# Poroton Block, T9



## angela59 (29 May 2007)

I realise there is a thread on Poroton Blocks.  But as they are relatively new I'm wondering has any one built and is living in such a house.  Am particularly interested in anyone having used the T9 or even the T12 as we are hoping to build in the next year using hopefully the T9 Perlite.


----------



## Sue Ellen (30 May 2007)

Hi Angela,

Did you have a look at all the threads that contain a mention of Poroton Blocks?


----------



## angela59 (30 May 2007)

Hi Sueellen,

Yes I did - mostly they go into the pros and cons of the blocks and uvalues.  Would like to hear of anyone that has moved into and living in house - to see how it is weathering and if these blocks expensive and all as they are  - are in fact what the "read" to be?


----------



## Maggie55 (31 May 2007)

Hi Angela,
  We're also looking to build our own home at the moment and have considered poroton. I've been to the FBT's site and wasn't impressed when I saw pictures of previous projects. Some were okay but others showed dampness: [broken link removed] 
I know of some people who have considered poroton. All have instead decided upon other building materials. I'm currently sourcing other methods of energy efficient building such as timber frame, ytong, and ICF.


----------



## sas (31 May 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> Hi Angela,
> I've been to the FBT's site and wasn't impressed when I saw pictures of previous projects. Some were okay but others showed dampness: [broken link removed]


 
What specifically from the above link shows dampness?

I'm a little confused given that the link is to 2 pictures of a building under construction.


----------



## Maggie55 (31 May 2007)

sas said:


> What specifically from the above link shows dampness?
> 
> I'm a little confused given that the link is to 2 pictures of a building under construction.


 
During the construction stage it’s obvious that there is water lodging within the cavities of the poroton block and cannot escape. With reference to the bottom picture, the points around the house that show dampness are above the door frame, on the first row of blocks in the bottom right and also on the left hand side above the rectangular window. The dampness can easily be identified by the colour difference. Given the fact that there is water lodgement on the first row that has not yet dissipated how long will it take for the water to dry out completely?


----------



## z108 (31 May 2007)

Looks to me from the photograph like the building either has a touch of rain on the higher parts or the bricks there are slightly darker but I cant see anything I would call dampness  as in rising damp ? I've seen  houses appearing wetter than that which were  built the standard way with ordinary blocks and solids.


----------



## Leo (31 May 2007)

Is it not unlikely that any builder would put up pictures on their site that indicate even a minor problem, let alone a significant one that's readily visible?


----------



## sas (31 May 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> During the construction stage it’s obvious that there is water lodging within the cavities of the poroton block and cannot escape. With reference to the bottom picture, the points around the house that show dampness are above the door frame, on the first row of blocks in the bottom right and also on the left hand side above the rectangular window. The dampness can easily be identified by the colour difference. Given the fact that there is water lodgement on the first row that has not yet dissipated how long will it take for the water to dry out completely?


 
I presume you can tell from the pictures when it last rained?

Also, if you look at the pictures under the gallery section you'll notice that in several of them there are individual blocks in the middle of sections that are a different colour. Are we to assume that water is selectively lodging in certain blocks?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I feel that you may have been somewhat hasty in basing your decision on those photos. Have you other evidence to suggest it is unsuitable for our climate? Has the IAB cert been withdrawn because of confirmed issues with the system?

The main reason I can imagine someone would not choose it is price, its pricey to say the least. During my investigations I've found ICF to be much cheaper when going for comparable u-values on each system. ICF has its down sides too however which is a discussion for another thread.

To the OP, have you contacted FBT and asked them for the names and numbers of people that are living in poroton houses. They gave me several when I spoke to them a few weeks ago. Granted I haven't gotten around to contacting them yet...


----------



## Maggie55 (31 May 2007)

I believe it is common practise, even when using normal blocks, to protect the top layer of a wall being built from water penetration. I believe this practice should be especially applied when using Poroton blocks because of the vertical cavities. A certified building product doesn’t necessarily guarantee the proper building with these products. As is often the case in the Irish building industry, when installing perfectly good building products/systems, that execution of the building process lacks the necessary expertise. It also doesn’t surprise me, and I refer to Leo’s previous post, that a builder would post pictures that reveal flaws in a build, whether they are minor flaws or more serious ones.
 With reference to the obvious discolouration of the blocks along the top rows and in the bottom right of the picture, I believe as a result of dampness caused by water lodgement, it is my opinion that some people cannot see the trees within the woods. I accept your observation that some Poroton blocks may be a slightly different colour, probably as a result of the manufacturing process, but for a large amount of colour disparity focused primarily along the top rows, the logical conclusion is that there is water lodging inside these blocks. Perhaps the top left picture in this link will make things a little more clear: [broken link removed] Here the discolouration is merging from one block to the other and is not a case of individual blocks being a different colour.


