Alexphd1

If you like duriosl icf have a butchers at velox icf.

I don't like to openly criticise online other products but I ruled out duriosl and integraspec very early in my project. As Russel says above prioritise what you are looking for and start from that.

Would be framed and plaster board inside. I would like very thick insulation on the outside of my concrete with NO thermal breaks in the insulation, just like a tea pot cosy....

Trust me two house is not a luxury..... I have got to go through this again next year....make your brother go first and learn from his mistakes.... In the grand scheme of things a extra few hundred pounds for pumps travelling time ain't going to make a fart of difference.

I really like the look of the single sided nudara icf which you remove the timber form from the inside to expose the concrete. Add on a 200-250mm EWI with chemical and mechanical fixings on the the nudara external ICF (as @Stones in Orkney done with amvic icf). Stick all this on a DIY eps insulated raft foundation, 400mm open cell spray roof.... simple?

Integraspec is another decent ICF but i am not really sure the advantage with "chamfered closers" over most other icf manufactures eps cavity and lintel closures. Have a good look at amvic and nudara icf (they are not market leaders for no reason) visit a few builds esp on pour day. Don't just listen to the sales reps or a "expert ICF builder" who has only done a day course with a ICF manufacturer (came across a few of them).

We used Nudara and will be using it again next year (as long as price is competitive). There is alot of suppliers on the market all with there unique selling point, as russel says above make a list of what you need and starting from that.

£200 mentioned above for a extension is a lot less than I was expecting. For our build project I don't see what value a QS could bring to the project but we are not a normal build.

There has been a few threads on buying lighting from aliexpress with @AliG lights looking very nice.

I think it could/would be a very good solution for on site timber frame build. It is possible to do a DIY (we are doing it) but you need a lot of m2 to make costs/work add up.

£30m2 @ 300mm thick is a number which sticks in my mind. Can't remember U value. You get a pretty good air tightness compared to hand cutting rigid insulation.

Are you looking at a DIY basis or getting a contractor in?

Sorry, i fail to see the point of these on a new build. Bad planning and plumbing if you need these on a new build!

Think our second pour was 9 course (4.1 m gable) so 2.4 should be fine ?

Will count tomorrow.

Hi. We have trees with a TPO on them, as stated above we fenced them of with heras fence to give them a bit of protection. We also had to lay a no dig drive way through the trees which is a plastic webbing then filled with stones. It's pretty strong we have had lorries and a 36m concrete boom pump.

We are in the same slow boat....

Their is always something! Our icf supplier could supply us a nozzle branded a "mudsnake" but luckily the pump guys had a suitable nozzle (5 inch I think) We used 2 different pumps one for the icf walls and one for the slab. The second had a concrete shut of at the end of the boom, this made stopping and starting very easy. A tip for anybody else pouring icf walls!

All part of the learning curve, I keep telling myself I will make no mistakes on the 2nd house.... Thank you for sharing 1st hand mistakes/problems it may help the next poor sod who thinks a self build is a good idea??

what was wrong with the pump?

Hi and welcome. I think you can't underestimate bracing in a ICF build, what type did you use? Is Velox system ok for consolidate concrete ie poker?

We used a steel ridge beam with rafters cut on site all DIY. advantage:- very cheap disadvantage:- VERY time consuming If paying a company to cut, fabricate and erect the steel, I cant see it being a cheap option.

Much appreciated. Will run a extra trunking tomorrow.

bugger

Can I run solar DC cable in same trunking as normal 240v AC cable?