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mike2016

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  1. mike2016

    Internal Finish - Upstairs!

    By mike2016,


    flooring
    Decided to buy the materials I need to finish the direct surround of my house before Diesel shortages and goodness knows what else takes hold! 

    50+m2 of paving blocks, 3 tons of paving grit and a full load of type 2 MOT to spread around the house next month!! I plan to get bound resin for the driveway, either do it myself or pay someone (£150 per square meter though and 50 m2 so 7.5K and thats with me doing all the edging and subbase prep!!). 
    Still there's a couple of wheelbarrows in the materials above to do in the meantime and I did the driveway in my old house next door (fully paved) and it's stood up well. Plan on having a step up to the front door but a ramp off to the right as an alternate path. 
     
    Have been working upstairs getting things finished. Currently have the stairwell, landing and office room completed and kitted out. Just starting the Master bedroom this week. Then it's off to the outside! I bought a pull out sofa bed, extra computer desk and some IKEA PAX wardrobes for the office room. There wasn't space for 4 Ikea units (500m wide each) so I put in 400mm wide shelving instead - I'll paint at some point. I forgot to level the sides of the double wardrobe before tacking on the back so while the sides are parallel, it's more like a parallelogram and one door is offline. Oh well!! That'll teach me to measure twice!! I'm gluing the bamboo floor upstairs also and Iove the look of it. I can now move into it as a full time office and save the space in my bedroom for the first time ever in nearly 30 years (i.e. no computer in my bedroom anymore!). 
     
    the two skylights at the top of the stairwell work well. I forgot to clean the upper window and take off the Velux protective tape before taking down the temporary platform and finish the sides. I won't tell you what I did with a ladder to fix this on all fours and ended up heading back to the Chiropractor the next day!! 


     
    The Master bedroom is a bit tighter but I measured it and think I have a bit of room to play around with 2.85m x 3.5m so a double bed and 500mm lockers either side still gives me a meter on one side or the other to add a dresser or something like that, fitted wardrobes over and around the bed and another at the end of the bed. How to fit a locker into an IKEA system? You can build in space with the PLATSA - I did a free design session with an IKEA rep who showed me how. I'll have to move the plug sockets up or they'll get buried but should be ok otherwise. I plan to fit a table above where the soil pipe boxing protrudes. 

     
    If you spotted a hole in the wall above the light socket, the door lining screw pierced the electrical wire at that location and all the lights upstairs went out!! Wago repair done. Electrician is out later this week so will have a word!! 
     
    Energy usage (last 2 months) so far is 11pm-8am 3562 kWh, 5pm-7pm 71 kWh and daytime 316 kWh. I've been fine tuning my usage with the SigEnergy system and tried using AI for a few weeks but it kept taking from the grid during peak times which was very annoying even when being told not to so I went back to manual and fixed time schedules so that's helped a bit. I hope to get peak to 0 if possible. My overall usage is up but my bill is €60 down from the last one two months ago which is from PV Export, the one thing the AI system was good at! I'll have to have a talk with it at some point! Each export unit equates to 1/2 a peak unit that should have been avoided!! Ah, technology!! I just figured out today how to send excess PV to my car when it's plugged in. I had Givenergy in my old house which went into Administration this week, glad I'm not with them anymore! 
     
    I finally got the glazing for the internal window installed. It's double glazed but with a large airgap for sound proofing. I did considered fire rating it but the price would have been crazy. It's comprised of: 6mm Toughened x 20mm black spacer x 6.4 Laminate for safety. The seat worked out well, just need a few cushions!! 

     
    My Sigenergy Gateway is being upgraded to 100A from 63A this week. I have an uprated mains supply but it wasn't picked up by the Solar supplier - unlikely I'll draw that much but still nice to have the extra room in Amps if I ever needed it! Unexpected but hope all goes well! Anyway, that's it for now, lots of joint filling on the Fermacell to do this week and sanding....! 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  2. mike2016

    Snags and Home Assistant

    By mike2016,


    home assistant
    So living in the house for the past month and a bit has allowed me to ease off the pressure a bit and start snagging / finishing some of the details. 
     
    I have underfloor heating under the main bathroom tiles but it wasn't working well. Barely noticeable at 40oC !! Turns out the electrician wired in both temperature sensors and it was adding the values together so after Schluter tech support suggested I check - I removed one pair of wires, lo and behold I have a warm floor. Really nice experience but uses about 2.5kW for an hours worth of heat. One advantage is it warms the room and as I'm still waiting on the bathroom door this keeps it more comfortable than it had been first thing in the morning. I've set a schedule using the app and the controller connects it online via wifi. Working well now! 
     
    Alongside this I've a load of sensors and smart lights, switches and sockets around the house. Now I'm in a position to setup Home Assistant for the first time and figure out what I want it to do. I setup an initial dashboard to organise the myriad of sensors and entities and allow me easier monitoring and control. Work in progress but have a look at the setup below! 

     
    I've still to figure out Daikin integration (The app works fine, just nice to have more data / energy usage in one place) and get my Sonos text alerts to work but I'm making progress. I have older Hikvision cameras but the integration for that isn't working yet. I wanted to use human detection to trigger security lights front and rear but for now I'm using the smart doorbell out front and might use a contact sensor on the rear lift and slide door to rig something up - otherwise newer cameras might make things easier but I'm not giving up yet! There's a lot you can do with Home Assistant besides automating lights - one of the rewards of building your own house just as you like it!! 
     
    A lot of the newer appliances come with some type of smart integration but sometimes you don't want them all spying on you so just a smart socket that tells you when power usage drops to zero for more than 5 minutes is enough to warn you that the washing / drying cycle is finished in a notification message you can choose and hear. I've a couple of sockets that can do exactly this! 
     
    I've start selling off some of the left over items as I don't need them anymore and have had some success. I can see more easily what I'll need and use now than I did before. Some of my appliances survived storage some didn't but I've ended up replacing everything at this point and registered 5 year warranties where available to maximize returns. One less headache! 
     
    Over Christmas the plan is to finish the living room so I can sell the scaffolding tower and move the last of my furniture in. I put the sheeting on the rear oriel window and bought some cushions / edging and a blanket so it's suitable for reading a book / relaxing in. The bottom edge is already getting frayed so I'll need to source something tougher to withstand punishment. 

     
    Next project is finishing the internal window at the landing that overlooks the living room. Got a price of €900 for the glazing - I'm blocking off the right side but will have a small window on the left in addition to the big main window. Again, there's a seat up there to perch on with a book and relax in and a double socket at your feet to plug a charge / light into etc. 

     
    I've only 2 areas left to plasterboard, the vaulted ceiling in the living area and the landing/stairwell. Hope to give these a good shot over Xmas and then settle on filling, sanding, priming and painting in January. That camera faces the kitchen in the picture above to let me monitor any pots from boiling over when I cook! Also if I'm away and the fire alarm goes off and I get a notification I can check the internal cameras for the likely course so see if it's just smoke or fire! 
     
    The only mystery now is a noise from somewhere at 4:45am every morning that wakes me up. My EV car is parked outside my bedroom window so I suspect that's the source but it only lasts 3 seconds so I might have to set my alarm early and record it but it's just SO early when you have work the next day.....
     
  3. mike2016

    Moved in - snag lists

    By mike2016,


    moved in
    Last night was my first night sleeping in my new house, finally! Got 1 bedroom mostly finished. Ikea wardrobes, painted, blind and floor installed. Just enough to call it a home! Lots more to do but it saves rent and commuting time. I plan to take it easy for the next fortnight as the last two years have been creeping up on me. Small projects for the short term. 
    Getting internal doors installed (by someone else!) currently. Put some acoustic insulation around the linings and cut it back. 

    I like the look of the wood/oak veneer. 
     
    Been chasing documentation for the BER (SAP) assessor. It adds up to quite a lot. Doors, Windows, Heating systems, section plans, U value calcs. Think I have all of it now - hopefully they'll issue a BER Cert soon! 
     
    My airtightness commission went sideways, lots of leaks. So one of my snags is to put air tightness tape around all the ducts to the MVHR unit and outdoors and also between it and the manifolds. The testing unit is very sensitive (even dropping it puts it out of commission for two weeks!) so I've a bit of work to do before I call them back. The Renson Endura Delta 330 has a few levels of ventilation and they upped the minimums from 50m3/hr to 127. Will see with single occupancy if I adjust this down a bit. I can monitor the unit with an app only, there's no display. I noticed when I ran the supersayer gas heater for a few hours to warm the house (as the gas bottles had been unused for the last two years) the CO2 levels hit the roof and it went to max flow rate to clear it out. Anyway, I plan to use the Air to air system more going forward and that won't cause the same issue. 
     
