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1 - I think the fact that the factory is literally on the doorstep makes me want to properly consider the hemp option. I've been in touch with them and although they have made no promises yet, I am hoping that a deal can be done for direct supply. It doesn't seem that expensive when bought retail though. They've given me some samples and it's a lot stiffer than mineral/rockwool which I like. It doesn't seem like it's going to be prone to slumping, which is what I've found in a lot of the houses I've renovated that have mineral wool insulation. I'm still at an early stage with all this and I am not going to knuckleheadedly insist on anything at this stage. I'm just exploring possibilities, but my preference is definitely for the hemp if possible. 2 - I did have a straight wall with overhang in an earlier version of the plans but I cranked it later as I was worried about the north end of it catching the prevailing wind and introducing a lot of wind-load stress onto the structure. Also the SW corner of the living space wasn't doing much, so it felt ok to sacrifice a bit. I completely get what you are saying re angles being tricky and the need to avoid introducing unnecessary complexity, but I do really, really like the slanted overhang. I also like the way the roofline stays as a rectangle and it's just that end gable wall that angles. 3 - I guess the building doesn't seem like it needs to be wider though - I don't think the living/dining need more space. My living room in my current flat is 8x4m and it's just ridiculous. The kitchen/diner next door is the same size and feels perfect, but that much space for the living room is actually a bit impractical. I actually did first put the plant room etc in the exact area you mentioned ie where the armchairs are in my current drawing but moved it away later on as I couldn't find a decent place to put the telly without it blocking the view! In Old Holloway the living room is where I have my kitchen and that's an option for it, but it felt a bit too small there, mostly because of the central door to the bedrooms. It's a good point re airtightness detailing for the lean-to though. Another point is that a steeper roof is better for winter solar generation - the time when you really need it most. The payoff of less generation in summer should be ok as it's not as critical then. If I go wider I would need to go higher with the ceilings/roofline to keep the same roof pitch and both are fairly optimised at 40 degrees (though I have taken on board what @ProDave said about 45 degrees being more practical to build and intend to raise that with Gus later). 4 - I can see what you mean. It would make use of space I don't really need up there, but I do worry that it would mean getting the ladder out every time I want to change a filter or re-boot something. Everything is a compromise though, and maybe that's the lesser one in this case. It doesn't seem very 'old age' friendly though (I'm 55).

Ok. Thanks

Used to be true, rules were changed recently. (Last year or so)

Not sure it is related, but I did reach out to a company about the grant ... and as soon as I mentioned cooling mode. Their response was "You are unable to get the grant approved if you are including cooling mode"

A cob horse and a few partridges and pheasants who live in the field behind. Thankfully, no people.

703[£] / 2650 [kWh] = 26.5p/kWh Something does not seem right there.

Usage is pretty similar to ours when were doing DHW also. But not bad for heating and cooling. Now you have that information maybe worth comparing other tariffs and see how they work out as I assume the £703 is based on a standard tariff and has no solar (battery?) input.

But only if you were in the woodland or paddock. Not sure an extra couple of feet of glazing below an approved cill level is that material but agreed it does vary from the approved plans. This is exactly what I was trying to say - different people perceive risk differently. I'd run with this because a) the chances of someone seeing it are low, b) if they did, were they aware of the approved design in the planning application and c) should the planners find out are they going to have a meltdown and threaten enforcement?

I'm not totally sure what I mean by space frame to be completely honest. It's what @Gus Potter has been calling it and I haven't had time to deep dive into the implications of that yet.

4th October marks the first full year of occupation of our new build. The heat pump has recorded 2650kWh for a cost of £703. This is taken straight from the Vaillant app and yes i know that some believe it to be potentially less than accurate. But ours is a very simple system so i am inclined to go with it unless i discover a reason not to. We have no gas supply so that is all of our heating and hot water. Happy with this. Now i need to try to get an accurate idea of what Octopus recorded for everything.

I had a bit of looking around and I think @Gone West went with this type of construction and I'm sure there is more detail in past posts but I can't find them off hand.

