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Our consumer unit is located in the hallway. The previous owners had never attempted to hide it, and it looked unsightly so we decided to build a cabinet to conceal it. This is my first ever cabinet, built from scratch. Very pleased with the outcome.

Time for another update. Our joiner has pretty much finished the plaster boarding. Here are some photos of the progress made. Kitchen/dining room Our bedroom. Our joiner has started to construct the internal partitions, we now have an ensuite and some cupboards. Living room Triple velux arrangement Upstairs kids living room My favourite view had been covered by a dust sheet for a long time. Looking forward to seeing boats go by. The house has a fair amount of south glazing which warms the house. Once opened these big velux windows work well to bring the temperature down. Both bedrooms upstairs have two windows to ensure a good circulation of air. The storage container went this month on a hiab truck. I was a little nervous watching a couple tonnes of steel on chains so close to the house. This has now opened up the window views from the master bedroom and living room and also allows the house to be viewed by itself for the first time. With the recent great weather I’m back to painting. I much prefer sitting in a chair compared to being on a wobbly scaffold. To finish off here is a shot of the Loch. Next up, a few more partitions need to be created, taping/filling, installation of our treatment tank and adjusting the levels around the house.

With respect, I'm an ordinary person, entirely self-taught when it comes to building-related stuff, so I feel perfectly entitled to give my honest opinion as to what can be done by someone who wishes to take the time to research and learn. I fully understand that some may not want to do this, and may prefer to just stay in the dark, consider this stuff to be something beyond them, and pay to have it done for them. That's fine, that's their choice, but if we don't at least make it clear that there are ways to do stuff yourself, rather than pay someone to do it for you, then what use is a self-build forum? We may as well just become a review site, sharing recommendations for professionals to hire. In the case of a SAP assessment, all of the data the assessor uses comes from the self-builder anyway. If you hire an assessor they will not ever visit the house to see what was used in its construction, they will take your word for everything. I cannot see the difference between sending a set of drawings, together with fabric build up schedules, an air test report, specs for the MVHR, hot water system, heating system, controls, glazing etc to an assessor and putting that same data into an application yourself as a backstop check that the design meets your own expectations. I refuse point blank to stop suggesting ways where people can do relatively straight forward jobs themselves. I believe that the more people know and understand about their projects the better equipped they will be to make sound judgements, and if some disagree with that ethos then they are free to just ignore it, aren't they? By the same token, if someone just wants to pay professionals to do the whole of their build, then that's fine. There are just as many pitfalls from taking that approach though, as some here will probably attest ( @lizzie springs to mind with the problems she experienced with using a professional project manager, professional (and expensive) window supplier, professional (and expensive) MVHR installation, to name just a few).

Early on in our build process I was paying for a lot of necessary professional services (architect, ground investigations, SE, BCO etc..) and paid a potential PM £1800 to produce a QS driven cost model for ICF vs Timber frame plus a PHPP analysis. This was a tipping point for me as while his models were useful, I'm not sure they were as great value and I began to realise that there were some things I could do myself and save a few ££ plus get more involved in the build process vs just be a client all the time. Final straw was architect quoting £15k for planning conditions discharge and detailed drawings for BCO - I'd already got a set of drawings from MBC and the SE who did my basement and when the BCO said they were good enough, I decided to do the rest of my submission myself.. I remember slogging through Jeremy's SAP model (changing to match my build) + Stroma on a PC to produce a working SAP model that both Ecology and by BCO accepted as a design model. Also helped me model the impact of window brands, wall designs etc. Really helped my fundamental understanding of what decisions made a difference and was a first step to taking ownership of the build vs being a client handing out money to all and sundry. However when it came to getting a proper registered SAP initially for PV and then BCO sign off, I used a consultant but they did not charge much tbh. In a similar vein, we chose not to use a PM or main contractor and did the MVHR install ourselves but that's where I drew the line practically. Agree with @Patrick always a personal decision on how much to rely on professionals and its a cost / time / competence decision.

I'm really, really pleased with the outcome of this project. Amazing how practice allows you to improve. I need suggestions for a new challenge. Don't have stable doors I've also posted a couple of before and after photos for those that are interested, and you can see the off cuts I've used.

It is an interesting point to raise. My personal view is that the caveats usually emerge from other contributors in a thread on this forum. The diversity of viewpoints, and the general willingness to let diverse opinions stand, is one of the strengths of BH. Moreover few people would be led by any single individual, even someone as accomplished as Jeremy. Moreover, supporting @Bitpipe's point, even giving-a-go to something complicated like a SAP calculation, even if that effort is then aborted, would, in my opinion, lead to some valuable learning. And, in my view as a forthcoming first-time self builder myself, the most valuable commodity is learning.

