futurehouse training manualoptimised

7/27/2019 Futurehouse Training Manualoptimised

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TRAINING MANUAL

CONTENTS

TOOLS REQUIRED

BUILDING PROCEDURES

1. FOUNDATIONS2. WALL START UP

3. WALL CONSTRUCTION4. WINDOW AND DOOR FITTING

5. PLASTERING6. ROOFING

7. PLUMBING AND ELECTRICAL FITTING8. FORMWORK APPLICATION


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FUTUREHOUSE WALL SYSTEM TRAINING MANUAL

1.Tools required Foundations are as traditional so require conventional concrete mixing and

set up equipment.

For Futurehouse wall panels require:- Parallel sided timber or metal template the width of the FH panel to mark the

position of the wall panels on the foundations and the spacing of the starter

bar holes.

- Conventional wall profiles to ensure wall templates are straight and cornersare correct.

- Electric drilland extension cord with concrete drill bits (6 or 8mm) for drillingholes for the starter bars. These are either Y5,6 or Y8s.

- Tape measure to ensure correct spacing of starter bars.- Soft wire for tying the panels together.- Pliers for wire tying.- Levels and or plumb lines to ensure panels are plumb and straight.- Heavy duty wire cutters to cut the FH panel mesh where required.

Alternatively an angle grinder can be used.

- Hacksaw blade or stiff blade saw to cut the expanded polystyrene (EPS).- Hand held blow torch to melt the EPS where have to insert electrical or

plumbing conduit behind the FH panel wire mesh.

- Wall bracing system to brace panels from one side whilst plastering. (These areavailable from Futurehouse).

- Plaster thickness guides to control plaster thickness and make straight edgingeasier. (Also available from Futurehouse).

- Plastering is conventional so traditional plastering tools are required.- Plastering options include; Terylene machines to apply first coat spatter

plaster and for rough finishing coats and plaster spray equipment (Available

from Futurehouse).

- All other building processes using the Futurehouse panels are conventionalusing standard equipment.


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3.

- Once starter bars are in position place the Futurehouse panels between thestarter bars starting from a corner. If needed use timber wedges under thepanels to keep the panel edges perfectly vertical. Wire tie the starter bars to

the panel mesh and the panels to each other at about 300mm centres.

Drill 100mm deep holes for

starter bars along panel wall

lines in zig zag pattern at

600mm centres on either side

Futurehouse panels wire tied

to starter bar at panel join.

Next starter bars at 600mm

centres on other side of the

panels


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4.

Wall construction

- All corners and wall joins must be reinforced with right angled wire mesh tothe full height of the walls.

Starter bars 900 mm above

foundation level tied to mesh

of the panels. Panels need to

be plumb and level

Wire overlap at panel joins.

EPS of joining panels tight fits

with no gaps. Wire of

adjoining panels should be

parallel.


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5.

Internal wall corner reinforcedwith right angled wire mesh

+- 250mm x 250mm. Cornermesh is wire tied to mesh of

wall panels

External corners reinforced

with right angled wire mesh


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6.

- To cut panels to fit and for door and window openings the wire must first becut with a wire cutter or angle grinder. Measure and mark the cut lines before

starting to cut.

- After the wire mesh has been cut the EPS is cut with a hacksaw blade or stiffblade hand saw.

To cut panels to fit walldimensions and for windows

and door openings the cutlines must first be clearly

marked and then the wire on

both sides cut with a wirecutter or angle grinder

After cutting the wire mesh

the EPS is cut with a hacksaw

blade or hand saw. Panels arecut for door and window

openings and to fit floor plans


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7.

- Reinforcement around wall openings. Added steel mesh reinforcement isneeded around window and door openings to ensure no plaster cracks form in

these areas. Mesh reinforcement strips of +- 250 x 500mm must be wire tied

diagonally around openings before plastering.

- Wall bracing. Once wall panels are in place and tied together they need to bebraced to hold them vertical and plumb before plastering. This needs to bedone only on one side of the panels. There are a number of methods of doing

this but Futurehouse have an adjustable, easy to install system for this

purpose.

Wire mesh strips must be wire

tied diagonallyaround all

window and door openings

Adjustable wall brace to hold

panels vertical and plumb

whilst plastering


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8.

- Once the panels are plastered on one side the wall braces can be removed 24hours later. The panels are now sufficiently stiff that plastering on the otherside can be done without bracing.

Panels are braced on one side

only to hold them plumb

whilst plastering from the

other side

To make sure that the wallbraces do not slip they need to

be anchored to the ground orfloor slab


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9.

- Window and door fitting. This can be done several ways.Method 1.

Before plastering metal cliscoe type window and door frames (which shouldbe sized to the width of the Futurehouse panels) can be fitted into the pre-cut

panels.

