ICF for sunken garden

[Alan]

Hi guys, we now have planning approval for our demolition/new build. We will be having an ICF basement with a sunken garden. 

Are there any reasons for not using the ICF for the sunken garden walls? Appreciate they might be a different type of block depending on the provider.

 

[scottishjohn]

which ICF system ?

poly type --then maybe  not --but this is just a feeling 

woodcrete -you going to get a good bond for the render on it   and easy to fix things to it  

 just my feelings nothing to back it up 

 could be talking rubbish 

[Alan]

Cheers John..........looking at Woodcrete.

We aim to do the ICF ourselves so my thoughts are to carry on with the walls outside so as to save on labour.

[scottishjohn]

render both sides?- ask the maker of your chosen system 

Edited October 7, 2020 by scottishjohn

[Ferdinand]

If you are happy that it meets both your structural and both ways drainage needs *, I can’t se why not.

 

F

 

* Does not make your soil behind the walls sodden, nor your sunken garden flood.

[Gus Potter]

What a good idea.

 

One thing that springs to mind is that you want to make sure you account for any drainage system, tanking or whatever so that any water penetrating the garden wall does not get into the house envelope.

 

I've been toying with experimenting on my own house with something that will just emit heat in the evening, all be it a tiny amount. I dawned on me that if you can get the sun into the sunken part for part of the day then you can use the wall that gets the sun as thermal storage, so at night you get a little heat on your back and it may help keep some frost at bay for any plants. But with ICF maybe you can cast the walls, then strip off the insulation on the inside from the wall that gets the sun, render this, or scabble, or render with a pigment. If you paint it a darker colour /pigment the render then it willl pick up more energy from the sun.

 

Is it much like the idea of a victorian walled garden? But here the heat escapes from both sides. But with ICF it's insulated from the cooler ground on the back side so all the stored energy comes out the right side. I don't know how hard it would be to strip the ICF from one side after installation? Or if it would just be a mess!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ferdinand]

Excellent idea.

 

Everybody building 4 sided Ha-Has.

 

Ha-has : the new walk on glazing.

 

(Not that I’m claiming any credit...)

Edited October 9, 2020 by Ferdinand

[scottishjohn]

9 hours ago, Gus Potter said:

What a good idea.

 

One thing that springs to mind is that you want to make sure you account for any drainage system, tanking or whatever so that any water penetrating the garden wall does not get into the house envelope.

 

I've been toying with experimenting on my own house with something that will just emit heat in the evening, all be it a tiny amount. I dawned on me that if you can get the sun into the sunken part for part of the day then you can use the wall that gets the sun as thermal storage, so at night you get a little heat on your back and it may help keep some frost at bay for any plants. But with ICF maybe you can cast the walls, then strip off the insulation on the inside from the wall that gets the sun, render this, or scabble, or render with a pigment. If you paint it a darker colour /pigment the render then it willl pick up more energy from the sun.

 

Is it much like the idea of a victorian walled garden? But here the heat escapes from both sides. But with ICF it's insulated from the cooler ground on the back side so all the stored energy comes out the right side. I don't know how hard it would be to strip the ICF from one side after installation? Or if it would just be a mess!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If that your idea then look at VELOX ICF -- that would be easiest to do that with