I agree with the above but with the caveat that I know what I am bad at (computers , software etc) so I pay someone to do that. As an example I am paying someone to do my VAT return as I know HMRC will fine me if I make a mistake and I can’t afford to loose my VAT return. I can lay bricks, but if I built my house myself I won’t live long enough to live in it. It’s all a balance but I do love learning something new.

I don't think that's what @LA3222 is saying. The point is just being made that this is a serious topic, and the "you can do it yourself" approach needs some caveats that weren't being expressed by those encouraging a DIY approach. What happens when someone downloads STROMA, makes a couple of apparently minor errors that aren't picked up by building control, and then builds their house? They go to get the as-built SAP done and find no-one will do it cheaply based on their calculations, so actually they haven't saved much - if any - real money. So they pay, and then the errors that they made are discovered. It's too late to fix them now, and since the design SAP wasn't done by a professional, there's no comeback. Potentially thousands of quid in remedial work could well be required for the sake of a couple of hundred quid. And that's for those who value their time at zero - a problem I definitely have (I will regularly spend an hour on the internet trying to save a few quid, when working for the same amount of time would leave me in an order of magnitude better off financially and in terms of stress). I'm all for DIY. I've done a fair bit of it myself (I've even changed brake pads). But I know where my limitations lie, and saving at most a couple of hundred quid at this stage seems like something you'd want to be very certain about before taking it on. Note that I'm not saying "don't do it". I have exactly the same approach, and it's the bane of my bloody existence! I'm all for doing things yourself, but I also believe that there's a balance to be drawn, especially once you weigh up cost versus risk versus delay versus quality versus stress versus the general principle that doing things yourself can be hugely rewarding.

Point of principle, really, at least as far as I'm concerned. In my case, it has little to do with whether it's cheaper to get someone else to do something, it has everything to do with the view that was embedded into me when I was a small boy: "Never pay anyone to do something that you can learn to do yourself" One of the greatest failings in our society is that we are gradually losing the confidence to do things that we are perfectly capable of doing, with a little bit of effort and application. Self-build is a perfect opportunity for those that wish, to spend some time learning and perfecting new skills. There isn't much in life so rewarding as looking back at something and knowing that it was your own efforts that made it happen. There's nowhere near the same sense of achievement from just paying someone else to do something.

Can't help but post it now - what a tune:

I have 2 roof windows to buy and fit very shortly. Size 98cm tall, 78cm wide, both the same. I am bewildered by choice. I have come up with these 3 as a starting point: Velux triple glazed, UW 1.0 £335 https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/velux-ggl-mk04-2066-white-centre-pivot-window-triple-glaze-78-x-98cm.html Basic Facro double glazed UW 1.2 £201 https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/fakro-ftw-v-p205-white-painted-centre-pivot-window-78cm-x-98cm.html Silly money 4G Fakro UW 0.58 £867 https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/fakro-ftw-v-p205-white-painted-centre-pivot-window-78cm-x-98cm.html And there seem to be any number of different permutations, and not all of them even bother to list the UW values. So stepping back a bit. Each of these windows has an area of 0.7644 square metres. It I take the worst one, UW = 1.2 W/m2K. So at worst case delta t of 30 degrees, I get a heat loss from the window of 27.51 watts Using my heat pump to make up that heat loss, with a typical COP of 3, means I will use 9.17W of electricity to make up that heat loss. This will use 220Wh per day at a cost of 3.2 pence per day. If I assume we get 100 such cold days in a year, the heat loss from one of these windows will cost me £3.20 Now the point of that ramble, is if I were to pay an extra £134 to get the triple glazed Velux the heat loss would reduce to 22.93 watts and annual cost of that heat loss to £2.70 So an extra outlay of £134 would save me 50p per year and thus take 268 years to save it's extra cost. So my initial conclusion, is unless you really really NEED such a low U value (for certification) then with such a small window, there is no financial merit in buying anything other than the basic one? Can anyone fault my argument or calculations and convince me to buy anything but the basic one?

I remember starting a post on the doors I am building from scratch but it was along time ago and I can’t seem to find it.....anyway I have now finished all three and am very happy with the result. All three are stable doors and all three are in the original placement. The building is a very old threshing shed. With two doors opposite each other (front and back) for separating the wheat from the chaff as the wind blew through, the other door at the front on the left is probably where the animals were kept. Still got a lot of work to do on the building but it’s one step closer. I will post some close up of the details tomorrow when the bits are not in shade. They all have at least two sets of weather seals and are incredibly solid. They face directly south west into the oncoming storms that roll in of the sea that is only 200 meters away. They took far to long to build but it was great fun and I have learnt a lot. Just another two to build on the other house now.......

WTF did you use to take that picture with, your doorbell.