Metal cliscoe type window

frame fitted into the

Futurehouse panels before

plastering

Metal lugs from the back ofmetal frames must be wire tied

to the panel mesh to keep theframes in position


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10.

Method 2.

Fully plaster the door or window opening reveals and then fit and secure

frames into the plaster with screw and screw plug systems. This is a common

method of fitting timber and aluminium frames to the Futurehouse panels.

An option to secure metal

window and door frames is to

spot weld short pices of Y5,6

rebar to the frames and wiretie these to the panel mesh.

The common method of

fitting timber and aluminium

window and door frames is tofully plaster the window and

door reveals and then fix theframes in position with screws

and screw plugs


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11.

Method 3.

Fix a metal angle iron or hollow tube sub frame into the openings before

plastering. Fix and plaster these in place and then secure the frames to the sub

frameUseful tip: To secure heavy door/window frames it is advisable to burn or cut

away the EPS where the fixing bolts are to be secured to the wall and to fill

this space with mortar or concrete to hold the bolts.

Plastering.

Plastering can be done by machine or hand.

Standard plaster mix for the Futurehouse panel is a 4:1 building sand to

cement mix.

To prevent plaster crack formation it is recommended that 12mm long

polypropylene fibre is added to the plaster mix. (Available from Futurehouse)

Adding fibre

The simple mix ratio is a handful of fibre (100gm) per pocket of cement used.

The fibre should be pre dispersed in a bucket of water and then added to the

mix. Alternatively thoroughly mix the fibre into the dry plaster mix before

adding water

It is advisable to slush the panels with the plaster mix first. This can be done

using a hard bristle brush, Terylene machine or spray equipment.

The slush coat should be left to dry overnight.The purpose of the slush coat is to prevent the plaster slipping on the EPS

and it speeds up the drying of the finishing plaster coat by absorbing water.

EPS burned or cut away and

space filled with mortar to takedoor or window frame support

bolts


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12.

Plaster thickness guides.

To control the final plaster thickness it is recommended that plaster thickness

guides are attached to the wire mesh of the panels before plastering.

These are available from Futurehouse and can be reused.

These thickness guides control the plaster thickness above the panel wire mesh

either at 12 or 25 mm.

The guides have the advantage of making straight edging easier.

They must be removed as soon as the plaster sets up and the spaces filled in

and smoothed over before the plaster dries.If this is not done cracks will appear where the guides have been removed.

Apply a plaster slush coat tothe panels first. This stops

plaster slippage and speeds up

the drying of the final plaster

coat


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13.

Plaster finishing is as conventional with steel or wooden floats used depending

on the finish required.

25mm plaster thickness guidesattached to the wire mesh of

the Futurehouse panels.

These are used to control

plaster thickness and act as

guides for straight edging


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14.

Plaster straight edging using

plaster thickness guides to

control plaster thickness and

act as guide rails for thestraight edge


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15.

Spray plastering

Spray plastering is recommended as this contributes to the speed of building

with the Futurehouse panel.

1) The simplest method is to use a Tyrolean spatter plaster machine.2) Use a plaster spray gun attached to an air compressor. Normally need 4-6

bar pressure and compressor tank capacity of 100-150 litres.

3) For large projects it is recommended that large, automatic, mixing andspray equipment is usedTypically these could be the PFT G4 and ZP XXL machines. (These are

available from Futurehouse).

Spray application should also be done in two passes with a slush coat

being applied on day 1 and the finishing coat 24 hours + later.

Plaster thickness guides should still be used and finishing with straight

edges and plaster floats. Another advantage of using these machines isthat waste plaster can be fed back into the machine hoppers.

Spray plastering with hopper

gun and air compressor


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16.

Pre formulated plaster mixes to the Futurehouse specifications can be

supplied for these machines in bulk silos.

Spray plastering slush coat

with PFT automatic plaster

mixing and spraying

equipment.Plaster guides secured before

plastering begins


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17.

Plaster finishing.

Futurehouse offer a resin based product Futurehouse Skimplast for wall

finishing.

Skimplast is supplied as a clear with the plaster taking on the colour of the

plaster sand used. It can also be pigmented to achieve a range of natural

and earth tones in combination with the plaster sand used. To match thecolour required Futurehouse need a sample of the plaster sand to be used

plus a sample of the final colour required.

Skimplast provides a natural, resilient, maintenance free wall coating that

will significantly outlast paint finishes as the coating is millimetres as

opposed to microns thick. Skimplast also has the benefit of filling and

masking plaster cracks and can be used on conventional brick plastered

walls as well as the Futurehouse panel.

Skimplast is suitable for both external and internal use.

Futurehouse Skimplast is mixed in a ratio a 1 part resin to 3 parts plaster

sand and applied as a 2-3 mm finishing plaster coat.

Plastering with a PFT G4

plastering machine


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18.