    Had two floods to deal with. I've a japanese bath I was trying out. We'd filled the bath with a little water to check for leaks a few weeks ago and it drained fine. The bath is on a platform to allow for a trap to be installed below it. The drain for the bath just fits into a grill so it's open and can potentially overflow which is what happened after I fully filled it, used it and two days later pulled the plug! Luckily I put the plug back in and used towels to keep the water in the bathroom as it's tanked / is a wetroom so no damage was caused to the rest of the house. There is a seat in the bath so I was trying to get the most comfortable position and removed the seat. I'll probably put it back as it's a short bath and my back didn't like the sitting position on the floor of that bath all scrunched up. The seat means you only get heat around your hips so will have to have a think about it more at some stage. Or get a bigger bath! 

     
    The second incident was with the washing machine last night. The discharge pipe isn't big enough for the tumble dryer, air to air condensate and the washing machine so I got an adapter that taps into the side of the pipe with a spigot for the washing machine discharge. This didn't seal/hold so it spilled everywhere. I think I'll go back to basics, replace that section of pipe and glue on a y bend to create two parallel discharge pipes and this way I can get everything connected at once and no risk of floods! 

     
    My car charger won't reach the car as it's about a meter short but that's due to a big hole I've to backfill with MOT. 
    The dust is everywhere but at least with the internal doors I can mitigate this a bit going forward! 
     
    So not finished yet but I have a doorbell, hot water, heating and an amazing house to walk around in and rest a bit before finishing the final list of projects and call it a day! 
  4. mike2016

    August Update

    By mike2016,


    kitchen
    Summer nearly over?!! That was quick! Weather has been brilliant though! So where are we 2 months on? Here we go: 
     
    Bathrooms are tiled and ready for plumbing the fixtures in. The plumber returned briefly and I now have a working toilet! Portaloo returned! Just no running water, well kinda! I got the water connected to the mains but it's not plumbed upstairs or anywhere yet. I put a speedfit valve on the 25mm mpde mains coming into the house so I can at least use it to fill buckets, barrels etc and cart it upstairs to flush the loo!! 
     
    I got an offer of an upgraded Rendon MVHR unit but didn't realize it was as humungous as it was! Took a bit of work, a ramp and air bags to get it mostly into position. They didn't include the suspension bracket so that's on the way and will let me properly install it so we have access to both condensate drains at the bottom. There's a toilet and wash basin going into this room shortly.....
     

     
    I've been prepping for the kitchen install next - fully painting that end of the open plan room and marking studs, printing photos of cable locations and prepping the floor:

     
    I'm gluing down the bamboo floor shown. Should finish this tomorrow. I've some ratchet straps in place to keep the boards tightened overnight. The glue is really tacky - going through wipes and gloves at a fast rate!! The kitchen units were just delivered. I'm going with a green door and gold handles to complement the yellow bamboo floor and stone countertops/backsplash. 
     
    I had to pour a concrete base for the outdoor air to air unit which looks after space heating. There are 4 indoor units connected to it - one is shown above in the bedroom alongside the kitchen presses! I've installed a bottle gulley in the center of the concrete pad to drain away any condensate. The headers can do heating or cooling and each have a remote. There's an app. The only thing is the remote doesn't show the current temp in the room, just the target temp you set. Also the units can do heating OR cooling, so if your significant other likes it at 26oC and you like it more around 19oC whoever sets it first wins, all others have to wait until the unit that's heating or cooling turns off before it can kick in - i.e. ambient 20oC , partner sets 26oC, you set 19oC later, your unit does nothing until unit in heating mode finishes, so yours can go into cooling mode. Makes sense, you just hide all batteries in the remotes except yours! 
     

     
    Irish Water connected me up, a lot of bods turned up but they were finished at 3:30pm and connected me successfully. I was about to go to buy a water key but the one they installed has a plastic handle you turn so you don't need one! I had a chance to test it the next day but ran extra pipe outdoors just in case, glad I did. The valve I had bought wasn't a 90 degree open / close one, it requires ratcheting down to fully shut so it would have caused some damage until I realised that! Was very handy for mixing 8 bags of ready mix cement though! They come back to install a water meter later, nice of them! We don't get charged currently but it's a nasty topic and caused a lot of marches to get the Government to back down. Now we've a very expensive quango and no water fees! Great, huh?! (ROI)
     

    The Aquabox for the mains water arrived so I've been shuttling that around the ground floor until it's installed. That pumps water around the whole house and will be located downstairs in the utility room alongside the heat pump hot water cylinder I'm getting shortly (separate space heating/cooling & hot water systems). 
     
    No injuries to report - Pilates is really helping the back. Still waiting on mains electrical, no date yet, 16 weeks is end September. Had a survey done a fortnight ago but nothing since. Hope to finally move in by November as the site insurance is up and 2 years in place, they may be reluctant to extend so I'm prioritizing items that must be finished before then vs ones that I can do later. Time is going by fast as as hard as I work there's always more that enough to do each evening and weekend. I've a weeks hols at the start of September so catch up and have a few days left I might take later that month but we'll see. 
     
    Best of luck to everyone else with their projects. I don't know how to all do it!!! Or did it!! Onwards and upwards! 
     
  5. mike2016

    Inside to outside to inside again

    By mike2016,


    drains, fermacell
    With a few hot days I decided to plunge into fixing the outside drainage. These had been marked the wrong way around on the surveyors map which carried onto the Architects drawings which made its way into the construction drawings and the groundsworker dutifully connected up as per these last year. It was only a few months ago I noticed backflow of sewage in what I thought was the storm drain and discovered the difference between 4" sewer lines and 6" storm drain lines!! Unfortunately the 4,000 litre rainwater tank is already installed and the invert levels between the two systems are very close to each other so I was going to have to bring the rainwater overflow under the sewer line. That's what I started tackling today. 

    The shores are to the left and the rainwater tank is to the right. The sewer is to the top of the picture so I can now connect that up next. I've also allowed for a direct feed into the storm drain from the front drains (more likely to get oil/car wash soap/contaminants in it) and the overflow from the rainwater filter (only 40% of the rear roof will make it into the tank through this filter, the rest is discarded via this overflow). The U bend might be hard to clean out later but I'm looking for a sump for the front aco drains to minimise sediment, similarly the rainwater filter should block leaf debris from the rear roof. 
     
    The Wet Room work is being undertaken by a contractor so they have been hard at work all week. Just waiting on my plumber to finish a few bits and the tilers to get started. I've been painting the ceilings in advance so I don't mess up the tiles later and I've been asked to cover the marine ply boxing I've done with backer board 6mm so I'll do that shortly. 

     
    I've also been busy using 2 tonnes of Fermacell, 100 one man boards (900mm x 1200mm) fitting out the 3 bathrooms and utility room. You install by placing, gluing, screwing, joint filling, fine surface finishing then priming and painting with some sanding thrown in. I bought a plasterboard lifter which has been great for the ceilings. Even these board sizes are over 19kg each. I'm getting better results as I go. The cutting is messy and playing havoc with my plunge saw and I've stocked up on vacuum bags and filters to help. I've multi tooled the sockets and holesawed the led lighting sockets without issue. Nice to see a room looking like a room and not a set of wooden partitions for a change! The collated screwgun has been a charm once I figured out I was accidentally setting it in reverse and it wasn't working! Very annoying for the first crucial screw per board!


     
    Stairs is ordered for July. Holding off on doors for now but considering one with a frosted glass center section for the main bathroom to let some light into the hallway. 
     
    Kango'ing out the concrete for the downstairs shower was very tough on the guys. 3 days instead of 1 as the concrete was well cured. They stuck at it though fair play to them. Lots of dust! 

    They also moved a drain so its no longer sticking out of the floor of the master bathroom so the finish will be improved. The tiling boss was over on Friday checking things over and keeps close tabs on the process. There was an issue with a Schluter heating cable being too long so rather than run it up the wall, I rush ordered a shorter one from the UK and have it on hand for next week. Will have to ebay the old one! You can't cut these to length and I'd rather not pay to heat a wall I don't want hot so that's how that went! Still discussing with the original supplier as the same kit was ordered for both bathrooms even though one is 1/2 the size. These things happen though and it was only picked up on this week as it's been sat in a box for months! Hindsight!
     
    The Brise Soleil have been amazing and I've had all windows and doors open all week to help with the heat but it's never climbed above ambient outside, some of the bathrooms can be a little hotter as the windows don't open and there no airflow there yet. 
     
    So next is the tiling, more outside foul drain work, finish painting the Utility Room and then I plan to prep the kitchen area so it can be measured and ordered. The 6 meter high vaulted ceiling will be fun to plasterboard but will see how it goes. I think I'll need more Fermacell at the rate I'm going, I've lots of offcuts, saving them but who knows if they will be used or not. 
     
    No date on delivery of mains water or electricity unfortunately but  hopefully soon. Be nice to get some power, they don't do temporary supplies easily in Ireland....! That's it for this post! 

  6. mike2016
    I took two weeks holidays to catch up on some house building work and get some material onsite. Sometimes that worked, sometimes not!! 
    The Plumber has already been and performed most 1st fix items and I'm centralizing everything back to central manifolds:

    Should make replacing taps etc a lot easier in the future I hope!! 
     