This will be a waste of time as the staff in most bm won’t know a good product if it hit them around the face.

Those with two dishwashers who follow the-use-from-one/put-away-in-the-other protocol, do you have some sort of flag to remind you which is which at any time? Should usually be obvious once you open the wrong one , I imagine, but still annoying. And there's potential for confusion when one dishwasher contains only a few apparently clean but not necessarily actually clean items.

We have two. First time we have had two and it is great. Particularly good if you have a party or a big meal with lots of pots, pans and bowls. I would also recommend an extra tall dishwasher. We had one in the last house, but not this time as we didn't have the height in a handleless kitchen. Siemens do an 86.5cm tall dishwasher and it is much easier to load than a standard height dishwasher. Siemens SX736X03ME for example or Neff S723M60X1G. I would also look for a sink big enough to take a full oven sheet/shelf. These do not clean well in a dishwasher and if your sink isn't wide enough then you cannot easily steep them in hot water.

We have two dishwashers. It works for an open plan space. Use it, load it. We don't wear them out any faster as we do the same number of loads. If you cook with guests it’s an essential for an open plan home imho.

That is a posh piggery and what wonderful Ashlar work too! It's easy to forget how much time and effort went into making agricultural buildings fit for the estate they occupied. It would be a lovely building to build. The photo I have enclosed is a similary delicious use of stone and Ashalr work, just down the road. This is also in Sandstone and like your ruin- looks good enought to eat!

I would argue that if you have double Ds in constant rotation, it would reduce the amount of cupboard space you need. My old dishwasher and the one in the new house both have very shallow drawers at the top specifically for cutlery and do away with the need for a basket in the main internal area. Far more efficient use of space .

People tend to get too wound up about not having a dishwasher or not having two on the basis that they dont put everything in their dishwasher. Get a half load one and it solves the problem of the dishwasher getting smelly. Ultimately its a dishwasher and its not a living space. Its going to be a bit smelly and unpleasant. Deal with it!!!

Seems like a good idea. I only have one but as I’m here on my own I only need to run it every couple of days anyway. There is plumbing for 2 washing machines but not 2 dishwashers.

Not quite sure how what I wrote wasn't simply worded and understandable?

Totally agree, I have a busy household, mum x2 kids, me and additional “live in friends” who do there own cooking so there is a constant pile of dishes waiting to go through the dishwasher, drives me bloody mad when I come in in the morning and the stuff I need for cooking breakfast is sitting on the counter crusting up !!!!!!! I never thought of two dishwashers.... now I am thinking hard.

Thanks @JSHarris. Simply worded and understandable.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but to be clear, although you can do the as-built SAP assessment yourself, the assessors have a "closed shop" where they, and they alone, are the only ones that are able to access the database and lodge the final EPC, using their unique assessor reference number. Without this, there is no way for anyone else to lodge the completed assessment and so get it recognised by BC, or anyone else. It's very like the Part P cartel controlling electrical work in England and Wales. As someone who used to teach apprentice electricians, and was a qualified electrician for a time, I'm perfectly competent to carry out an electrical installation that is compliant with the regs and Part P, but I cannot do this, as unless I was a member of one of the cartels that control access to the Part P database I would not be able to lodge the IEC. The cartels will no longer allow anyone that is retired from being a member, so even if I was prepared to pay their membership fee they still would not allow me in. Worth noting that Terry quickly found an assessor and was sorted within 24 hours of his post on this topic, with two offers of assessors that would do the job for him.

Its quite popular and a very good idea especially with modern open plan spaces. I have this at home and we tend to use one dishwasher for crockery and the other for pans allowing for the pans to be washed daily and the crockery every 2/3 days as required. While entertaining it is quite normal for us to throw everything in the dishwasher and not have the sight of pots piling up for washing. Where space is available, I recommend this solution.

I'm glad it's not just me that's noticed this. There are only two of us, yet we often find that the thing just doesn't have space inside for the stuff from just a single meal. The biggest single problem seems to me to be poor use of the internal space. The space allotted to cutlery seems large enough for a family of six or eight, yet the space allotted for pans and their lids is barely enough for a household of just two. Spaces for things like cooking utensils are also poorly laid out, and the internal racks seem to be just the wrong size for most of our plates, bowls, pan lids etc. Just changing the layout of the racks would make a significant difference. It would be really great if someone could come up with better designs for these. For example, putting the cutlery rack down one side would free up room in the centre of the lower rack. Removing some of the near-vertical elements from the racks would allow pans to be placed more sensibly, Adding simple open trays to hold cooking utensils would be another good feature to have.

Thanks Joe - don't know what to tackle next. It'll probably something to do with wood, and hopefully I can pick up a well-priced used mitre saw.

Most dishwasher won't take a full load of kitchen dirty stuff.