Sure, not dissimilar to me. I'm just saying you don't have to go all the way to hemp/sheeps wool type insulation. You can get mineral/glass wools with pretty good eco properties without the premium you pay for the eco marketed stuff. Look at Knauf. If you've already found a low priced source of eco stuff then go for it but it sounds like your budget is going to be really tight so every saving should be looked at. Missed no, just didn't stand out before. Which means its lower on the list of things I wanted to talk about. Any time you introduce angles you add complexity. I like the overhang and think it could be quite easy to construct if doing space frame (though I think it's much easier with traditional foundations vs insulated raft). Just think the angle itself isn't adding much. With a straight wall you can still have the overhang as protection, you'd actually have more outdoor space but you have a simpler foundation and junctions. Offset is you likely use some more roof/wall materials. If this build is literally DIY max and you intend to do all these bits yourself then the extra labour in making the angle happen might not matter. But there is also the point that every detail that you need to deal with once is a learning experience and you will make mistakes. Keeping things simple means trying to minimise the number of one-offs. The more repetition you have the easier it is to get good at something. So you can start where the mistakes will get hidden and work your way towards the areas where mistakes will be visible so by the time you get to them you have figured out how to do things nicely. I think my inclination would be to try and build the building 1m or so wider. No annex, take 1.5-2m from the expanded living room area to build that lobby area in the to main space (overall 0.5 to 1m loss of space in that area, offset by more room for kitchen/dining). If straightening up the external wall on that face you likely gain space overall. Total footprint of the building would be broadly similar but would be easier to construct and specify (no need to negotiate SAP for the lobby space or deal with wierd airtightness details on the inside/outside bit). I would scrap the plant room and put it in a loft above the bathroom/study.

Of course you should tell the planners, otherwise you are breaking the conditions of your planning approval. Once you have formally informed the planners by whatever is the correct method at least you are behaving properly. One window is getting bigger by being extended down to floor level - if I were your neighbour I would call that a material amendment. OK I suspect you don't have any neighbours ? Just follow due process, that is what it is there for. At the end of the day, changing plans during a build, is changing plans during a build, and you can't really argue against accepting any consequences which flow from that - be it doing some paperwork, or proceeding at some likely minimal risk. Who sized those windows ? If it was the architect I would speak to them, to create the revised drawings and ensure they don't have any counter arguments.

I guess the eco credentials of the building are something that is important to me. I don't want to fill my house with off-gassing chemicals if at all possible and I'd like to keep the environmental impact of the building to a minimum. The cranked gable end has always been there - I'm surprised you all missed it 😂 It comes from this house in Herefordshire that featured on GD in in 2019 or so. I really love it and the idea of connection to the outside whatever the weather. It's angled the way it is so that the outside glass would block the prevailing wind and mean you could sit out there or even just have the patio/bifold door open in windy or rainy weather and be protected. Being outdoors is a big part of my life so I really do think it would get a lot of use. The lean-to was a way of stopping the building getting too long and thin whilst providing a buffer zone for a muddy me and keeping noisy machines out of the way. I'm open to suggestions though, especially if they save me money.

Can I turn a small plot of agricultural land into an allotment for my own food use not as a business ? What would be the limits to structures on site ? Secure tool store Polytunnel Potting shed Greenhouse Sheperds hut for weekend overnight stays Are there any planning rules to this, tax or council involvement?

I wouldnt even bother telling the planners. As has been said keep MOE in mind

No issue with an external isolator. Issue is leaving the isolator unguarded with no gate protection (my original point). At least with the battery/inverter setup - for now, it will be behind a set of gates with a simple padlock. I fully realise that gates can be scaled and padlocks can be cut easily. The point is not to create fort knox levels of security but to step miscreants from having a go just because its easy and accessible!

It will certainly be interesting to know how well it works - white fabric should help to reflect a bit more, if it's available. Another thing you could try, if it's not too disruptive, is installing ceiling fans - I should have mine in place for next summer. A paper by Steven V. Szokolay suggests that the air movement they generate makes it feel significantly cooler, depending on the fan diameter. For a room of 20m² or less: 900mm diameter = 1.6°C 1,200mm diameter = 2.4°C 1,400mm diameter = 2.8°C For rooms >20m², the cooling effect is reduced by a factor f, where f = 20/room area. Or install an additional fan to server the next 20m² block.

Really good idea this. It's not novel but not something you see in the UK and would solve the overheating problems in many properties.

I did the plinth insulation as part of the whole EWI system, using XPS.

