Jump to content

Forums

  1. BuildHub Guide: Information about the site : Introduce Yourself

    1. About BuildHub.org.uk

      9
      posts

    2. Introduce Yourself

      Say Hello, and a little bit about yourself

      29.2k
      posts

  2. Build Design, Planning, Finance and Legal

    1. Building Plots, Land & Renovation Properties

      12.3k
      posts

    2. Design & Architecture

      All about self build design, both new build and renovation. Discussions on architects and structural engineering, planning permission and building regulations

      45.5k
      posts

    3. Funding, Finance & Tax

      14.1k
      posts

    4. Insurance, Legal and Warranties

      6.7k
      posts

  3. House Construction & Structural Issues

    1. House Construction

      37k
      posts

    2. Conversions & Extensions

      8.3k
      posts

    3. Roofing & Lofts

      20.5k
      posts

    4. Structural Works, Foundations & Demolition

      18.3k
      posts

    5. Insulation & Ventilation

      38.1k
      posts

    6. Landscaping & Outdoor Buildings

      18.3k
      posts

    7. Damp & Infestation

      3.2k
      posts

  4. Building Trades

    1. Plumbing & Heating

      83.2k
      posts

    2. Bricklaying, Plastering, Concrete, Blocks & Rendering

      9.8k
      posts

    3. Joinery, Windows & Doors

      25.3k
      posts

    4. Floors & Flooring

      11.3k
      posts

    5. Electrics, Lighting & Home Security

      31.4k
      posts

    6. Decorating & Tiling

      6.7k
      posts

    7. Kitchens & Bathrooms

      24.4k
      posts

    8. Building Materials

      6.1k
      posts

  5. Environmental, Alternative & Green Building Methods

    1. Designing Energy Efficient & Sustainable Homes

      4.7k
      posts

    2. Renewable Home Energy Generation

      54.6k
      posts

    3. Research & Information Sources

      553
      posts

    4. Environmental Building Politics

      4.1k
      posts

    5. Boffin's Corner

      8.4k
      posts

  6. Self Build & DIY: General

    1. General Self Build & DIY Discussion

      40.7k
      posts

    2. Housing Politics

      2.3k
      posts

    3. Property TV Programmes

      2.2k
      posts

    4. Tools & Equipment

      9.7k
      posts

  7. Self Build Regional Groups

    1. UK

      2.6k
      posts

    2. Europe

      90
      posts

  • Member Statistics

    23866
    Total Members
    4949
    Most Online
    Dazz71
    Newest Member
    Dazz71
    Joined

  • Who's Online   2 Members, 1 Anonymous, 96 Guests (See full list)

  • Like what you see..?

    Why don't you sign up and become a member of the community..?

  • Featured Topics

  • Recent Posts

    • Gus Potter
      Piled foundation cost

      By Gus Potter · Posted

      Now by now you should know that there is no way any of us that can take a punt on this.    Post your geotech into, a site plan etc. You know the rules, the more info you provide the better quality response you'll get. 
    • Mike
      Hoping for an answer to a potentially stupid question.

      By Mike · Posted

      Welcome to the forum!   If the loft is the only place it will fit, then installing it within an insulated but unheated enclosure is good. Your loft access trap also needs to be big enough to get it through, and you'll need good access for filter changes & other maintenance. And, although good MVHR units don't make much noise, I'd not put it directly over a bedroom if there was an easy alternative. If it will fit within the heated envelope - utility room, kitchen or elsewhere - then that would be preferable.   No need for a heating loop unless you're planning to use it to feed a duct post-heater to top-up the air supply temperature. That's not often done except when the MVHR is used as the main source of heating in Passivehaus.   BTW, if you've not already picked it up, add airtightness to your to-do list. It's likely to be the most cost-effective improvement you can make & it plays a major role in protecting the fabric of the building from potential moisture damage.  
    • Gus Potter
      New concept to make self and custom build easier and more accessible.

      By Gus Potter · Posted

      Reading a lot of these posts it's pretty clear that that many on BH don't have a high opinion of folk like me who design as a day job. I can see many professionals have lost their compass and are not delivering value for money and are not that good at running a business, hence the poor service delivery. I've been in the construction industry for over 40 years, 20 spent as a contractor running my own business' , did my own self build, really pretty much all by myself on the tools ( took me three years) then off to uni to be an Engineer, now for the last ten years I wear two hats as an Engineer and Architectural designer. Thus have a fairly rounded view of the in and outs of this. I can say that in the last 20 years there has been a race to the bottom, not just from designers,  but also say the timber frame suppliers, ground works designers ( UFH and rafts etc)  and designers who think that if they curtail their design brief, caveat it a lot the money is going to flow.   But in the long term it doesn’t, as often the key to good business is repeat business, recommendation, even in the short term cutting you brief down often leads to problems, queries, design mistakes that just eat into your profit and leads to potential claims or Clients rightfully withholding money.   Ok, lets look at some financials. The bottom line for a new self builder ( not someone who works in the trade with contacts) is the tendency to split each element into work packages, say foundations, timber frame and roof ect. Each package supplier takes the cream out of the job, leaving nothing for the self builder. Then you have planning and BC regs on top not least, that all adds to the cost.    I work on a lot of projects where I'm involved holistically. I work very closely with the Client, not just as a designer but also do hand holding and participate in all of the design.    Now to be blunt. Say for a self build the design fee is £10k. An experienced chippy ( joiner may cost you £250 a day, a labourer £150 as day, total 2.0k per week. All I have to do to wash my face is to save you a few weeks, just on the labour alone and I have well and truly washed my face!    The pendulum is swinging back where folk are clocking that we need to "go back to the old days", but now you need someone like me who can cope with the modern code requirements for example, and the modern way of doing business., much less trust and more hard arse stuff.    I get this kind of business where folk are happy to pay me a bit more as I can guide them, hold their hand and most importantly we all have fun, we do whacky designs that you only get to do on self builds! We also tend to avoid " work packages where we can, say from MBC et al and keep the cream to ourselves. This also often helps cash flow and gives the Client more control on day to day site activity.    Now in the round if you want to make some money then try and find a designer like me that is local to you, with good contacts.     
    • saveasteading
      Sealing Edge of LVT Floor

      By saveasteading · Posted

      The easy option would be stick on plastic like this 
    • saveasteading
      Piled foundation cost

      By saveasteading · Posted

      Do you have access to the borehole logs? Just a statement that piling is required is of little use. Is there hard ground at 5m depth or 50m? How soft is the clay?  Does only the structure require support but not intermediate floor areas?.   That said, a starting point of "about 30 or 40k" lets you start on feasibility.   But there are lots of piling techniques too. By considering that and the method of construction you could be saying "allow 20k to 80k".   I've probably done about 20 piled buildings and often used a different method to that suggested in initial reports. But never for clay... yours must be very soft indeed.   Any chance of seeing a borehole record?   And what about the house? Big/small/ conventional or huge rooms, 1 or 2 storey?  

  • Recent Topics

  • Blog Entries

  • Blogs

×
×
  • Create New...