Yes that’s correct but what would happen If you had a leak and water was tracking down the membrane and then froze, unbeknown to you, then after it thaws that section of membrane would not be waterproof and would then let water in next time it rained. It’s a bloody nuisance as I got caught out twice by freezing water ruining my membrane on the roof.

The circumstances where I saw this was in a large household with a maid. The maid would be the only person to run the dishwashers and having two prevented crockery piling-up on the surfaces or in the sink, especially at weekends. I imagine one would need copious crockery.

I think I spy offcuts of quadrant.

Nothing worse than an unstable door.

I think everyone should be treated as adults here, so giving advise doesn't eliminate using ones own brain (does this advise apply to me). The PURPOSE of THIS THREAD was To find alternative programmes for SAP calculation for anyone interested to do it him/herself. Your advise of hiring professionals instead of saving "a few 100£" applies to pretty much everything in life. do you get your brake pads changed at the garage or do you do it yourself. Do you buy package holiday or do you organise every step yourself...... It is a matter of opinion when it s worth it to hire professionals and when you should (can get away with) do it yourself. I'm on Jeremy's side with doing as much as possible myself. You think it is better to have professionals doing jobs for you. None of these opinions are "the truth", so being careful voicing an opinion seems a silly advice.

I know you had no problem doing this Jeremy, I have read numerous threads where you have talked about it. It's all well and good telling people how you did things and how it all worked for you but there is then the danger you are giving them a bum steer and putting them onto the path to future problems. I did a Google search and found the thread but don't know how to link it - it was @TerryE who had the problems getting the final bit done after doing the initial bit himself. Quote from the thread I refer to: " So the purpose of this topic is: To advise other self builders to avoid the approach that I took: saving a few £100s is really not worth the hassle: commission a professional firm to do both. " I think you should maybe have a bit more caution and caveat the advice you give Jeremy, as due to the fact you are clearly very competent, people may just take it as gospel and assume what worked for you (a few years ago now too) will also work for them.

Isn't it more financial sustainability as far as councils are concerned. Oh I wish they would bring the community charge back in, would make life so much easier.

@colin7777 +1 for doing the Building Regs yourself . I would retrospectively do this and didnt find the 739 amendments I have done myself to the (rubbish) plans submitted by my architect too difficult. Fair bit of reading and time consuming , yes, but not difficult. Different Topic: I watched this verbal battle between @Sensus and @JSHarris over the last weeks in all the topics when they clash, and their opinions always seem to clash. For the Forum s entertainment, I would like to suggest a fair match of Chessboxing between the 2 of you. On Neutral Grounds somewhere in Birmingham . ?

Something like this? ?

I've never seen anything like it it my life...

More insulated slab laying.

Update I have just stumbled upon this one as my new bargain basement UW=1.2 offering, https://www.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/product/ptp-p205-white-upvc-centre-pivot-laminated-window-78cm-x-98cm.html This has the attraction of not incorporating a trickle vent, which is something not needed with the MVHR anyway. Something I thought (until I stumbled upon this) was hard to find.

Not an answer to your technical question, but if installing CCTV can I provide some advice. Often CCTV is installed to provide as much geographical area coverage as possible, placed at height. Fine if you are monitoring it live, or want to prove an incident occurred. However what the police want is to identify is the culprit. Either by vehicle reg number and/or facial images. So please consider siting a camera (ideally covet) that has the best chance of capturing this. Footage of a crime with two vague figures in hoodies is not a lot of use TBH, However combined with a cracking facial shot is clearly vital. If you have one ingress / exit point to a plot try to site a covert camera that provides a clear, crisp head height facial shot in best definition / light possible. It’s rare for scumbags to wear full face masks more often they pull a hoodie up over their mouth on their way in and it will often slip on the way out if running or carrying stuff. Another tip is to think like a criminal. If breaking into your own house, which way would you approach, which method/point of entry would you use. Patio doors in a darkened area, not seen from road/neighbours, is the usual weak spot. If your garage is most vulnerable, hide a camera there. Being caught on camera is only of real use if you can actually ID the culprit in some way.

Yes, we record to a box, but to SSD rather than HDD, and we only record when motion is detected. I'd personally not touch ring.com with a very long bargepole. They share data without explicitly telling users they are doing so, and I have a general policy of not letting anything I rely on for privacy or security connect to the open internet. I still cannot get my head around people who willingly install listening bugs in their houses, so that the likes of Amazon, Google, etc can hear all that's said if they wish to. Hardly a week goes by without the flaws in the security of this stuff, or flaws in the way it's used, getting a mention in the media. For example, over the past week alone these two stories were published, one about staff listening in to recordings made by "home microphones", the other about Ring sharing access to devices without explicit user consent.