Hello!
We are currently building our basement walls (split-level house) using Dorocell's system. It's very easy to work with and gives a good result. A few tips:
* Their new 350mm form has several advantages with the embedded hard plastic "bridges", a bit more expensive but better insulation & much more convenient!
* Apparently, foam plastic expands and contracts as humidity shifts, which means, for example, that the length of the blocks is not always exactly 1200mm; however, all blocks will be alike if they are stored in the same place. Not a big problem, but worth considering...
* We purchased both the foundation and the walls as a "package" from Dorocell with all materials and construction drawings with strength calculations and warranties.
-Feels good with a company that has calculated everything and stands behind the construction.
You can get the materials cheaper from the local building supplier, but for us, the surcharge was around 20-30,000:- for a 96m^2 foundation with walls, which I thought was worth it!
If you have more questions, just let me know...
Best regards,
//Håkan
We are currently building our basement walls (split-level house) using Dorocell's system. It's very easy to work with and gives a good result. A few tips:
* Their new 350mm form has several advantages with the embedded hard plastic "bridges", a bit more expensive but better insulation & much more convenient!
* Apparently, foam plastic expands and contracts as humidity shifts, which means, for example, that the length of the blocks is not always exactly 1200mm; however, all blocks will be alike if they are stored in the same place. Not a big problem, but worth considering...
* We purchased both the foundation and the walls as a "package" from Dorocell with all materials and construction drawings with strength calculations and warranties.
-Feels good with a company that has calculated everything and stands behind the construction.
You can get the materials cheaper from the local building supplier, but for us, the surcharge was around 20-30,000:- for a 96m^2 foundation with walls, which I thought was worth it!
If you have more questions, just let me know...
Best regards,
//Håkan
We bought everything from them as a complete "kit": foundation and basement walls. The communication with them worked perfectly. They were very accommodating with the questions and concerns I had both in the planning stage and even after delivery when I had some practical questions.
They miscalculated the number of reinforcement meshes and spacers for them, I bought more of those at the hardware store (to get the material immediately) and received a corresponding credit at Dorocell as compensation. They also missed adjusting the edge elements for our bay windows (angle cut okay, forgot the length cut) where I received approximately ~1000:- per hour + VAT to adjust these myself (Hand saw 2 hours).
I "projected" and purchased the underfloor heating myself as I felt I had a pretty good grasp of this; they also offer this in the "kit" but then you (as usual) have to pay a fee for the design...
Overall, a friendly and helpful reception, fast deliveries, and even support during the construction phase...
//Håkan
They miscalculated the number of reinforcement meshes and spacers for them, I bought more of those at the hardware store (to get the material immediately) and received a corresponding credit at Dorocell as compensation. They also missed adjusting the edge elements for our bay windows (angle cut okay, forgot the length cut) where I received approximately ~1000:- per hour + VAT to adjust these myself (Hand saw 2 hours).
I "projected" and purchased the underfloor heating myself as I felt I had a pretty good grasp of this; they also offer this in the "kit" but then you (as usual) have to pay a fee for the design...
Overall, a friendly and helpful reception, fast deliveries, and even support during the construction phase...
//Håkan
Hello Hakaner!
I will be building an extension at home. I have already received a quote from Dorocell (the foundation, lower and upper floors, as well as composite flooring). My question is if you built it yourself or if you hired someone? If so, could you please tell me a little about how you handled the bracing? Did you use SKB or regular concrete and how much does it cost? Thanks in advance.
I will be building an extension at home. I have already received a quote from Dorocell (the foundation, lower and upper floors, as well as composite flooring). My question is if you built it yourself or if you hired someone? If so, could you please tell me a little about how you handled the bracing? Did you use SKB or regular concrete and how much does it cost? Thanks in advance.
Hello dreamer!
We did all the work ourselves, including site planning, the foundation, and basement walls, except for the actual pouring of the slab.
For the pouring day, we hired a knowledgeable, recommended person to ensure a smooth and even surface on the casting.
-It was worth the 10,000:- we paid for it...
For the foundation, we purchased a complete material kit with K-drawings, but we bought the underfloor heating separately.
Dorocell was good to work with, but there was a slight miscalculation on the quantities, so we ended up making a couple of trips to Beijer...
(However, we were compensated for our expenses)
We are building a hillside house, so we only cast the parts that will be underground, meaning three walls at one story height.
The new 350 blocks from Dorocell are wonderful to work with!
They have a type of screw plate made of hard plastic embedded in the elements, which is perfect for attaching things...
Additionally, with these, you only need to brace the wall on one side.
To keep the blocks in place at the bottom, we attached a temporary sill plate 45x95 on the slab 350mm inside the outer edge, then placed the blocks against the sill and screwed them into the sill.
