Insulated Raft Foundations - Supplier List

[Lexifir]

Hi all.

 

I'm trying to do some research on suppliers of an insulated raft foundations for a passive house. I then thought this might prove useful to others and I could also ask the community which ones they have used and would recommend... 

I've yet to ask all of these to provide quotes, and have no prior experience with this kind of project - if anyone HAS used any of these companies, or one that isn't on the list, please could you either DM me if it's to stay away from them (and you don't want to make it public) or post up an experience below.

 

 

 

Below is a randomly ordered list of suppliers and fitters of raft insulated slab foundations...

 

 

KORE: https://www.kore-system.com/

CASTLE FORMS: https://www.castleforms.com/

GREEN RAFT: https://www.greenraft.co.uk/

MBC TIMBER FRAME: https://www.mbctimberframe.co.uk/

VIKING HOUSE: http://www.viking-house.ie/ (Ireland - but I'm close enough for this to be in with a chance)

ISOQUICK: https://www.isoquick.co.uk/

ICF BUILDING SOLUTIONS: https://www.icfbuildingsolutions.co.uk/

PASSIVE SLAB: https://passiveslab.ie/ (Ireland - but same reasoning as the other above)

JACKON: https://www.jackon.co.uk/

THERMOHOUSE: https://thermohouse.co.uk/

ECONEKT: https://econekt.co.uk/

ASPECT NUBUILD: https://www.aspectnubuild.com/

 

 

 

Could the community also provide any additional companies that they would recommend for providing and assembling the insulated slab / raft foundation. I'm looking for the actual supply AND fitting for insurance reasons - plus time - I'm not sure I could do this solo!

 

Thanks all!!

Edited August 7, 2023 by Lexifir
Missed a company from the list

[Dunc]

Useful list, thank you.

I came across AFT: https://www.advancedfoundationtechnologylimited.co.uk/

[no experience, just found the website].

 

[IanR]

1 hour ago, Dunc said:

I came across AFT: https://www.advancedfoundationtechnologylimited.co.uk/

 

I have an AFT raft, and can thoroughly recommend them. Engineered and supplied via Springvale, UFH Design and Supply included. They'll help with the Install if you wish to self-build or support your groundworks contractor.

 

There's more on that list than when I was researching, which is good to see. I found a number of companies were over-Engineering their rafts though, and specifying much thicker rafts than were required.

 

Here's mine

 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by IanR

[Barny]

Has anyone come across one that can be used with piles? I am liasing with Abbey Pynford re their passive home safe foundations at the moment (having not been able to use MBC as we need piling due to soil and trees). Would like someone who can engineer, supply and fit. 
 

thanks

[Alexphd1]

What's a m2 of eps300, 100mm thick going in today's market?

[saveasteading]

11 minutes ago, Barny said:

like someone who can engineer, supply and fit.

 

Before I came on BH I didn't know there were such things as raft kits.

 

As in a previous discussion, there are different interpretations of what a raft is.

 

Thus I don't know these systems as listed above, and any adverse thoughts may be misplaced.

 

What you are looking for is a structural slab that can span over and between piles. From what I see in a couple of the links above, these kits won't do that, even if over-engineered through standardisation.

 

Your slab will be thicker and have a lot more reinforcement.

 

 

I can see that the package is attractive in reducing unknowns, and the number of suppliers and procedures.

 

I will therefore not get involved any more unless none of the kit companies want to  make it work.

 

 

If that transpires then don't panic, there are standard , non-kit, solutions.

 

One is that a Structural Engineer will make this work, as a slab on piles, designed to work together. , then you insulate on top  and screed.

Another is to use a specialist company (ask abbey pynford for one) that will span beams between their piles, then you can fit beam and block flooring, insulation and screed.

