Search results

Not really. The ICF form looks like this. http://www.nudura.com/EN/icfproducttechnology.aspx The plastic webs end with a flat piece just under the surface of the polystyrene and so provide a fixing point for things being attached to the surface of the polystyrene (e.g. plasterboard). In...

No. The ICF system contains a series of polypropylene webs at 8 inch centres. These run right through the ICF polystyrene / concrete / polystyrene sandwich and provide secure fixing points for most things. The plasterboard is simply screwed to these webs and the plywood will be screwed...

I am happy to use surface mounted metalclad boxes, I am just worried that the only ones with knockouts in the back are the MK ones and MK surface mounted 2 gang sockets seem to cost about a tenner when the cheaper ones are about a fiver.

Thanks for that Monkeh. I am reluctant to use metal flush boxes as I don't have anything solid directly behind the box to attach it to. From the surface it will be 12mm ply, 12.5mm plasterboard, 67mm polystyrene, 150mm concrete. Assuming that I used 45mm deep boxes, then I would need to cut...

I am just about to start building my new house, starting with the (attached) garage. I would like people's opinion on what socket type to put in the garage. The house will be built using ICF (insulated concrete formwork - like polystyrene lego with concrete in the middle). The inside of the...

Looking at one website I have a choice of Copper Extra Large Head or Copper Annular Ring. Which would people pick?

I am about to put some slates on a roof. The slates are Spanish Campo Lombao 400x250 heavies (so about 8mm thick). The site where I am building my house is a very exposed coastal location (Shetland) so they will be nailed and hooked. I know that I need to use copper nails but my question is...

Thanks for your advice.

I am just about to start building my house. The first job is to build the garage and workshop so I can work out of there to build the rest of the house. The garage will be pretty big so I can build a long workbench down one side. I have a mitre saw and I am wondering whether I would be...

Thanks for the replies. I'll put the slates on!

Thanks for the replies. Why would a concrete one not be suitable if there was only a little masonry above?

Not as bad as that. The house is going to be built using ICF and the garage / workshop end would be built as a standalone building with the rest of the house added effectively as a big extension next year. There would be a solid gable at each end and the roof would be finished as if it was the...

I am about to start building my house. The house is quite long and thin and I was going to do the end with the garage / workshop in it first (this autumn) so that I have a workshop to work out of while I build the rest. I was going to roof this part of it (plywood sarking, counterbattens...

I am about to build an internal blockwork wall that will have floor joists hung off it. Will the structural engineer for the job specify the type of lintel to be used above the doorway or will I have a choice between concrete and steel box? Are steel box lintels better/stronger than...

I am about to build a house which will have attic trusses covered by some sort of sarking board (and then counterbattens, membrane, battens and slates). I have read in one article that, if you are using square edge ply or OSB sheets as sarking material then you should leave a 3mm expansion...

Thanks chaps. The idea of glue had occurred to me so I'm glad that somebody else thinks along the same lines.

I am about to build a house in a wild and windy place. As we are in Scotland we will have sarking boards (probably 15mm or 18mm ply sheets) on top of the rafters and then counterbattens and battens on top. My question is how to attach the plywood sheets to the rafters? Assuming that it is a...

I need to build some blockwork walls and I want to get the mortar thickness right. The blocks will probably be medium density 140 mm thickness. Has anybody used the Brikmat system from Catnic? It's not cheap, adding about £3 per square metre to the wall cost, but I like the way that you can...

Thanks for that. Why do you say keep them dry? I thought that you were supposed to wet them before use to stop them sucking all the water out of the mortar?

I need to build an internal wall which will have a 45 degree corner in it. I want to use standard concrete blocks for most of it because I have read all those nasty stories about plaster cracking on aircrete walls. It seems that it would be a lot easier to do the 45 degree corner with...