Fairface walls

newthingsgirl

Hello

I have FPP for a new build. Thinking about having fairface block walls inside, but not sure about how to allow for electrics, I wouldn't mind having them exposed as in a full on industrial look? Has anyone on here went for this exposed block work in a dwelling house? its purely to cut down on costs, ie no outlay for plastering?

thanks

sydthebeat

newthingsgirl wrote: »

Hello

I have FPP for a new build. Thinking about having fairface block walls inside, but not sure about how to allow for electrics, I wouldn't mind having them exposed as in a full on industrial look? Has anyone on here went for this exposed block work in a dwelling house? its purely to cut down on costs, ie no outlay for plastering?

thanks

electrics can be carried in surface mounted conduits, as youd see in schools etc

JimmyMW

newthingsgirl wrote: »

Hello

I have FPP for a new build. Thinking about having fairface block walls inside, but not sure about how to allow for electrics, I wouldn't mind having them exposed as in a full on industrial look? Has anyone on here went for this exposed block work in a dwelling house? its purely to cut down on costs, ie no outlay for plastering?

thanks

You need to think about how you are going to deal with airtightness, detailing etc.

Metric Tensor

As syd says it's very common in schools - particularly newer ones. If you know anyone teaching in a school built in the last 15 years there's a very strong chance it's fair-faced block. You could ask them for a look.

Air-tightness detailing is made more difficult but there are special fair-faced blocks designed for the purpose.

In my personal opinion however it looks awful in a domestic setting. I've seen it in a few houses and to me it gives a "1970s minimalist" feel not a 2016 minimalist feel. - To be fair - most of the houses I've seen it in were built in the 70s & 80s !!!!

Things to bear in mind from an aesthetic point of view:
1. Door and window lintels - prestressed ones look very poor in this type of finish. You would need to look into using U-Blocks which would be slightly more expensive.
2. Services - you'll have to run surface mounted conduits either in plastic or steel. Neither looks good in a domestic setting and they provide extra projections from the wall which can be awkward for furnishings, children's play areas, etc. Also there are a lot more services in modern houses than older ones so that means more conduits.
3. Houses have much smaller rooms, more door and window opes and less regular shaped rooms than most buildings with a fair-faced block finish. When all of this is taken along with the fair-faced block it could lead to a very untidy feel.
4. Detailing joints - e.g. where the ceilings meet the walls (will you still plaster the ceiling?), skirting board details, staircase banister ends, etc.

This is personal opinion but I would save the money elsewhere on things that you can upgrade later. e.g. Get a cheap Ikea kitchen or scale back on the curtains and carpet, forego for the rangemaster oven for now, etc. etc.

newthingsgirl

yes, there will be a 6 inch cavity most probably pumped, will this help the airtightness? as for detailing do you mean skirting boards, door trims etc? or the actual detail of the blocks ie building in courses so that the blocks line up?
thanks

JimmyMW

newthingsgirl wrote: »

yes, there will be a 6 inch cavity most probably pumped, will this help the airtightness? as for detailing do you mean skirting boards, door trims etc? or the actual detail of the blocks ie building in courses so that the blocks line up?
thanks

Pumped insulation wont help with airtightness, a standard block is not very dense, therefore air can easily pass through it, plaster is normally the airtightness line. You will have to look at non standard blocks or airtight paint etc. Re detailing, I was referring to the block work itself ie lintels etc as mentioned by the previous poster, skirting, ceilings, window opes etc.

In my opinion you wont save any money doing this as your blocks will cost more to buy and more to lay, more expensive lintels, everything will require more detailing to ensure everything looks as well as possible, therefore more design costs, metal electrical cabling will cost more that a standard wiring job, and the block work will require twice the amount of paint as the block will swallow paint due to its density.

If your looking to build a cheap house, pick the simplest shape ie a 2 story square and use exactly the materials a developer will use in a housing estate type development as a developers main aim is to get the units built within the regs for the cheapest price possible.

Metric Tensor

newthingsgirl wrote: »

yes, there will be a 6 inch cavity most probably pumped, will this help the airtightness?

Quick answer: No
Long answer: Pumped cavities have less thermal looping than non-pumped cavities and sometimes decreased air-tightness can be associated with thermal looping. But in the modern context of the meaning of airtightness the answer is no because your air-tightness layer will be inside the cavity and will require a porosity well below that of the bead.

newthingsgirl wrote: »

as for detailing do you mean skirting boards, door trims etc? or the actual detail of the blocks ie building in courses so that the blocks line up?
thanks

I mean both in some ways.

Door trims, skirting boards, etc that you see in standard houses are designed to be installed in plastered walls and look their best in this setting. In a fair faced block setting you would need a different style to look "right" and this would bring you towards a more industrial look.

When you have less regular shaped rooms, lintels, opes, etc. it makes lining up "full" blocks more difficult and a half shaped fair-faced block or intermittent brick sized ones won't look great.

Metric Tensor

JimmyMW wrote: »

Pumped insulation wont help with airtightness, a standard block is not very dense, therefore air can easily pass through it, plaster is normally the airtightness line. You will have to look at non standard blocks or airtight paint etc. Re detailing, I was referring to the block work itself ie lintels etc as mentioned by the previous poster, skirting, ceilings, window opes etc.

In my opinion you wont save any money doing this as your blocks will cost more to buy and more to lay, more expensive lintels, everything will require more detailing to ensure everything looks as well as possible, therefore more design costs, metal electrical cabling will cost more that a standard wiring job, and the block work will require twice the amount of paint as the block will swallow paint due to its density.

