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I would get a price for going along the route which takes you through the fields of the farmer that said no. Say for talks sake worst case scenario £5k. Go back to the farmer and offer him a starting bid of £5k and you have a bit of leeway to increase to a max of maybe £10k to get access to his land. Your still going to be under the initial cost of a borehole with out factoring in any running and maintenance costs over the years. As having read @Jeremy Harris blog you will have seen the steps he had to go to inorder to get his system working. Don't forget the borehole will be costed out per meter of depth they drill. So if they have to go deeper and deeper as the water flow isn't strong enough at 50/60/70m then the bill goes up and up and up.

I know we all like a good moan about suppliers and contractors. I'm as guilty as anyone else! But.......credit where credit is due........ My Quooker boiling water tap died overnight on Sunday. It simply switched itself off after a few seconds of being switched on, no warm up, no heartbeat (as they call it), nada! I phoned the tech support line on Monday morning. The guy confirmed my Quooker was a Fooker and that the service team would call me. 1 hour later an incredibly nice lady booked an engineer for today with a two hour time slot. The incredibly polite and helpful guy turned up (within the time slot!), fixed it (faulty electronics board or summin'), put a new filter in and tidied up everything as he found it. His only challenge was a lack of mobile signal so couldn't get a signature on his gizmo. Thank heavens for that. I had to boil a kettle for nearly 24 hours. Can you even imagine the hardship? ?

It's a bit overdue but this is the first post of our build. The start was a long time coming, the idea to do a self-build struck in May 2017 when I spotted a plot on Rightmove which happened to be exactly equidistant between my family and my wife's family. With a young child and ageing grandparents the idea of relocating to be nearer to family appealed, as did the idea of building a house. Purchasing the plot was not without challenges and the legal side took about 9 months. Most of this was down to the useless solicitor we had instructed but we got there in the end. That took us to early 2018. The plot had detailed planning permission (won on appeal) for a 5 bed very traditional looking house. We knew it wasn't what we wanted but thought we could get by with a few amendments to the planning permission. We spoke the architect the vendor of the plot had used for the original planning application but he was very old school and liked to do a lot more talking than listening. Instinctively we knew he wasn't for us. After a search on the internet and telephone calls with a few other architects and architectural technicians found the practice that seemed right for us. They listened to our ideas and seemed on our wavelength. They convinced us that a new scheme, taking into account our needs and wants was the way forward so we worked with them through early 2018 to put a design together. This was submitted to planning in June 2018 and took until December 2018 to get approval. The council did ask for a couple of amendments to the design which we largely complied with and extra ecological reports which were supplied. There were a number of pre-commencement conditions attached to the approval. So in January 2019 we engaged a structural engineer, energy assessors and noise surveyors to do the work required to discharge the conditions and get in position to start on site. We also started the work of selecting a timber frame supplier. After speaking to half a dozen and getting quotes, a localish timber frame company came out on top. Their quote was competitive but more than anything they were on the right wavelength and seemed very open to listening to our concerns and questions. We hoped to get started on site in the spring / summer but unfortunately our planning condition for surface water drainage (SUDS) resulted in the council asking for a land drainage consent. This particular piece of bureaucracy was relevant as we want to discharge surface water and treated foul water into a brook adjacent to the plot. In addition to a further ecological report regarding voles and otters which I commissioned, they also needed design details of the headwalls we were using and discharge calcs for the roof run off. Reluctant to spend any more money on consultants I used the building regs info to do the calcs myself and submitted. Deafening silence followed for 8 weeks until I reminded them of their statutory obligation to respond within 8 weeks. Soon after this reminder the approved consents arrived. Discharge of the planning conditions followed shortly and we were free to get started. Unfortunately by the time this happened in early September our groundworkers were on another job and didn't become free again until early November. We did look around but couldn't find anyone who could start sooner that didn't want significantly more money for the job. So they started on site on 20th November 2019, two and half years after I spotted the plot on Rightmove. Since starting they've cleared and levelled the site, although there's still some spoil to be taken away. We have difficult ground conditions with clay / sand soil and a low bearing capacity. Due to this the SE has specified piled foundations, a ground beam to link them all together and suspended block and beam floor. I've had a piling contractor lined up since the spring and they visited site for the first time after it had been cleared and levelled and proclaimed there's no way that dug trenches would suffice and that the ground beam would need to be shuttered (another £4k). That means the ground workers needed to excavate to underneath ground beam level which they've done and also have provided the piling contractor with a bed of stone as a rudimentary piling mat. This was completed last week and the nice man with the total station has been out and precisely marked the position of each of the 50 piles. The piling contractor was due on site yesterday. However they have been delayed by a couple of days and are meant to be starting tomorrow. It'll be a big day as they have quoted to pile down to 4m, after which it's £30 / pile / metre - fingers crossed we don't have to go down too deep.

