Live self-Builds - mod warning in post no. 1

New build in sight

We have asked, and the answer we get is "your groudnworks man is either too lazy or too particular" so hence why i am on here to see what you all think he is

Fracking Cylon

I would have thought that all the pipes coming up will be behind units anyway, so it won't be seen. I wouldn't fancy having extra joints where they aren't necessary.

New build in sight

Fracking Cylon wrote: »

I would have thought that all the pipes coming up will be behind units anyway, so it won't be seen. I wouldn't fancy having extra joints where they aren't necessary.

Hi, yes all pipework will be hidden, i.e. the vac pan is in the island and in walls etc and the plumbing will be obviously hidden too, but they are today going to cut all the pipework and have it floor level so they can pour the screed and ensure a level floor. But i was curious as i really dont feel comfirtable with them cutting the pipes and then using joints to attach pipework afterwards. I'm just wondering as when we got our central vacuum installed the guy has been doing these for 20+ years and he said in all those years he has only ever been asked twice to cut the pipes to floor level while the screed is going down.

Interesting to hear other peoples points of view on this.... although for me, it may be too late....

Quazzie

New build in sight wrote: »

Hi, yes all pipework will be hidden, i.e. the vac pan is in the island and in walls etc and the plumbing will be obviously hidden too, but they are today going to cut all the pipework and have it floor level so they can pour the screed and ensure a level floor. But i was curious as i really dont feel comfirtable with them cutting the pipes and then using joints to attach pipework afterwards. I'm just wondering as when we got our central vacuum installed the guy has been doing these for 20+ years and he said in all those years he has only ever been asked twice to cut the pipes to floor level while the screed is going down.

Interesting to hear other peoples points of view on this.... although for me, it may be too late....

Joints are the number one cause of leaks in pipework. Why have all them additional joints when they aren't necessary.

New build in sight

My point exactly!

Well i've just been at the site and they are all cut, but they have been tryin to convince me that it is a better finish when everything is floor level when pouring the screed, i just cant understand why they cant work around the pipes.

Poor Uncle Tom

New build in sight wrote: »

My point exactly!

Well i've just been at the site and they are all cut, but they have been tryin to convince me that it is a better finish when everything is floor level when pouring the screed, i just cant understand why they cant work around the pipes.

Just seeing this now,

Extremely lazy. I would be keeping a retention on that fellas fee for interfering with other trades work. What if your plumber comes back and refuses to stand over any of that pipework as it has been interfered with by some cowboy?

If he has cut pipework level with the floor you will have joints below finished floor level, that's a big no-no. Incidentally, who gave him the go ahead to cut the pipework?

New build in sight

He did talk us into it so we agreed, I must admit the floor is perfect. The plumber we have was already familiar with this way of working so he was fine about it, it was the vacuum system person that made me panic when he said he had never heard of doing things this way.

He wrapped all the pipework up and insulated it and its well covered, I went up to check it. The screed is now poured so no turning back now and it is 100% perfect. Looks great. Hopefully worth my panic. I will let you all know how i get on with the plumber and vacuum system afterwards.....

Dont want to hijack this thread any further and its too late for changing my mind Thank you to all who offered their opinions.

New build in sight

Start build July 7th

We are now at just under cill's on some windows. Our builder is amazingly fast.

Turns out the pipes buried were just fine. They are still protected with insulation and tape so they are not exposed during the remainder of the build.

The floor is 100% level.

Build going smooth with no major dilemas just yet......

about2build

Windows fitted today and ordered the front door from joinery...roof nearly felted and plastering the external walls on top before false ceiling goes in... Rain hampering things but chaser in tomorrow so progressing none the less

Villain

Villain wrote: »

Well my self build is underway, well the entrance has been opened after the solictor dotted the I's and crossed the T's. Trying to get it fenced off and order some 2" stone for start of driveway at the moment.

I got my quote for my block work, remember my house is 2500 sqft, the cost of Labour for all external walls and internal walls on the ground floor is €5400!!! I'm still surprised at how low that is, and before anyone asks this guy is a very good with over 20 years experience. He also quoted €1,900 for the garage which 1000 sqft with 4" solid cavity.

My window and door quotes are around 13-17 for timber double glazed including my large 5m*2.5m window and all doors.

That was my post here on the 14-11-2007 and yesterday I ordered my windows!