----------



## angela59 (31 May 2007)

Hi there,

Thanks to all for replies.  I will phone FBT for a list of contact numbers.  With regards to the water ingress, they are supposed to be a breathable block and the outside layer of plaster is supposed to be breathable also.  I have looked at the timber frame house namely SIP and have found them to be impressive, we are looking into all options.  The SIP house may also have problems with water ingress and also breathability - someone suggested building a house using SIP and putting a single later of block to protect the building.  The other issued is certification - at least the FBT's blocks have the agrement certificate.


----------



## Polonius (31 May 2007)

Hi Angela,

  From reading your previous posts on this thread it’s apparent that you are trying to source a system of construction that is energy efficient. As Maggie mentioned in an earlier post, Ytong may be worth considering as another method of construction. Ytong blocks have excellent thermal retention properties. They have been used in Europe for over 50 years and are now available to Irish consumers through Eco Stein Ltd. I’m affiliated with this company and thought I might give you an additional option to consider. Further information on current Irish builds and achieved U-Values can be obtained on Eco Stein’s website: [broken link removed]


----------



## extopia (31 May 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> Perhaps the top left picture in this link will make things a little more clear: [broken link removed] Here the discolouration is merging from one block to the other and is not a case of individual blocks being a different colour.



Hi Maggie, and everyone else,
I've built two two-storey extensions to my house with Poroton blocks. Expensive but in my opinion the fact that I could do the work myself more than made up for the extra costs.

Maggie, the pictures show nothing but blocks that are a little wet, for one reason or another. The blocks absorb but do not retain water - concrete blocks also absorb water if rained on, as will any porous building material.

There is also a lot of variation in the colours of the blocks due to the manufacturing process. Or it could be that the blocks that look wet were just the ones on the outside layers of the pallet of blocks. These would get wetter than the inside ones, obviously. The build process is so fast that it's entirely likely that the next four or five courses of drier blocks went on before the wet ones dried out.

Bottom line - these pictures certainly show no signs of "dampness" that would be anything to worry about. I'm sure the blocks dried out soon enough after the pics were taken. And anyway, they are supposed to be rendered with porous plaster so the water would continue to evaporate. There are no recommended precautions to be taken to keep poroton blocks (or any blocks, for that matter), dry during the building process.


----------



## sas (31 May 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> I believe it is common practise, even when using normal blocks, to protect the top layer of a wall being built from water penetration. I believe this practice should be especially applied when using Poroton blocks because of the vertical cavities.


 
I believe its not common practise to protect the top layer of wall from water penetration during construction. Look at any building site around the country and you won't see this being done anywhere on regular block builds.

The IAB cert gives all specific guidelines for building with poroton and there is no reference anywhere in it to having to protect the wall from water ingress during construction. 

You started out critising the poroton system for dampness problems and when asked to justify your post you've started blaming construction methods. Construction methods are important no matter how you are building, get a wall tie slanted the wrong way on a traditional block build and you'll get a damp internal wall. 

Poroton is designed as a breathable material as the OP has pointed out. I myself did a little test on this. I was on site with a selfbuilder midway through blocking a poroton build. He gave me a block to take home and play with because I'd never seen one before apart from on the web ! I filled a trough with some water and placed the block in it. The water level was about an inch up the block to being with. The block literally sizzled when I put it in the trough as it soaked up the water. An hour later the trough was empty and 3/4 of the block had changed colour. I then placed some tissue paper against the block and it came away bone dry. The block holds the water. A day later the block had returned to its original colour i.e. it was dry again. This is exactly how the material is meant to perform.

Incidently, I've no affiliation with FBT or any company related to poroton.


