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I have known architects try and charge a fee if the plot they designed for is bought by others. If it were me I would tell them to do one, as I don't think they would win in court (or even try).

Just got my first quote from an architect to bring a detailed approved planning permission design up to Building Control diagram standards, £3,600 plus VAT plus another £2000 if I want an architects certificate. This is for a two story brick and block 1500 sq ft house. I have heard about the concept of "as built" for energy performance design certification, can this be extended to the whole building? Edit: The prompt for my question was the reference to Building Control application option 2 at the following link. It sounds like a documentation lite route with further clarifications provided mid build. https://www.northampton.gov.uk/info/200011/building-control/1694/building-control-guidance---make-a-building-regulation-application/1

FFS get a move on...?

Agree to this - also worth getting a bag of smokeless coal from the local garage and adding some of that when it’s going as it keeps a good core to the fire.

Is that fitted inc Vat..? Know the sizes..?

I'll be on it like a tramp on a kebab. .

Don't beat yourself up! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This site is full of accounts of lessons learned the hard way, and many of us will recognise that sick-to-your-stomach feeling. I'll be honest, I'm winging it a bit, and sailing way closer to the wind than I'm comfortable with. It sounds like that, for one reason or another, both you and your builder find yourselves out of your comfort zone, and that there's no real value in going back over who could or should have done what and when. Unfortunately, when it comes to budgets, maths is maths, but perhaps time for an honest appraisal of the situation and to harness the collective Buildhub wisdom to find a way to work through it and get the best bang for the remaining bucks!

ok, rephrase - what do you think your water tights costs will be - including windows, doors and internal walls? Also, what is your m2?

If you solder, then you'll have to solder stubs into them FIRST and then PTFE them and then screw them in, otherwise you'll melt the PTFE tape. Not a problem if you have a bend to solder onto the end of the stub, before changing direction etc, but it means offering the valve in with 4 of them made off to the stubs. Nowt wrong with compression TBH.

Foam it, you know you want too..

90's Hit Mix (Eurodance) on YouTube & a beer! Funny how the sound of the impact driver only adds to it!

Come out sideways and your already heading in the right direction ?

In so far as any more work that he does, is it possible to insist that any variations are agreed up front (as you already tried to do) but with the mind focussing condition that if they aren't detailed on the bill each week, then he doesn't get paid for them? I understand that stuff needs to get done and additional costs are never good, but the lack of transparency is what's put you into such a difficult spot with the cost of all the extras snowballing without your knowledge.

On this subject, I spoke to the architect of the plot I am trying to buy. He said that I could use the plans that he had prepared for planning purposes without needing to concern myself with the IP so long as I was building for the purpose as originally intended when the plans were prepared, i.e. building a single home to live in. Of course it would be a different matter if I was going to use the design multiple times or indeed try and sell it on to another self builder.

Our first house was built (to a bare shell) on a fixed price contract. Every time there was a small change the builder sent a "notice of variation" immediately so we knew the extra costs coming. This time round I entered an open ended contract with the builder. We were having trouble selling the old house, so my instructions were basically "carry on until I say stop" and that point happened when the frame was built and the roof was on (but not tiled) and I have carried on alone since then except for rendering and plastering. I did get the same builders to supply and fit the windows later on. We parted on good terms with them fully understanding it was simply a matter of no money in the pot to pay them for any more work.

The external windows and doors could be a large part of the 45k and if it was me I would want to get quotes myself. When I picked ours the quotes varied massively and shopping around really was worth the effort.

I am a novice self builder but it seems to me that the original good intentions between you and your builder to deliver a specific house at a fixed price incrementally eroded to a point where you are just paying a weekly appearance fee to the builder for no target deliverables. The latest vocalized positive sentiments just expressed by you and the builder will not solve the underlying problem. You need to get hardnosed with this guy who is letting you down, set verifiable targets and pay when delivered. Is your build weather tight?