I put things on hold as the economy crashed and now I am moving ahead to finish it. The roof is complete and the external plaster also complete, I have been painting the outside before the scaffolding comes down!

We made changes as we slowly crawled ahead including some changes to the back roof and vaulted ceiling which I think have been a major improvment. We also have learned a lot from other builds we saw over the years. The biggest eye opener was living in a very old house for the past few years without any central heating, the temp of our new home will be set at about 15c, once you get used to it it's plenty and I now find most homes I vist far too warm at about 20c or even higher.

When I installed my first weather station I tracked the internal temp along with the heating schedule, having a standard combi oil burner with rads throughout the house come on for 1 hour during the night only increased the temp by 1c!! So we are going to insulate as much as possible and thankfully the house was designed with a large kitchen/living/dining where we will be 90% of the time and that area will have a stove.

We went with the latest Munster Joinery (future proof as they call it) windows with a U Value of 1.1, I had hoped for some aluclad or timber but sadly the budget is now really really tight. I'll get some photos up soon.

New build in sight

Start build July 7th

Garage started last week, foundations poured. Garage is 84sqm so it is large.

It will remain like this until blockwork finished o house. Garage floor will be finished once blocklayer is finished house and they are working on upstairs slab.

Blocklayer did 3 days last week and 3 days the week before. He wasnt there yesterday and has restarted again today. Internal walls are expected to be finished today and scafold in.

Window sills and stonework was picked at the weekend (we think) Going with limestone mix with chiselled granite sills.

We have approx 18 windows as it is a half dormer half storey and a half.

In my opinion all going smoothly just wish weather would give us a break. Poor blocklayer!

We are going with pumped cavity after a long deliberation by the way. (Too late now to change our minds) 120mm pumped.

Thats it for now.

germack3

just do it wrote: »

Congrats on work done thus far. Regarding your query, why not ask your architect, engineer and builder who will be taking over after the groundworks man is done?

I have experience with locating leaks under the ground and I feel that if you can avoid putting any pipe work under the floor do, leaks come in pipes at joints and also along the pipe work itself. If you are putting them under ground take pictures and locations especially the connectors and T.

Villain

Ever seen a house painted without windows? you have now:



The Kitchen/Living/Dining area:



View from the Back:

AntrimGlens

okay so we broke ground on the 16th of June and have just completed ground floor today with about two dry days in a row since we started. Things went well until we started digging out for the footings and hit a seam of pure blue clay and peat, so in places we were ten feet deep before we hit hard ground. So thirty loads of 35N concrete, plenty of 393 rebar managed to give us a hard footing to build off. This was a considerable wack more than i had budgeted for, but i'm more than happy to overdo it rather than skimp where its important. Footing walls started to go up quickly and took them a fortnight to get to slab level at ground floor. Slabs duly arrived and unfortunately were laid a bit too quickly and i had to leave site that afternoon so couldnt supervise them, they had overshot some of the inner leaf and i had to get them back on a sunday to cut the overshot edges as i only had a 6"stihl saw and needed a 9" blade. Thankfully we have a quarry on the farm which has been very beneficial as we drew stones for a solid week with two tractors and dump trailers which saved me a few thousand in stone costs for filling up the front of the house and making a yard around the house and filling in between the rising walls.
Theres a couple of curved walls in the hall which are looking great now i can see them at full height and the steel fixer is just off site this evening after measuring up for steelwork and floor slabs should be arriving next week.
3100sq ft with 150mm cavity and a 6" inner leaf which i'm building with 9x6's which didn't please the builder too much but thats what he priced for - i had intended going with full fill xtratherm but have now opted for pumped insulation. Waiting on the final price back from the joiner for the roof and am hoping to meet with a precast company next week to finalise design on the curved concrete stairs. Theres abit of a problem in that the company are i cavan and i'm in antrim so have no knowledge of his work apart from a couple of references he gave me which i hope to visit in the next week or so - I was wondering if anyone had experience of using Brian Formwork or heard anything about them, if so PMs would be very welcome before i commit to a decision.

just do it

Antrimglens.
Good luck with the build and it looks like a fantastic site you're got there. Having stone on the farm is a big bonus. I'm a few hundred miles from you so unfortunately I can't help you with references for tradesmen.

