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Good news! I today obtained planning permission and so I am starting my build blog. Thanks to everyone on BuildHub for your help and support so far. I have already learnt so much from this forum, all the way from questions when I was viewing the plot and every stage since. And an especial thanks to all the Buidlhubers that I have had the pleasure to visit so far. You have all been warm and welcoming and your advice and inspiration has been invaluable. Thank you! Thank you! My plot is in Cambridge, quite central, near the banks of the river Cam, just behind a row of college boathouses. It is opposite an ancient common and in a Conservation Zone. It is a garden plot that constituted the end of the long garden of a large late Victorian villa. Access is from a narrow access road (not owned by anyone) which runs behind the the boathouses. The plot itself sits behind a mature horse chestnut tree, whose roots I must preserve. The plot is is about 300 m² and is in flood zone 2. The dwelling will be a modern bungalow, 2-bedrooms, near passive house, with a green roof and clad in buff brick slips. Here is the timeline until today: 10/3/18, first visited the plot, advertised in Rightmove as a house. 13/4/18, my offer to buy it was accepted. 24/4/18, I made my first visit to BuildHuber to start my long learning journey 29/4/18, visited my second Buildhuber 31/5/18, the plot already had planning approval but before buying it I started a process for a re-design with the seller 4/7/18, visited my third Buildhuber 26/7/18, visited my fourth Buildhuber (and watched her build, with five additional visits to date) 19/8/18, visited my fifth Buildhuber 6/9/18, I finalised price negotiations with the vendor 18/9/18, plot topographic survey 26/11/18, submitted for planning permission 17/12/18, completed on the purchase of the plot 7/1/19, planning application formally accepted by council 11/2/19, visited my sixth Buildhuber 26/2/19, consultations revealed I needed to redesign the pitched roof to be a flat green roof to meet SUDS requirements 12/3/19, met the tree officer with my arboriculturalist on site 30/3/19, taking advantage of a neighbouring development having the road open, I installed a temporary electricity supply to the plot 2/4/19, engineers supplied drainage calculations including green roof 6/6/19, vendor approved the revised design with flat roof (deed's required it) 20/6/19, visited my seventh Buildhuber 29/7/19, visited my eighth Buildhuber 23/8/19, visited my ninth Buildhuber 19/9/19, council advised that my application is scheduled for the 2 October planning meeting 24/9/9, council advise that my application was bumped to the 6 November planning meeting 6/11/19, planning application approved unanimously, with two councillors choosing to comment that they particularly liked the design. One objector spoke against. Next step: build a house …

At long last, we're in our new home! Thoughts of a rapid start to the garage conversion have been put to one side as we've got to grips with some of the more mundane tasks that need sorting first: Draught proofing - precious little had ever been done, and I've already made a big difference in one week! Tuning the vents on the warm air heating system - downstairs is now warmer than upstairs Fixing the hot water - scaled-up ballcock valve meant the cold water storage tank emptied after two baths and introduced air locks - now all fixed Quotes for fencing around the garden as we want to improve privacy and security Leak-proofing needs to be done on all uPVC windows as the external frame sealant is cracked and in some places mortar fillets had been used rather than foam + frame sealant Broadband still not yet up and running Roof space is well insulated but need ventilation (lap vents will be simplest and easiest) Eaves cupboards are insulated only with fibreboard, all of which needs to come out and be replaced with PIR board Surprisingly, we seem to quite like the warm air heating. Depending on running costs, we might keep it and save the £6.5k-8k it will cost to put in a wet system. If we do that, we'll probably heat the new dining space (from the garage conversion) using electric heaters. Underfloor (of any type) is out as we can't afford to dig out the garage floor to put in the 300mm+ insulation we'd need. On my task list for the garage conversion are: Talk to our builder about sequencing of trades - what happens in what order? Before the wall comes down, electricity supply, meter and consumer unit need to be moved as they all terminate on the wall that's going Soil pipe also needs to be moved (underground and above ground) Roof needs to be raised Steel needs to be installed Wall needs to come down But kitchen sink is currently on the other side of that wall, and we still need a sink while works are ongoing Plumbing and waste need to be moved to wherever sink is going Draft plans for Lawful Development Certificate application Issue Party Wall Notice to neighbours (as the garages are attached and we'll be extending the height of the garage party wall to raise our garage roof) - might be a two month delay Apply for LDC Get steel beam calculations done Create detailed plans for Building Regs Submit Building Regs applicatoin

Did get the first bit of glass in yesterday though ?

