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We are finally very close to being finished inside. We have been living in dust for two months. I have been trying really hard to avoid putting up pictures until it’s all done, but the stair is going in and looking beautiful. As there is another stair porn thread re glass balustrades I thought I’d join the party. Give it a few weeks and I’ll do a full photoshoot.

Make sure your hi viz is suitable dirty by taking it out of the packet, scrunching it up and leaving it loose in the foot wells/boot of your car. No one wants to look like George Osbourne in his still packet creased, brand new hi viz, grinning creepily at a pointless publicity stunt photo shoot. I always dress down for a trip to any purveyor of mechanical hardware.

I am pleased they don't do a soap dispenser version...

Hi all, What a fantastic forum! Just wanted to say thanks a lot to the original sixteen that started this, I have been interested in self-building for a few years but only found e-build after it had closed down. As my name suggests I am more of a pipe dreamer than self builder at present but I love looking at plots. I have most of the 'bibles' but have come to realise the building and planning books are just the beginning really and there are quite a number of gaps to fill. Ideally I would like to make it happen in the South Coast area but we all know it isn't cheap or easy getting that plot! Anyway I very much look forward to reading through the many topics on here and hopefully making some posts too.

Seems harsh to burn members at the stake to warm your home just because they have used a couple of suppliers.

@AliG your hall is looking stunning.

That realy is something ! Just love the curve. These are a set i built a few years ago, would go well in your garden.

Talk to them and see what they CAN supply from that pole. What KVA rating did you ask for? It's tempting to ask for 21KVA (100A) but you almost certainly do not need that. We were in a similar situation, adding an extra house to an existing 100KVA transformer. I just knew if I asked for 21KVA there would be a big cost for upgrading the transformer. So I sked for 12KVA and that could be accommodated from the existing transformer. Firstly 12KVA will be plenty for our house anyway, but the reality is we have the same cable and same 100A fuse as we would have if we had asked for 21KVA So go back and ask what capacity they could supply from the existing pole, and see if you can live with that.

You going to put a chip in the fox? ?

Our glass balustrades were fitted in a similar manner but with rubber washers and threaded bolts.

Me!

Starting a self build in the next few weeks and have just received my quote for electricity connection, take a seat before the reveal- £25000 , this is apparently because the pole situated in our ground has no capacity for us so they need to run a new line 283m from the substation, quite honestly we cannot afford this it’ll take an eighth of our build budget, any help gratefully received

DIY Kitchens have a sale on til 10th May now and quality is top notch vs Howdens and price is similar. Worth the day trip - free coffee and cake too...

My parents bought a Howdens kitchen 5 years ago and wish they hadn't, the quality isn't as good as they were expecting.

If you wait until iirc October Howdens will be having their sale. That usually includes eg granite worktops. My only Howdens warning is to know what you want including spares, as the range changes with some rapidity. Ferdinand

Thank you. I think it’s the room I most dreamed about when I wanted to build a house

It'll be the Kent pikey genes we share with Orlando Bloom!

This is superb . Tasteful and functional. You know what’s missing ? ; some glass in the floor for that novel experience....

Peter, that’s exactly what I have installed in both bathrooms. Regarding posh hidden stuff, my son had one and when it went faulty, leaked he was quoted £400 odd just for a new valve, twice what he paid for the original shower on Ebay. Mine, you can get replacement units anywhere and it’s all accessible .?

Nah! Bathroom will be done. Hopefully nice enough that going in there will be an escape / cathartic experience. I'd like to tackle the lounge / diner knock through next but reckon it'll have to be the dormer and roof that gets sorted. All the temporary repairs have failed. When and only when the roof is done can I tackle the UPSTAIRS bathroom!

So, after talking to the Architect and a Passive House expert we've added louvres above the upstairs windows as already mentioned and plan to add one more above the downstairs bedroom. I'll look into planting a deciduous tree in the front garden to block the midday summer sun just as it's getting stronger. I've also asked about an overhanging front roof / extending the zinc porch over the downstairs bedroom window as an option/feature. I got the window sizes and they made both side and front doors glass which is not a runner so that will help when they are removed from those overheating calcs. I might tinker with the G value on the bathroom window (downstairs) but we'll see. The Architect modeled the house with an ASHP and alurads. I've been assuming underfloor heating but there's little need, about 500w max to keep 20oC when it's -3oC outside. The house is only 108 meters squared. I'm still keen on the SunAmp with underfloor as it gives me the full thermal storage for hot water if I don't use it for heating the house which is nice. I'm not currently planning an ASHP so will see how I go after 12 months without it. It was suggested to have removable louvres so you only put them up in Summer which is a nice idea! Thanks for all the suggestions and all good comments, great that there's lots of options and I hope this will help others with their range of choices too.

