The first five homes of a substantial development for Mid-Wales Housing Association have been built at a rapid pace, with the inner leaf construction going up in just five weeks, thanks to the H+H Rå Build method and Thin-Joint System.
Designed and built for the Mid-Wales Housing Association, the first stage of developments has been completed. With five homes now completed the continuation of the planned 22 homes on the Orchard Close site in Church Stoke, Montgomery will follow.
As with all builds the contractors had to adhere to Building Regulations but the housing association was particularly interested in achieving a high level of thermal performance. The Rå Build method helped to achieve this delivering a U-Value of 0.18W/mK.
Rå Build is an inclusive package which comprises aircrete blockwork and quick-setting Thin-Joint Celfix mortar. It creates the ground floors, exterior walls, upper floors and partitions, creating a weather-tight masonry shell, for a time-efficient, cost-effective solution.
The rapid construction of the inner lead of the external walls went up in just five weeks, allowing first-fix work to begin sooner, saving time and money. Robert Bishop, director at RT Bishop was pleased with the rate at which the internal walls went up, at least three weeks sooner than with other building methods.
Having used H + H Celcon Blocks in the past the contractor decided to trial the Rå Build system and the positive results mean he will not hesitate to use the product again. Backed by the assurances of the H+H team, providing technical advice and onsite guidance when needed, the system allowed for a fast and efficient build.
He added: “We decided on H+H because the preference was to build with traditional masonry materials and the Rå Build method makes for a far easier and quicker build. The method enabled us to build the inner leaf of the building before the outer skin went up meaning we could continue with the first-fix faster.
“I am very pleased with the result as it all went up a lot quicker than I thought it would. By using the complete Rå Build method we were able to save about two or three weeks. We have used timber frame in the past but now, after using this system, we will definitely go to H+H again.”
The first stage of the housing association’s project has been completed and a further seven homes will continue at a later stage. The value of the project currently stands at £476,000.