Pipes have been capped and bathroom is just about fully dismantled. Phew.

There are plenty of people here who have your back. No fee. Just ask.

As we are building on a croft with an area of woodlands, the stove was a consideration at the initial design stage and we wanted it to be at the very heart of the house. As well as being the focal point of the living room, it was also considered from a practical point of view as to how the heat would be distributed throughout the house, as often I have heard that a stove can overheat well insulated rooms, resulting in a waste of money and just really something to look at. The work leading up to the stove installation began right back at the foundation stage, with excavation, concrete foundation, blockwork, back filled and compacted, insulated and then a concrete slab added on top. Dense concrete blockwork was put up during the summer with the aim of holding some of the heat when the stove is lit. The stove itself is a multi fuel Charnwood C4, built in England out of iron. We choose one with a log stand underneath to provide a bit more height as this is one of their smaller models. We decided that a lime render would suit the fireplace and this will lighten as it dries out. The mantle piece has some history attached to it. It was originally part of a massive beam in the local school, which was knocked down in the early 90’s. My wife’s uncle salvaged the beam and it was stored on our local township road next to our sheep pens. It was used as a spot to sit down when being out on the croft. A couple of years ago we cut the beam into manageable chunks and took it inside our wood shelter to dry out before it was cut and planed this week. The wood is at least 150 years old, was outside for around 30 years, but now it’s been tided up, it feels stronger than the timber we used to construct the house with. I love old timber! The hearth is also a highland product, not as local as the mantel piece but 40mm Caithness slab, very heavy (but I was at work when it went in). My wife carried out the measurements and this was spot on when fitted. Outside we have used anchor ties to hold the flue in place, some houses seem to fit flues without these but with our Hebridean weather this is a must. I went with the black soil pipe vent earlier on this year so it would match the flue when this went in. Sometimes flues can be ridiculously long and a bit of an eye sore as they need to be above the ridge, but having the stove close to the centre has allow this to be quite modest. Also, respect to our stove fitter, this seems to be a trade that covers not only the stove installation but masonry, carpentry and roof work. The stove has now been commissioned and certification provided. There is a bit of work to tidy up with plasterboard above the mantle piece and we have decided now that the flue is up, that boxing in with plasterboard is probably best to protect the kids and also to protect the flue from them! Next up, the kitchen and flooring is due to arrive next week. Thanks for reading.

Yes, if those trees and root protection areas are going to get in you way of your plans (and they don't have TPO's or your in a conservation area) get them down before you submit outline.

Looks like a built in low loss header

If you are single storey timber frame, bricklaying is simple and cheaper than slips. Not on the critical path. Wet plaster v. jointing and sanding there is not much in it. Fermacell = Fermahell. Your budget allows you to get decent contractors in for the whole project and it should not take too long. As soon as the frame is up you can get bricklayer, plumber, sparky and roofer on site.

Thanks @PeterStarck. I'm hoping for foundations and frame in the spring next year. Weathertight as soon as possible thereafter. And then probably at least a year's worth of first fix, second fix, and finishes. So completion in summer 2021 would be a pleasant surprise but won't be rushing things and happy to go slower. My getting-my-hands-dirty approach will be nothing compared to what you achieved! I will be using the trades regularly but doing the bits I can. But I am also trying to design the build to be as simple and easy as possible. For example, I am keen to use no-wet-plaster approach if I can. And I am choosing a brick slips system for cladding that does not require a skilled installer, let alone a brick layer.

