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As an architect I think it’s crazy trying to design a house when you don’t even have a site in mind. You’ve no idea which way the house faces, where the sun rises, where neighbours may overlook, do you overlook the neighbours, if the site is even flat, where are the views, where is the road, is the road noisy or busy, are all the surrounding houses bungalow or all dormer which could influence planners, is it a conservation area, do any planning restrictions apply, etc. If you have your ‘perfect’ house planned and then get a site you could end up putting a house on a site which is totally unsuitable and it will be only after you’ve built and move in that you realise this. If you want to think about ideas, design, layouts, materials, etc then set up a Pintrest account and start making albums of what you like and what you don’t like. Use a general cost per meter square to work out the costs for now. The site you eventually pick could have very poor access or require a huge amount of ground works so getting a cost of a ‘perfect’ house now isn’t appropriate. Sorry to be negative but this is a huge investment and you want to get it right.

If you hate dormers, consider my idea of "gable ends" instead. Ours (like just about every house in the Highlands) is room in roof, but I built big gable ends, instead of dormers. Think of a dormer, but don't chop the sides off. I first saw this style of house on Skye and liked it. I have to say I am very pleased and just about the entire floor area upstairs has standing headroom.

There aren't enough gigs of storage on the server for me to list them all, but some include: - assumed that external blinds would provide 100% darkness, so didn't allow for internal window coverings. They provide nothing of the sort, so everyone is presently getting woken very early by light leakage. Had I known this I've had built in recesses for proper light-proof window coverings. - didn't put in writing some things that I should have, which came back to bite me on the bum when it became my word against the other guy (I actually think he genuinely remembered it differently to me, but one thing I do have is a reliable memory for conversations, so he was definitely in the wrong). - specified in greater detail what level of finish I expected from trades. According to at least some trades we've had onsite, my idea of basic, workmanlike quality" is "perfection that no human being (or at least English tradesperson) can achieve". I think it just shows how poor many people are at their trades. - I carefully measured up all the window apertures once the frame was up, then proceeded to not get around to comparing them to the plans. Some were slightly short, and that triggered the biggest nightmare of the build (as we all know from watching Grand Designs, it's always the windows that cause the problems!) - kept putting off difficult decisions, which often meant making the decision at crunch time, while under stress (possibly even stress related to something unrelated). Also meant we sometimes paid over the odds for materials, because we didn't plan them far enough in advance. I could go on (and on, etc). I suspect that other people will have different issues. The ones I had above are largely related to my own personal weaknesses as a human, which include a dislike of confrontation, an intense dislike of telling people what to do (you really need to learn how to do this - I'm certainly better than I was as a result of the experience), and problems with making big decisions. I recommend examining your own weaknesses and seeing where you think they might get you into trouble!

An attack on the most vulnerable by party or parties currently unknown. Not good, and I am thinking about people who have still not found their families, friends and relatives. And for those whose role it is to help. My hope is that - since to me this seems to be an attempt to cause disruption to our life during an Election - our response will be what it usually is. That is, a pause for respect and acknowledgement of the victims, and then a continuing of normal, daily life. And of course a hunt for the perpetrators, whoever they are. Ferdinand

How about a walk in fridge / cold room? http://www.coldrooms.net/case-study/domestic-walk-fridge/

The thing we're finding difficult is balance our desire for perfection with the reality of what's on offer. My biggest weakness is the desire to do everything myself and thinking and often saying " oh! That'll only take my x hours" when in reality it'll take me 6 times x hours.

You are creating a problem for yourself if you want to buy a 1 acre plot for a 250 sq metre house. A plot will generally be priced based on the largest build that a developer can put on it and sell. A 250sq metre house would fit very comfortably in a quarter of an acre, indeed a developer could get 6 houses that size into an acre, or a couple of blocks of flats. If the value of a house that size is £500k then I would expect a build cost of around £300-350k and to be spending £150k for the land it is built on. If you want to buy a piece of land that could take a substantially larger house or multiple houses you will end up spending more than the house is worth, although you could of course recoup it later by selling the excess land.

