as you said! but as @Nickfromwales says I am putting a VCL membrane on top of the internal PIR and fixing the service cavity battens through that into the TF studs. the OSB will simply be for a more 'solid' feeling wall rather than VCL.

why do you specifically state this? I see no issues with putting OSB on top of the service cavity with plasterboard on top of that. I've spoken to a number of builder friends and they all say that they put plasterboard on top of OSB as it gives the wall a rock solid feel. it is something I am very seriously considering. can I ask if you have a specific reason for using 2" x 2" battens for your timber cladding? we used 2" x 2" for ours due to the fact that our external blinds needed the space between the building and the cladding to function but it cost us a LOT of money especially as we, like you, are going for vertical cladding so needed to batten and counter batten. if you don't specifically need that size battens it might be worth using 2" x 1" roofing battens as that should save a ton of money? just a thought.

yeah. I didn't even mention a 3-phase supply. I need a smart meter as I want my SEG. they said they can't give timelines for when they'll have smart meters in again.

just phoned Octopus and was told that they don't have any smart meters and to call bigger suppliers to get one installed and then transfer over to them. sounds bloody cheeky to me! so the other providers pay to have our smart meter installed but Octopus get the custom. anyway, I'll phone around some other suppliers.

yeah, looked at their agile outgoing tariff and looks interesting. I did download their data for average price over a period but I need to go through it and calculate the average price for during the day only. Octopus was my first choice as my Aunt is a customer and has given me a referral code and I'm a good nephew. 🙂

thanks. that's what I figured. I'm also thinking that all that solar PV could be being exported while the house is being built and earning us some money. according to PVGIS we should be averaging 1308kWh in May so even at 5p/kWh that's a nice little £65 a month bonus while we finish building. so a quick install of a single phase meter could be exactly what we need!

so I've been phoning around to try and get a 3-phase meter for our new 3-phase supply and can't find anyone offering them at the moment (some companies aren't even taking on new customers!). our Solar PV is all on a single phase and the house will be run on a single phase with the potential of a 3-phase EV charger at a later date. for now can I simply get a single phase smart meter installed and then upgrade to a 3-phase meter when they become available again and we actually need the 3-phase supply?

we ordered through Permachar but it arrived direct from Lithuania from a company called Degmeda. problem is it's Siberian Larch so that is in short supply at the moment.

phew! I was right and it is the wrong thing to do. must start believing in myself some more. especially when the chippies turn up and say that my battening isn't bad at all and I should see some battens that carpenters have fitted! and when other people in the industry complement me on how well I'm doing and I should see other sites run by 'professionals'. I generally think they're just being nice but maybe I do have a clue after all. 😂

they're both single storey so a small ladder will allow us access to the sedum roof and we can climb over the balcony railings to get to the wildflower roof so no issues with access. RWH company said to keep the green roof and ACOs separate from rainwater and not to divert it to the tank. I'm no expert so I can only go on what I've been told by the companies that 'should' know.

I can't comment on whether it's ok to leave the timbers in, sorry. but this dividing in to 3 smaller sections just sounds like laziness! sounds like they couldn't be bothered to build the formwork for the 12m x 8m area and didn't want to get their wellies dirty tamping down the concrete and levelling it. please note, I am not a builder so this might be very common but it seems a bit wrong to me!

for us it was a decision on aesthetics. we have 2 flat roofs, one joining the main house with the garage and is our utility room which we have a sedum roof. the other is an 'umbilical' from the main house and is our garden room. this flat roof has the wildflower meadow on it as is overlooked by our bedroom and balcony. so we thought that it'd be lovely to look out from the windows in the house and from our balcony on to a lovely green grassed roof rather than the drab grey of a single-ply membrane. hopefully the bees will be attracted to the wildflower roof but as we live surrounded by woodland the choice was not based on any carbon or nature requirements or to tick 'green' boxes or anything like that. I'm afraid we are simply shallow and was going on looks. any other benefits are a bonus. 😉 we have a large main pitched roof that will be used for RWH but we also have a constant flow of water from the ground around the basement into our sump so we're planning on running that into the RWH tank as it means we will get water even in a period of no rain. the green roofs will run off to a soakaway so as to not contaminate the RWH. the below photo shows the green roofs and how they fit in to the design of the house. the pebble surround is actually a requirement for the green roof according to the roofers that fitted them. even if he's talking b*****ks we really like the edging. we have had to have the hose up there recently though as we hadn't had rain for many weeks and it was really drying out. but with the recent rain the wildflower roof has really started to flourish and it is a wonderful sight to see from our bedroom and the grasses and flowers are now high enough that we can see them from ground level as well.

my Graf got delivered the other day. will be fitted in a few weeks hopefully.

ps. read through the many blogs on here and it will give you an indication as to what is involved if project managing the build yourself.

congratulations. now the fun begins. as @nod said, the builders proposed route seems to be quite common, especially amongst self-builders who wish to get more hands on. you'd basically be taking on the role of project manager which will definitely make it cheaper but will also take longer. This is the route we've taken with our timber frame. we organised the groundworker to get the basement dug and built, the TF company to build and erect the TF, the roofer to fit the slates, the window company to do the windows, the chippie to do the cladding etc. it is a lot of work and takes up a lot of your time so you need to be aware of that. you need to ensure that required materials are on site at the right time and need to co-ordinate trades etc. but it is doable and, although stressful, is very rewarding. best of luck and we look forward to seeing how it all progresses.

Of course, I should’ve mentioned that our flat roofs were designed to take the green roof weight.

we were going to do this but as I've so far used nearly 3km of 2"x2" battens that would've been a s**t load of paint! in the end we decided to have a tongue and groove type profile for our charred cladding so that you can't see through it but also get a feeling of a shadow gap. although we also used a black membrane as we were originally going to have an open cladding. our build isn't ICF but as @Russell griffiths says you can put anything on top of ICF it shouldn't make a difference.

put the long wildflower grasses on the flat roof and also have a lovely manicured lawn (tbc) as well. 😉

ahhh....I wish I shared your faith in the world and the building industry. I have hired good trades but have still had to keep an eye to ensure that things are done properly and as designed rather than just 'how they've always done it'.