My new keyboard foot printed by Jeremy, little video:

Typically a single two-storey domestic residence is one 'fire zone' and thus does not require fire rated lights downstairs. If your house can have open stairs and doors without automatic closers then its one fire zone. Taller buildings, flats etc may well require fire rated fittings. Hth.

Exactly. I'm almost past caring now. It won't matter if we leave the ceiling open until next summer. So it can dry out. It takes about an hour to get a drip during heavy rain. And a day or so to stop dripping. Thing is the area concerned is in the rain shadow, so it drips every few weeks. It has been the next but one job for the last few weeks ... ?

I live in a remote area and manage an area of sustainable woodlands. The trees we fell and burn would over decades remove pollutants from the atmosphere. The wood is stored and seasoned and will be burnt in an a-grade efficient stove. We plant new trees throughout the year to replace the ones felled. I agree that the use of wood burner in residential areas is a bad for the environment and the local population. But this is unique situation where the tree we grow and sustain have benefits to everybody and when the trees are cut often to encourage new growth, the timber produce is just a by-product. Can you name an alternative heating system for our house, that works on a fuel that actually benefits the environment during it's production, is sustainable, completely natural, simple, require no infrastructure, attractive when being produced and is free (apart from some sweat when cutting ?)?

Haha, what an idea! What public accountability! Building-the-Dream and Charlie-Luxton style. My budget is more of a cost tracker. Its a complex spreadsheet where each figure is matched by a confidence rating. As I learn more about a given item, drywalling for example, I increase the its confidence rating. That then can be summed to a bottom-up total figure for the cost of the build. Currently about half the items in that sheet are nothing more than guesses. However, another way to answer your question is: £360,000. That's a top-down figure. That's the target figure to ensure the land + plot ≤ to the sale price. So that is about £2,400 per m² for the build including everything except the plot cost. It includes, for example, the conveyancing costs, planning permission costs, and the proverbial kitchen sink. My bottom-up figure and my top-down figure have a current gap of £9k, which is in effect the current contingency amount but that has been shrinking as I learn more. At present I intend to be hands on a do as much as I can DIY. Whether that intention will survive even first contact with reality remains to be seen. On the time/cost/quality triad I am firmly aiming for cost and then a sensible compromise between quality and time.

No, not yet. Been first fixing the electrics. No excuse for me to sleep. The leak is tiny: a drip every two or three minutes.

Old carpet and carpet underlay.

Real skulls always look more authentic

had the same problem where an aerial pole was attached to my feature fyfe stone exterior chimney structure on end of house anyway years on and the clamps that were used for aerial pole were not S/S ,by this time i was on sky so pole had gone --but the stains remained asked many builders how to get rid of stains and tried acids etc ---end of the story i got a sandblasting attachment for my karcher power washer and a bag of kiln dryed silver sand blasted it all and it took it out --but watch out for the over spray I should have covered it even though it was not that close i have an upstairs slightly sand blasted window now, LOL.

May only be a case of changing the resin. You may find another use for the polyester, make a boat, or a pond, some guttering. Or sell it to the Boy Scouts to make canoes. Just thinking that the rain is going to be on and off for the next, I don't know, 40 years.

That's exactly what I thought of. I got some samples and one of them basically looks like rusted steel. I'd guess much easier to work with and install than the steel. I've had the samples outside for over a year now, and they look perfect. Great material, I'll be using if for my soffits and fascia. Would like to use more of it, but can't as we're in a conservation area.

No, it will not, you will have rusty staining on everything it touches. Once the layer or protective rust has set up it certainly stops, but by that time it is too late for the materials it has stained. Google New York Corten Steel road staining - I remember it was used on a job years ago, and there were a lot of concerns about the staining, and someone produced a photo of a whole road in New York that was rusty coloured from a new building. It was there for years! Nice in the right situation, but needs managed.