Today demolition of our 1935 timber dormer bungalow commenced in earnest. Having done a soft strip in the dormers, removing doors, carpets and internal walls, I then moved outside and onto the roof. Being a timber bungalow everything is made of a wood product of one sort or another, so he internal walls and ceilings are constructed using fibre board and the roof is cedar shingles. Once on the roof it soon became clear that it's been re-covered, so I now have two layers of shingles to hack through. My first thought was to use a spade under the layers and prise then off, I soon gave up on that idea, due to the shear number of nails. Next I tried a long handled three pronged weeding fork, worked a treat, thrust it under the shingles and they splinter and fly off. Mind you, it's dusty laborious work and the pile of shattered shingle is growing .

This is not over yet. The neighbour has still not spoken to me. But he has been speaking to my tenant in my old house. But he is apparently applying to SEPA for permission to culvert the burn across his garden. It will be interesting to see if they give him permission or not. At least if they do one would hope they will be specifying a proper size of pipe to be used.

Ok so you can do the £1k per square metre but you are going to have to compromise. Although I hate them, dormers are a cheap way to get a room into a roof. I have 3..... Reducing to a big double pitch single storey with a steep pitch roof will give you space for less than the cost of building walls. I have 50 degree roof pitch.... Doing it yourself means just that - learn to do things such as underfloor heating, digging trenches, basic plumbing. Labour for the trades if they are on day rate and learn to make lots of tea .... Plan in for the future and make life easy. A socket or switch on every wall in a room is a pain for a plasterer and more cost for the sparks - putting a plug in a corner where it can be used both sides is not an issue but do it once. Try and keep services to stud walls and inner walls and you will save a lot in time running pipes and wires. Insist on pozijoists as they will halve the time to install and make huge time savings for the follow on trades. Looking at that design you need at least 3 soil stacks - all adds up so move it around so you end up with a services zone running down through all the floors. The ensuite looks a little odd ... no door to the toilet ..?? Kitchen island is too close to the table - 5m is about the minimum to get a decent run of cabinets and an island in without that table. If you look at yours you have cabinets (700mm) service space (1200mm) island (1100..??) and then a table which at 850mm wide leaves 1150mm for 2 chairs and someone to walk down ..? We did 4 plots and 10 designs before buying one, this one ironically coming with full PP but we adapted the outside a little and gutted the internal design which has created an additional study, a cellar and a 10sqm ensuite with a 24 sqm master bedroom. My target price per square metre ..?? I'll let you know when we are done ..!!

What is going in the barn ..?? We do barns with pads - 1/2 cube each and dug with an 18" bucket. One pad per leg, and then a shallow 8-12" trench between the legs for the panels to sit on once the frame is up. If you want a straight ag slab with capacity to take tractors etc then you need 150mm of reinforced concrete over a good 150/200 of MOT1. Anything less can go on 100/150 laid in bays with mesh per bay. Don't span the bays with rebar as it's easier to take one bay up when it needs it.

Indeed, although a victory for political self interest is probably closer to the mark...

From ebuild http://www.ebuild.co.uk/topic/15595-with-hindsight-what-would-you-have-done-differently/page__p__114558__hl__mistakes#entry114558

I had intended using estimators online hwoever they don't touch ICF which was a shame. I asked them about this at the weekend at the Glasgow HBR Show and they think they may be able to do this in 6months, but ICF treated slightly as something 'new' - which needs to chaneg given how many self builders are starting to use it. House Builders Bible is useful to an extent and a good starting place. Although I never anticipated just how much 2x2 and 4x2 we would go through!