AntrimGlens

AntrimGlens wrote: »

okay so we broke ground on the 16th of June and have just completed ground floor today with about two dry days in a row since we started. Things went well until we started digging out for the footings and hit a seam of pure blue clay and peat, so in places we were ten feet deep before we hit hard ground. So thirty loads of 35N concrete, plenty of 393 rebar managed to give us a hard footing to build off. This was a considerable wack more than i had budgeted for, but i'm more than happy to overdo it rather than skimp where its important. Footing walls started to go up quickly and took them a fortnight to get to slab level at ground floor. Slabs duly arrived and unfortunately were laid a bit too quickly and i had to leave site that afternoon so couldnt supervise them, they had overshot some of the inner leaf and i had to get them back on a sunday to cut the overshot edges as i only had a 6"stihl saw and needed a 9" blade. Thankfully we have a quarry on the farm which has been very beneficial as we drew stones for a solid week with two tractors and dump trailers which saved me a few thousand in stone costs for filling up the front of the house and making a yard around the house and filling in between the rising walls.
Theres a couple of curved walls in the hall which are looking great now i can see them at full height and the steel fixer is just off site this evening after measuring up for steelwork and floor slabs should be arriving next week.
3100sq ft with 150mm cavity and a 6" inner leaf which i'm building with 9x6's which didn't please the builder too much but thats what he priced for - i had intended going with full fill xtratherm but have now opted for pumped insulation. Waiting on the final price back from the joiner for the roof and am hoping to meet with a precast company next week to finalise design on the curved concrete stairs. Theres abit of a problem in that the company are i cavan and i'm in antrim so have no knowledge of his work apart from a couple of references he gave me which i hope to visit in the next week or so - I was wondering if anyone had experience of using Brian Formwork or heard anything about them, if so PMs would be very welcome before i commit to a decision.

Lovely view, is that the sea in the distance ? Was it not possible to do a slab foundation and save on some of that work ?

keyser2012

Villain wrote: »

Ever seen a house painted without windows? you have now:



The Kitchen/Living/Dining area:



View from the Back:

How much do you think youve spent on materials to get to this stage

Villain

Materials and labour about 80k and budget allows another 70k to finish, but not all rooms will be furnished etc. The build started in 2007 so to wall plate was based on 2007 prices, roof was done last year and plastering done a year ago.

The spec is pretty high to date with all imported C24 timber etc, but sadly things like HRV etc are now having to be left due to budget.

beyondpassive

AntrimGlens wrote: »

3100sq ft with 150mm cavity and a 6" inner leaf which i'm building with 9x6's which didn't please the builder too much but thats what he priced for - i had intended going with full fill xtratherm but have now opted for pumped insulation. .

How have you thermally broken the inner walls and groundfloor slab?

New build in sight

Started build on July 7th

We were held up by a week or so due to a delay with a busy plumber. It wasn't really a problem at all and floors upstairs will be poured tomorrow.

Prep work for shuttering etc went on all day today.

The changes in the layout upstrairs was a daunting task and laying out the radiators upstairs was actually quite scary especially since we changed from the plans!

We should be at wall plate in no time.....

muffler

Can we keep this thread for posts in relation to ongoing works only and not clutter it with queries regarding issues arising before works commence.

about2build

Plastering outside started on tuesday after a delay....scratch done and bands around windows being prepared for...waiting on plastering inside as well so he has a lot of work on:D

ShiverinEskimo

Sure since I'm bored and wide awake early on a Sunday:

This is the house and sheds we're knocking:



This is the work so far (fúck all because we're waiting on the ESB to disconnect house):



This is what will go in its place:

ShiverinEskimo

ESB out yesterday evening. House levelled this morning. Builder was like a surgeon with the himac.



