bissoejosh

Indeed.

Ours has grown a similar amount in all directions, out of interest which ICF firm?

I think you're right, Versapanel looks like a very similar concept

If I'd done my research earlier (and found this forum!) I'd have done exactly this. I drive hired ones now rather than using a contractor which is still cheaper but I really wish I'd bought an excavator at the beginning. There are so many jobs I could be doing whilst waiting for something else but can't as hiring for short periods makes no sense with delivery charges etc.

Thanks! I like the idea of laying the blocks long ways to begin, saves messing with the cavity and the reducing step above makes sense. Only reason for the 6 inch is that I've got several pallets spare already on site which I'd like to use up. The ground is really well draining so I'd hope to get away with weep holes and possibly some pipe bedding / gravel (whatever is lying around) for the bottom 100mm or so.

Does anyone know of a standard design guide for blockwork garden walls? In particular I'm keen to find out maximum heights (not from a planning perspective but structural) and supporting pier spacing requirements. I'm doing some digging later this week for drainage and services and whilst I'm at it would like to dig the foundation for a 15m long boundary wall I intend to build in the future. The wall will be around 2m high with the lower 400mm retaining earth on our side (just earth no additional loads within 5m). My plan was a 600mm footing with 140mm block - 100mm concrete fill cavity - 140mm block upto ground level and then 140x215mm block above laid on the flat with support piers when necessary. Any pointers much appreciated!

You can save a large amount with regards to professional services if you're slightly handy on a computer and are willing to put some time in learning. I've purchased and learned sketchup pro to a point where all our planning, appeals & revisions cost nothing other than the compulsory fees. In my opinion most self builders have a very clear idea what they want to build. I've also done all our building regs, SAP analysis and follow on drawings to help with construction. Total cost £50 approx as my partner is a student and qualified for an educational sketch up license. I'm not sure what the commercial rates for all the above work would have been but I wouldn't be surprised if it was over 5k (5% of our budget roughly). @JSHarris has a really useful page on his blog regarding the processes. We've used two engineers (one for our frame and one for a retaining wall) and gladly plaid for the service - an unavoidable cost really. In addition to the savings I've really enjoyed this aspect of the build and learning the regs early helps tremendously on site.

We're hoping to have some concrete effect finishes inside, in particular on a 3/4 height wall separating our kitchen / dining from our lounge. I've seen the wall panels/tiles mentioned above but recently I've spotted another potential option which others might be interested in. The picture below is of a portable building (made in Spain by Abaton, and v.nice in my opinion) but it was the external finish which grabbed my attention - according to the documentation it is 'grey cement wood board' Looks like pre cast concrete from a distance at least and might be a lightweight option for wall decoration etc. I've not really seen anything similar in the UK but perhaps others have...

This 100%. We had a two year fight that ended up with the inspectorate (who granted permission) coming down from Bristol & slamming Cornwall councils refusal decision. A complete waste of everyone's time and money.

Possibly not helpful but when antifouling our boat we need to use a masking tape that can get wet but remain intact enough to peel off cleanly after several days exposure (in a boatyard, no covers etc). The default answer for that is 3M scotch-blue which is meant to be OK for something like a fortnight, might be worth a look?

Good advice, I'll make sure I specify and the supplier confirms!

Bit of an update... We've upgraded to 300mm jji beam walls and blown cellulose throughout. To manage this from a cost point of view we've opted to use OSB instead of the egger dhf and also to use 11mm osb and a membrane internally with just a membrane on the ceiling. My next question for those that have sheathed with OSB...Did you use tongue and grooved or square edged? Our egger dhf was t&g which I guess eliminated some cutting for joints etc but I hope square is fine as I believe most are done this way?

Thanks, this is my thinking also. I can't find anything specific about requirements inside the foundation. I had considered insulating the water for this stretch if it could be shallower.

Hi, sounds exciting! I'd suggest choosing your wall / foundation detail as early as possible as that eliminates a lot of follow on decisions nice and quickly. Save costs by using cheaper but perfectly suitable materials (EPS instead of celotex for example in the ground) and allow for the additional amounts required to get the same end result (digging deeper / thicker walls etc) assuming space isn't an issue. We've found that there is a huge difference in SIPS/timber frame prices and have opted for an engineered i-beam timber frame which we'll assemble ourselves. What is the ground like where you intend to build?

I need to dig our service trenches next week prior to our beam and block floor being installed. I understand all the cable / pipe depth and spacing requirements in open ground but once the conduits enter the building through the foundation they have some distance to travel before rising up through the floor. My question is do they need to remain buried at the same depths for this stretch or can they rise up to a shallower level as long as the necessary spacing is observed? Many thanks

Exactly what I was told recently, "drains then back when the roof is on". Surprised me, but I think they make a judgement call on how they view the risk, self builders generally are going to do the best they can.

We're considering a bio ethanol stove instead of a log burner. The overheating risk puts us off a traditional wood burner but we would like something for the ambiance. How do you refuel it and what sort of consumption do you expect?

Ah that makes sense, certainly something I'll look at nearer the time, long way off yet!

I'm sure I've read somewhere of someone who simply stuck brick slips to solid EPS. This is what I'm hoping to do although I'm yet to research it.

Excellent, it would seem to address a lot of the strip foundation / beam and block issues people encounter if a passive slab isn't viable.

Looking at this some more what is the outer leaf of brickwork for? As far as I'm aware the Larson truss used by MBC doesn't place any vertical load down the outer stud - or have I go that wrong MBC customers? Assuming not could the whole outer leaf be removed, replaced with EPS and then have brick slips stuck to the outside face as external finish?

Our ancient one packed up on Christmas eve just gone. I was too scared to have a go and be without any HW over Christmas - luckily we have an aga which tops up the water enough for short showers. 2nd of January I set about it - 3 sharp blows with a lump hammer on the immersion spanner with a tank just below full and it was loose. Drained it down and replaced in about 20 mins. Pot luck really from what I've read, it'll either be kind or a sod.... Good luck!

So your Pavatherm acts as a retaining layer for the RockWool. We're not having Pavatherm so the question is does the RW need sandwiching or will it stay put with only one (external) side covered by OSB?

Lots of thinking after this post. Perhaps I'm missing a trick not detailing in a similar manner - Cullen design asked me a while ago if I wanted to go down the airtight on the outside route but I had already gone 'traditional' in my mind. Any downsides having done it this way or things you would do differently? I think I'd be tempted to still opt for a cheap VCL+ batten to create service void & help support the mineral wool in our frame.

I've asked the question re racking. Did you have any external sheet materials other than the fiberboard? It seems to me that the Egger DHF is redundant for the most part but excluding it would mean I have to insulate from the outside as I would need the internal board up right away for strength - I can't decide if this is an issue.