When I costed up my project, I used Wickes online prices for convenience on all applicable items, pulled other prices off website (e..g instant online quotes for roofing sheets) and phoned the BM for the rest. Interestingly, my budget has ended up within a few hundred pounds of that original estimate. Partly luck, of course, but also because the things that inevitably crept up in price were offset by the value of shopping around when the time came to buy. For example, when I did my bulk purchase of the timber and sheets for the framing, I had estimated about £1500 but it came in at just shy of £1000, because it was a big enough order that I could get three or four BMs interested and haggle the price right down. If I were to build again, I would be bolder with bulk buying and try to get everything at the start. You get a much better reception when you are talking bigger money. You then run the risk of timber warping in storage, sheeting getting rained on, miscalculations in materials, etc- all reasons why I didn't initially do it that way.

Don't underestimate salami-slicing-pricing either. Eg with a Trade Account and Gift Cards bought via many people's work Employee Benefit Programmes it is possible to get a routine 20% off at Wickes, plus whatever discounts and sales they are doing at the time. We have a couple of threads in the General Discussion area. A couple of weeks ago a new member appeared quoting a price for insulation for a new self-build that could be halved without difficulty. Ferdinand

Yes definitely use Pintrest/Houzz. We used Houzz (basically Pintrest for houses) for finding a lot of ideas, you can filter by room type, style, size etc. And save ideas that you like in your own scrap book(s).

+1. I think the comments about wasting your time before you've got a plot are entirely wrong. Yes there are elements of design which are going to be heavily influenced by the plot, it's location and the building orientation on the plot BUT you can certainly start to think about spaces, how you use them, features you like or dislike. One other tip (if you haven't already) is to set up some Pinterest boards and start consolidating various design ideas and inspiration. We we did exactly as you are doing and many of our thoughts and ideas were taken onboard by our architect and transmitted into our house design. Keep going!

Also looking at the design: 1: Entrance to the family bathroom looks like it's actually on the stairs 2: design in build in wardrobes early, as trying to get them in later can impact the design 3: I don't like the idea of entering the master bedroom via the ensuite area 4: possible wasted space in landing area at front between the two bedroom if it's not intended as seating/study area. 5: move the front bedroom doors closer to the stairs to make better use of the area in 4. 6: the space for the dining table may be a bit tight (close to the island), if you have 600 mm units, 1200 mm between units and island and 1200 mm island, that leaves 2800 mm for dining area. 7: why is the island not in a straight line, think it would flow better straight, rather than have the bits at the end.

I think there is nothing wrong with starting to design your house before you get a plot, in terms of refining/deciding what sort of rooms you would like to have in the house. And even the layout of rooms such as bedrooms, Kitchen and bathrooms/ensuites. I had been playing about with designs for 3 years before we arrived at our current design for our site and I think it definitely helped. I saw you mentioned having the design ready for buying the land, are you aware that you would probably need full planning permission (and possibly building warrant) before a mortgage lender would start the application process? Some sellers may be open to selling you the land once you have the funds from lender however others wouldn't wait that long. We have been told by build store that in Scotland planning application can take 6 - 8 weeks, then building warrant takes 6-8 weeks, only once we have building warrant can the mortgage application begin, which can take up to another 3 months.