----------



## sas (31 May 2007)

Polonius said:


> Hi Angela,
> 
> From reading your previous posts on this thread it’s apparent that you are trying to source a system of construction that is energy efficient. As Maggie mentioned in an earlier post, Ytong may be worth considering as another method of construction. Ytong blocks have excellent thermal retention properties. They have been used in Europe for over 50 years and are now available to Irish consumers through Eco Stein Ltd. I’m affiliated with this company and thought I might give you an additional option to consider. Further information on current Irish builds and achieved U-Values can be obtained on Eco Stein’s website: [broken link removed]


 
Polonius, seeing as its the theme of the day, can you explain why its necessary to protect a YTong wall from water ingress during construction. What happens if water does get in?

I've read the certification section on your website and am none the wiser as to what the guarantees are for the system. AFAIK ISO 9001 has nothing to do with building materials so is of little relevance. The CE certificate makes reference to the manufacturing process and not to anything related to the blocks suitability for use in our climate. Am I misunderstanding anything here?

Are Quinnlite blocks similar to Ytong?


----------



## Polonius (1 Jun 2007)

Hi Sas,

Though not absolutely necessary, it would be, as mentioned by Maggie earlier, good building practice to protect any wall from water ingress during building. This is done in order to reduce drying out time prior to plastering to about 2 days for Ytong walls in favourable weather conditions.

The CE certificate you are referring to is confirming that the blocks are manufactured according to EN771- 4, which incidentally, is also an Irish standard i.e. I.S. EN771-4 issued by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), conferring a presumption of fitness for the intended uses i.e. different types of load bearing and non load bearing applications in all forms of walling including single leaf, cavity, partitions, retaining, basement and general use below ground level including walling for fire protection, thermal insulation, sound insulation and the fabric of chimney (excluding chimney flue units). I hope that clears up your misunderstanding.


----------



## sas (1 Jun 2007)

Polonius said:


> Hi Sas,
> 
> Though not absolutely necessary, it would be, as mentioned by Maggie earlier, good building practice to protect any wall from water ingress during building. This is done in order to reduce drying out time prior to plastering to about 2 days for Ytong walls in favourable weather conditions.
> 
> ...


 
Maggie didn't say it was good build practise, she said it is common practise, which it most certainly isn't.

So protecting the top of a YTong wall from water ingress (per pictures on your website) is purely to speed up the build process? 

I'm still a little confused on the certification part. Whats the point of an IAB cert for example if the CE Certificate covers you for all of the above? Why does the NSAI still issue IAB certs if the CE Certificate is equivalent? Whats the minimum life span for a YTong building? Whats the maintenance interval? What would that maintenance entail?

These are all important points for anyone looking at any "alternative" system. I haven't spent a huge amount of time on your website so I can't be sure these aren't answered there but you should be able to summarise for us.


----------



## Polonius (1 Jun 2007)

Hi Sas,

  Are we trying to split hairs here? (Ref: Maggie’s comment)

  Protecting an Ytong wall during the building process from the elements does indeed speed up the build considerably (i.e. subsequent plastering), as any concrete wall should be dry to the highest possible degree before plastering.

  CE certification is actually not equivalent to IAB certification. IAB certification is granted for non regulated building products. Since Ytong products have CE (Conformité Européenne) certification, the nationally issued IAB certificate is not required. To my knowledge, the NSAI does not issue IAB certs. It is the Irish Agrement Board that does that. 

  The durability of houses built in Ytong can be compared to concrete block construction as Ytong is a concrete product. Many Ytong houses built in continental Europe more than 50 years ago are still in use today. Houses built with Ytong blocks require no special maintenance at all. 

  I fully agree with you that these are indeed important points to consider when looking for alternative building systems as the information available on various building products can be quite limited.


----------



## Maggie55 (1 Jun 2007)

First Extopia I would like to thank you for your previous post. At least you were willing to confirm that the blocks can become wet internally for one reason or another and didn’t simply dismiss my observations on water lodgment. I was also aware that the blocks are breathable and the water will eventually leave. My first and only question, which was not addressed by the others in this thread, was “How long will it take for the water to dry out completely?” I’ve heard that it can take up to two years for a traditional concrete home to completely dry out. Also, when water does lodge within a sequence of poroton blocks does this jeopardize the U-value along that part of the wall? Does this not introduce a cold bridge? Also, would you be able to give me an indication on pricing for a poroton block? I’d appreciate any comments you can provide.

  Thanks Extopia,

  Maggie


----------



## extopia (1 Jun 2007)

Hi Maggie - the drying out time for a wet poroton block during the build is negligable, to be honest. We're talking a few hours (unless it's raining ) I'd say. There is no issue with water being retained in the blocks - they would dry out far, far quicker than concrete blocks that are rained on, for example, because they have a much larger surface area (due to the cellular structure) from which the water can evaporate.

