Alexphd1

Are you planning to diy or contract in a specialist company? The big advantage of ICF is that a competent DIY can do a build himself. If you go DIY shuttering the heavy duty metal stuff is very expensive and experience is the key with timber shuttering. Yes icf needs extra waterproofing, I plan to use waterproof concrete, external tanking and a French drain. Its a 3 sided basement (front open) so that's help! If you want to check concrete after pour then there is always the icf you remove one side originally developed for lift shafts. http://www.nudura.com/divisions/nudura-products/one-series There is always this product that looks very interesting but I don't know if I have the b***s to build a whole house out of it. http://spidertiesystem.com Interesting figures £1000m2 for a basement, if I was getting figures like that I wouldn't be building a basement ground is cheap up here I would just build a bigger house above ground. I may think different if ground was scare or expensive. A lot of different ICF on the market some good some not so good. Do your own research and be very wary of the sales patter, plenty of it!

Are you forming your own panels or buying pre made panels?

There is actually a few inches between the wood and the eps. We have a few pipes to run through there but to be honest we have more stud work on the icf than expected just to hide stuff as concealed blinds etc.

I have just done a 100mm core directly below a I beam pocket. Very happy with quality of concrete esp below a pocket. Happy chap today??

A local icf build to us (scotland) had to install a fire sprinkler system as part of his planning. He done a day course, and done his own install. Worked out pretty good and he reckoned he saved a fortune. If I remember rite it's a rigid plastic pipe with glue fittings (maybe wrong). I think it was somewhere near Newcastle he done his day course.

Sorry late to the party SueB. I have done a EPS insulated raft foundation with UFH pipes in the raft with Nudara ICF above on a DIY basis (apart from pouring the 60m3 concrete which a professional squad done in a day). Any questions I can answer fire away.

I thought he was speaking about a hot water manifold??

Tin soldier, sorry for the delay in reply. Yes we installed the whole system ourselves. 22kw log gasification boiler. 2x 500L thermal store. Is the dunsley unit not just for mixing multiple open vented system? only came across one in the wild......gave it a wide berth as didn't know anything about it at the time.

You can position the blender anywhere between store and manifold but you will full the pipe with higher temp water and waste energy if positioned at manifold. You want the manifold and store as close as possible as you don't won't to full a larger bore pipe of hot water this will make getting hot water at taps longer wait. The small silver tank is a shock arrested https://www.rwc.co.uk/product/potable-water-shock-arrestors/

I think your pipe is 16mm? Quick check on fleebay, guy selling 10 for £25. You might get cheaper. Maybe not all is lost.

As mentioned elsewhere on this forum many ways to cut down sound travel in a wall, solid walls is not always better.

We have some blockwork internal walls in a icf build at 3 point loads for the ridge beam. Cheap and strong. Could of easily done it in ICF but very over kill!

3 bedroom upstairs, 1 down.

We installed gse in roof on diy basis. We made up extensions and looped them into the house with a connection in the house. This will allow us to fault find and bypass a panel if needed in future very easily.

I thought handrails direct online prices where pretty expensive. I pass q-rails depot in stoke pretty regularl so will make a visit.... you never know until.you ask! @ultramodsWe have worked glass solutions, torrie in the past but will price around local and online to spec- low iron, laminated etc.

@ultramods That's exactly what I am looking for. Can you get the name of that other company aswell.

Anybody have a good contact for supplying Q railing at a decent price?

I have not used the Titan mentioned above but there are reasons trades spent more money on higher spec branded tools..... they are usually better and usually make the job easier! If you have time, keep a eye on the used market (fleebay, gumtree etc) for a nice clean machine like the dewalt mentioned in the link above. When you are finished with it you will prob brake even (as long as you don't trash it) on your purchase cost.

easy roof do a PV flashing that works with two sizes of velux. think MK06 and MK08 https://blog.spiritenergy.co.uk/contractor/easy-roof-evolution-velux-solar very tidy solution!

Any recommendations for adhesive/expanding foam for sticking studwork starter rail to slab? I can't use nails for UFH pipes.

He drew up drawings when we where 1st doing our plans. I used this and supplied him basic sketches with dimensions. Cut down on his paper work, I received a verbal price within a few hours and went into the production queue. Maybe just lucky with the manufacturer's order books.

Less than 2 weeks think 8 or 9 days.

I see there is a guy on fleebay selling a few nudara icf blocks. Would have bought it myself if it wasn't the other side of country.

All that was done at factory.

Don't underestimate the weight of swinging a nail gun all day esp above your head! Remember to come back and tell us how you get on!