willbish

I found exactly the same so went for used steel staging. When the time comes to sell I think it'll be easier to offload steel rather than used timber

I wouldn't want a 45mm mortar bed on the low spots. I think you need to take the high spots down by grinding grooves and then chiseling out the excess. Are you using stater track for your first course? The track I used was about 30mm deep and I put shims inside the track to level to the mm.

If your house is stretched out and groundfloor only, maybe you would benefit from a hot return circuit to minimise wait times for hot water. Could be well controlled by Loxone eg only running the hot return circuit pump when activity in the house is detected.

Cheers Russ, yep could make it work like that

Land drain/ French drain

Simple question I'm sure. What's the correct/best method of connecting the flexible perforated land drain in to 110mm fittings? I'm using 60mm pipe but can't find a suitable adapter. I could use a 68mm downpipe adapter but the must be something better out there.

A living wall is on my wish list, i'd like one in the stairwell opposite the stairs. I think the idea is to chose plant species that match the environment rather than the other way around. My cousin is a florist and general botanical guru. She'll be deciding what's most suitable. I have considered making provision for an irrigation system if it becomes too much effort to water the highest plants... That might be on the list for after BC sign off.

Yep that's right. Pass my regards to Martin, very helpful chap

@Tony99 Yes you could open a couple of windows to create a draft running through the house to ventilate the incoming heat out. But what if no one is home when the sun pops out? Having to rely on windows open isnt ideal for security or noise or air quality. When a well insulated house is heated up, say over the course of a sunny day through solar gain, opening a few windows in the evening will increase the air flow but it could take many hours for the fabric of the building to cool to an acceptable level. Much better to design out over heating strategy whilst you still can.

The Kappa would fit under the window but it isnt 'super' slim. I don't want to build the rest of the wall out 80mm. The Pura model I was looking at is 80mm deep so almost fits in the 70mm EPS layer. Was thinking another layer of PB over the rest of the wall to build it out. If anyone knows of a super slim cistern for a wall hung toilet then Im interested.

Also means the toilet seat will cover the flush plate when open but I can live with that

@PeterW I'd like to use a Geberit frame but the toilet is situated under a window and there isnt enough vertical space to fit any of their models in. This Pura cistern will do the trick but means compromising with a back to wall pan rather than wall hung.

Thanks @JSHarris, I had some slight concerns about condensation on the cistern by moving it into the wall. I was interested in how much space I am going to need to comfortably get 2x90° bends between the concrete and first joist. 135mm should provide some wriggle room. What I should probably do is buy the pan and cistern now so that I can be sure before placing the first joist but I've very little space in my lock up at the moment.

I'm thinking of removing the inner EPS layer of my ICF to make space for a slim concealed cistern then using a back to the wall pan for a first floor bathroom. The joists run parallel to the wall Im hoping to get a waste pipe/ pan connector to do two 90° within the space between the concrete wall and the first joist. Position of first joist is flexible, so I am thinking 40mm from finished wall which is 135mm from concrete, is this sufficient? Ive had a look at S trap toilets but they all seem ugly/old fashioned.

These guys have some Kwikstage design software. I got a couple of drawings from them showing all the bits I needed. Ended up buying elsewhere cos they couldn't match the price.

I haven't been very vocal about the positive experience I had with my bat ecologist who did a great job and ensured the EPSL licence was granted with minimal hassle to the project. I value the work ecologists do to protect our dwindling wildlife. Welcome to the forum.

Hi @Conor Blocks showed up last Tues, have been making good progress since then, I've been surprised how much I can get done when I have a couple of free hours between shifts. But there is a lot lost time to catch up on! I appreciated the courtesy call from Logix management a couple of days after delivery to check everything was in order. Likewise with the site visit. I had muttered that management would not be welcome on site after the antics of the last 17 weeks but in truth I appreciated some expert eyes and tips. Some photos of the progress so far If you are considering using the thicker blocks than the standard I would look into the costings of using standard blocks and then adding additional EPS to the outside face, much like EWI. I think this could be quicker, as it is a awkward cutting blocks that are 431mm deep.

@recoveringacademic The following stages of the build will be much more organised due to the delay. There is a positive in every. That is about the only positive i can draw from this delay. @scottishjohn Ive been in touch with Citizens advice a while back and I think consumer protection is pretty poor even these kind of scenarios. I have only paid a deposit ~20%. As far as Im aware, there is no liability on the supplier for any consequential losses owing to a delay in delivering the goods. At any point the supplier can cancel the order, return the deposit and walk away without any penalty. In this instance I have been promised on several occasions that the product will be delivered in 4-6weeks time. From what I can see most other suppliers are also quoting 4-6 week lead time. So each time I was told it would be another month I thought it was still in my interest to keep my order instead of cancelling and going elsewhere. I would've liked to have walked away but there hasn't been an obvious point over the last 17 weeks when I thought that was the best option for securing ICF sooner.

