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I do hope @Visti will eventually put final numbers into his original spreadsheet

The Munster Aluclad range have a foamed uPVC core, with aluminium on the outside and timber on the inside: http://www.munsterjoinery.co.uk/ PITA to deal with, though. They are good value, but being so big, they aren't really interested in dealing with self-builders.

One thing that might be fun to record and compare is final build cost, when all was said and done, split out in a clear way. Not just the bricks but also Architect Cost, QS, Planning submissions, furniture.. eeeeeverything. And next to that ideally your best prediction before you started! The data would be super valuable for people starting off.. also fun stuff comparing and contrasting. Spreadsheet capturing all the data is here! [Google Sheets] (anonymous editing should work) Of course only respond with what you are comfortable with, but can I suggest: - House type (detached/semi/bungalow/…) - Month/Year you started properly, and month/year you received the keys - Floorspace - Any unusual/costly additions (Wine cellar? Helipad?) - Extension/Newbuild - Location - Crew (did you have a specialised Architect, QS, Contract Admin..) - Cost Prediction - when the quotes came in, what did they say - Cost in Practice - what did it actually cost, compared to what you were quoted, what was ‘forgotten’.. Of course it’s most helpful if split out, just so we know what you counted and what is left out: Plot purchase (not super important IMO) Materials Builders Specialist costs (Architect? QS? Project Manager? Film Crew? Kitchen designers) Furniture? White goods? Fancy Home Cinema Equipment? Green/Eco stuff? Planning Fees, council charges, building taxes? Misc/Unforeseen? Any unexploded bombs in the ground? (real or metaphorical ) - And any notable things that made it a lot cheaper or a lot more expensive than planned (had to redo the X, or did most of Y myself..)

I think a full blown contract may scare your builder off If he was doing the full job I would say yes definitely I would get everything in writing and itemised That you need doing in order to get the TF company in Then ask him to re quote when the TF company has finished It will make life easier for you and sit better with your builder Yes build to drawing is the ideal Then If BC come along with Something they are not happy with a solution can be agreed between the three of you

TBH, I can't see any reason not to DIY piles, especially pretty foolproof ones like screw piles. When I looked into using them it seemed to require little skill, just a matter of driving them until the right torque/depth was reached. I watched a few videos showing screw piles being driven and it really didn't look to be that hard a job. Not sure about other types of pile, as I didn't look at using them (screw piles were needed for the first plot we looked at because of the need to minimise damage to some underlying archaeology).

So learn from the experience and start from the bottom.

They will vary He should really mix them up pictured below is an extension I built at my mums a few years back I bought all the bricks together But like you some where quite dark

Good luck @JSHarris I believe most install guides recommend vac’ing out for 15 mins and then holding it for an hour to verify tightness. have a google around and see if you can find the service/install guide for your unit.

I have wanted to do something similar for new products. Most of them are total shit, like my upright vacuum cleaner. The hose goes in at the top, so if vacuuming the stairs, and one starts at the top of them, the f***ing thing falls down on top of you. I can tell you that it really hurts.

Experience is what you get, when you don’t get what you want... Told to me by my very first programme director and it’s stuck with me for decades ..!! And it’s true....

I know it's been a while but I have decided to go back to working on the stairs. Annoyingly I just couldn't get enough usable timber out of the elm tree to do everything but I managed to get enough for the stairs. ? I'll probably just use ash for the landing handrails.

Coke/cola is also really good for softening denim in the wash, too.

I am an optimist but a realist, is this not the same thing as constructive pessimism? (Sounds better anyway!).

Or just realise shit happens during every build. Accept it, moan and groan a bit then move on.

Isn't this something along the lines of 'plan for the worst, hope for the best'?

I've just checked the LD50 for Jack Daniel's Assuming that it's the ethyl alcohol in Jack Daniel's that may kill you, then the LD50 is lower than I'd have thought, about 585ml. That's not much over half a litre bottle, so it's unsurprising that alcohol poisoning seems relatively commonplace in A&E. Mind you, people seem to vary a great deal when it comes to the effect of alcohol. I shared a house with four other students years ago, and one of them would be pretty pissed after half a pint of beer, and completely unable to stand after a pint. This was consistent, and yet it didn't stop him drinking, it just meant we always ended up carrying him home from the SU bar.

My business partner who is a total pessimist wanted to set up a consultancy business called something like JUST SAY NO, it would work by people taking their ideas to him of how they would make their first million, he would tear the idea to bits and tell them not to do it.

Will he travel ?

Hi, I have just finished cladding my build in Marley Eternit Cedral Lap. It looks nice and is very strong but the main appeal was its maintenance free. Its fairly expensive when you start adding all the different trims required but nothing is cheap material wise these days. The one good thing is there are a variety of different colours available to complement any build style and colour scheme. I have attached a couple of images for you.

@patp it would be as long as war and peace to try and write it all down here...suffice to say our hopes of coming in at 550k ex plot were very optimistic. I always wanted a Huf Haus but they are mega bucks...went for sensible priced tf alternative and it turns out I could have had my Huf Haus for what we ended up spending. Our failing was putting trust and faith in professionals and every time we questioned in early months we were fobbed off and by the time we realised the extent of what had been going on we were too far in to do much about it. I guess it cost us a good 50k on mismanaged errors and stuff plus the nigh on 50k paid for professional management.....plus some quotes for trades I didn't sort myself seemed high......leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why and where the ‘extra’ went....... Still got some things to get finished too......i.e. fascias, thresholds, garage internals......... The stress of it all made me so ill, I ended up in hospital. I don’t even want to think about it.