Really, there is no issue here. Trust me, I spent a couple of months building in Irish weather conditions.

U-values would indeed be jeapordised, and cold bridging would also be an issue, if blocks or plaster were wet, and stayed wet. But the Poroton system is a breathable porous system, with porous render applied - so the walls stay dry (if built and plastered properly, of course). Standard anti-cold-bridging steps are also taken during the build - FBT are very upfront about explaining what to do.

Maggie, the blocks, when I bought them in 2004 were about four euros per block. That works out to about 40 euros per square metre of wall. I can't remember exactly but VAT might have been extra. But call FBT - the main man, Wolfgang, is an incredibly helpful chap and he'll give you the current prices. The T9 block may be a later development to what I used, not sure to be honest what my block was called (too many things to remember when you're doing the kind of renovation and build that I was doing!)

Remember it's a single leaf system so there are far fewer individual blocks than an a concrete build. This might save you some cash if your blocklayer is laying by the block. Of course, when I was doing this a few years ago, in the NW, I couldn't get a blocklayer who was willing to work with the poroton as no one knew anything about it. I ended up doing it myself as a result - it's actually very doable for anyone with modest DIY skills.

Perhaps blocklayers are more used to the material now. There's a lengthy thread elsewhere on AAM on the subject of Poroton building.

I am very pleased with the end result of my build - the poroton part of the house is very cosy, it's noticable compared to the rest of the house, which is stone. And no signs of any dampness anywhere!


----------



## bankrupt (1 Jun 2007)

Extopia, I'm very interested to hear that you took on the poroton build yourself as this is something that I am considering.  I'd love to hear more from you - how large was the project?  How long did it take?  Did you just do the blockwork or did you also put in foundations & woodwork etc?

In my case, I have an old farmhouse that I am going to build an extension to in Poroton (at least that's the current plan anyway!)  I intend to re-render the original building in lime while I'm at it.


----------



## sas (1 Jun 2007)

Polonius said:


> Hi Sas,
> 
> Are we trying to split hairs here? (Ref: Maggie’s comment)
> 
> ...


 
Claiming something is commonly done and claiming something is good building practise are very different things in my opinion. Installing insulation the correct way is good building practise but is it commomly done? Example, the 6 year old 1345 sq ft house I currently live in that burns through more than 1500 euros of oil (at 2005 prices) for a house thats empty during the day 5 days a week. The main heating at the week ends is an open fire.

Seeing as the IAB is linked off the NSAI web site I tend to group them into one, but point taken, the IAB issue the certs.

Thanks for the clarification on YTong.


----------



## sas (1 Jun 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> My first and only question, which was not addressed by the others in this thread, was “How long will it take for the water to dry out completely?” Also, would you be able to give me an indication on pricing for a poroton block? I’d appreciate any comments you can provide.


 
Now Maggie lets not fall out over this. Your first post asked no question, you simply waded in with a very negative opinion on the system the OP asked about. You stated you know other people who've also decided against the system in the process damning it further. After I looked for some clarification as to what your reasoning was you pointed out the photos on FBTs website and then asked your question.

All the responses you got were related to what you had deduced from the photos and all were deserved I feel.

Anyway, I've got some of the recent prices which in the interest of building bridges I'll pm to you. I'm not posting them in the thread as I don't think its appropriate.

SAS


----------



## angela59 (1 Jun 2007)

Hi,

The poroton blocks I'm looking at are the T9 365 costs E6.79 per block - not sure per meter.  This particular block contains perlite.  They seem to be expensive but if you go for normal block you're going to have to pay for insulation which can be expensive on top of your normal block.  Ask FBT to forward an information pack.  I think it is like everything at the moment - do all the research before jumping in.


----------



## extopia (2 Jun 2007)

bankrupt said:


> Extopia, I'm very interested to hear that you took on the poroton build yourself as this is something that I am considering.  I'd love to hear more from you - how large was the project?  How long did it take?  Did you just do the blockwork or did you also put in foundations & woodwork etc?



Bankrupt, explore this key post thread.


----------



## Dreamerb (2 Jun 2007)

I'm "borrowing" the thread, since a lot of knowledgable people appear to be posting! 

