Tom

Thanks for your input both, apologies for my late response. Build is ICF and highly insulated, heat source: ASHP. 300mm EPS below warm slab, UFH pipes within this in the living area - polished slab as the final floor, pipes in screed over the top of the slab in the bedroom/snug etc areas - with mixture of tiles/carpet/wood floor finishes. I'll see if I can ease the congestion in the corridor - but I guess from your observations I could get away with uninsulated flow/returns as long as they are at 150mm centres - esp if temps are going to be low as ragg987 points out?

Great, many thanks for you reply. The pipe is 16mm by the look of it. I agree with your idea re the en suite, would make sense to have a floor probe here. The quote includes 12 actuators - so I guess they planned for the manifold for the main area to be without them (the actuators being for the other manifold) - I don't understand what a 2 port zone valve does, can you expand? Why would you recommend this for both manifolds? I could also run the loop for the spare beroom directly through the wall in to it, so reducing congestion in the hallway a little. Re this congestion, they suggest using insulation around the return pipes - is this necessary? What insulation should I consider?

Don't forget to think about how you are going to brace the ICF - we are using Nudura and it needs bracing against the floor with props which need to be bolted down. If this is in to your final floor finish (albeit before the final grinding perhaps) could mess things up a bit. We are having the slab as the final floor finish in the main living are of our build so have poured small strip footings within the walls to take the bracing. Obviously not an option if you are doing a raft.

Morning all - received the attached from WUNDA yesterday. Are there any obvious errors/improvements that you can see for this? I suggested to them that we could have the pipes for the main area on the right punching through the plant room wall beneath the fish tank (marked "6" on plan), but they seem to have put them through the wall in to the corridor. Also, the manifold for these pipes is in a different position to the other, which seems odd - but perhaps that's OK? I'm expecting to have the UVC etc on the left hand wall of the plant room - but haven't spent any sleepless nights worrying about this yet, perhaps I need to start. Anyway, would be very pleased to hear any feedback. Pipe spacing's are 150mm. Cheers all 05054 Tom PIPE LAYOUT - A1.pdf

It does, Gus, many thanks. And thanks Conor, Dave and Jonny. So, approx 6 hours to go until the next issue bubbles to the surface in my subconscious...

Hi all, latest one waking me at 4.30AM: do we fix our sliding door headers directly to the cantilever steels - or do we fix eg some ply to the steels then fix to this? Or possibly some thermal break material (armatherm or similar) to the steel instead of wood? Slider's are these: https://www.cortizo.com/en/sistemas/ver/93/cor-vision-plus-sliding.html Below is the detail from the architects, so looks like wood or similar between the header and steel, would be good to hear what the consensus is. door header detail.pdf

I'd say Internorm are more composite than merely "aluminium clad". There is lot of external material there until you actually get to the wooden element. We looked at Nordan and that really was just clad it seems - some very thin pieces of aluminium laid flat on the wood. The Internorm was very solid and seemed in a different league. A bit like calling all wood flooring "laminate", like lots of people do.

Taping the PIR means you can make holes all over it (as long as they dont pierce the foil on the reverse) and it will still function as a vcl, no need for anything behind it.

I'd swap bedroom 2 and the office - less chance of hearing your guests snore.

Wouldn't taping the joints of the PIR form a VCL in itself?

*insert quip about home automation and daylight robbery here. Thanks all. I'll see what they say, would want to make sure I put in whatever cabling I need so if I suddenly get an epiphany and want to switch on the toaster when I'm at the in-laws then I can.

Right, I'm going to see someone tomorrow local to me who specialises in home automation. Looks like they deal with Lutron products. I know NOTHING about home automation, and tbh am none the wiser really having read the posts in this forum. I can just about cope with a dimmer switch. I'm not sure really what I'm after but hoping I will be convinced of it's worth tomorrow. I guess I want to make sure I put in whatever cabling I need at this stage, to give me good options later. Does anyone have any views on Lutron products? Future proof? Are there any pertinent questions I should ask? Thanks all

I'm hoping 6 weeks. Once the floors are poured they are on to the Nudura walls. Which is supposedly their forte. Lol.

Builders back on site today. Putting in the rebar mesh ready for the pour of the floors. What a sh*t show. They started to stack it all up ignoring the flying ends etc, so in some areas there was a risk of the concrete cover being too thin - and even some rebar sticking out. Oh, and they managed to tear the DPM in about a dozen places - which I have just gone round repairing (resulting in me gashing my thumb quite deeply). That's of course not counting the DPM that was laid too low along one entire wall so it won't even reach the top of the slab. FFS. Not a good day! Need some positives here. Lasagne now, so there is that I guess...

Thanks both ?

Yep, gonna pay monthly rather than weekly - and withold the last until I'm - and whoever I bring in to do the roof - are satisfied.

I feel I shouldn't do anything while I'm still feeling so livid, Steamy. I'll see what the next few months bring, who knows they might actually hurry up and want to get it done and on to easier jobs - so might work out better in the end. I'm more than willing to give impartial, candid advice to anyone looking at doing a Nudura build in the south west any time soon!