    I was outside during the recent sunny spell and noticed my Brise Soleil doing their thing - the shadow modelling looks spot on for this time of year:
     

     
    I got a digger and driver for a day to dig out the front driveway and had 20 tonnes of 804 delivered to prep for backfilling around the house and to grade the driveway subbase. I ran the Electrical and Water service pipes / conduits at this time. 

     
    While I was upstairs I did 1st fix on the MVHR outside vents using 150mm EPS conduit, realized the 92mm radial pipes to the rooms are going to make access to the manifolds difficult for commissioning later (restrictor rings are placed inside the manifold, not at the outlet/inlet). Will have to cut an access hole to reach in from the other side, will post pics once all is in place and hope it works! Will be a big of a spaghetti junction once everything is connected up! 

     
    4 pallets of tiles arrived but I had help from the merchant with those but I got a phone call that my plasterboard was arriving the day after. The Buildhub favourite - Fermacell !!! I hear your screams!! The only problem is how do I handle these on my own? A full size board is over 40 kgs, nearing 50, I'm over 50 and not that strong! So I ordered one man boards 900mm x 1200mm and it took a few weeks but I have 400 boards onsite, there's 50 per Pallet and 5 pallets arrived day 1 and 3 on day 2. Weather was thankfully good throughout. I purchased a plasterboard hoist for installation but I also needed to move them inside to keep them dry and safe. I googled and bit and found a wonderful DeWalt trolley and successfully moved 2 tonnes of Fermacell per day (each pallet is just under 1000 kgs!) 4 days later job done!



     
    About 5 boards per run was my limit, you need to keep an eye on the vertical alignment as you load up and offload or it will fall over, but as you move it the side clamp the sheets and it's rock solid. Perfect for brining them side in as at 900mm wide my old truck/trolley wouldn't let them past my front door, this dolly however made the heavy lifting much easier! I had to visit my Chiro one evening on day 1 but that was it! 
     
    I've acoustic insulation arriving tomorrow hopefully, I'm ordering Luxaflex honeycomb blinds for tilt and turn windows on just one bedroom to see how they look / perform and how they fit. My window installer didn't recommend anything that inserts into the rubber seal, preferring limited drilling/screws or ideally 3m glue fixings. To find out which they use as the youtube video I saw showed gluing them on. 
     
    Electrician 1st fix starts in a week so I've to get the MVHR vents in place as it's easier for him to route wire around vent pipes than it is for me to reroute 92mm vent pipe after electrical is run. 
     
    I'm still digging out the sewer line to connect it to the correct outlet/shore and fix the fall. Tried getting a labourer for a day or two to help but failed. It's slow hard going but I'll get there! 
     
    My site insurance runs out shortly so I've to extend that and plan for socket locations, figure out landing lighting (electrician doesn't like led fixtures in the service void beside the insulation) and get to grips with Fermacell in earnest!! 
     
    Happy May 2025 !! Oh, and I went to see Warfare in the Cinema for a well earned rest!! 
     
     
     
  7. mike2016

    Half Way to 1st Fix

    By mike2016,


    first fix, insulation
    Well, it's been a busy month. I'm taking weekly Pilates to keep my back in check and so far so good. This is the first week I've taken off without any incidents to progress the house. This is the list of what I'm managing currently just to tickle my brain in a years time!
    Plumbers due to start any day - prep bathroom fixtures - a lot of boxes onsite!  Met Electrician to get quote Electrician recommended kitchen design be finalized - booked appointment in showroom Went to get sample of Moso bamboo flooring but they stopped making their natural product. Wanted to use sample to choose kitchen door colour. Contacted the bamboo flooring company so they do ship to Ireland, working out how to get samples and if I'll float / glue and use natural or strand woven downstairs (have a bedroom downstairs to transition between if I mix) I think my foul drainage is connected to the storm drain outlet and visa versa - contacted Irish Water rep to check as plans say I'm right but the smell and sludge says otherwise!  Insulation - started Gutex under roof install, walls 90% finished Getting ready to order MVHR but my preferred spot is very busy and could be too tight for all the pipes!  Japanese Bath arrived, looks very nice! Bought spa reheating setup and pump Got next bank drawdown after single digit typo held up cheque requisition for a week Cracked a tooth, 50/50 if filling will hold or I'll need removal and root canal treatment! Find out in a week! Installed Rat flap 4" fine but the other pipe appears to be a 6", flushed out pipes with some water.   
    For the external walls (internal buildup) I'm using a 40mm gap and a further 2x6 wall inside. I fill the gap with 50mm rockwool as a thermal break (220mm timber frame) and then add 100mm Moy Metac to hit my U values. I've to use Gutex under the roof in a 60+80mm offset layer with ejot screws & washers and then a 2x4 stud to hold it all in place. Both setups give me a 40-45mm service cavity although the 92mm MVHR pipes will need more carving out of the Gutex when they are installed. 
     
    I installed Cellecta Screedboard 28 upstairs to provide soundproofing on the floor. You glue these together and leave a 12mm gap around the room edges for some yellow foam they provide. I ran out of boards and had to get some other boards (5) for the landing as I'd miscalculated and they only ship pallets. I also left a 925mm square gap for the ensuite shower. The boards are heavy (18kg each) - I had 42 of them but needed another 5 for the 33m2 area I wanted to cover. I might still add sound insulation between the Pozi joists but for now, I'm happy! 
     
    My poor car has been taking a lot of runs to the dump lately, offcuts and waste just builds up. I finally got rid of 20 or so pallets lying around so the driveway is clear for work next month. Just need a working toilet to get rid of the tufloo! 
     
    So, about to start first fix and have a lot of stuff on order / about to order to get me through that. Am choosing Fermacell but can get 2500x600 sizes locally. 
     
    Finally - I nearly paid the 8K heating deposit to a Nigerian who had got in between the communication between me and the supplier. They asked me to send to a GB CoOp bank IBAN which I thought odd and then followed up that the invoice person was on leave and had I sent the payment yet, everything was ok their end and they were waiting. Luckily I phoned the supplier and we realized what was going on so nearly 8K lost, goes to show! I got lucky as the delay in getting my next cheque from the bank meant I didn't have 8K to send anyway! If something does add up - ring! 







  8. mike2016

    Condensation Alert!

    By mike2016,


    condensation, window
    I've two last major areas to details for air tightness and insulation - this post relates to one of these - a single rear Oriel Window, an architectural feature that juts out from the rear of the building and is finished externally with a metal standing seam. The plan agreed was to create a 20mm lip of metal for the window to sit against. I was right about to commence work when I noticed dampness and beads of moisture and sure enough despite the window being surrounded by a later of insulation, because I didn't think through this detail on the inside, the 2mm metal is bringing in the cold outside and condensing - even though the inside is only 5-7 degrees or so! It's happening all 360 degrees around the window and dripping down to the bottom of the frame too. Obvious in retrospect why this is the case now and lucky I'm aware now due to the time of year so I can address it. I have other metal in the form of an I beam supporting the side of the porch cantilevered outside (80% inside, 20% outside) but this is dealt with by the timber frame company using a thermal farrat - the beam is in two parts and bolted together through the farrat reducing cold bridging immensely. I'm keeping a close eye on this internally during this cold spell to satisfy myself. 
     
    Anyway, if anyone is to blame for the detailing it's me, it just happened and I had considered angle grinding off the lip to get a better seal as the 2mm metal meanders a bit making it hard to pin against the window frame with rigid insulation or squeeze sealant / spray foam either side of the metal continuously. The window company didn't recommend the angle grinder as the lip provides a water barrier if the external sealant fails. The company I buy my gutex and air tightness products from were confident that covering the metal lip with insulation and using tape would prevent air circulation and address the issue. So, onto the fix:
     
    I'm working with Gutex for some areas of the build, a wood fibre board. Messy when cutting (accumulates inside my circular saw) but easy to work with. Not cheap but I'm trying to stick with breathable, natural products and gain experience in their use. I've used Multitherm which is a T&G product around the windows, this time I wanted to use Thermoroom which is a non flexible flat product (no T&G) that I could stack up around this opening. I plan to finish off with a fire rated (A/B) oak veneer rather than plasterboard so needed batons to attach to (main use for this ply is around the internal picture window separating the kitchen from the bedrooms, hence the fire rating but it will match nicely if use in this other area too. I'm going for an air tightness test soon so my current finish is intello plus only so I can inspect and pinpoint leaks. 
     
    I packed out the Moy Metac flexible insulation and then cut a few Thermoroom boards to size. The board is a lot smaller than the Multitherm so I cut them in half minus 20mm to get the width I wanted and they stack at 50cm heights on top of each other. Battons to secure although I'm finding it hard to get 150mm screws through the baton at times and then through the gutex to bite into the wood frame beneath. When I could get my weight behind it it helped but overhead was a nightmare. Ended up drilling 5mm holes as the top 50mm of the screw was unthreaded and I just wanted it to bite the wood 120mm away and clamp the baton, this worked fine but I've 180mm structural screws to use under the vaulted ceiling later! Drill was set to 15 but still rapped out a lot of time, any suggestions?! SDS with a clutch?! Needed to get a lot of speed up and push force to work.
     