We're currently planning a substantial extension (fingers crossed on the PP, on which we should be getting a decision soon), and are keen to build to high environmental / insulation standards. I've been thinking about the poroton perlite-filled block, but the major complicating factor is that most of the extension, to fit in with the existing house, will have to be pebble-dashed. 

Can anyone comment, before I go any further in exploring possibilities, on whether this will just rule out the poroton blocks, since I gather the render must be breathable?


----------



## Maggie55 (2 Jun 2007)

Firstly, I would like to thank Extopia for answering my questions regarding dampness and cold bridging. It is comforting to know that my preconceived fears about long-term water retention were slightly misguided. Sas, I have read your message regarding Poroton prices. Poroton’s U-values are reasonably good but I must admit that Poroton is a very expensive building material. 

  Polonius can you give me an idea on pricing for Ytong blocks? What U-values can be achieved with Ytong?


----------



## ninsaga (2 Jun 2007)

Per Ecostein's web site, the U values for Ytong are from .23 to .11 depending upon what materials you use see [broken link removed]

would be interested to know how this works out cost wise - not to mind the fact that most builders will probably shy away from it as they've never seen ot before.

ninsaga


----------



## extopia (2 Jun 2007)

Dreamerb said:


> I've been thinking about the poroton perlite-filled block, but the major complicating factor is that most of the extension, to fit in with the existing house, will have to be pebble-dashed.



You should call Wolfgang in FBT about this - you could be right but perhaps it's possible to do a breathable pebbledash with the MFL plaster that's recommended for poroton builds.


----------



## Maggie55 (3 Jun 2007)

Hi Polonius,

From the figures that Sas was kind enough to share with me through PM I was able to calculate the price for a square metre of Poroton T9 wall. I’ll illustrate my calculations so there’s no confusion.

Given that the T9s are 248mm long it takes 4.032 T9s to make up a metre and 16.25 T9s for one square metre. Since there are 60 T9 blocks in one pallet then there are 3.7 square metres worth of wall in one pallet (60/16.25). The price per pallet is €407.40 Therefore, for one square metre of Poroton T9 wall, the cost is *€110.10* (€407.40/3.7) The U-Value for this wall is *0.23*

Polonius, I would very much appreciate it, if you could include in your costing a square metre price for an Ytong wall so I can make a direct comparison between the above figure for Poroton and the figure for Ytong.


----------



## extopia (3 Jun 2007)

I believe those blocks are not laid on their end as you describe - you need to calculate your cost per square metre based on the "square" end of the block, not its length. The blocks I used were abotu 300mm square on the end, or about 10 blocks per sq metre.


----------



## Maggie55 (4 Jun 2007)

As far as I’m aware, and correct me if I’m wrong, the face area of a poroton block is about 0.25 m x 0.25 m (248 mm x 249 mm). To cover one square metre of wall, I would need 4 x 4 blocks = 16 blocks / m2. As I got worried about my maths skills, I had to check out the Wienerberger website. With my basic knowledge of german I found I was actually right. (Here is the link to the translation site confirming my sums – see material requirement / m2: [broken link removed]

You’re sure you laid your blocks the right way?


----------



## sas (4 Jun 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> As far as I’m aware, and correct me if I’m wrong, the face area of a poroton block is about 0.25 m x 0.25 m (248 mm x 249 mm). To cover one square metre of wall, I would need 4 x 4 blocks = 16 blocks / m2. As I got worried about my maths skills, I had to check out the Wienerberger website. With my basic knowledge of german I found I was actually right. (Here is the link to the translation site confirming my sums – see material requirement / m2: [broken link removed]
> 
> You’re sure you laid your blocks the right way?


 
The paper work I have from FBT for my quote has all external blocks as 16 per m2.


----------



## bakerbhoy (4 Jun 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> Hi Polonius,
> 
> From the figures that Sas was kind enough to share with me through PM I was able to calculate the price for a square metre of Poroton T9 wall. I’ll illustrate my calculations so there’s no confusion.
> 
> ...


 
The ecostein site gives prices per sq METRE
Look under the downloads tab and you will see prices list.

€127 -- €131 sq m etc


----------



## Maggie55 (4 Jun 2007)

Hi Bakerbhoy,     
I’m afraid you are very much mistaken in saying that these prices are square metre prices. The figures you posted are correct, but they relate to prices per cubic metre (i.e. m3) and not per square metre (i.e. m2). [broken link removed]


----------



## sas (4 Jun 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> Hi Bakerbhoy,
> I’m afraid you are very much mistaken in saying that these prices are square metre prices. The figures you posted are correct, but they relate to prices per cubic metre (i.e. m3) and not per square metre (i.e. m2). [broken link removed]


 
Maggie,

I had a look at that link too and I think you can apply the same method you did to get the poroton per sq metre quote.