Been lurking around here for a while, but 10 months after seeing a plot of land with outline planning permission, we now have had our drawing's signed off by building control today, and can apply for starting certificate. 4 bed detached house in a village in Leicestershire, traditional build and styling. We have never done anything on this scale before, only a integral garage conversion and detached garage at the current place. Loads of questions to ask, so hope you can help our journey. We were originally going down a full build route with a contractor but the quotes ranged from "too much" to "how much", so now we are splitting up. but with that it means the programme has probably doubled. It will make a change to pay someone to do "something" rather than produce paperwork.

Got a point there. Question really is, what do you want from your house? If it's longlivety then this would be the best choice : Not very comfortable. A nightmare in heating costs. But will last 1000++years. Insulation in general is a bad idea. From a lifespan perspective. But I still wouldn't want to life in a house without it. As my favorite Building Scientist Joe Lstiburek said : every bit of engineering you put into a Building will compromise it s lifespan. (careful. Generalisation)

Are you happy working on live electrics? The manual here.. https://www.plumbase.co.uk/documents/product/3548621 Has likely wiring diagram bottom of page 21. I would have a look at the voltage on Switched Live (SL) with respect to N. Think that should be 240V whenever the stats (DHW or CH) are calling for heat. See if it's live when it should be. If not then the problem is in the wiring rather than the boiler. On some systems the signal from the stat moves the diverter valve and switch contacts on diverter turns on the boiler when the valve has moved to the required position. So there could be a short delay between a stat calling for heat and SL going live if the signal is routed through contacts on the diverter. These contacts on the diverter are a common source of problems especially if the valve weeps. If the diverter moves but SL never goes live that would be a good place to look. On an old system I once had the switch contacts could be removed and inspected/cleaned but better to replace them. Make sure system power is off before working on these. I like to remove the fuse. If SL is live when expected and the boiler still isn't firing up then problem is in the boiler.

Stop Press! A minor miracle has happened. I've just received an email from the estate agent; the vendor has found a copy of the engineer's report. I need to spend more time with it, but on the face of it, it answers most of my concerns: The gabioned outfall for both surface water and treatment plant is simply a gabion mattress down the bank to the burn. And that's only a suggestion, instead of a piped outlet. So the gabions aren't required to shore up the bank, which was my fear. Load bearing capacity 85kN/m2. Foundations "would most likely take the form of conventional strip foundations." I must say, I had been anticipating piled foundations of some sort. In fact, I may actually prefer them, given the nature of the site, but I'll deal with that in due course. This is my bedtime reading sorted out for a while. Thanks for everyone's input.

no - the case law is clear ... no potable water supply, no rateable hereditament... Final demand or not, they can ignore a letter but if you go to court and say “I sent this xyz, here is the statute reference and here is the case law” then they don’t have a leg to stand on as this is civil law ...

I also am a big fan of Quooker - give them a call once a year and a free descaling kit is in the post that day. An hour's job to get it sparkly clean again.

I'm not nearly that good looking.

Some Heatmiser stats are 12v and/or use network cable. I've not checked your one.

Rural NZ too.

So they legally can’t do this - and there is case law to stop them. @Jeremy Harris can advise the exact bit, but it relates to a property not meeting the requirement of being a rateable hereditament if it has no potable water supply. Connect the water last to the house and it cannot be rated until that is done and Council Tax cannot be charged.