Agree with much of what has already been said - passive houses are much more sensitive to the site orientation due to the need to control solar gain - overheating is a major risk with large expanses of glass in a highly insulated airtight envelope. E.g. we invested in integrated electric blinds for all front east wall windows and all south and east roof windows. Probably need to build a bris soleil or pergola to give us more shading at the rear which faces west. I have friends who built (with an architect) a beautiful contemporary home with big windows onto amazing views - now spending additional £££ on light reflecting solar film as said windows are causing massive glare and overheating. There's also no real reason why a passive house should cost that much more than one that just complies with regs, the most important 'passive' aspects are in the initial design (PHPP is recommended to estimate performance) and achieving the required insulation and airtightness - the later is more of an on-site attention to detail issue vs big expense in materials. Many here have used a certain timber frame firm to deliver a passive frame and foundation system that is guaranteed to meet the passive standards - this removes a lot of the complexity in ensuring the design and on site detailing are correct but again, no reason traditional build methods could not achieve the same performance, however you'll need to take much more control of these aspects. MVHR is usually a £2-3k investment - you should think on where ducting needs to go and make design provision (vaulted ceilings can be a challenge) - this would appear to be the most common 'gotcha' that many builders on this site face High performance windows can also be had at a reasonable cost (note though that bifold doors are not usually that airtight, sliders perform much better.) You'll likely save some on having a simpler heating system without the need for rads in every room etc. If you're on mains gas than a traditional system boiler is usually the cheapest and most flexible option - many here use ASHP and electric for DHW, solar PV may be a consideration depending on roof orientation. Forget any kind of woodburner in a passive house, you'll overheat. Practically everything else will be the usual aesthetic vs quality vs cost choice (kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, doors etc, etc..) and this is where the majority of the cost is. £1300 / m2 is potentially achievable but will require a lot of work on your behalf, especially as many material costs have increased by around 20% since the pound dropped in value post Brexit. That said, well done for putting some deep thought into this already. What you end up with may well bear no resemblance to what you've designed but at least you're thinking it through and seeing some of the compromised that need to be made. The fact that you've done similar before will help.

I have to disagree. I don’t think you need to model up a house to cost as it can’t be accurate. Without having a site a lot of these costs are impossible to calculate. Lets take the roof as an example. The surrounding houses and context will influence this to a huge extent. Your sketchup model is a modern low pitched roof with possibly a cheap membrane. However if you're surrounded by dormers you could be forced this route and/or the planners could condition natural slate. This dictates the pitch and the finish and more importantly the cost. Now the cheap low pitch membrane is an expensive dormer with less usable floor area and expensive natural slate. The house plan possibly grows to regain this lost upstairs unusable space and a bedroom has to move downstairs but now you want a shower downstairs in the WC for this bedroom so that gets larger too. The site constraints mean the house can’t get bigger in the direction wanted so the downstairs bedroom and larger WC eat into the kitchen which reduces the huge kitchen and the amount of kitchen units. Now the expensive granite kitchen worktop is reduce in size due to smaller kitchen and as it’s longer and narrower you decide to add an additional window but the window overlooks the neighbours so you swap the office with the downstairs bedroom to allow more light into the kitchen. The bedroom is more enclosed so it changes the dynamic of the whole ground floor open plan. Now you’ve a house with no resemblance to the original all because of the dormer roof with natural slate.

I've read a few builds on here, I understand that it will not be an easy road. I'm very hands on and find it difficult paying somebody to do somehting I can do myself The few plots we have seen have been snapped up quickly, so we know its important to get enough of our ducks in a row to be able to proceed quickly if we find one. (With the land purchase, not necessarily the design and build) If anybody has advice on this, it would be welcomed We don't want to fall in love with a plot, but be unable to get the money together and complete quickly. Most around here seem to go to sealed bids... (Which must include method of paying, solicitor etc)

I agree that designing a house without land makes little sense, however if you view it as an exercise in tuning your requirements then it has value. However, do not under-estimate the impact of emotional investment you (and your family) will make through this exercise. You will need to guard against matching a plot to your scheme else you are likely to reject plots that would be perfectly good, but somehow do not match your ideal. Finding any plot is difficult, finding a plot that matches the design is likely to be futile. Be prepared to rip it all up and start again.

