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Wish I'd known everything that's needed before building

LSB

Entry posted by LSB in The build progresses - or maybe not

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I am in the state at the moment of wondering why......

 

I never realised it was going to be so complicated to get all the paperwork sorted just to lay some blocks with holes in for windows and doors and a roof on top and preferably some heat, cooking and washing facilities, but I would even have considered giving up on those at some point.

 

Due to the complete lack of time we decided that the builder (HID) would take voluntary redundancy and early retirement and then build the house himself.

Trying to do this evenings and weekends was just impossible with us both working full-time with an hours commute each way, no home working for us.

 

So, in a few short weeks I'll be the bread-winner thanks to a new job (home working) with more money and HID cashing in a pension policy and HID can build full-time.

 

Or, so we thought.

 

We have planning

We have SE drawings

We have BC drawings - or so I thought.

 

I contacted our appointed BC (private) and he said great, but can I have ..........

This is before we can dig any trenches even.

 

I know that we need to make the decisions on windows, doors, roof, floors, insulation, fire control and engine turning circles and access, water, power as well as many other things.

 

But, I didn't realise that some of this is needed before doing anything.

We do have the foundations specified and have sourced blocks, concrete etc for that.

 

So, it's back to the architect to find out about the rest of the BC drawings, apparently what he sent was the overall plan, not the details and to get those we need to go back to the SE with some questions.

It seems that there are lots of books out there for self building, but none of them cover all the preliminaries that are required and we just didn't know.

 

The site is prepped, we have got quotes from builders merchants about blocks, concrete suppliers about concrete and pumps, looked at U values.

Also, ASHP, MVHR, UFH, and countless other acronyms, but not signed anything.

 

As a barn conversion we have to use as many existing walls as possible, but we do have 1 1/2 sides that never had a wall.

I stupidly thought, well we can build those up and then continue on the existing ones that need underpinning, seems that's not how it's done, why not.

 

So, it's back to the drawing board, literally, so work out what I don't know that I need and get it somehow.

It's also frustrating that all these professionals have the luxury of working Monday to Friday so when I'm free they are not and when they are free I'm working.

 

Good luck to all you self-builders how there and hope you have more luck than us.

 

 

 

 

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Jilly

Welcome back. Yes, you don't know what you don't know... I think a conversion can be more difficult than a new build as there are so many compromises to negotiate.

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Kelvin

Yes it is a frustrating process when you’ve never done it before. We (well I) rushed into ours a bit and so we were researching what to do as we were going through the planning process. I have been focused on cost increases so it drove me to get on with it. In different circumstances we might have bought the land then taken a year to really research and plan out exactly what we wanted. I agree with Jilly, conversions are harder to do. We lived in a barn conversion and while it was nice I can now see the compromises they made with it. 

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LSB

We love where we live, but have always wanted to build so converting one of our barns seemed like the ideal compromise.

Hindsight is amazing, I still feel like bulldozing it sometimes 🙂

 

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Drellingore
Quote

It seems that there are lots of books out there for self building, but none of them cover all the preliminaries that are required and we just didn't know.

 

I'm definitely feeling this. They go into enough detail to make you think "this isn't that complicated," but nowhere near enough detail to be useful once you get going. 

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Kelvin
15 minutes ago, Drellingore said:

 

I'm definitely feeling this. They go into enough detail to make you think "this isn't that complicated," but nowhere near enough detail to be useful once you get going. 


Then there’s all the idiotic stuff that happens. Today the impatient Scotloo guy couldn’t wait for a van to move so drove onto the soft verge and collapsed it into the culvert. I’ve already complained about the speed he enters the site at. 

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LSB
8 hours ago, Drellingore said:

 

I'm definitely feeling this. They go into enough detail to make you think "this isn't that complicated," but nowhere near enough detail to be useful once you get going. 

I've recently come across an architectural training book, online only, designed for students, but it's been the best thing I've found.

Quite expensive to get the download, but lots of diagrams and simple explanations, not how to just what things mean in a way that I can understand.

The author has also happily answered some questions for me in return for me giving her a statement for her website.

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LSB
7 hours ago, Kelvin said:


Then there’s all the idiotic stuff that happens. Today the impatient Scotloo guy couldn’t wait for a van to move so drove onto the soft verge and collapsed it into the culvert. I’ve already complained about the speed he enters the site at. 

how annoying, hope it's not too difficult to sort out, or too expensive.

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Jilly
25 minutes ago, LSB said:

I've recently come across an architectural training book, online only, designed for students, but it's been the best thing I've found.

Quite expensive to get the download, but lots of diagrams and simple explanations, not how to just what things mean in a way that I can understand.

The author has also happily answered some questions for me in return for me giving her a statement for her website.

What is the book called, please? 

Edited by Jilly
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Kelvin
1 hour ago, LSB said:

how annoying, hope it's not too difficult to sort out, or too expensive.


Told the farmer that owns the field beside it and he’ll send a digger up to pull it back up. 
 

Still waiting on Scotloo calling me back about it. 

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LSB
16 hours ago, Kelvin said:


Told the farmer that owns the field beside it and he’ll send a digger up to pull it back up. 
 

Still waiting on Scotloo calling me back about it. 

If you wanted to buy something then you would have heard.

 

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LSB
18 hours ago, pocster said:

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

Am I allowed to ?
I wasn't sure

 

But, her name is Emma Walshaw, and she's done a number of online books call 'Understanding Architectural Details'.  I've bought the Residential construction one.
https://www.firstinarchitecture.co.uk/

 

 

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Pocster
4 hours ago, LSB said:

Am I allowed to ?
I wasn't sure

 

But, her name is Emma Walshaw, and she's done a number of online books call 'Understanding Architectural Details'.  I've bought the Residential construction one.
https://www.firstinarchitecture.co.uk/

 

 

Of course ! Plug away !

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