    Once the batons were on I filled out the spaces with 50mm rockwool and stapled on the intello plus and tescon vana joined them. The lighter blue tape is tescon profil which has a separated backing allowing you to seal onto the intello first and hinge the tape 90 degrees before removing the 2nd backing to seal to the window. So all 4 sides are now done. I've 11mm OSB on the floor of the opening rather than batons, this sits on 60mm multitherm on top of 25mm bosig phonotherm, a structural insulation board I had spare offcuts for. As this will be sat/stood on a lot I wanted something more secure to sit the plywood on. 
     
    Now, it's just a case of monitoring and checking if any evidence of condensation still occurs, maybe peeling back the tape in one or two areas and quickly checking but I'm happy for now! Lots more to do. I've to figure out the 6 x Velux openings next and box out about 400mm of splayed / insulated / air tight spaces and close off the last part of the roof. More tower work for me so!! 




  9. mike2016

    The Devils in the Detail !

    By mike2016,


    update
    I've been out with my back for a bit but now taking Pilates classes and everything feels fine so far. Been crawling around the new attic and installing the Intello membrane and taping for air tightness lying down and in difficult positions without issue. Phew!! I've put a call into the Plumber for first fix and will see when they are next available in 2025. Once they are available I'll book the Electrician. 
     
    Updates are as follows:
    Interior stud work for outside walls nearly completed except for open plan area. This is provide additional space for more insulation and a service cavity. 95% of Moy Metac insulation fitted, hope to complete today except for specialized areas (Velux and Oriel Window) 95% of air tightness taping completed except for door thresholds and and Velux/Oriel areas. I've used up my extra rolls of Tescon Vana tape and did a quick run to pick up more from ecological before they shut for Xmas. Needed 2 more rolls, so got 3 !! Very few places stock it and usually I get it delivered but I plan on working on the house over Xmas and needed to have it on hand or I'd have to wait until 2025 to get more!  There are some trickier areas to get airtight where studs protrude / the roof intersects, I'm just taping the hell out of it! And using other sealing products to help.  The place is a lot quieter with the insulation in place and even though its 3oC outside, the attic work was comfortable as the heat from my efforts is being retained up there! Helps a lot but when I take a break and sit downstairs it gets cold fast and I can see my breath!! Thinking about the outside drainage and have a shopping list as not heard back from groundworker so if I have to do this solo wanted to figure out what I'd need. Tempted to buy now but need to stop distracting myself and work out exact quantities of internal products needed to finish insulation, plasterboarding and to fit out bathrooms I'm the proud owner of three toilets, a wall hung cabinet with sink, tap and led mirror. First time buying any of those! The plan is to get a working bathroom up by Spring so I can ditch the Tufloo outside! I can flush by bucket!  
    So, what a 2024! Slower than I expected but I'm nearly ready for 1st fix and when the trades get onsite they won't hang around. I found an excellent bathroom outfit who can provide a tiler and everything I'm looking for and are local. I plan to let them tackle the main bathroom and all the tiling but may do some of the ensuites myself if I feel up to it! I've used 53 rolls of Moy Metac so far and am the owner of a wide array of power tools. Am proficient in working without main electricity and just off battery power only most evenings (No temp supplies allowed where I am). All the evening work has added up nicely! 
     
    Best wishes to all planning or executing their projects and hope all goes well for you in 2025! 






  10. mike2016

    Bad Back 1, 2 & 3 !!

    By mike2016,


    back pain, health
    Not posted an update in a while but was focused on getting the outside of the house rendered, painted, guttered and drill vented before the scaffolding came down. It was off hire on a Monday and I worked 11-12 hours days on the Saturday and Sunday to get through a few tasks including chain drilling the MVHR vents (2) among other things. Basically anything at height. Anyway, while peeling the masking tape off the soffit while lying down on my side I moved to all fours to get up and my back went into spasm! I was still able to move around but the next day it was sore. Off I went to the Chiropractor the next day and he thankfully sorted me out. 
     
    A few weeks later and I was putting the floor down in the new attic and again lying down while slightly propping myself up to secure the T&G OSB with screws and I felt my back get sore. The next day again I was in agony and off to the Chiro the next day. The following week I took a different approach to finish the attic, very carefully, and remaining standing on the ladder all the time working backwards towards the hatch opening. Thankfully this avoided any further injury and I completed the task. 
     
    Fast forward a few weeks later and I visited my mum, contracted covid and while propped up in bed the OTHER side of my back went. And this was no fun. No Chiro for me while testing positive (had to wait another 7 days) and it really set itself in. As soon as I tested negative I booked in to the Chiro but despite two visits it was still sore. I could do a 1/2 day at the weekend and a good nights sleep could repeat but it was hindering me. 
     
    I'd booked 30 x 2x4 and 100 2x6 for delivery this week before the latest episode and had taken the week off work. After they arrived on Tuesday (I insisted on a HIAB thankfully so they could be dropped inside my boundary where I could secure it) I moved the thirty 2x4's inside but felt my back beginning to go again. I lay down but it was getting worse so I covered the remaining lumber and headed home. A few bad days to follow. I tried one Physio my neighbour recommended on Wednesday but it didn't shift the slow, gradual healing along much. I tried Panadol, Ibuprofen, even CBD oil but nothing was helping. I went to a local Physio yesterday and have received some treatment and exercises so I'm resigned to 2-3 months of recovery (my estimate, not theirs) to make sure this is really healed but start Pilates as soon as the Physio says I'm ready. I've been resting up all week and just have to accept I'm the weakest link! 
     
    In an 18 month project so a few weeks isn't that much but I'd hoped to crack on this week after covid etc. Not to be!! 
     
    Yeah, so take care of yourselves, especially if you are solo. I've accomplished so much over the last 10 months to get here, it was just one deadline where I pushed my body too hard and am now paying the price. It was a fear of mine but now its here I'm just going to rest, get back to work, wait for my back to be comfortable again (it's still sore) and take things easy for a while (I can plan electrical, home automation etc in the meantime!). 
     
    How do people in their 60's even do this?!! I'm in my 50's and finding it hard! Fair play to those folks!! 
    Anyway, Off to lie down, I'll call a few favours to get the lumber indoors when I fell I can help at least a little and only tackle jobs when I have a good back regime in place. I reckon it's 8 more months to finish. Can't wait!!! 
     
     
  11. mike2016
    So the site is almost ready to start, my house is sold, moving out this weekend. Got the last tree stump ground out so there's nothing blocking the foundations. But the reason we write some of these blogs is to vent frustrations and in my case today it's about insurance. 
    My site has Made Ground. I went through the trouble of getting a ground analysis with dynamic probing and there is good load bearing at 2.2 meters but it's poor above that. I switched Structural Engineers and Tanners in Cork did a great job looking into piling and groundscrews before settling on groundscrews. Anyway, I have a design, someone lined up to build etc but before I sold I wanted to get my self build insurance in line. I had focused on scaffolding issues as I may need to put scaffolding on a public footpath at one point or in the neighbours side passage so I was making sure this could be accommodated. In my ignorance, a lot of which I'm going to experience during this project, I didn't think for a second that piling / groundscrews would be an issue for an insurance company. 
    So today I got the big NO from the insurer so I'm ringing around trying to check if there are ANY underwriters willing to take this on. Time to start posting questions in forums etc! 
    I'm based in the Republic of Ireland just so you are aware. Anything non standard is very hard to get covered at the best of times! 
    Will I be able to build, I'll find out in the next few days! Contracts are signed, I'm moving out, new house prices are crazy, maybe time to move to Thailand or the Philippines? What can I say?! 
  12. mike2016
    One aspect of the Passive House PHPP I paid close attention to was overheating risks. As a result we looked at shading and extended the downstairs porch to shade the downstairs bedroom window. The upstairs we though about using Brise Soleil and have 3 canopies over the 3 main windows. I've been working on this for about 8 months with more than half on design and structural engineering and manufacture taking place in June. Then I spent most of July / August trying to get them to fit before bring back the bricklayer to finish some work and the day before scaffolding being taken down, finding I couldn't get the blades to fit....!!
     
    So the idea was get briese soleil drawings and have my timber frame SE come up with a plan to support them. This involved extra vertical posts either side of the windows and a big metal "caison" as I call it bolted 360 degrees into the timber structure. I got the timber frame lads to do this bit for me as it was a 2 man job and I'm a solo worker. Then it was over to me to fit the arms. 
     
    There are two arms per shade with 5 x blades between them. Each arm has a baseplate, a thermal break plate and is bolted through the timber frame and caison and meets another metal plate and then washers and nuts are attached and the whole thing fits together. 
     