@recoveringacademic your delivery record stands but I'm still getting closer to the 5 month mark with no delivery this week. The scheduled date of Weds 20th was abruptly cancelled on Tues afternoon. 'we have most of your product but the thicker panels aren't ready' Rescheduled for Fri 22nd.... On Thurs afternoon I check in to see if all is in order. 'Yes yes lorry will be with you between 2-4pm' Almost sounds promising doesn't it?! Friday afternoon comes and I receive a call. 'Sorry there's been a mix up, we haven't dispatched your product today. I ask the genuine question, do you enjoy lying to people or are you just incompetent? So it continues....

After getting totally wiped out in Aug 2017, I made a commitment to spend money on security each time I bought new tools. Just bought a couple new Makita bits and as my lock up is like fort knox I thinking to mark all my tools with SmartWater or SelectDNA Anyone have a preference on which system is superior? Both packs cost £50, SmartWater marking is guaranteed for 5 years but I'm doubtful it would last that long on tools that get a beating.

Thanks @vivienz Do you know what they scored on the EN12207 test?

Im getting bogged down in details again. The two windows on my (very) short-list are both tested as Class 3 Air tightness on the 4 class EN12207 scale. One of the windows is marketed as Passivhaus but not yet certified by the institute. Im wondering just how much difference will this make to my overall airtightness score. Aiming for <0.6ACH Has anyone out there with non certified windows achieved top marks on their airtightness test results?

No idea. Just hoping that new manufacturing location has high quality control standards. Have been told full order split over two deliveries, two weeks apart. First load will be a rigid lorry which I think should have a 14 pallet capacity My durisol quote from Nov 17 doesn't even mention a lead time. What was their excuse for taking so long? Or is 5 months a standard time for durisol?! Maybe it's from my line of work, but if I offer a customer 4-6week lead time I do my utmost to make it happen. And if I couldn't deliver within the stated timeframe I wouldn't accept the order without first highlighting the expected delays. Common decency? Or niave business practice

I thought it would be the benefit of the buildhub clan to let you know about my (ongoing) experiences with Logix ICF. I will keep the details of this post a statement of fact. Logix management is aware that I'm going to post. If they decide to respond on this forum please everyone watch out for BS! On 27th Nov I made my order with Logix, confirming with BACS deposit to tune of £4.5k. The stated lead time on the quotation is 4-6weeks. As Christmas fell just before the 4 week mark I expected delivery would be not be until new year. Fine with me, more time for mince pies and cheer. On the 28th Dec, I was informed by email due to 'reorganisation, moving of equipment etc' delivery would be delayed until beginning/middle of Feb. Oh well bang goes January, so I drag the family to Cape Verde for some winter sun. Fri 25th Jan I start hearing some worrying information through the buildhub grapevine that LogixUK are not in a good place financially. Administration is mentioned. Im immediately set into a mild state of panic and although I cannot reach the management by telephone I do receive an email reassuring me that my order is safe. Several days pass and I am able to get some information from the horse's mouth. -Logix manufacturing equipment has not been sold -Manufacturing equipment for Logix not currently operating. Not certain of the reason so I shall not speculate. -Manufacturing scheduled to restart week commencing 25th Feb It was established that there are many other people awaiting delivery of their Logix blocks but I was near the top of the queue. Discount was discussed but no figure agreed. I argued that discount should be arranged now for the current delay and then if there were to be any further delays we could revisit the discount and adjust. This was not accepted. So bang goes another month. This time I'm mad and I'm wondering if I'm being led along. But I try my best to execute some zen like patience! I also tweet the new Vice President for Marketing of Logix based in Canada and hear naff all. Andy Lennox 27/02 I visit Logix office unannounced and find everything closed and post piling up on the door mat. On the phone to management, I'm told manufacturing not yet started, but it is imminent and delivery to be expected early next week. Also told that the blocks will be made in Arundel in Sussex. An easy bit of detective work and I'm on the phone with Styropak who confirm they will manufacturing the blocks in their factory. They tell me that the first trial blocks have yet to come off the production line. I assume delivery will not be 'early next week' after all. I'm getting used to the lies now. The first week of March comes and goes. Unsurprisingly no ICF blocks arrive, but more irritating is no explanation or apology from management as to why the 'early next week' delivery did not materialise. I am informed through a Buildhub member that a Logix customer has been having issues with the quality of blocks received. I speak to this guy and he tells me that many blocks have the inner leaf shorter than the outer leaf. It has affected his build considerably. So much so that he is switching to Nudura to complete the rest of the build. 11/03 find out by calling Styropak that some manufacturing was started on 08/03. I've found the quality of information to be much more accurate when speaking to Styropak directly. I now have a delivery date scheduled for 20th March, I did push this back by two days to suit my own work commitments. The delivery will not include the bracing props, that is scheduled for 3rd April along with the first floor ICF. So there we have it. If all goes to plan I will have waited 18 weeks for enough ICF blocks to build a moderately sized semi-detached cottage. If other builders are currently deciding which ICF manufacturer to use I would recommend proceeding with caution. It's unlikely that anyone else would have to endure similar delays now that the manufacturing equipment is set up in Arandel. However the fact that management has allowed this to happen speaks volumes. Nudura for instance will import product from North America, delivery 4 weeks! I have contacted Logix head office in the States to make them aware of what is going on in the UK and twice been told that someone will call me back. I can only assume their customer service is just as effective as here in the UK.

Ebay price for the GSE mounts @PeterW Whats the IFRS system?