I.e. The Ytong blocks (last one in the table) are 60 cm long * 25 cm high. I'm assuming the 36.5 is the depth (i.e. same as the T9 in the case of a monolithic wall).

So each block is 0.15 sq metres of wall at a price of 6.46 + VAT.
So 1 square metre of wall is approx 43Euro + VAt = €52 approx.

SAS


----------



## bakerbhoy (4 Jun 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> Hi Bakerbhoy,
> I’m afraid you are very much mistaken in saying that these prices are square metre prices. The figures you posted are correct, but they relate to prices per cubic metre (i.e. m3) and not per square metre (i.e. m2). [broken link removed]


 

Apologies for wrong info but thanks for that .I had ruled them out as being more costly than the poroton. Mine was 22,000 +vat for t9 and 39,000 +vat for t8 blocks , internal wall blocks and  thin joint mortar only. no delivery included.

.


----------



## Maggie55 (5 Jun 2007)

sas said:


> Maggie,
> 
> I had a look at that link too and I think you can apply the same method you did to get the poroton per sq metre quote.
> 
> ...



Hi Sas,

I’ve worked out the calculations for myself and have come to the same conclusion. A square metre of Ytong wall is approximately €52. A square metre of Poroton wall is approximately €110. Given that the same U-Value is achieved by both blocks I am almost shocked to learn that Ecostein can provide Ytong blocks at literally half the price of FBT’s Poroton blocks. Also Sas, the Ytong 365’s are 2.4 times longer than the Poroton T9 equivalent so they can be layed faster saving on labour costs. 

I’m a little excited now that I have found a product that is very competitively priced achieving an excellent, low energy, U-Value. What I will do is call Ecostein to confirm what we’ve been talking about and also to inquire about their 480mm block. Ecostein built a house in Killiney with these, see: [broken link removed] On their website they say that this 480mm block achieves a U-Value of 0.16 Correct me if I’m wrong, but is that almost a passive house (benchmark 0.15) achieved by just one wall?

Sas, thanks for your help. The information you provided through PM was invaluable. And to Bakerbhoy, don’t worry about the mistake.   

Maggie


----------



## extopia (5 Jun 2007)

Maggie55 said:


> Also Sas, the Ytong 365’s are 2.4 times longer than the Poroton T9 equivalent so they can be layed faster saving on labour costs.



This is not necessarily an advantage - have you confirmed this? Large blocks are harder, not easier, to lay, generally speaking.

But having said that, I know nothing about the Ytong method you describe. Hope it works out for you if you go with it.


----------



## disgruntled (5 Jun 2007)

hi everyone
firstly i am not an expert on eco building,but i am interested in protecting the environment we all live in.i had a two storey extension built last year plus i had the whole house insulated externally with paroc wool.i have been living in this house since december,so i know how it works.unfortunately i cannot tell you on this forum as i am taking my builder to court.however if you live anywhere near south county dublin you are  welcome to come and see it and i can tell you how it really works!send me a pm if you are interested.

best of luck to all trying to build an eco friendly house,fair play to you


----------



## ninsaga (6 Jun 2007)

It is fair to say though disgruntled that the problem you are having is not with the system/method - but more due to workmanship right?

ninsaga


----------



## inchbyinch (6 Jun 2007)

Hi all 

Fab thread, I only recently heard about all these new building formats and its great to see a lively discussion going on. Porton, Ytong and Quinn lLite all on the short list at the moment for my new place but looking at the different costs also and pay back time (very important IMO). 

Valuable info here on all this but I was just wondering has anybody taken on a Ytong build themselves (perhaps Polonius you have come across projects like this??)....i.e. Similar to extopia with the Porton blocks. Or is it strictly a Masons job??

It would make it a very cost effective solution if you could.

On the other hand will traditional masons work with these blocks? Has anyone had experience of dealing with Ytong and traditional masons!! 

Building an upside down house so wooden frame is out for me......


----------



## disgruntled (6 Jun 2007)

hi ninsaga
absolutely you are right,it is imperative your builder is familiar with this type of build and not just being able to talk the talk as it where.be very careful of the builder not the build type.poroton is fine


----------

