Poroton blocks

damiand

Hi.

Has any one got experience of using these blocks or had a house/extension constructed from same.

I am thinking of using them in an extension I wish to build. I had one builder who told me that if they were any good they would have been used her 40 years ago. I think thats a bit unfair, as we probably do not have enough good quality clay to make they while we have unknown amounts of sand and gravel.

<Snip> Read the charter.

Comments would be appreaciated.

Thanks in advance

Damian

sydthebeat

havent had personal experience of them, but i have spoken to a client who wanted to build with them but after visiting two sites on which they were used he said he wouldnt go near them. Blocklayers tend to be 'less than exact' when cutting them and large gaps between blocks are filled with mortar, completely contrary to the whole point.

Slig

On paper they are a good product but Irish trades have a long way to come before we are able to use them, we still arent able to build exactly enough to use prefab doors. In this country we still like the concrete too much, its messy and sloppy but it wont fall down.

davidoco

Slig wrote: »

............but it wont fall down.

or cost a fiver each

Poor Uncle Tom

Had a design ready to use this product on, had a builder ready to use it. When I priced the material including wastage I got a shock. The client went for cavity blockwork instead and saved €4,600. It was a 3,200 sq ft house.

sydthebeat

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Had a design ready to use this product on, had a builder ready to use it. When I priced the material including wastage I got a shock. The client went for cavity blockwork instead and saved €4,600. It was a 3,200 sq ft house.

surely you mean €46,000....

ollie30

Slig wrote: »

On paper they are a good product but Irish trades have a long way to come before we are able to use them, we still arent able to build exactly enough to use prefab doors. In this country we still like the concrete too much, its messy and sloppy but it wont fall down.

i think sometimes we can be too hard on our own trades men ,there's some damn fine builders out there and some hatchet men...a lot of hatchet men.
but the poroton houses i seen built were built by polish and other eastern europeans and believe me i really couldnt see many irish getting them as rough,so much it put me off as these were the people going to instruct my choice of blocklayers.even during a trip to poland i looked at the building work and some standards were worse than any thrown up development over here.

The_Bullman

ollie30 wrote: »

but the poroton houses i seen built were built by polish and other eastern europeans and believe me i really couldnt see many irish getting them as rough,so much it put me off as these were the people going to instruct my choice of blocklayers.even during a trip to poland i looked at the building work and some standards were worse than any thrown up development over here.

Agreed.

I was over in Slovakia last month and the standard of building with poroton blocks was awful. Not a straight edge to be seen.

damiand

Thanks guys, no positive comments there them. Looks like the end of that idea.