So I need a water treatment system for our borehole water - which are much cheaper in the states. I can buy one through eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112506683908?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20201210111314%26meid%3D392f242fe5b34ae6a3fe24db85b5a1d5%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D112506667078%26itm%3D112506683908%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv9PairwiseWithPLXWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A112506683908392f242fe5b34ae6a3fe24db85b5a1d5|enc%3AAQAGAAACAK0l6ZcXn1Nff0PwyrujJdRi1WQkXspBwrA7EEu5GTTIGIOpNnFrIzj7j8v0hUj1hTlncb4lneImdJ3bq8XBX4zGfjOwMJfkgt9%2BpL9nE%2F94uyoyFQclTZmHxdY7K7usfBzn8DqVH9%2FrYdeVEbCkimUnVvqYoJko5X%2BbiTyuDj4DLWXW9dyjSc9ggDA%2FfyaF2EvkAJi7452WQL6OynDfhs3BbLBCuNm1Zt%2B9Kvtxhbun9a%2Ffa0CgEiQLMgwVD1KrCE6Tz3sWhJYdCsZNoVA%2BgzgCn%2FfakA%2FJuyxbQWyGQoo9AxrsQ0jUscddqdK8oSx8eSMyI%2Fn%2FHBpaeg1kFYATHzOa5DqIrc7c7Izr4zuFAQXyICMrQ7%2BOHbj8iD12cmDFb0siXo5%2B9KCH%2BuswefptkF5UHII3orhYciJy20EhdeVOMdkLSoc6l6TWFrFHycBwlwbSRHJn0w%2BBd8ip83OGi0Zgh%2BElSo1C%2BNsGqVyNWtVszBGw6ayafcj%2BkhmWD90egAFePPZHyRr6Mj1klVo%2FeYOPmbRSFzxzspXaHvpstGPygKrUs2D7mvtxuQiRsmPqa6SayrbSj4DiXur5Z8%2BikgWJ5Hr9%2BF6sZVTfNCsYiH%2BEqeVjLiw3Y3UmZ2ws6Se%2BhkiGxyM3el20GNq0WQNFBaNV7Ppr74aDnYC4UY4aoIx7|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2047675 But it says there are import charges of 200quid or so. Is any of this reclaimable?

Yep, bought our blocks from Tim - and our builder is one of the ones on his list. Same here! I'm going to pay them monthly, and withold the last month until it's all done to an acceptable standard.

Sure, but the thing is they haven't quoted - I'm paying by the hour: however difficult or long it takes I'm paying them come rain or shine! No risk to them, all the risk on me. So, update: no one turned up yesterday. Got a message to call one of them in the morning but got no answer. Finally a call from them this morning: "we're leaving your build, mate". He tried to throw all sorts of excuses at me but at the end of the day it's a complicated, difficult build - yes, taking more time (which I'm paying for) but it actually involves some brainpower. Easier to jump ship and build a box with 4 equal sides - which is what the've done. I called the more senior of the two, and after some negotiation they have agreed to come back and finish the nudura walls and the floors - but of course fit this in around the garage they are now building. Oh, and 10% on everything going forward (only concrete really) - but they want this backdated to cover the stuff I bought before too (1.5k approx). We have no option really. We need it done. We can't wait for another Nudura specialist to become available (yes, it's a one day course I know, but that doesn't mean you can actually build a house after watching a few PowerPoint presentations). This level of unprofessionalism I find staggering, but I guess not paricularly unheard of. I will not be leaving a good review on Tripadvisor.

Might think along these lines, though any fixed price is definitely going to be at a premium, especially if they feel they have some room to make up if they have not made enough up until now. Could suggest paying the 10% at the end - then this puts me in a good position come snagging etc

Hmmm, some days do seem like very light days - but that's the nature of a build I guess, things seem to go in fits and starts. Or perhaps it's just mine... It's charged on the hours used. It's been on site for several months give and take. Use it regularly to shift things around, been used a lot last few weeks to shift lots of soil etc. Otherwise seems quite useful to have it there I guess

Thanks all. Interesting to hear the mix of views. I pay the two main guys 25/hr each, then their labourer 15/hr (he makes glaciers seem like theyr're moving fast), and another younger chap who is actually very capable at 13/hr. Compared to all that the 10% they want to charge on materials seems quite minor! Thanks James, I might take you up on that. I'm paying by the hour so any handling is on me anyway. I agree if it was a fixed price the cost of the plant would have been included, as I'm paying them per hour then I guess paying for the manitou by the hour is reasonable. Yep, which is why if I'm paying them by the hour any extra handling (which there isn't) would be paid by me anyway I would definitely be tempted to do this, but we are now getting to the bit of the build when the walls should go up quickly and I need their experience with working with Nudura. At te end of the day, this extra 10% might cost me an additional 5-10k or something. Not a massive amount in the grand scheme of things.

The other thing they handed me a bill for was for the hire of their manitou. They are charging me this at £30/hr + diesel. So far 38hrs. Does this seem reasonable?

Yep, I think you're right It's their own fault TBH. Typical builder thing of just picking the phone up and ordering from TP - and why not, it's not them that's paying at the end of the day! Their mesh rebar price 117/sheet, I found online within about a minute searching for 103... The only other big ticket things will be the concrete for the floors and nudura walls, timber for the roof, insulation for the roof and corrugated sheet for the covering. ...assuming they aren't expecting 10% on the MVHR, UFH, ASHP etc etc!