    There were a number of issues, the first was the hole centers for the mild steel caison didn't line up with any of the the powered coating aluminium brise soleil components. Well, Aluminium is an easier material to work with so I used a step drill to enlarge the holes in everything but the mild steel. 1 Arm fitted, then the other. Next a dry fit with with the inner and outer solar sail in place so we can see how we are doing and nope, wouldn't fit! I ended up having to go at the mild steel too but it was much tougher going and I probably only ended up hardening it. Eventually I got the six arms fitted and knocked out the sails so that the brick layer could finish the final course. 
     
    Last weekend I left re fitting the sails until Sunday, and the scaffolding was off hire on Monday. Not chancing my luck I went at it and found the arms for the longest blades (1.8 meters apart) 30mm too close. It was too far to wedge my body in the gap so how do I solve this. I know it was tight but thought I'd finagle it somehow!?!
     
    In the end I figured out how to use a car jack to create the space I needed and managed to get all 5 blades installed this way on all arms but it was a close thing loosing light towards the end. The rooms do look darker but I'm hoping the scaffolding coming down will offset this a bit. Of all the house projects so far, this one was my hardest! 
    Advice: never give up, never surrender, unless it's tea time! 





  13. mike2016

    Brick, Blocks and Mortar!

    By mike2016,


    brick, block, mortar
    Just an update - had the last two weeks off. Ran a bit low on energy for first week and took a few days off from the build to step back and recharge. The bricklayers arrived onsite and I was able to collaborate with them and address any issues or questions they had as they started off. We're currently about 3 days from finishing - half way up to the 1st floor and it's giving me a massive appreciation for the hard graft/work bricklayers face every day. There are two of them and their labourer quit on the 1st day of my build. Apart from another young lad coming onsite for a day this week to give a hand they have been working between them to convey all the materials, mortar etc and mix the cement themselves without complaint (to me anyway!). 
    I was facing a crunch a week ago - couldn't get a bumpa conveyor in time for the 1st floor and needed a driver to cover the insurance risk - we got a brilliant young lad who pitched in rather than sitting in the cab all day. Really made a difference, plan to get him an Amazon voucher as I wasn't onsite myself to reward him! The whole side of the house that's got a band of brick was finished a day ahead of schedule as a result!. Only hired for a day and it wasn't cheap but they lifted all their bricks/blocks up to the two scaffolding levels above ground and are set from that point of view.
    The cheap plastic bucket I bought them failed and they need to carry a lot of mortar up in the last few days, am looking out for a sturdy replacement if anyone has a recommendation? 
    The Azaela Brick design is made up of 3 colours - got 4 pallets, probably 1 too many and they took bricks out of 3 of those to mix them up as each batch can be slightly different and this masks any variations. Will use the last pallet on the garden wall down the road.....
    I've been ferrying in water in 30 litre jerry cans, they use about 90 litres per day and around 6 x 25kg bags of cement. Bought more today to ensure they have enough to finish and top up the water regularly. 
     
    Next up is measuring the soffit/fascia - 2-3 weeks to manufacture (metal) and although I intended to render the blockwork myself, due to my energy levels sagging last week, I'm getting a quote for a professional to see what that looks like. I can focus on the inside. Windows and Doors due Week 28, or mid July to the rest of the world! 
     
    Internal Insulation and Air Tightness started - new skills! Have to keep ahead of the bricklayers though, turn your back and they are up a level and I don't recommend dropping anything down a 50mm cavity!!! It's very hard to retrieve! Penetrations like Electricity Meter Boxes are best prep'd in advance when you have full inside and outside access. Similarly my window preparations for the last window they reached weren't there and I almost lost the chance to finish it in time! 
    I'm doing 25mm Bosig Phonotherm under the window and 40mm Gutex around the sides and top. The window is brought out to close the cavity (almost) by 47mm with this insulation in situ. There are batons to meet the window straps and the bricklayers come past this by 20mm if brick or match it if block (render will foll the reveal 15mm). That's the best I could come up with from the Architects drawings and some onsite photos they shared with me. It should help the windows perform well, we'll see. I'll close the cavity with a fire rated foam. 
     
    I did have a worry over the DPM over the side window and when onsite yesterday this confirmed my fears. It has fallen down into the cavity leaving the window exposed below should the render fail. This corner faces 80% of the prevailing weather and is exposed as my new house sits proud of the existing one. I texted the bricklayer as they are onsite a lot earlier than me and when I turned up they had installed another DPM and this one was 100%. I marked three levels where I need to install weep vents (drill vents) on this window in my case but am much happier with the extra detailing and it was worth pointing out. 
     
    The bricklayer came up with the idea of not using brick slips just below the window - although most of it would be covered by a aluminium cill, he suggested cutting bricks in half and facing them outwards. Less likely to move / get loose over time. He mocked it up and I approved, looks well don't you think?! 
     
    The only upset was 4 stitches in my head from a scaffolding pole I rammed into just at the start of my holiday, I'll save you any pics, last thing you need to see on a Friday I'm sure!! 





  14. mike2016

    OnSite Power Management

    By mike2016,


    battery power, site power
    I meant to post this for a while about how I'm supplying power to my site during works. In the Republic of Ireland you can't get a temporary electricity supply like the UK, not unless you're a big developer anyway. You may be lucky enough to be building next door to a house you own, or have a friendly neighbour but in my case while I could go borrowing a lead the odd time, it would start to annoy people I'm sure. 
    I did consider a generator at one stage, the old Honda route but I upgraded my electric car last year from an Opel CorsaE to an MG EV4. One of the main reasons besides a bigger boot, was the Vehicle to Load function. I immediately bought a V2L cable ready to live the dream. 64kWh of power at my fingertips! 
    So how has it been? Well, a little mixed I must say. I've the car plus two batteries. The smallest 550amp hour Bluetti is fine for working from the site and keeping my laptop running and charged along with my phone mobile hotspot and charging headphones etc. The Laptop will run for 1/2 day but then needs power to get it through the last 4 hours of the shift. I might be only onsite to take delivery of items but this gives me some flexibility to be there and it avoids the toss the bricks over the fence scenario! 
    The next Battery up I got a good deal on during a sale, it's a 2kWh battery bank - Anker 767 (called something else now!), 2.6kW max output enough for any of my power tools. It's an EU model thanks to Brexit but I've a couple of 13amp adapters to allow me to power loads. You can with both batteries power on selecting sections of connectors, the key items are the DC panel - only using what you draw, if you power on the AC it constantly drains the battery even with no load. I've had the 2kW unit for > 6 months and 5 months into the project only charged it once and have 61% remaining today! Mitre Saw & circular saw are the main items I've used. 
    You might assume I've all battery power tools but I've built up a collection of 240v mains tools over the last few years of DIY as I owned a house with power sockets everywhere! These are what I wanted to keep powered. Why go out and re purchase battery versions of existing tools for this project?! 
    I will say with hindsight I wish I HAD purchased the more expensive battery versions as I went along, all the same brand. A battery bank is very useful but currently very expensive still. But if you have, like me, a working set of mains powered tools, this is the way to keep using them. There's no substitute for battery versions though - I've drills, an impact driver and oscillating tool all DeWalt and battery powered and they are much handier! 
    My Car can output 3kW and I've heard some people getting higher with the right adapter. I connect the V2L to an extension lead and run it into the main workspace without difficulty. This could also be run up the scaffolding which I'll be doing later when mixing render. Once you connect the cable you have to tell the car to start discharging and it sets a minimum charge level so you can get home! You can fully lock the car with this running and no one can drive off! It doesn't appear to time out at all. 
    So what problems have I had? I've found tools work with one or the other. Today my angle grinder wouldn't start on the Anker 767 battery (the 2kW one), but would off my car. The McAlister circular saw I have along with an Erbaur Mitre Saw are both fine with the Anker, thanks goodness! A large angle grinder has problems with both the last time I tried it. A Titan vacuum cleaner worked fine with my car today, first time using it, not tried it with the Anker. The problem devices will usually try to start and then drop out - I think the Mitre Saw wouldn't work with my Car and I had to reset the V2L each time but never got it working. 
    It can be a bit frustrating but for the tasks I'm doing now, the Anker is working out great and I didn't need to revert to using the car for a few weeks now, just did today to get photos for this post! 
    A petrol genie would probably work far better with everything but I'm at tight quarters with the neighbours -tool noise comes and goes; a genie is usually left running longer not as suited to an ongoing 12 month building project but that's just my view!
    What way do you power your site / plan to? Did you go the mains power route for tools or are all your battery operated already? Leave a comment! 




  15. mike2016

    Project Management

    By mike2016,


    project management
    With any self build, unless you can afford an Architect/Builder to oversee the whole project, you're going to be chasing people, materials, answering questions and more. 
     
    My own project is up to roof stage, timber frame is finished, roof finished but outer brick/block leaf is next, then soffit, fascia, gutters, then porch, then windows & doors. Each have their own challenges. On top of my day job! 
     