If your looking to build a cheap house, pick the simplest shape ie a 2 story square and use exactly the materials a developer will use in a housing estate type development as a developers main aim is to get the units built within the regs for the cheapest price possible.

Everything in this post is spot on OP - it's particularly worth noting what JimmyMW says about the cheapest way to build a house.

I've seen people get very nice quite cost effective one off houses by mimicing what the developer down the road was doing. Things like sanitary fittings can be got for a ridiculous discount - for example if you go to the same building supplier as the local developer is using and get three of the same toilets as he just bought 150 of you'll likely make out like a bandit!

newthingsgirl

thanks for all these posts, great info here, certainly given me a lot to think about, what are your thoughts on concrete floors? whilst they can look great in magazines and books I've never seen any for real. Again it would be for cheapness.

ht9zni1gs28crp

Don't be put off though, there are lots and lots of materials that break the norm in Ireland and will result in a much cheaper option. Go and research the Architect Piers Taylor for some ideas and inspirations on cost saving materials and how they can be used to look better than the norm.

If you thing your being brave and are happy then your not being brave enough! Go for it!

Why not look at some internal walls as feature fair faced block? you can buy 'internal' block for a better finish rather than a stock 4'' solid.


You will though run the wrath of 90% of Irish people going why no dormers, why isn't it all red timber, why no mullions and why haven't you a good room type syndrome!

We researched concrete floors and they actually worked out dearer than traditional screed and tile!

newthingsgirl

I love Piers Taylor, was glued to his 100k house programme. Would love to have some of his ideas in my house, not just for the cheapness but to have something unique and different from all the usual, traditional buildings.

ht9zni1gs28crp

newthingsgirl wrote: »

I love Piers Taylor, was glued to his 100k house programme. Would love to have some of his ideas in my house, not just for the cheapness but to have something unique and different from all the usual, traditional buildings.

Me too, a massive fan of his outlook and work, took a few ideas and adapted them, our house is living proof that the budgeting works with correct design.

Just go for it, you get one shot at it. Ignore everyone who says it cant be done.

Metric Tensor

Just to be clear with regards to not plastering and using fair-faced blocks instead. I am not saying it can't be done. It can be done - and is regularly.

In my opinion though, it would not he aesthetically pleasing and would not save all of the money it would cost to plaster the walls because it would bring some knock on additional costs as described above.

ht9zni1gs28crp

Metric Tensor wrote: »

.In my opinion though, it would not he aesthetically pleasing and would not save all of the money it would cost to plaster the walls because it would bring some knock on additional costs as described above.

That is your opinion though, the beauty of real design and being different is it will invoke as many likes as it will dislikes.....

Metric Tensor

It is my opinion - that's why I prefaced it by saying - "In my opinion"

Edit: And I have been careful all along to make it clear that any comments I have regarding aesthetics are my opinion. Other people will have different likes/dislikes. Doesn't make mine any less relevant!

ht9zni1gs28crp

Agree totally....

Lots of people though are put off by stepping away from the norm. Nice to see others considering different things.

recipio

Would the same principles apply to concrete brick for the inner skin. ? I just think they look better if you are prepared to accept an industrial look. Its a bit of a 'batchelor flat' look but its also nice to save 10K on plastering.

Metric Tensor

recipio wrote: »

Would the same principles apply to concrete brick for the inner skin. ? I just think they look better if you are prepared to accept an industrial look. Its a bit of a 'batchelor flat' look but its also nice to save 10K on plastering.

You wouldn't save the full plastering cost. The bricks would be more expensive to buy, more expensive to lay, more expensive to make air-tight, more expensive to paint and the associated finishing details might be more time consuming and more costly.

There may be a saving to be made but it's nowhere near the full plastering cost. Also bear in mind you will probably still be plastering the ceilings.

recipio

Metric Tensor wrote: »

You wouldn't save the full plastering cost. The bricks would be more expensive to buy, more expensive to lay, more expensive to make air-tight, more expensive to paint and the associated finishing details might be more time consuming and more costly.

There may be a saving to be made but it's nowhere near the full plastering cost. Also bear in mind you will probably still be plastering the ceilings.

Appreciate that. All in all it seems too much of a hassle to consider.

Metric Tensor

It depends on the reason for considering it:

1. If you like the look and want it then nothing wrong with getting what you want!

2. If you are looking into it purely for cost saving reasons there may be better ways of saving money that have a lesser impact on the look of the house.

recipio

Just out of interest, how are the windows sealed against drafts where a fairfaced system is used. ? Are the reveals plastered. ?

Johnnyhpipe

Personally - i think fairfaced block looks gank. I design schools all over the country and its requirement to have it in many. The only reason for it is its low maintenece for the school, not something you really need in your house. Maybe it just reminds me of my old schoold but no way would i have it in my house.. Fairfaced concrete on the other hand.... But each to their own..

Bear in mind that there are a maze of codes/guidelines on fairfaced block which you could write a thesis on if you had nothing better to do, but they all give the same rough guideline on tolerance...and there are tolerances. So beware that when you paint the walls white and the light hits them you will physically see these tolerances and it will drive you nuts.

Also, note that die to block manufacturing tolerances, it is only possible to achieve a true fair face on one side of the wall. Best to be mindful of this now than have an argument with the block layer after the fact. If you do go this route however make sure your block layer gives you some decent size sample panels first.