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Finishing the house and moving in


jonM

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First all my apologies as this blog entry is about about a year late given that we moved in August 2019, but better late than never as they say !

 

Moving on from finishing the shell, we moved onto completing the inside. We knew from previous experience this would be the most intensive part of the build and had tried to make as many decisions up front as we could regarding bathrooms, kitchens and flooring, nevertheless there were still a lot of decisions to make. 

 

Everything went broadly to plan with the electricians, plumber, carpenters and decorator all working well round each other and coordinated by the builder who had put up the shell. There was an awful lot of work ordering everything and making sure that material was on-site at the right time. There was the occasionally thing that  didn't go to plan, most notably the kitchen where i had the bad luck to have my kitchen delivered with many missing and damaged components and a supplier who took 8 weeks to sort everything out. 

 

The trades were proactive and happy to suggest how we might achieve what we were looking for which was a great help, but by the end of the project we were both fit to drop. Self build is a very rewarding but exhausting business. Here are some pictures of the finished house. There is still a little bit of landscaping work, the fencing and some furniture to sort out and I guess at some stage we will sort out some blinds to replace the high-tech cardboard that is doing the job at the moment.

 

Following the build, we sorted out the VAT refund - 500+ invoices and a £32,000 refund for VAT. I ordered just about everything and given the number of invoices I got someone to prepare the submission to HMRC this for me which was money well spent. The electrical certificate, certificate for the unvented cylinder, building certificate and warranty were sorted out and finally the last submission for the CIL exception was made. 

 

 

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The Dog seems to like her new home !

 

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Still a bit of work to do in the garden

 

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View from the study window 

 

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Struggling to find anything to dislike there, and I looked twice ;) 

Really nice touch with the RAL heads and cills in the outside window & door reveals, have noted ( stolen ) that for future brownie points. Really liking the study / office at the back of the landing space. Architect input or your own ideas mostly?

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Love it! ?

 

(Always annoying when someone's garage is built better and is warmer the my entire house! ? )

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2 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Love it! ?

 

(Always annoying when someone's garage is built better and is warmer the my entire house! ? )


And they have finished bathrooms too .... 

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Just now, PeterW said:


And they have finished bathrooms too .... 

 

The truth hurts!

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15 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

Struggling to find anything to dislike there, and I looked twice ;) 

Really nice touch with the RAL heads and cills in the outside window & door reveals, have noted ( stolen ) that for future brownie points. Really liking the study / office at the back of the landing space. Architect input or your own ideas mostly?

@Nickfromwales  Thanks for the kind words. The brief I gave to the architect was quite concise and is contained in the thread above. We looked at putting a study downstairs but that would have made the utility quite pokey so then took a look at the landing. Most of the good ideas were the architects interpretation of my brief and he came up with some ideas I would never have thought of. The study window is raised up from the desk for example so I can see out of the window but no-one can see me working at the desk. I am working from home full time at the moment and the space is working really well for me. 

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Generally very much like it, and it hits your brief  - which is a pretty good example imo of where the spec for a 'normal, pleasant' house is now.

 

I can see a couple of very minor things I would try and avoid - those hanging electric cables in the kitchen are one.

 

Your gravel and paving looks well designed to make use of simpler materials - like it.

 

I like the paver spacing. When the children get older (assuming children) they will move some of them 5mm in different directions, and the asymmetry will be visible from space, and you will be discombobulated whilst necking your morning cornflakes and absynth on the terrace.

 

One question - does that type of framework pergola significantly defray sunlight. I am guessing it works with angled sunlight (?), though I have never done the calculations. I always have a slight tickle in my stomach that I should be able to sit under a pergola in the rain without getting more than slightly damp. I have plans for something to protect my front windows from the sunlight, which may be more a lightweight loggia than a pergola, with some of my solar panels on top.

 

And another question - what is the roof angle / treatment on that half dormer window?

 

Ferdinand

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@Ferdinand No, the framework pergola doesn't defray sunlight much.The two struts at the far end are however much further apart and will at some stage be used  to support a retractable canopy over the picture window which will give some shade outside in the summer and help to minimise any temperature gain inside. It  can also be retracted or removed in window to maximise passive solar gain.  

 

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Pitch on main roof is 34 degrees. Dorma is finished with EPDM (folded not  cut). 

 

Edited by jonM
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