Mr Punter Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Home page of the Durisol website: "Unlike other ICF wall form units, there is no need prop the walls during construction as the weight of the blocks holds them in place." Hmm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 15 minutes ago, JSHarris said: I'm guessing here, but if the contractor was unfamiliar with the product and was relying on information from you, Durisol or your architect, then it may well be that the contractor isn't wholly at fault. It will come down to what could be reasonably expected in the circumstances. @recoveringacademic If your architect produced a written specification for the building then its highly likely that the key requirements for the Durisol would be in that. Most architects use the NBS system which is very good for making sure that kind of issue is covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Construction Channel Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 1 hour ago, recoveringacademic said: I will be interested to see what he has to say for himself when he gets here. Ideas on how I should approach this one will be gratefully considered. Sorry i didnt offer my condolences earlier, I know almost exactly how you feel, remember my gable end as others have said you really have to concerntrate on how much worse it could have been, Fatally worse!! and at least it wasnt the piggery as for talking to the builder, i would strongly advise against going in guns a blazing, He wont be any happier about this than you are, what you both need to work out first is how you can get back on schedule ASAP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesP Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) Hi Ian Sorry to hear the news. You have great advice here. It will be rectified and you will move forward once again with the build. In situations like this I think it could have been worse, no one injured. Monday, my Dad and I put up a 400kg steel, 10.5m in length, 5m up on a couple of Genies. Felt a bit sick the whole day seeing it sway in the wind and one of the posts was 40cm to short!!! It was replaced yesterday. Drama....Blocks underneath left hand post. Kind regards James. Edited July 19, 2017 by JamesP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 36 minutes ago, JSHarris said: [...] I'm guessing here, but if the contractor was unfamiliar with the product and was relying on information from you, Durisol or your architect, then it may well be that the contractor isn't wholly at fault. It will come down to what could be reasonably expected in the circumstances. We, all of us, contractor, me , the architect went away on the Durisol course at their depot in deepest Yorkshire. And Durisol sent their rep to us on the first day of our build. He trained the lads on site for half a day, and at the end of the morning session, left. In other words, the contractors had had a day and a half's training. Attended by me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Thanks @JamesP. We have no intention of shooting anything. We need to focus on solving the problem, not making it worse. This issue would have been sorted out by simply pouring when it was built. It really is that easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 18 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: We, all of us, contractor, me , the architect went away on the Durisol course at their depot in deepest Yorkshire. And Durisol sent their rep to us on the first day of our build. He trained the lads on site for half a day, and at the end of the morning session, left. In other words, the contractors had had a day and a half's training. Attended by me too. So it comes down to whether or not Durisol insist on either bracing unfilled walls, or filling up walls as they go up, in stages. If they do (and you will know this, having had the same training) and the contractor decided he didn't need to follow those instructions, then there has to be some liability there, I'd have thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 I would say it's going to end up you take the hit on materials and the builder on the added time that it will take to get it back to where it was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stones Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Sorry to hear what's happened Ian. A very painful experience for you. Hope it all goes well sorting out with your builder. 55 minutes ago, Mr Punter said: Home page of the Durisol website: "Unlike other ICF wall form units, there is no need prop the walls during construction as the weight of the blocks holds them in place." Hmm Certainly the one thing that was very evident in our build was the amount of bracing used, fitted as soon as the blocks went up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Spot on @Stones. @Declan52, that's what I think will be a sensible resolution. Given a pour straight away after the build, or maybe two during it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 In terms of the fright... I wonder how long its going to take us to ignore a windy day. It was horrible, sickening at 0200 to listen to the blocks coming off sometimes in groups,sometimes one at a time, and bounce off the scaffolding. I'm not the big roughy toughy I used to be Deb reminds me. I have made some indelible reference points on key bits of the building and either laser measured the distance between them or used the laser plumb line to connect two vertically inline points - so I can check for slow movement. Looking at those readings for a few days should, I hope, build our confidence about the building stability. I have, by accident, acquired an optical theodolite, and a mate has given me a proper tripod. I'll find out how to use it and create some reference levels: two of our main GPS station nails are right outside the house a few meters away and within easy sight of the building corners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 1 hour ago, Construction Channel said: [...] I know almost exactly how you feel, remember my gable end [...] I'd missed that for some reason. Well when we meet for a pint we'll have something to talk about eh? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Holy Sh!t.....just reading this! Glad you & yours are OK and still here. Fair play to you for posting up in all the gory detail. From this others will learn, Just sorry you had to be the teacher! I'd love to say I'll pop round and help clear up but it's a bit of a trek! Just remember that hard hat if working under what's left in case it's unstable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 22 minutes ago, Onoff said: Holy Sh!t.....just reading this! [...] Just remember that hard hat if working under what's left in case it's unstable. Stability was our first concern with the architect this morning. The most anything has moved is half a mil. Every morning first thing I have a schedule of (4) measurements to take and plumb lines to check. That should calm me down and develop a little more confidence. I'll sleep a good deal better tonight than last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 53 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: I'll sleep a good deal better tonight than last. I bet you'll collapse into bed... (Too soon? ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Can you not steady the walls up as you go. If it gets windy when you are building block then an easy way to steady the wall is use trestles and a plank or two to rest on top of the wall with something heavy on the plank to keep the wall from swaying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryE Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Ian, I am not sure what to say other than to give you both our thoughts and sympathy -- that's from both Jan and me. 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing, but you really can't beat yourself up over shit that's happened that you didn't expect. It's bad enough that you have to mitigate and remediate what has happened with the time and cost implications --- without the double hurt of letting the stress and self blame get to you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 16 minutes ago, TerryE said: [...] but you really can't beat yourself up over shit that's happened that you didn't expect. [...] Thanks for the good wishes Terry and Jan. We're startinging to move into the '...nothing to see, move along .... ' phase now. I'll have all of the rubble processed by the end of today. Post the before and after pics later. Nearly Friday..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Sorry to hear about your problems. There's always one thing that goes wrong in a big way, with me it was the foundations, let's just hope everything goes smoothly from now on. You'll be amazed at how these disasters fade into the past as the build progresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 21, 2017 Author Share Posted July 21, 2017 From that to this and after separating the foam blocks from their wooden 'jackets' then kissing them with the digger, this.... a really nice, soft, bouncy, free draining top cover for the MOT1. It'll break down even more over time. And come into its own over the winter - maybe not so many muddy boots. Better and much cheaper than skipping it. Meeting the Durisol MD and rep on Tuesday of next week. Contractor tomorrow. With luck and a good deal of energy, we might just get back on schedule with the least damage possible. Now all I have to do is make it happen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 It will be fine @recoveringacademic..! Onwards and upwards..! I was on site at 8pm last night loading up for the brickie and back at 7:30 this morning ... and made a snap design change as a dawning realization (and sunny morning) meant that the choice of fascia was wrong.... and it goes up next week ..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 21, 2017 Author Share Posted July 21, 2017 4 minutes ago, PeterW said: [...] at 7:30 this morning ... and made a snap design change as a dawning realization (and sunny morning) meant that the choice of fascia was wrong.... and it goes up next week ..! There's loads of those '.... Oh FGS why didn't we think of that(s)...' aren't there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 8 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: There's loads of those '.... Oh FGS why didn't we think of that(s)...' aren't there. Yep .... and it's the detail that is hard ..!! Only when we had bricks, tiles and the sample of fascia together we went .... errrr..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 On 19/07/2017 at 17:29, Mr Punter said: Home page of the Durisol website: "Unlike other ICF wall form units, there is no need prop the walls during construction as the weight of the blocks holds them in place." Hmm So sorry to hear of your chrisis, our up stairs westerly block wall blew down two nights in a row during the build, second time bending my tower scaffold propping it. Builders just cleared it up and did it again ( and again) the last time propping with shed loads of timber supports. I promised myself that I would not get stressed during my build as this has caused me health problems in the past and so far I have been able to say " shit happens" and move on ?. The above statement is ( in my opinion) flawed but must be tempered with common sense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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