Internal plastering

Futurehouse recommend the use of Knaufs MP75L for internal wall and

ceiling finishing to provide walls with a high quality, smooth finish.

MP75L can be applied by the following methods:

1. Spray applied directly onto the Futurehouse panel and finished with ametal or plastic float2. Spray or hand applied onto a spatter coat conventional plaster and

finished as above.

3. Applied as a 3-4 mm skimcoat on top of a smooth, conventionallyplastered surface

The benefits of using MP75 are:

It can be reworked for up to 24 hours to ensure an absolutelysmooth surface.

No need for an adhesion promoting primer coat and as it is a purewhite product eliminates undercoat application.

Yellow ochre Futurehouse

Skimplast plaster finsihingcoat.

Provides a maintenance free,

long life, non cracking finish


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19.

Roofing.

Roof trusses

Conventional roof trusses can be fixed to the top of Futurehouse walls by

the following methods:

1. Directly onto the top of plastered panels. Hoop iron or tying wireis secured to and behind the wire mesh of the panels before

plastering about 150mm from the top of the panel and left

protruding from the wall until the trusses are tied down.

2-3mm thick MP75

application over over

conventional smooth finished

plaster


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20.

2. A wall plate the width of the panel can be fixed to the top of the panels beforeplastering. This is secured by wire or hoop iron tying the wall plate to the

panel wire mesh.

3. A ring beam can be cast onto the top of the panel before plastering the wall.The ring beam cage to engineers design is tied to the panel mesh and then the

beam shuttering placed to cast the ring beam. Before casting the beam the

wire or hoop iron to secure the trusses is tied to the reinforcing of the ring

beam.

Hoop iron to secure rooftrusses tied to the wire mesh

+- 150mm from the top of the

wall before plastering.

Twist hoop iron with pliers

just above panel wire so wraps

flat around the trusses.


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21.

20.

Ring beam steelwork fixed totop of Futurehouse panels

Timber ring beam shuttering


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22.

Roof trusses and gable walls

Gable walls can be made up from prime FH panels and/or panel cut outs fromdoors and windows.

Panel shapes inclusive of roof pitch lines should be marked with a straight edge

and felt tip pen and then the steel mesh cut with and angle grinder or wire

clippers along the guide lines. The EPS can be cut with a stiff saw.

Once the cut panels are placed they should be wire tied in position with +-

150mm rectangular wire mesh pieces along the join lines, inside and out.

Slots for the brandering can be cut into the EPS at the top surface of the gable

walls with a hacksaw blade or stiff bladed saw.

Timber roof trusses fixed onto

a ring beam on Futurehousewalls with brandering flush

with top of gable walls


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23.

Beam filling

Trusses and brandering can be fitted: 1) into slots cut into the Futurehousepanels, 2) rest directly onto the top of plastered walls or 3) fixed to a wall plate .

Filling the gaps between trusses can be done with FH panels cut to the size of the

openings between the trusses, the top of the wall and the underside of the roof ,

wire tied using strips of mesh to hold the cut pieces in position and plastered.

Alternatively the gap can be bricked in and plastered. It is advisable to V notch

the plaster at the interface of the brick and the FH panel to control any likely

crack formation.

Filling above wall plate and

between trusses with

conventional brickwork

V notch plaster at the interfaceof FH panels and brickwork to

control cracking


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24.

Plumbing and electrical fitting.

Plumbing and electrical conduiting must be run behind the panel wire mesh

before plastering.To open up space behind the wire mesh a blow torch should be used to partially

melt the EPS along the lines of the conduiting.

As the EPS used in the panels is fire retardant it will melt under the flame but

not burn.

The wire mesh must be cut with wire clippers to make space for DB boards,

switch and plug boxes.

It is useful to wedge and wire tie these boxes to the wire mesh to align and hold

them in place.

Plumbing (and electrical)

conduiting must be placed

behind the panel wire mesh.

To create space for theconduiting the EPS must be

melted with a blow torch

along the lines of the

conduitin .


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25.

Retrofitting of electrical and plumbing conduit.

If conduiting has to be installed after plastering the space required will need to

be cut with an angle grinder through the plaster and the wire mesh into the EPS.The EPS can be removed with a hacksaw blade or a blow torch.

The conduit is then placed into the space and held in position with nails or wire .

It is advisable to mix polypropylene fibre into the plaster mix used to finish the

wall and/or use chicken wire over the conduit to stop cracking of the plaster.

Staircase formwork

The Futurehouse panels can be used as permanent formwork for casting

concrete stairs.Place and support the FH panels at the angle required, position the stair

shuttering and then cast the concrete.

The rigidity and lightweight of the FH panels makes this a quick and easy

formwork method.

IFHS contact details: Tel: (012)6530095, Email: [email protected]

Website: www.futurehouse.co.za

October 2010

FH panels used as formwork

for a concrete staircase

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