    I've a delivery of lintels tomorrow and I only thought to ask what size rigid truck is it to find out it's a full Articulated Truck with a moffet (look that up in goggle!!). Won't fit in my housing estate!! cue plan B, C and D !! We're going to offload it to a footpath outside my house on the other side of a council wall and I'll use a hand truck to get them one by one into the site through a gap some teen made wider last year and it was never fixed by the council! 
     
    I'm sure each self builder has a raft of such stories. My house needs 2500 bricks and 1280 blocks. The brick supplier I'd booked and paid for in full, was meant to deliver this Friday along with the block supplier providing all the blocks, sand, cement etc. They gave away the bricks to another (assume larger) customer and it's 2 weeks to get a new order in from Belgium. I tried the other supplier I found in google for the same bricks and got through to the same woman I'd been dealing with, same company, one's a shell I'd say. Tried the supplier and they only supply to this one company in Ireland. Anyway, as a one off house they can bump you down the list so I tend to like to get things onsite a week or two early to avoid this added hassle. I've very tight for storage but if you have a brick layer onsite and no bricks you'll be forced to buy something, anything and have to live with it forever. 
     
    Time management - getting answers to questions is one thing, learning on the job is another. I want to nail in about 200 nails by hand but after realizing my initial attempts were leaning tower of Pisa'esque, I purchased a first fix nail gun, my first! Wow! 200 nails in 3 hours, all batons attached to the window openings. I can sell it later but the right tool for the job for sure! I've to install my first express nails tonight after learning about them from a neighbour - fixes wood to concrete. 
     
    The roofers left 6 Velux boxes behind with BBX on them. What are they for? An extra? Do I need them? I think they are to act as a vapour barrier and possibly air tightness according to initial google searches. Something else I've to figure out later on. 
     
    The roof has turned out well hasn't it! They had to finished the Oriel Window Metal / Trocal flashing before they finished roof tiling. It has a ventilated ridge and those plastic covers at the edges all the way along the roof line instead of cement they used to use. I've about 40 spare tiles stored away! 
     
    The outer brick/blockwork is my next major hurdle. There's a few items I need to buy, figure out and get onsite:
    100mm DPC for above 1st course of blockwork above foundation 18" DPC for around windows Expansion ties - Ancon PPS200 ebonded Safety Tie - box of 250, at least I have spares! I can return the unused ones.  Wall vents - using Timloc Cavity Wall Drill Vents - you drill a 25mm hold angling upwards and then plug this into it. This absolves the brick layer from having to install them as they go Wall ties - the timberframe supplier provides 4 boxes of these and marked up where the studs are to get good purchase Stop Bead and Drip Bead (plastic) for render, Weber OCR, Weber paint (I'm doing this job once the blockwork is finished), Mitre bond glue (2 part glue) Gutter Brushes for later Expansion Joints - I've two 10 meter gables, each require two expansion joints. There's an awkward window and ESB box on one end of one side so thankfully we're putting the expansion joint past both of these even though you should have one every 6 meters and within 1/2 of this distance from the corner, ours will be 3.8m from the corner. the timberframe amazing team marked up the best positions for expansion joints and identified this one before the Structural Engineer signed off on it.   
    I've taped up all the Solitex on the outside of the Timber Frame, plugged the side door up with timber, OSB and more Frontex WA. We're still installing a lintel in the blockwork but will ignore it otherwise for the block course and if someone wants to open it later they can with an angle grinder! It saves wasting a lot of space in the utility room having a door there with no purpose. There's no sink = reason to not make it a boot room really. 
     
    I'm lining all the window openings with insulation over the next week or so and adding batons to take the window straps. They want a strap within 100-150mm of any corner and no more than 700mm apart. The Straps are 1mm thick and come inside the window about 100mm. I've sourced wood to exactly match the insulation thickness which can be hard but avoids trying to plane / table saw wood onsite. 
     
    This Friday I've to hope everything fits onsite as it's delivered and we've room for a telehandler afterwards for when the brickie's start! 
     
    That's a snapshot of my week! I'll do a post about powering electrical devices onsite without a generator using an Electric car & Anker 2kW battery soon I think, some lesson learnt there! 
     
     






  16. mike2016

    Roof Cutting in

    By mike2016,


    Roof
    This week the roof was cut in. Can see the spaces for the Velux rooflights and get a different picture of the inside - the vaulted ceilings in the rear living area in particular. The builder recommended a ceiling in the upstairs  bedrooms at around the 3 meter / 9 foot mark which is high enough even if you're bouncing on the bed! Still leave a bit of space for storage so may leave a small hatch and floor this area after setting it up. It's a warm roof so this is all conditioned space. Next week they'll add OSB and Solitex WA, then baton and counter baton and that's them finished! The roofer is due in after Easter to install the tiles and the Velux will go in sometime then also. There is also an AEV for venting the soil pipe to install. There's a ventilated ridge, and other details that will be interesting to see installed. Should stop ice dams forming! 
     
    Big decision point is around the rear picture window - it's to be metal clad. There is the option of adding additional insulation on the outside and then stud work for the ventilation behind the steel cladding or just insulate internally only. Also the roof of this feature needs to be worked out. Some drain to the back of the house but that needs a gutter. Most drain towards the house which I didn't realise and the water channels to either side. This junction has to be perfect or it ensures rain ingress. There's a good local team recommended by the builder so I've left word and hope they'll get in touch next week so they can build out the 7 degree backward slope needed for the roof of this area. 
     
    There is a lot of metal posts in the house which worry me but I had a few hours onsite today to take my time and see if it's something to worry about or not. The contact area with the foundation or wall are very small so there may be cold spots but I feel for a first attempt, the detailing is sufficient. I just didn't realize how decisions about moving walls etc impacted structural changes until I saw them onsite. Decisions made years ago haunting me a bit, but I can live it! It's still a wonderful house. The next two will be better!! 
     
    The air tightness will be a challenge but I got some samples of Tapes, Gutex and Phonotherm I plan to use by driving to the company I'm buying them off and seeing their warehouse up front. I hope to entice one of their technical guys onsite for an hour to get their advice on a few things. I expect a detailed post at a future date to address this. Lots to think about. 
     
    I plan on using Moy Metac in the timber frame wall - 220mm worth. The frames are mostly at 600mm centers. I'd calculated I'd need 43 rolls off the plans but now looking like 53 when I did a quic calc onsite. They do a roll that is exactly 220mm deep and 1200mm wide so plan to cut in 1/2 and it should press fit in the space nicely. I could do this before the windows and doors arrive, just need to find a good price! And hope it isn't swiped! 
     
    Windows to be measured either next week or 2 weeks later due to builders holidays. Delivery 9-10 weeks after that. 
     
    Bricklayer, still chasing quotes! Hope to get that done Late April / Early May. Waiting on council to approve brick style as the plain red in the estate isn't to my taste, I've gone for a blend of brown, red and beige. 
     
    As a project there's a LOT to think about, decisions to be made and money to be managed! Spending is SO easy, tracking it and keeping in budget not so much!! 






  17. mike2016

    Timber Frame arrival & erection!

    By mike2016,


    timber frame
    The timber frame arrived this week from the factory. There was a large crane onsite all day yesterday. Got decent weather, no wind and only a bit wet in the morning. The lads have the walls fully up, 1st floor done and a ridge beam in place. They are starting cutting the roof today as that is built in situ. Really surprising walking around the rooms after looking at drawings for years! The window openings are a LOT bigger than I ever thought though, huge would be the description! Had a lodger arrive already - neighbours cat performing 1st inspection! 
    Thanks to everyone on BuildHub for their support, advice and inspiration from their own experiences to help me get this project off the ground after SO long!! 









  18. mike2016

    2nd Foundation Completed!

    By mike2016,


    foundations
    Finished the Kore Passive Raft Foundation this week. Just in time as it's currently sleeting it down out there! Cold enough to make a pour more difficult. they set in a 70mm rebate for the lift & slide door and also cut out the kore to let the concrete out to the edge (up to shuttering) for a steel post to carry the blockwork over the two corner windows. We'll insulate around that later. the Kore went in really fast, then rebar, ductwork for the kitchen island and getting it finished before more cold weather kicked in. It rained just after lunchtime which slowed down the curing. But really pleased with progress and we're ready for the timber frame next! 
     
     
     




  19. mike2016

    1st Foundation Completed

    By mike2016,


    foundations
    Concrete was poured via a pump on Monday. Finally have a Concrete sub foundation! 
    Took delivery of the Kore insulation for the actual foundation. Lots of angles sheets, L shape and other ones. I've 88 silver EPS boards too in packs of 8. They needed 2 men to move, the others could be handled one by one. The delivery driver helped offload as getting a forklift and driver for 4 Pallets (@150kg each) was going to be expensive and on too much short notice to arrange insurance for me to drive one. Plus I don't know how!! We got it all offloaded in about 30 minutes by hand and then another 45 to shift it to the back of the site. 
    There seems to be a dip where water is collecting in the middle there and some rebar patterns are showing up in one corner, will discuss with groundsworks lead next week.
    Next is to find a blocklayer to place two courses of blocks on their side around the perimeter to hold in the Kore and lay the DPM/Radon barrier on. Stops the Kore moving around. That's the holdup as brick layers are flat out over here currently. I put a call into a 2nd who said 7-10 days give him a shout. Plan is for Timber Frame to go up in early March. 