Really feels like we're getting somewhere now.

heavydawson

AntrimGlens wrote: »

okay so we broke ground on the 16th of June and have just completed ground floor today with about two dry days in a row since we started. Things went well until we started digging out for the footings and hit a seam of pure blue clay and peat, so in places we were ten feet deep before we hit hard ground. So thirty loads of 35N concrete, plenty of 393 rebar managed to give us a hard footing to build off. This was a considerable wack more than i had budgeted for, but i'm more than happy to overdo it rather than skimp where its important. Footing walls started to go up quickly and took them a fortnight to get to slab level at ground floor. Slabs duly arrived and unfortunately were laid a bit too quickly and i had to leave site that afternoon so couldnt supervise them, they had overshot some of the inner leaf and i had to get them back on a sunday to cut the overshot edges as i only had a 6"stihl saw and needed a 9" blade. Thankfully we have a quarry on the farm which has been very beneficial as we drew stones for a solid week with two tractors and dump trailers which saved me a few thousand in stone costs for filling up the front of the house and making a yard around the house and filling in between the rising walls.
Theres a couple of curved walls in the hall which are looking great now i can see them at full height and the steel fixer is just off site this evening after measuring up for steelwork and floor slabs should be arriving next week.
3100sq ft with 150mm cavity and a 6" inner leaf which i'm building with 9x6's which didn't please the builder too much but thats what he priced for - i had intended going with full fill xtratherm but have now opted for pumped insulation. Waiting on the final price back from the joiner for the roof and am hoping to meet with a precast company next week to finalise design on the curved concrete stairs. Theres abit of a problem in that the company are i cavan and i'm in antrim so have no knowledge of his work apart from a couple of references he gave me which i hope to visit in the next week or so - I was wondering if anyone had experience of using Brian Formwork or heard anything about them, if so PMs would be very welcome before i commit to a decision.

Why did you switch from the full xtratherm to the pumped beads? I'm considering the full cavitytherm product (6" cavity with 6" CT).

Villain

Beam Ventilation ducting went in yesterday, opted for PIV rather than HRV, budget didn't allow for HRV.

Suspended wooden floors about 50% of joists complete and first fix plumbing upstairs is underway.

AntrimGlens

heavydawson wrote: »

Why did you switch from the full xtratherm to the pumped beads? I'm considering the full cavitytherm product (6" cavity with 6" CT).

came down to budget in the end also with the weather we had during the summer didnt know how it would stand to getting a soaking every day, prob would have been ok

AntrimGlens

beyondpassive wrote: »

How have you thermally broken the inner walls and groundfloor slab?

3 rows of insulated blocks below dpc hopefully has done the trick. getting a builder in the north to fully comprehend anything near to a passive build is a bit of a challenge i must admit. I think it will take quite a change in building regs here before many builders come to change their mindset.

M three

AntrimGlens wrote: »

okay so we broke ground on the 16th of June and have just completed ground floor today with about two dry days in a row since we started. Things went well until we started digging out for the footings and hit a seam of pure blue clay and peat, so in places we were ten feet deep before we hit hard ground. So thirty loads of 35N concrete, plenty of 393 rebar managed to give us a hard footing to build off. This was a considerable wack more than i had budgeted for, but i'm more than happy to overdo it rather than skimp where its important. Footing walls started to go up quickly and took them a fortnight to get to slab level at ground floor. Slabs duly arrived and unfortunately were laid a bit too quickly and i had to leave site that afternoon so couldnt supervise them, they had overshot some of the inner leaf and i had to get them back on a sunday to cut the overshot edges as i only had a 6"stihl saw and needed a 9" blade. Thankfully we have a quarry on the farm which has been very beneficial as we drew stones for a solid week with two tractors and dump trailers which saved me a few thousand in stone costs for filling up the front of the house and making a yard around the house and filling in between the rising walls.
Theres a couple of curved walls in the hall which are looking great now i can see them at full height and the steel fixer is just off site this evening after measuring up for steelwork and floor slabs should be arriving next week.
3100sq ft with 150mm cavity and a 6" inner leaf which i'm building with 9x6's which didn't please the builder too much but thats what he priced for - i had intended going with full fill xtratherm but have now opted for pumped insulation. Waiting on the final price back from the joiner for the roof and am hoping to meet with a precast company next week to finalise design on the curved concrete stairs. Theres abit of a problem in that the company are i cavan and i'm in antrim so have no knowledge of his work apart from a couple of references he gave me which i hope to visit in the next week or so - I was wondering if anyone had experience of using Brian Formwork or heard anything about them, if so PMs would be very welcome before i commit to a decision.

Great stuff, looks like its going to be a savage house.
Can I ask why did you decide to do the dead building, particularly at the back, with blocks instead of shuttering and poured concrete?

M three

Helping renovate an old house at the mo, does anyone know roughly the install time for esb & eircom once you place an order with both?