I think you *may* be underestimating the numbers of rocks and ruts normally encountered on the smooth road of self-build, and the time required to circumvent them or prove they are mirages. Trying to do things too quickly *can be* (sometimes) a very good way of spending more money than you may actually need to do. Ferdinand

Hopuse concept shown below, location will be somewhere between Worcester and Stratford. (Hopefuly)

We are looking to build a contemporary house, white render, some cladding (probably one of the new cement composite ones) and a flat'ish roof. Downstairs entertaining space is important for us, we want open-plan. Concept:-

Designing a house before you have the plot is somewhat putting the cart before the horse. What if north is to the top left and you have all the glazing facing that direction? What if the plot is wide but you won't be able to build deep? I think it's great to work on what you want/need, but until you have the plot, it's probably premature to go too far down into the detailed design. Having said that, in terms of scale and relative positions of rooms, your layout is startlingly similar to what we built in 2015 in Surrey (ours is a mirror version of this). If you get to the point where building this is a reality, I'd be happy to share our own experiences in living with this layout.

Hi and welcome to the forum. Finding a plot is always the crux, that needs to be your main priority. Until you get that, then detailing the plans is not a priority and should be regarded as just putting ideas and concepts onto paper. Until you find a plot, you won't know what size and shape the house will be, and how you want to orientate the house with respect to views, sun, neighbours etc.

(Revised) I think it is a good thing to start throwing ideas around, as long as you do not get *too* attached to specifics. At this early stage I suggest exposing yourself to as many ideas as you can, and try to focus on the generalities as well as the details. It is the broad knowledge and background you are missing my not using an architect - and you need to compensate by creating your own broader perspective. That is important, because the joy of self-build is that you design something that works for you and suits the site, rather than taking a preconceived idea of your house and plonking it down wherever. That is in some ways no different from taking a developer's pre-conceived idea of what you house should be. What are your key requirements? (ie your postcard-length summary of what you want from your house) Do you know which area (approx) are you in, and what the vernacular style is for that area? I recommend: 1 - Reading this design e-book written by one of our former architect members: http://www.ebuild.co.uk/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=4333 2 - Visiting as many different interesting houses as you can on Open Days, via Estate Agents, for weekends away on AirBNB and so on, with a notebook and an eye on what you like. And I mean 20 or 30 not 2 or 3, 3 - Starting to look for details of the things that make houses work. Where is the light coming from at different times of day, as well as what sort of finishes has it got. I find it helps to start from all three of "what is the site like", "what do we need" and "what will our house look like", and meet somewhere in the middle. Ferdinand

Hi, and welcome aboard .

Don't do yourself down! That's a better job than a lot or architects could muster!

A few initial thoughts, Bathroom door and stair opening, usually try and keep a good opening above the stairs so it doesn't feel like you will bang your head, does it work. Storage, as there is no attic where will you keep all you junk, it is inevitable, so plan for some general storage and them some. Services don't underestimate how mush space they require: MVHR (if going PassiveHaus standard you will have one with all the fittings) DHW storage and all the associated plumbing (make your Airing Cupboard a good size or there won't be space for any clothes) ASHP/Boiler location and how they feed everything else. The current Airing cupboard is close to the en-suite but remote from all the other wet rooms! Also how to feed it if the boiler is in the utility area. What direction are the large glazing units, solar gain issues in summer, plan shading now. Consider an entrance hall to insulate the main living area from the open door in winter. You like I have large spans on the ground floor, this may be a deciding factor on your construction method, if you want to keep it that open, it will require Steel/RJS/pre-stressed concrete, no matter how you look at it there is currently a 10m span one way or another, that requires engineering.

Welcome.

It's not a vent . It's a redundant strap on boss which has had a cleaning eye ( aka rodding eye ) fitted into it to blank it off. Prob picked up a waste pipe in another life . Cut it out and get rid as its a liability. ?

What about an LED strip running in an aluminium channel, hidden behind a timber pelmet, like this: (This is what we're doing)

An update on our IKEA bathroom sink unit problem. Having been told that there was no way IKEA would send the new unit out without collecting the old unit at the same time. I had a call this morning to inform me that the customer service rep was wrong and that a new unit would be dispatched today and once the defective unit had been removed, could I call to arrange for its collection. Excellent news !