  20. mike2016
    Everything kicked off on January 8th 2024 finally after 8 years of faffing about and trying to line up finances, finding someone to sign off building regs and a year of selling the old house eventually succeeded. 
    There was about 120 tons of muckaway judging from the number of trucks. The guys brought a 17 tonne digger and were glad of it. The big roller they didn't use in the end but went with a more compact diesel unit. hardcore was added and leveled. 
    The trickier element was getting a rainwater harvesting tank installed. It had to go at the back of the site before we could block it off with the next phase of works.  I found the office staff didn't have a clue about the dimensions so how deep to dig the hole?! They did the next best thing and sent a guy out to the yard with a tape measure and I passed these info on. The crane used was impressive - 350K worth to move a 4.5tonne concrete tank into position. They then crawled inside it to commission the pump etc and seal it up until the next phase of adding power (need to drill a hold into the tank but they provided enough electrical cable to go back to the house to hook it up later. It holds 4,000 litres and needed balast to stop it shifting as even at that weight it can move around!! Got a hose and friendly neighbours to assist and half filled it up!! 
    Only 1 complainer - a neighbour around the corner giving out when the flatbed dropped off the excavator, there's always one!
    Did get a site inspection the next day but only to confirm we'd started within the terms of our commencement notice I think and he seemed friendly anyway! 
    I left the mortgage a bit late, still waiting on approval so am spending cash currently. Hopefully that comes in this week!
    The Timber Frame prep is starting in their factory - I think I'll be ready in 5 weeks or so or on March 1st. 
     
    Onto the exciting portion - Foundation Screws, 1.5 meter long and will have a 300mm x 300mm plate bolted to the top of the screw head. They spend an entire day prepping the holes, measuring and remeasuring to ensure everything was fine. There was some confusion around the height the screw was to end up but the groundworks team had marking the fence panel and I put them in direct contract with each other and didn't hear a peep from that point. All was good. I was hearing 100mm differences in the levels one day and this changed to 2mm the next!! I was sick with flu so not being able to be onsite was a curse, you just have to hope it works out. They pre drilled down to break up some rock but nothing too severe. 
    The delivery took a bit longer than expected, so they started later than I'd hope which means I lose the groundsworks team for a week at the start of February but what can you do. Some start when they say, others, well, it's a moving target!! But once they started they've been onsite every day despite the cold weather and are making good progress. 
    There are 89 of these to be driven in to a level set by the laser. They use an electric motor to drive in the screw with an arm braced against a previous screw they leave half way up. Eventually all you'll see is a field of square plates. A raft is to be poured around these and the Kore passive raft is being delivered to site later this week for use next month. Yep, there's a second raft going in on top of the Kore - like a Kore Concrete Raft Burger!! 
    Enjoy the photos! 










  21. mike2016

    Wall Build up (Choices)

    By mike2016,


    Wall insulation
    Still in the Sales cycle for my old house (3rd try!) but while I'm waiting I'll be doing site clearing work next month and I want to take a moment here to make final decisions on my wall build up as this moves the locations of my floor penetrations by 100mm. 
    Target U Values are as follows:
    1. External walls U value = 0.1 W/m2K
    2. Sloped Roof U value = 0.1 W/m2k
    3. Floor U value = 0.07 W/m2k
    This is based on PHPP calculations, they are more strict as my house is quite small, 110m2 and box shaped. This ratio of floor to wall is harder to tick the PHPP boxes so the U values are dropped. Anyway, I'm not going for certification but plan to AIM for these where possible. Back to my wall:
    The original Wall used 50mm Kooltherm and an insulated service cavity to meet the U values and save space. I'm not keen on the fact that the Kooltherm isn't breathable so was going to switch it to 100mm Gutex woodfibre board. Then came the question of how to attach the Intello air tightness membrane to Gutex! It would likely require additional framing onto which the Intello membrane is tacked on top of which the service stud work would be added. The Gutex supplier though suggested another product instead of Intello:
    https://www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com/product/superpan-vapourstop
    It's a 25kg board. I would fix through this & the Gutex into the 220mm Timber Frame studs to hold everything together. Then use air tightness tape to seal it up.
     
    The last question is if I should insulate the service cavity or not? This creates problems for the electrician and requires derating the cable so you use 4mm instead of 2.5mm and 10mm instead of 6mm is my understanding. The cost is one element but trying to route the heavier cable and fix it into back socket connectors & cookers etc must be harder too. The option I'm strongly considering is putting in 150mm Gutex and using that Finsa board, sealing it and then building an uninsulated service cavity onto this. I can pre notch the service batons for future cable runs, I can run standard size cable and any later cables added will be easier to run without fighting the insulation. The downside: I lose an extra 100mm on all outside walls. 
    I modelled the original Architects plan and my own using the 150mm Gutex and think my own is what I'll go with. The service cavity vs derating cable is the main driver and it's simpler to maintain once built. 
     
    The final question is if this approach will work on the vaulted roofs or not. Those 25kg Finsa boards sound heavy. Hanging those, then service batons, then 15mm Fermacell boards and it all hangs off 225/250mm lag screws between the Finsa board, through the Gutex to the 220mm Timberframe sounds like a lot. An option is to fix 100mm Gutex using long screws and washers as per external insulation fixings, then add 50mm batons with 50mm insulation between them. Now I can staple Intello to it and build up the service cavity and add Fermacell. That's my thinking - I'll chat with the supplier about vaulted ceilings and see if they agree. Both wall types are modelled below. 


  22. mike2016

    Pull Test - Ground Screws

    By mike2016,


    ground screws
    So - Attempt #1 of trying to build my house failed - Made Ground (Poor soil bearing), a buyer who wouldn't grant me legal permission to access the mains water after I sold and changed their mind after I'd let go all the builders, and my planning permission extension was refused. 
     
    Attempt #2:
    Re-Applied for Planning permission from scratch - preliminary decision due July, final decision August 2023. Place my house back on the market in the meantime somewhere between those two dates.  Finally I need to find a solution for the poor soil / made ground. Today was that day!  
    The Structural Engineer got the Ground Screw company to come onsite and put a 1.5 meter screw into the ground in 5 different places and do a pull test against each one. They each held over 4 tonnes of pull pressure which is good and the results will inform the Raft Design so I can get it priced. It was all done with hand tools with a motor assisting the Screw insertion / extraction running on 240v via an Extension lead. Then they put a tripod above the screw and a measurement device to determine the force trying to pull it out. 
     
    Probably looking at 30 or so Ground Screws and a number of Screw Piles for point loads & using a laser level. Had a good chat with the team and they have 5 years of experience and have been to Holland where they source their system from. Due to the coastal conditions there they typically use 6 meter screws! Some soil conditions eat away at screws over time 30-40 microns per year which gives you 50 years guarantee on a 3mm thick screw to allow up to 1500 microns to be eroded. They had heard about some cheaper Chinese screws that were pulled after 3-4 months for a different reason and they had started to rust as their galvanisation was not thick enough. Very bad if that happens! The team do a lot of extensions, shipping containers and garden rooms but houses too. If the screw is exposed more than 500mm you need bracing - this can happen if the ground is sloped. 
     
    The system should save on soil muck away and concrete costs hopefully. Cost wise I'm looking at @ 5K for the ground screws vs digging 2.2 meter strip foundations and muck away costs / concrete as the alternative.
     
    You can sit a foundation on top of the screws and this may mean you don't need a Radon barrier as there is airflow underneath? I'll go with whatever the Structural Engineer recommends though. 
     
    Anyway, thought I'd have a big JCB onsite but this took about 4 hours with powered hand tools and gave me confidence in the system and the team behind it which helps. 
     
    Educational Day all in all!! 


  23. mike2016

    Stabbed by the soil investigation!

    By mike2016,


    foundations, soil testing
    Well, everyone is back from holidays today and my Structural Engineer made a comment about the Ground Investigation Report I've been digesting all day. Turns out my soil is very poor despite hundreds of houses being constructed all over the rest of the estate 25+ years ago, I'm the one with a problem now! I'd have to dig / excavate nearly 2 meters of soil to reach sufficient bearing capacity which means my plans to start groundworks next month are almost dead. If you see results like mine....RUN!! 
    I've sent photos to the Groundworks lead as I've a house to one side 2.5 meters away which isn't too bad but the other side has a block council wall and would be 1 meter away, and 800mm where each of two buttresses are from the wall of the new house (see pics). 
    Anyway, I'll see what they come back with but the excavation would be 10m x 10m and 2m deep, risk of groundwater seepage, flooding, subsidence and having to shore up the walls to prevent collapse/damage would be required. I can see all those Grand Design houses coming back to haunt me!! 
    Piling / mini-piles are an option but with the close adjacency of several neighbours, are unlikely to be welcomed
    A Kore Raft Foundation, a standard steel/concrete raft or strip foundations all require similar depth to get the bearing capacity from what I'm told. 
     