 

 

 

 

[IanR]

59 minutes ago, Barny said:

Has anyone come across one that can be used with piles? I am liasing with Abbey Pynford re their passive home safe foundations at the moment (having not been able to use MBC as we need piling due to soil and trees). Would like someone who can engineer, supply and fit. 
 

thanks

 

Yep, AFT do a version of their "MonoBeam" Raft that can be supported on Piles

 

https://www.advancedfoundationtechnologylimited.co.uk/our-products/ecoraft-monobeam/

 

You'd need to check about Install, I'm not sure they'd do the Piling, but would have thought any piling company could do that. They will do the Install of the Raft, but the way they'd do it is with one guy coming to your site and you providing two labourers to work with him.

 

Edited to add:

 

And their "Type L" Raft will go on piles. If you plan a timber-framed structure, I'd probably go with this, It's a simpler solution and is close in performance to their Passive Raft, which I have. 

https://www.advancedfoundationtechnologylimited.co.uk/our-products/timber-steel-icf-framed-building-foundation/

Edited August 7, 2023 by IanR

[IanR]

30 minutes ago, Alexphd1 said:

What's a m2 of eps300, 100mm thick going in today's market?

 

~ £40/m², but you don't need much EPS300 - just under the beams.

[Alexphd1]

Cheers Ian, it's took a big jump since we diy our raft slab. Starting to research for next build. Looks like going to have to save the pennies!

Edited August 7, 2023 by Alexphd1

[Lee33]

4 hours ago, IanR said:

 

I have an AFT raft, and can thoroughly recommend them. Engineered and supplied via Springvale, UFH Design and Supply included. They'll help with the Install if you wish to self-build or support your groundworks contractor.

 

There's more on that list than when I was researching, which is good to see. I found a number of companies were over-Engineering their rafts though, and specifying much thicker rafts than were required.

 

Here's mine

 

 

I’m curious, when they installed your UFH, did they separate the rooms into different zones, or is the whole slab being treated as one single zone?

[eandg]

I've had some dealings with Econekt and went to see a site they were on and the slab looked very good. Liked their package as they could do the whole thermal envelope if you were going ICF. 

[IanR]

1 hour ago, Lee33 said:

I’m curious, when they installed your UFH, did they separate the rooms into different zones, or is the whole slab being treated as one single zone?

 

I've split my area up into Zones. I can get quite a lot of solar gain in certain areas, so zones are good for me, allowing those rooms benefitting for the solar gain to not be heated by the UFH.

[Dave Jones]

12 hours ago, Barny said:

Has anyone come across one that can be used with piles? I am liasing with Abbey Pynford re their passive home safe foundations at the moment (having not been able to use MBC as we need piling due to soil and trees). Would like someone who can engineer, supply and fit. 
 

thanks

 

ringbeam would be a lot cheaper as you are piling ?

 

[Dave Jones]

8 hours ago, IanR said:

 

I've split my area up into Zones. I can get quite a lot of solar gain in certain areas, so zones are good for me, allowing those rooms benefitting for the solar gain to not be heated by the UFH.

 

bad  practice though, reduces efficiency when you need it most. Your solar rooms would increase the efficiency if it was all one loop surely ?

[Thorfun]

our SE specified a Kore system. i gave it to our ground worker who decided to just buy EPS300/EPS200 as specified and make it up on site. was a bit more mess and waste but was cheaper.

 

in this blog post you can see they built shuttering and then cut and laid the EPS to match the SE drawings

 

 

maybe another option if you have confidence in your ground worker?

[IanR]

1 hour ago, Dave Jones said:

 

bad  practice though, reduces efficiency when you need it most. Your solar rooms would increase the efficiency if it was all one loop surely ?

 

Not bad practice at all, when done for good reasons. If all was one zone, the rooms with solar gain would either overheat, or switch off the heating before those rooms without solar gain were at target temp.

[Wuey]

Hi Lexifir

We have recently used Jackon (now known as Bewi) for our raft foundations and wall blocks.

I can also share info on a build contractor if you get to a short list stage but would prefer to do that as a DM.

 

[MR10]

8 hours ago, JB1981 said:

Build-Lite (UK) Ltd. also manufacture a good insulated raft foundation system. It's BBA and NHBC accepts certified too.

Here is a link to their website:

 

Do you have personal experience with this system you would like to share or is this a plug?

 

ED. It looks like it was a Plug - web link removed.