(It was a very smooth way to get the wall straight and in the right place)
We then stacked the blocks to one story height; it was stable for us but, depending on the design, temporary braces might be needed...
To brace the finished wall for casting, we screwed vertical studs (straight studs!) to the wall at c-c ~2m.
Then we attached a couple more temporary sill plates inside on the slab and braced them diagonally between these and the vertical studs. =Stable!
We started from the diagonal bracing and laid up a ~a walkway along the top edge of the form, which the pouring guy handling the pump truck really appreciated!+
(You need a pump truck to pump the concrete up to the walls)
-In hindsight, I somewhat regret not casting the entire frame with blocks, but we basically only have windows along one long wall & I thought there wouldn't be any room left for the concrete frame...
-We also have two bay windows at two-story heights that are beveled 30 degrees, Tip: Don't make 30-degree corners, they involve a lot of work...
We used "ordinary" concrete with a very fluid consistency for the walls.
(Specified by Dorocell)
The same for the concrete for the slab, I saw no advantages with SKB concrete...
-Instead, spend the money to hire a skilled concrete worker.
We will be making a wooden floor structure, so unfortunately I have no tips on vaulting...
We did all the work ourselves, including site planning, the foundation, and basement walls, except for the actual pouring of the slab.
For the pouring day, we hired a knowledgeable, recommended person to ensure a smooth and even surface on the casting.
-It was worth the 10,000:- we paid for it...
For the foundation, we purchased a complete material kit with K-drawings, but we bought the underfloor heating separately.
Dorocell was good to work with, but there was a slight miscalculation on the quantities, so we ended up making a couple of trips to Beijer...
(However, we were compensated for our expenses)
We are building a hillside house, so we only cast the parts that will be underground, meaning three walls at one story height.
The new 350 blocks from Dorocell are wonderful to work with!
They have a type of screw plate made of hard plastic embedded in the elements, which is perfect for attaching things...
Additionally, with these, you only need to brace the wall on one side.
To keep the blocks in place at the bottom, we attached a temporary sill plate 45x95 on the slab 350mm inside the outer edge, then placed the blocks against the sill and screwed them into the sill.
(It was a very smooth way to get the wall straight and in the right place)
We then stacked the blocks to one story height; it was stable for us but, depending on the design, temporary braces might be needed...
To brace the finished wall for casting, we screwed vertical studs (straight studs!) to the wall at c-c ~2m.
Then we attached a couple more temporary sill plates inside on the slab and braced them diagonally between these and the vertical studs. =Stable!
We started from the diagonal bracing and laid up a ~a walkway along the top edge of the form, which the pouring guy handling the pump truck really appreciated!+
(You need a pump truck to pump the concrete up to the walls)
-In hindsight, I somewhat regret not casting the entire frame with blocks, but we basically only have windows along one long wall & I thought there wouldn't be any room left for the concrete frame...
-We also have two bay windows at two-story heights that are beveled 30 degrees, Tip: Don't make 30-degree corners, they involve a lot of work...
We used "ordinary" concrete with a very fluid consistency for the walls.
(Specified by Dorocell)
The same for the concrete for the slab, I saw no advantages with SKB concrete...
-Instead, spend the money to hire a skilled concrete worker.
We will be making a wooden floor structure, so unfortunately I have no tips on vaulting...
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Hello again Hakaner!
Thanks for the quick response! It's just an extension of barely 30 sqm. In other words, 3 walls that are about 5.3 m. 2 pieces of 90-degree corners. Lower basement and one upper floor. Is it much cheaper to install underfloor heating on your own? I included it in the quote and it differs by 3000 + VAT for an area of about 25 sqm. If my wife agrees to it, I will do the work myself, but we'll see. Do you live in Stockholm? Can you recommend a concrete company or someone who works with this system? Ps We will have a piled foundation (the existing house is on piles) because it is needed here in the area. Do you think you can get a building notification approved if you intend to build it yourself? I have hired a KA. Regards
Thanks for the quick response! It's just an extension of barely 30 sqm. In other words, 3 walls that are about 5.3 m. 2 pieces of 90-degree corners. Lower basement and one upper floor. Is it much cheaper to install underfloor heating on your own? I included it in the quote and it differs by 3000 + VAT for an area of about 25 sqm. If my wife agrees to it, I will do the work myself, but we'll see. Do you live in Stockholm? Can you recommend a concrete company or someone who works with this system? Ps We will have a piled foundation (the existing house is on piles) because it is needed here in the area. Do you think you can get a building notification approved if you intend to build it yourself? I have hired a KA. Regards
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