@Hecateh, in every build there's one or more 'Oh Dear' moments. And often money is the core of it all. This was ours. At this remove, its hard to say anything constructive because whatever we write it could easily sound vacuous or trite to you. But we can say with complete accuracy, you have all of us listening, and looking for practical ways in which we might help. Debbie and I have in part recovered from the shock of our hiccup, but the knock-on effects of it have taken us not far off nine months to process. We have had to adjust our expectations and look for ways to soften the blow. Now, when we think back to what happened, we just grizzle a bit, shrug and go down the pub. There will be a way of getting through your hiccup: it'll take time to see it. Keep posting, keep in touch.

You first do a design SAP for building control approval. At the end that is updated with an "as built" SAP for BC sign off to take account of any changes that might have happened. If I had been quoted those sorts of figures from an architect, I would have bitten their hand off. Some think I don't like architects, that is not true. What I dislike is when I last tried, they wanted to charge me roughly 6 times what you have been quoted for the same scope of work, and they would not even negotiate the fees a little bit, let alone bring them down to the reasonable fee you have been quoted.

Hello all I recently paid a deposit on 0.2 acres of land to build my families forever home. What happens next is anyone's guess. I'm not afraid to say I'm naive and suitably ignorant when it comes to building property, but my wife and I are incredibly excited nonetheless. I'm looking forward to reading all the help topics in this forum and getting to know all you lovely people. I've bought the homebuilders bible 12 from Amazon, but i'd appreciate any help and guidance you can provide me. Thank you all. J

I think they look quite sturdy, if they are put together properly should be fine for a few years and easy to replace if damaged.

The smoke alarms were going ballistic at one point!! I was just told ‘we’ve proved your smoke alarms work, more beer please’

To garnish the above, if you were concerned about regular interruptions of the cold water mains supply as well as regular power failure, this overheat solution could be fortified with a cold water accumulator for any serious paranoia. These ramblings will no doubt have to be in accordance with the guidelines set out by HETAS so please dont take these all as gospel without prior consultation with a suitably qualified individual. The side effect of fitting the accumulator would result in you having a top-notch water supply too.

That reminds me of the argument my BIL had many years ago. He drove into his local tip and proceeded to drag the 1 ton builders bag of garden waste out of the back of his pick up truck and start emptying it into the skip. At this point the manager came storming over saying he can't tip that here. The argument hinged on the sign saying "garden waste, 1 car, 1 bag" and my BIL:'s insistence that he indeed only had 1 bag. The argument ended when my BIL said I can either empty the contents into the skip, or I will just drive off and leave it on the ground (it was out of the truck by this time) I don't think they hand ANPR cameras then but I suspect he was unwelcome after that. It is absurd that they make it difficult for people to dispose of their waste responsibly. And then they wonder why there is so much fly tipping that will cost them more to clean up than if they just let people take it to the tip. It annoys me as it's my council tax money they are wasting with policies like that. It also makes me feel even more, the "bottom of a wheelie bin" is a damned good place for all sorts of stuff to go.

I took a passing interest in the furniture at B&M when I was in there last (@Coopers is a big fan of American Payday bars, and I don't know anyone else in this country that stocks them). This is far from an in-depth review, but I very much doubt any of it would "withstand a few seasons of holiday letting."

a serviced plot of a development of 4 houses

Because I had it (actually went and scrounged it off my nephew to save me going to Wickes or the timber yard ), I've glued and screwed (lots) a full 2.4m length of 4"x2" to the back of the corner board. That'll give me a really solid piece to affix the slider rail. Just about to figure the solder ring backplate and counterbore it a la @Nickfromwales's method. I've given up questioning him, it ALWAYS comes right!

Yup Harlequin are well known round these parts. I downloaded the MIs and have put a query in to Moira re using the extra coils for export. It's open vented and filled by a manual filling loop to satisfy a little float level indicator. Excess would just leave by the overflow.

Hi guys, currently deciding on my heating options. My preliminary EPC is coming it at: Space Heating Demand = 13473 KWh/yearWater heating demand= 2612 KWh/year So 16,085kWh/year total. This brings the RHI in at £8400 over 7 year (based on a ASHP with 3.6COP). However, I could really do with getting the EPC to come it 20000 kWh/year, which would increase the payments to around £10500. Any ideas on how I could get the energy demand up without adversely affecting my SAP report?