Thorfun

our groundworkers have recommended using the FIS Maxiprufe Plus external membrane (http://www.fisproducts.co.uk/product/maxiprufe-plus-2/) and waterproof concrete for our waterproofing solution for the basement. I've already said I'm ok with using Type A and Type B waterproofing rather than the previously designed Type B and Type C. They're offering an insurance backed guarantee and have used this system in areas of much higher water table than ours and so I'm confident in it. was just wondering if anyone had used this system before or had any comments on it?

thanks. it does look smart. let me run it by the other half and see what she says and I'll get back to you.

hi all. I'm almost halfway finished the sub-base and I've just had a crazy idea. I was initially going to put a layer of crushed concrete or the like on top of the sub-base as a 'sacrificial' layer to protect the sub-base during the build. but I have loads of old paving slabs lying around from an old patio. could I just lay these on top of the sub-base to protect it or will they move about and be a bit rubbish?

this sounds interesting. any chance of a photo please?

that'd be nice. down here in West Sussex I'm being quoted £270+VAT ? mind you that's for one lorry. I guess if I said I had 50 loads the price might reduce a bit. but I wouldn't have thought it would go down to £200.

I would love to be able to answer your questions but we haven't even broken ground yet! sorry if I gave any other impression. maybe @Mandana can answer them? our decision was made by watching a lot of Building the Dream/Grand Designs and also looking at photos online to compare white and anthracite internal and we decided that we just prefer anthracite. Will happily post pictures (no need for DM) when I have them and I have also started a blog on here where pictures will be going up as the build progresses so I can share our journey with other buildhubbers.

Fair point

that's a fair point. another thought I had was that if we ever came to sell the house it could potentially put buyers off not having heating upstairs. I've never lived in a house with good enough insulation and air tightness to not need heating upstairs and the majority of people wouldn't have either. I only really know it's possible to get a house to that level due to reading on here which the rest of the public just won't do. so, is it worth spending that extra money at build time to not reduce your potential market of sellers if it ever came to selling?

I would like UFH in the bathrooms and if I use wet UFH then I'll most likely just run the pipework on the rest of the first floor anyway as it's cheap to do so at that point and then if it never gets turned on so be it!

I wonder if this is why self-builds generally cost more to do, not because of cutting corners by non-selfbuilders (or self-builders that are in the trade like yourself @nod) but more that a self-builder will do stuff 'just in case' it's needed. so are very much more belt and braces as they don't have the build experience to know that what you say is correct so over-engineer solutions. I know that when I do the insulation, VCL, taping, plasterboard etc I will definitely be using more material that is probably required just in case it needs it. it will cost me more but I'll know that it will definitely be enough!

just wanted to say that I'm glad I read this thread....not so much for the image @Russell griffiths just posted (?) but for the information about basement WCs and macerators and @PeterW's confirmation of pumping vertically before horizontally. We want a WC in the basement and I was thinking that the macerator could pump down below the slab and then up to the main soil pipes. but, now I've read the thread and thought about it, of course that's not going to be possible! what was I thinking? I will now be looking at pumping it straight up and then using gravity to take it in to a soil pipe that feeds outside. thanks

just remembered that you're in Cheshire. sorry, didn't mean to put you off, I'm just used to prices in the South East companies just add an extra 0 to the end of costs.

I think that's a tight budget for all of that! bat surveys alone will be a couple of grand at least as they need multiple ecologists at dawn and dusk on more than one day. and then the ongoing remediation plans/bat license etc if they're found can soon add up. then the topo, GI, arbo etc makes it sound a bit tight. yikes!

can't find any at the moment down this way. tried lots of companies and no one seems to have recycled type 3. which is a shame.

ok, they didn't have any anyway. I think I'll stick with Type 3 all the way down. might be a bit more expensive but reduces complexity and risk.

that's interesting. the company that has granite type 3 does have railway ballast on their website. I think I'll give them a call and ask if I can put that down with type 3 on top to reduce costs (assuming the railway ballast is cheaper than the type 3 that is!)

thank you! so, if purchasing for a permeable SUDS compliant sub-base it would seem that granite is the better option. ?

Hi all. I'm looking to get some MOT Type 3 for my driveway sub-base. it seems that some places offer Limestone and some Granite as the primary aggregate. simple question, is there any difference in performance or cost between the two?

@Ian I found the post I was referring to, although no one actually responded as to the difference as that's probably as I'd answered it myself. @A_L and @ADLIan are both wizards at U-value calculations and they've helped me loads on various posts, but I still find it hard to get my head around all the nuances. I think I need to re-read all my previous threads on this subject for a recap.

none taken! we are in agreement that it's strange MBC seem to have gotten it wrong. I'll see if I can find the previous posts on this wall make up and link them here...

yeah, I've questioned this before (can't remember on what thread though) and also can't comment on MBC's marketing figures. I guess I should have caveated the post with 'make sure you get your own calculations done on the expected U-values'.

in my opinion I believe it is as it reduces U-values AND reduces cold bridging. we're going for 80mm to get to around 0.11W/m2K. Also, for us, it's easier to install the mineral wool insulation between the studs and layer the PIR over the top and as we're doing the insulation ourselves this is very important for me! obviously, each person needs to decide what's important for them though!

I'm getting near this stage so I will be following your posts with interest.

you're right. that is their 0.18W/m2K wall. if you look at their other walls (0.14 and 0.11) you'll see they do. e.g. all 3 walls are shown on the link I posted.

welcome. sounds like you're at the same position we were in about 16 months ago! it's an exciting time and I wish you luck with your planning permission. also seems like you have time to read this forum thoroughly. there's loads of great information on every possible subject so get reading! ? with regards to the architect, those fees don't seem too bad but are more expensive than we paid (although our architect admits that they undercharged us!) but I highly recommend speaking to a couple more architects at least. get a feel for them and if you'd be happy working with them. I think that's as important as the cost as it might be worth paying a bit extra for someone who you think you could work with. plenty of blogs on here about peoples journeys down the many different routes. so enjoy yourself here but be prepared for starting down the rabbit hole that is buildhub. once you start down it there's no coming back.