    Tip: If building get the Ground Investigation done EARLY!!! 
     
    I've reached out to a company that should be able to design a solution but their turn around due to workload is measured in months. I'll see if there are any other companies but screw piles are not common in Ireland, from the searches in this forum it's more likely in the UK to be required. But this would allow me to build a raft on top. 
     
    My house beside the site is up for sale, stuck on a legal issue currently and my planning runs out in August!! I'm guessing I'd be very lucky to get any foundations started before then and I've spent €15K on timber frame drawings and line loads to date. All expecting the site to sail through the soil test! At least I didn't try building after a trial pit and it subsides years later!! 
     
    I've asked the Architect for the cost of applying for new planning permission and I've an application in to extend the current one but that only allows you to continue building if you are up to wall plate by the deadline, expensive foundations don't count!! 
     
    I could probably reapply for planning myself at my own time and cost, just need to research a bit and hopefully am allowed use the original Architects drawings again. Either way the foundation costs are going to be more than I expected but plan B is to pull out of the house sale, sell the site or move elsewhere! I was thinking Thailand?! Anyone want to join me!! 



  24. mike2016

    Selling up and Moving out!

    By mike2016,


    preparation
    So I'm in the middle of the sales cycle for my Home. The first buyer pulled out but after a month I lined up another. The market is doing well enough despite % increases. So I had the estate agent around today to perform a valuation, the Surveyor comes around on Monday for 90 minutes to inspect the property and I'll be ringing the solicitor to get an update on where the contracts are at! I'll feel a lot better with them signed and a move out date to close the deal (hopefully!). 
    In the meantime I've been looking at my timeline. The main constraint is I've to be up at wall plate level by the End of July. Working back that meant getting deposits (through borrowing) to the Timber Frame Company now to do drawings to get line loads so I can supply them to the structural engineer for the Kore raft foundation system. They want a soil bearing test which doubles their fee but another structural engineer I was hoping to use is booked out for several weeks and I can't wait. I sent a deposit to the first one and yesterday finally get a quote from the second and their lead times are actually ok! Too late as I've deposits down but a few K wasted perhaps but what can you do. Time is money and hopefully I can recoup later on.
    Can't get a plumber for love or money to agree exact drainage penetrations through the foundations which I need soon. Might have to resort to posting plans on here to the plumbing section to get some answers, thank goodness for buildhub! 
    Talked to a heating engineer today and was going for underfloor heating and ASHP with an option for fan coils (cooling mainly) but now am switching to Air to Air in the open plan area and the 1 bedroom I'll use as an office. Then get a dedicated Hot Water heat pump - the built in ones like Ariston Nuos / Dimplex. That'll be 4 x 200mm holes in the wall when I include the MVHR. But at least I'm confident removing the underfloor heating pipe work is not going to bite me and this should halve my heating system costs from 20K to 10K which is a major plus. The issue is ensuring DEAP/SAP software doesn't rule this out and it seems it's very hard to find anyone who can install/service it. The distributor is a few minutes away but they may not have anyone qualified to service it! Oh, the joys!! 
    I've cleaned up the site and it's almost ready for action, once contracts are signed I'll take down the old side fence and gate and pull up the roots / dispose of the remaining soil by renting a digger & skip. Job done! 
    Main learnings:
    I am going to wake up at 4am throughout this process while I grapple with various decisions and problems but it's only for 18 months (hopefully!) Simplify things where you can - no underfloor heating loop pausing foundation pour and no integrated PV means the flow of trades is easier (doing standard PV instead) Research as much as you can but a lot of the stuff I've learnt has been by accident - I've had an hour session with my Architect (despite not using them for the build), a famous media personality for a general pep talk (Harrison Gardiner) and the heating engineer today. I've to check fire ratings for plasterboard on ceilings and exterior walls and probably take a read through ALL the building regs for good measure.  Have some fun! I might work 2 out of 3 nights on this but I definitely need to take time off or I'll burn out too fast. There are breaks here and there for builders holidays, waiting on windows etc I can use to prep for the next stages.  Anyway, the fun is hopefully just around the corner! 
  25. mike2016

    Driveway to Darkness - Part 2

    By mike2016,


    driveway
    I've been looking forward to getting to a point where I can park my car in my driveway again, and finishing my July Post with a part 2 here to mark a finish to my Driveway project finally! Took a bit longer than the two weeks I was hoping!! I just finished adding up the damage and it was @ €7.2k all in all. I think the length of time increased the costs as there were days where I couldn't get to use the compactor and I had to get it back a few times to progress the project on. Some notes observations below:
    The big Diesel Compactors are heavy duty brutes but also take a specialist skill to start. They are all draw cord and they pulled the arms off me for 25 minutes before I gave up. I was shown how to start it but had to return it to my embarrassment and downgrade!  Drainage took a lot longer than I imagined, plumbing in the drain channels was very difficult - I replaced both gully traps and one was encased in concrete by the original builder! Just getting the right couplings and things to fit took me a while to figure out.  SDS comes in different sizes, SDS Max chisel bit wouldn't fix my SDS drill so ended up buying an SDS Max drill off Screwfix!  I now own 3 angle grinders, started with none! A Screwfix one that won't let me change the grinder to anything else, then a 5" DeWalt, then a 9" Makita. I prefer the cut using this to the block cutter but the dust is gruesome!  Grab Hire worked out well, took away 2 x 20 ton loads to clear the site and was able to drop two loads of MoT 804 exactly where I needed them. All moved by hand / wheelbarrow at that stage, was very difficult to find anyone hiring a skid steer for one day.  Lots more sand and cement than I thought, all mixed with a wheelbarrow! Using a digger is scary when it starts tipping to the side due to doing something stupid!  Two injuries: #1 drilling concrete screw into wall for new side gate, it got stuck and the SDS drill spun violently out of my hand, 6 weeks sprained finger didn't help! #2 seagull poo'd above and dropped inside my goggles, put them on and got acid splash into my eye. Now store goggles between jobs closed to the sky!  Broadband issue is fixed - tree roots crushed the pipe on my neighbours property, stump was still there for years. I tried to find the pipe to create a new junction to my new house hear the boundary but only ended up finding the gas pipe by accident with the digger, just the tape over the pipe, where it shouldn't be - should be out on the road according to the gas map. Went to the other end near my old house and finger traced the pipe to a point near the new boundary and created a shore there. Thankfully after two years complaining a crew came recently out to remove said stump, run new draw cord and I'll have no issue getting broadband into my new house now, 1 less worry So I've to finish the very front and put up two more concrete posts and panels. I've to grout using Rompox jointing compound and see how long that takes. Hopefully it will keep the weeds away! But at least I can relax a little bit and use the driveway again. 
    Would I go it again?! Well, I learned valuable lessons, to pace myself, what I can do when I put my mind to it, very useful for my self build next year. My body is certainly feeling the pressure and I'm glad I'm in my 50's and not my 60's!! I overestimated how much work was involved but learnt a lot in the process, not just specifics but about groundworks and hiring plant and grab hire which was new to me. I did get a digger & driver for a day and could see how they made short work of things compared to my efforts so picking and choosing where to spend money best is a wise course of action!
    Full costings below if interested! I Kept all my receipts for idle curiosity! All inclusive of VAT. Best of luck to anyone out there thinking of doing same! My Driveway area is 75m2. 
     
    7265.52    Total
    1984.38    Tobermore Paving
    210    Paving Block Cutter (€400-sale afterwards)
    200    Recessed Manhole Covers
    32.69    Spade
    690.78    Sand, Easypost, Cement,Gravel
    100    Diesel Compactor - unable to start, returned!
    32.66    32mm plastic waste pipe as screen level
    300    Compactor Rental
    39.92    Donegal Quartz stone
    89.95    Dewalt Angle Grinder
    102.57    Sand/Cement/Gully
    44.95    More Gullys
    35.47    Lubricant / Sealant
    147.08    Donegal Quartz stone & gravel
    24.48    Plastering Sand
    76.65    Sewer Gullys
    11.32    Sewer Pipes
    19.56    Sewer Pipes
    19.19    Concrete Screws
    200    Hire Compactor
    500    Hire Digger
    19.58    Plastering Sand
    86.35    Manhole Cover
    292.15    Plant Rental
    69.65    Cement mix & misc
    45    post and line levels
    93    replacement wheel for wheelbarrow & cement
    17.7    side gate lock and hook
    5.99    petrol can
    284.55    rompox jointing compound
    12.45    tape
    257.31    sds max drill
    82.04    kpost
    7.15    coupler
    38.8    drain caps
    15.95    sds max drill
    37.25    bits and sockets
    38.95    draper cold chisel
    700    Grab Hire - removal of concrete/topsoil
    300    Delivery of MoT 804
     





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