Celcon solid wall solution cuts costs

Ferrying a consignment of light weight aircrete blocks was a considerable saving over ferrying both bricks and blocks for traditional cavity construction on a Thames island project.

H+H Celcon became the wall material supplier of choice for Philippe Bassett, of developer Elbee, when faced with an unusual challenge to rebuild a house in East Molesey, Surrey.

The site is on Garrick's Ait, an island in the Thames, so all building materials had to be ferried from the riverbank by boat, making volume and weight of materials a key cost factor for the project.

For this reason a solid wall was preferred over cavity construction.

Commented Philippe Bassett of Elbee: "Specifying a solid wall and ferrying a consignment of light weight aircrete blocks was a considerable saving over ferrying both bricks and blocks for traditional cavity construction".

"Thin-layer mortar was also a great benefit - it saved us carrying 12 tons of sand over to the island".

Construction was 215mm thick Celcon Solar Plus aircrete blocks bonded with Celcon's Thin-Joint mortar, Celfix.

With only a drylining of 40mm Gyproc Thermaline Plus a U value of 0.31 was achieved, considerably better than would have been possible with cavity construction.

Roof-plate level was reached within two days, enabling the envelope to be completed very quickly, another important factor in uncertain autumn weather.

The front of the house will be clad in shiplap, with the side walls and back rendered.

Philippe Bassett was very complimentary about Celcon's sales and technical support: "Their technical department was quick to understand the requirements of this project and provided calculations which were approved by the building inspectors immediately, while area sales manager Jim Walker guided the whole process to ensure everything went smoothly and we got the products we wanted when we needed them".

The new home replaces an earlier one burnt down in 2003 and is being constructed by Philippe Bassett and partner Leela Creswell to an unusual design which takes its inspiration from Victorian boat houses in the vicinity.

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