Hello everyone,
After careful consideration, we have decided to build a house using the "Lego" principle. Unfortunately, we have found very few suppliers online (actually only one) that also offer some level of support. It is important to us to always have a contact person available and to have someone present during the wall casting process. So far, we have only been able to find the company Argisol for this.
Do you know of any companies in the northern German region that offer this building method?
When I look at websites like VariantHaus or similar, it seems they only provide the materials, and the builder is then left completely on their own.
After careful consideration, we have decided to build a house using the "Lego" principle. Unfortunately, we have found very few suppliers online (actually only one) that also offer some level of support. It is important to us to always have a contact person available and to have someone present during the wall casting process. So far, we have only been able to find the company Argisol for this.
Do you know of any companies in the northern German region that offer this building method?
When I look at websites like VariantHaus or similar, it seems they only provide the materials, and the builder is then left completely on their own.
Punisher89 schrieb:
I would like to use this forum to exchange ideas with homeowners who have built using this construction style (Neopor formwork blocks).
Alternatively, next week I will attend the Hansebau trade fair in Bremen and get information at the Isorast.de booth. I first saw this construction method there two years ago and was convinced by it.Why are you so convinced, especially where do you see specific advantages compared to other prefabricated building systems?Isorast is certainly one of the older names in this segment. These systems appeared back in the 1960s, never really managed to "conquer" the market, but on the other hand have survived until today. Currently, they seem especially modern again and present an interesting alternative, particularly for builders focused on external insulation composite systems (EICS / ETICS).
The principle is to enable the self-builder to construct their own four walls using a lost formwork that is wisely made from an insulating material. Since this method is dry, entirely without mortared or glued bed joints and only fitted together by pressing, it appeals to a very specific group: those whose craftsmanship skills might otherwise be limited when working with trowel, plumb line, and spirit level.
At this point, I find it hard to imagine that you, as a skilled tradesperson, belong to the group of tool-challenged DIYers. Therefore, I believe you can handle the next level, meaning a prefabricated kit yes, but aerated concrete (gas concrete) instead of formwork blocks.
With that option, there are quite different providers: formwork block suppliers can mostly be described as value-added building material dealers—you get the exact quantity of blocks pre-packaged like a meal kit, along with plans, all the "seasoning mix" included, and all pipes etc. But the plumbing and heating specialist who finishes the job on site, connecting the pipes properly, you have to find yourself (a poor example, since as a plumbing and heating specialist you probably know enough colleagues in that field, but it is similar with other trades). They aren’t really house sellers. This differs from the aerated concrete kit providers, where trades can be booked on like in a shell-and-core house concept. These are already differences in the scope of services offered.
Formwork blocks are clearly focused on the self-builder—I have yet to hear of a building contractor working with them. This means, conversely, it will be difficult to find contractors who will accept that you do the walls yourself and then continue the work (or even ask them to work with this material while you assist). Instead, you have to hire the other trades one by one, who will then transform the mere "walls" into a complete house.
Personally, I’m not very enthusiastic about having polystyrene on both sides of the wall. I don’t screw awnings or satellite dishes onto exterior walls anyway—but on interior walls, I would like to be able to drill with the usual straightforward handiness.
I also have the impression with formwork block systems that, on the one hand, they go admirably deep into system variations with special elements for every request—but on the other hand, they also "fanatically" want to build the entire house from their material (whereas a Poroton builder is typically open to making interior walls from sand-lime brick, gypsum board, or lightweight construction).
So: I support you going to the fair and especially looking at the kit-building options, but I would recommend also visiting the stands of aerated concrete and concrete block suppliers. And as mentioned, in the form of the supplier Kern-Haus, you can also see a professional contractor at work who builds entire houses using these materials.
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Punisher8913 Jan 2018 15:12I don’t see a big problem with attaching cabinets. I have long screws and suitable anchors that hold through the polystyrene in the wall.
My goal is to build a house that is as self-sufficient as possible, so I won’t be able to avoid insulating the exterior walls. That’s why I find the construction method using aerated concrete blocks unnecessary, since I will still have to pay to install insulation there. With this system, I managed to do it all in one step.
My goal is to build a house that is as self-sufficient as possible, so I won’t be able to avoid insulating the exterior walls. That’s why I find the construction method using aerated concrete blocks unnecessary, since I will still have to pay to install insulation there. With this system, I managed to do it all in one step.
Punisher89 schrieb:
My goal is to build a house that is as self-sufficient as possible Do the insulated concrete form blocks come with anything beyond certifications for their systems’ U-values, such as guidance on energy concepts like geothermal, solar, or controlled mechanical ventilation?
Okay, regarding the HVAC-related aspects, you can probably answer that yourself, but I mean: how far do they think beyond just their “blocks”? (A building materials supplier doesn’t have to, but a house provider probably should.)
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Punisher8913 Jan 2018 15:26I would like to find out more about that, either beforehand or next week at the trade fair. That’s why I was hoping to find someone here who already has experience with it. As far as I know, the insulation on the exterior facade is supposed to be replaced after 30 years. I (still) don’t know how it works with this system.
Punisher89 schrieb:
As far as I know, the insulation on the exterior facade should be replaced after 30 years. Which insulation are you referring to?
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Punisher8914 Jan 2018 11:5411ant schrieb:
Which insulation are you referring to? I once read about this in a post. It was during the period when expanded polystyrene (EPS) was first classified as hazardous waste and could no longer be simply disposed of as regular trash.
The correct point made was about what happens to the insulation in 30 years when it needs to be replaced.
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