Maybe try Neverending Story?

You could try a shower cap or the type we have that allows both options.

So I could re-title my thread "Quick Bathroom Makeover"?

I'd have built a tre-poo-chet...

That’s what I assume . Seems a bit greedy to try and profit twice given the situation. Ive been to court a few times for CCJ’s and tenant arrears - this one is somewhat different so should be interesting....

Nothing ventured ..... Get your marketing hat on and explain the challenges of selling an unserviced plot compared to one with at least a power connection sorted. Also ask the estate agent for info in relation to prices / time to make a sale for serviced vs unserviced plots.

@Onoff here you go.

I think a lot of people here will agree with you.

Could you go to the current owner of the plots and strike some sort of deal for the 'share'?

Could you delay the cable to the end of the build, the other plots might have been sold by then, so more customers to share the costs with?

You have a pole in your garden, maybe be you should ask them to remove it, after all its of no benefit to you!

Good idea. Also, are you on gas? Not having to run high capacity items such as, eg, stoves, ovens or air source heat pumps would make a lower capacity supply more feasible. Absolutely. There are nightmare stories here and elsewhere of many month delays with utilities. They may want it buried, but are they allowed to insist? Would it be cheaper to replace the (presumably pole-hung) cable that presently goes to the pole on your land? They might be reticent to do this due to the impact on others supplied on the same cable, but might be worth looking into. Oh, and welcome to the forum! I hope this hiccup isn't enough to stop the dream.

So I got cold and thought... build a fire with the laths! OMG they burn fast and furious don't they? Is it the pigeon poop fueling the inferno? Almost managed to burn a whole ceilings worth in about 45 minutes! Plaster is now off room number 2, today we bag up the plaster and start ripping laths down... and more pooooooo

I've ordered both of those Hudson Reed ceiling shower arms (from The British Bathroom Company), the short one above (ARM15) just for now, to get it going and a 300mm long ARM16 for when I build the motorised, "rise and fall" mechanism to raise / lower the shower head either flush to the ceiling or a foot lower. (Yes, I've started the mechanism, it's a scissor lift . Well aware I should be getting on with boarding and tiling but short attention sp..... ).

It is a short term problem then. Bag and bin. As a general rule, collet it up in a box, then wrap it in Christmas paper, place on doorstep of disliked neighbours, set fire to it, knock on door and go and hide. Fun to watch people stamping on a burning box.

I used to make my hubby change his clothes if we went together. If he was on his own he didn’t bother ?

Nah - it’s all of us ..! Oddly when I picked up a PlumbFix order in my suit he put it in the car for me ... never normally do that when I’m scruffy ...!!

Head has a rubber washer in it like a shower hose - stem is done up tight into the fitting with PTFE as per any joint and then the head just spun on to finger tight so comes away easy. If you are using stillsons to put a shower head on then you’re doing it wrong.....

One thing that might be worth considering is how u get them off the lorry, delivery was on a flatbed and we had to arrange our own forklift (or tractor telehandler) , might be worth requesting hiab as part of ur negotiations as I overlooked this.

You can't just say brick and block has a poor u value. If you make the cavity wide enough and use thermal blocks it can be as good as any timber frame. There are plenty of passive Houses done this way. Same goes with getting it airtight. You use tape like you would if it's a timber frame to seal the edges of doors and windows and the other junctions and wet plaster the walls. A wall that has a scratch coat and then a skim finish will be as airtight as you can get. If you just put plasterboard onto the walls without a scratch coat or a parge coat then it will leak like a tea bag.

Thanks! Little Willy staying for a month then? ?

I came across this problem, but when I googled i didn't like the sound of the cost, so I dug a trench where I wanted the gas pipe to run then rang up National Grid/transco and said I was doing some gardening and have come across a pipe, I think it might be now leaking. They sent and engineer out to assess the job, he saw what the game was, but called engineers to fix the leak. 2 hours later and £20 each and I had a gas pipe where I wanted it!