It's standard practise with proper Ewi to run plinth insulation from DPC for a calculated distance into the ground - it's just not done a lot in the UK. So really not a problem. XPS tends to be the default but EPS is fine too (there are a good few studies where EPS is use subgrade without any issues and of course it's used without problem as part of slab buildup. Good practise also asks for some pea gravel or similar for drainage just below the plinth in the ground. HTH

I decided I had to do something to combat the eventual indoor overheating which didn't involve installing air conditioning, this may be needed at some point if temperatures keep rising but i'd rather keep it as a last resort. I've been using all of the usual tricks in the book, opening everything up when its cooler outside than in, and shutting everything up during the day, which worked as well as it could, the bungalow is pretty well insulated so this strategy worked in the most part, but the prolonged heatwaves we had and tropical nights made it an impossible job to shift the heat. Keeping the internal blinds and curtains shut also helped, but the triple glazed units eventually heat up and then retain that heat for some time. Internally the frames/panes hit around 40C, which all adds to that air temperature over time. I have 6 south facing roof windows, and many years ago decided to get the external awning blinds which made a huge difference to the internal temperature of the windows on a hot day. The 2G ones used to hit well over 70C midday, but with the external blinds that came down to 50C, still hot but a big difference. The newer 3G ones, i currently have one with and one without an external blind, just bought one at the time to see how much difference it made on the newer version of the windows, as you'd expect this is much less of a difference as they are just better overall. Without the external blind the frame/pane hit 55C and with the blind, 47C. This was during the prolonged June heatwave when air temperatures were also very high. I looked into getting some external blinds made for the other windows to bring those internal temperatures down in extreme heat, and maybe just maybe give myself a better nights sleep when it happens, but was shocked at the cost. When I read of the impending El Nino and that chances of more heat next year, I decided that i'd get some external blind material, and make my own. Cue the sewing machine, not something i'm overly familiar with, so with plenty of practice, and all the right bits (as they're for use outside, needed UV stabilised polyester thread, a special needle as its thicker fabric and a special foot for the sewing machine due to the 'stickiness' of the fabric, combined with polyester webbing to strengthen the hems, and finally stainless steel fixings to stop rust), i made some very slow progress but have finally completed my first blind, decided to do the bedroom one first on the back of the bungalow, so its not particularly seen from the street side whilst i get better at the whole process, but on the whole i'm pretty pleased with the outcome. And from the inside the outlook is like this. Very dimmed light inside, but a good view out. Obviously time will tell as to how effective it will be, but im confident it will have a good impact. The two windows on back of bungalow are surrounded by 100mm thick EPS External Wall Insulation, which provided its own unique challenge for fixing. I found these Fischer fixings which I hadn't come across before, and have to say I'm really impressed with them, though they are rather expensive. https://www.fischer.co.uk/en-gb/products/fixation-on-etics-insulation/fixing-in-substrate/thermax-8-and-10/stand-off-installation-thermax-8 So first one down, and concept works, just another 4 to make and fit before next year! Total cost including the Fischer fixings for all the material etc was no more than £300 for all 5 windows. Fabric came from this online shop, in bronze: https://www.fabricuk.com/fabrics/2298-sun-shade-mesh-wide-width.html

I tend to use the assessment: would the planners have approved this if I had proposed this in the first place? In this instance I cannot imagine that if you had suggested the smaller windows they would have said "oh no they must be larger" and we won't approve the scheme until they are..." So, the chances of this change from a planning perspective not being acceptable are vanishingly small. Personally (and everyone's acceptance of risk is different) I'd press on and just ignore the change. However, to formalise this submit a VoC application to cover yourself but not stop building (they could take months to deal with the application). But and it's a big BUT - check the means of escape situation as mentioned above because that is a significant risk to the final approval of the scheme by BC.

Absolutely stunning, house too!

I'm an buying a property that has existing planning for demolition and rebuild. The vendor appears to have made quite a few planning applications. The conveyancing report states quote "The local authority's records indicate that the property is subject to a Section 106 Agreement." "A Section 106 Agreement is usually binding on any successors in title, meaning you, as the new owner, will be bound to the original obligations set out in the agreement" - a copy of this agreement has been requested for vendor's solicitor This is Horsham Council in West Sussex - which states that S106 is largely phased out in favour of CIL ?? There is a liability notice issued 09/06/2026 for £21,754.83 against the vendor and another for £2,722.82 issued 05/03/2024 for a different planning application by the vendor Obvious question here is am I liable for any of these charges i.e. should I be worried Thanks