I used metal back boxes for the same reason as you

Wow you guys, so much to take in already. Will def check out the recommendations. In no particular order and not to deliberately leave anyone out, @TheMitchells I’ve come across Barbara Jones before, I’m not sure if she was involved in the straw bale visitor centre I ran, so long ago I can’t remember. Loving the look of the cassette system. Thanks for the link @Cambs For me I just love the feel of straw, cob, wood etc. I’m not into more conventionally built homes. Straw bales are also really good for people with allergies as they are inert being just the hollow stem of wheat etc and not the seed heads found in hay. I know bales are more expensive and larger than they were when the building o was involved in was built but they can still be had. Q @AnonymousBosch I hadn’t seen that one as hadn’t looked outside of the west county but would certainly be worth checking g out next time I’m up that way. Interesting to look at others, a few of us are in conversation about starting our own community. I love a bit of idea pinching and info sharing. Thank you so much @NSS for the lovely kind words. The past year (its a year this week he finally entered the terminal stages) has been hard beyond belief, not least as I was also threatened with court action as unbeknownst to me a car rental co refused to pay out to third party after an accident two years ago and my dad also had a health scare. However, I finally feel like I am emerging from the fog. Don’t get me wrong it’s going to be years in the healing but I can feel my old positivity making an appearance. I know being a landlord is full of risks but I have an advisor I trust in the form of an excellent letting agent. I know I will lose some of the income to fees but I can trust them to do me right. I couldn’t face having lodgers in my house. If it doesn’t work it doesn’t work but I’m not earning anything with money in the bank. Sorry if I’ve missed anyone but I’m so grateful to all who have chipped in with advice, suggestions and kind words. I honestly can’t see which way this will pan out but we’ll see. Thanks all, Helen

This is the comapny you want to check out - https://www.flexseal.co.uk/products/flexible-couplings/ They do a coupling for every type of waste pipe. Takes a while to find what you need but you guarantee it on there. I usually find what I need the look at Wolsleys Plumb and Parts centres website as they usually stock these.

So if @pocster goes for the 600mm one, with no joint, then how's about that, then?

I don't think there is a simple rule that can be applied for plot pricing, really. It's a free market, and a plot will be worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for it. It's not that unusual for self-builders to pay over the odds for a plot, or buy an existing house, demolish it, and build what they want. I suspect that some end up paying more than the finished house is worth, as they are prepared to pay extra to get the house they really want. Our build came in a little bit under the market value of the completed house, but that's only because the value rose whilst we were building it. If prices here had remained stable, then we'd have paid slightly more overall than the house would have been worth. So much depends on factors like the local prices in the area, the nature of the plot (we bought our plot relatively cheaply as it was fairly difficult to build on, for example) and local house prices. You can buy a very nice plot in some areas for ~£50k, yet the same plot somewhere else could be £300k or more. As for methods of construction, there are loads to choose from. Many of us here have used well-insulated prefabricated timber frame construction, many have used other forms of timber frame construction, many have used ICF systems and many have used conventional block and brick. A lot may come down to what would work well on the plot you have, so I'd leave the decision on which construction method to use until you've found a plot. We looked at several plots, and some would have pretty much dictated the use of some construction methods over others.

I think you should be the leader...having had the most experience...henceforth known as Big Drip!

Usual, in Devon, to mention you have a gun, I think.

Is that the Spanish stuff?

Any of that left over from the bathroom. If HMQ wants to ban the skulls, then why not put an outdoor shower on the back? Then do the panels with those blue dolphins.

Truth be told, half the first batch of 21 were the wrong colour. Suppliers fault. Only after that did building control actually inspect and find them 10mm short... ?

Celcons are supposed to be good at freeze thaw but anyway I'd be worried about op building inspector. Do you think it's like their equivalent of the "long weight" or left handed screwdriver. They get back to the office and say get on this tony guess what I've got this geezer doing on one of my rounds

well seen he didn't do this one.