You need to spend a bit more time getting familiar with current political terminology, millennials are those who came of age this century i.e. anyone born between 1981 and 1996. That is more than enough to mount a long overdue revolution in the UK and re balance wealth distribution. There are profound changes happening in society, in both the UK and the USA home ownership among the under 40's is at historic 30/40? year lows. Most student debt will not be repaid and has instead become a new life-long 9% marginal rate of income tax. It will end in tears. No point, the power of the grey voting block has turn democracy into a failing system.

Neighbours have a 63mm sub main gas pipe across their garden that they knew nothing about until I asked if I could connect to it... And nothing to show on their searches !

Almost same scheme as her. Our diversion was £600 but all we needed was the pipe squeezed, a new connection made and fed to the new gas meter location to which I had dug all the trenches. I then pulled the plastic pipe out of the metal in the severed end and all was well.

Do the gas network have any easement or wayleave? When you bought the property were you aware of the gas main on your land? Service plans are rarely very accurate. If it is shown on your land the location can be very approximate and as you say, it is easier to soft dig than to remove / replace flagstones. If you want it done quickly, contact the emergency number and say your groundworker has just hit a pipe and you think you can smell gas.

It took me close on 9 months to build my block house by myself. I had no digger or telehandler so relied on £20 notes slipped to the driver to get the blocks where I needed them to be. It was a long back breaking 9 months that I would never ever repeat again for anyone or any amount of money. Don't underestimate the toll this has on your mind and body if you are going to go down this road. Its paying a disservice to the brickie that not everyone will do a good job. There are good ones and bad ones same way there are good joiners and plumbers and sparks and on the other hand there are guys who are so bad you wonder how they put food on the table, it's just how it is. Same with going out and buying a trowel, string line and lump hammer and a level and thinking after sticking 3 blocks together that you are a brickie. There is a lot more to it if you are thinking about building a complete house. The main reason for choosing blocks was finance. I simply had none. We used all our savings up cashed in my old endowment policy to get the house wind and water tight as I needed to sell my own house before I could get a mortgage. Each week we could buy a load of blocks and then over the next 2-3 weeks build away until they where done or I needed sand or cement and I just continued like this until one day it was built. My back, wrist and hands loved that day. I simply didn't have the amount of money that a timber frame company was looking up front to go that option. As far as sips or ICF all that was stuff I had only seen on grand designs and was way out of my comfort zone so deemed to much of a risk. Think the cheapest quote from a timber frame company was £55k to get it wind and water tight. I got it there for £32k by doing it myself. So to answer the original question what method is best , there just isn't one. Every one has its pros and cons and everyone of us starting out at the start of our builds weighed these all up and based on what each of us wanted and the availability of trades, materials ,finance and even site location and layout picked whatever one ticked the most boxes. P.s obviously blocks are better!!!

I recently plastered out two virtually self builds One TF The other traditional I asked the question of cost so far TF £110000 Traditional £70000 Which perhaps explains why mainstream house builders don’t do many nowadays. Also I You would limit your market As some people will always want bricks Another was that the TF house was started seven weeks after the tradition and had caught up by pre plaster So that’s something worth considering

We built a timber frame house with 300mm pumped cellulose insulation. For me, I found: Pros: - Quick - factory built panels meant the whole thing went up in a matter of days. - Accurate - internal walls etc are square, and rooms are exactly as shown on plan. - Quiet - external noise is damped very well. Part of the quietness definitely comes down to decent windows though. - High decrement delay. Cons: - Internal noise transmission. This is the big one for me - I find it frustrating how noise makes its way between rooms. This might have been improved if the chancers who did my drywalling had installed the insulation better, but I'm not sure how much better it would have been. - Internal well strength - we used fermacell anywhere we thought we might like to hang something, but even so, whenever I want to put something on a wall, I need to check whether it's fermacell, and if not, go about finding a stud (oo er vicar). Block walls would have been better. - Vibration - again, maybe something that doesn't bother others, but slamming our (admittedly fairly large) front door causes windows in adjacent rooms to rattle. No big deal, but it constantly reminds me of the construction method. I suspect most others wouldn't find this as distracting as I do (I'm the guy who'll lie awake at night distracted by a mosquito three rooms away). Overall, I'm happy enough with timber frame, but if I were doing it again I'd at least consider using some form of masonry-based construction.