As has already been mentioned don't underestimate how much space is needed for all the "gubbins". It takes a fair degree of planning to keep it tidy in a confined space. I think "noise" must be impacted by make/model and system design? I have an Airflow Androit system and it lives in an under eaves space accessed from one of the bedrooms via a simple plain door (no sound proofing, not even a draft seal). The separating stud wall (plasterboard on one side only) has some 50mm celotext between the uprights but that is it. It is completely inaudible with the door shut and isn't even that loud if you're next to it in the eaves itself. The only time you can hear it in the bedroom (or from any of the terminals in each room for that matter) is if its on boost. EDIT: I guess I should add that it does have a silencer fitted and all of the inlet and extract pipework I.e. the two to outside the building) are well insulated.

My electrician used 3 x 1 on mine (heatmiser neostat v2)

1mm should do - BUT - what do the instructions say? Dare I say RTFM ?

Highland Environmental Health were OK with my rainwater harvesting plans once I assured them I wouldn't be preparing food for the public (e.g,, running a B&B).

I don't have experience of installing boreholes, but there are several near me and I have worked on a couple, including replacing the pump. In the case of that one the pump did just hang a long way down the hole on a stainless steel wire alongside the riser pipe. Don't discount rainwater. It is the default water source in the bush in Australia, and they get a lot less rain than us. My BIL's house in Queensland collects water from the house roof and 2 barn roofs into a total of 4 different tanks, and was lovely clean drinking water without any treatment. Their infrastructure is set up better than us in that during the dry season, it is easy to just buy in a tanker of water if your tank is getting low. I am not sure if Scottish Water could sell you a tanker of water if you were getting low? Spring water can be more troublesome to get it wholesome, think dead sheep upstream? or even sheep urine.

@SuperJohnG, the two companies you've asked for quotes are the two that I most commonly hear about doing this work in Scotland. I can't help much with the rest as while we are not on mains, we used a burn supply. However, as a note of caution I will mention a nearby estate who opted for boreholes, paid similar amounts of money you stated above, and did not get what they were hoping for.

10% off any eBay purchases of £100 or more (maximum of 2 items per redemption) until 10am tomorrow (10th December). You can use the code up to 6 times claiming a maximum of £50 discount per redemption. When using eBay for self build purchases always ensure that you can receive a VAT invoice from the seller if reclaiming the VAT is important to you, or that the price without being able to reclaim the VAT is still cheaper than you can buy elsewhere. Full details below. Redeeming your coupon This coupon is a 10% discount valid until the date specified on the item’s view item page (below the box showing the price and buying options) (“End Date”) for purchases on eBay.co.uk, unless cancelled earlier in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. If no end date is displayed, the offer is valid for the specific item whilst it is visible on that item’s view item page. How to redeem your coupon: Simply make a purchase of £100 or more on eBay.co.uk on an Eligible Item and pay with PayPal, credit card, or debit card. An “Eligible Item” will include a reference to coupon code PROSPER10 on its view item page, just below the box showing the price and buying options. Enter coupon code PROSPER10 at checkout when prompted. The maximum discount you may receive is £50 per redemption and you are limited to six redemptions (up to a maximum of 2 items per redemption). Coupon Terms and Conditions: - This offer is open to users registered on eBay.co.uk (http://eBay.co.uk) who must be 18 years of age or older, and who have a UK shipping address. - Six coupon redemptions per registered user only (up to a maximum of 2 items per redemption). The coupon is valid from the date you first see the coupon on the Eligible Item’s page until the End Date, unless cancelled earlier in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. - This coupon is valid only when you pay with PayPal, credit card, or debit card. - To redeem this coupon, a minimum Purchase Price of £100 is required (“Purchase Price” means the total price of the items you buy. It does NOT include related postage and packing costs or any taxes which are not included in the item price). - The coupon must be redeemed in a single transaction. When using Cart, it can be used when purchasing from multiple sellers. If your Purchase Price is less than the coupon amount, you will lose the unused amount. - Enter coupon code PROSPER10 when you are prompted to during the payment process and you will receive the related discount on the final amount of your Purchase Price. - The discount does not apply to the related postage and packing costs or to any taxes which are not included in the item price. - The ‘Property’, ‘Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles’, ‘Gift Cards and Coupons’, ‘Gift Cards and Vouchers’, and ‘Coins, Banknotes & Bullion’ categories are always excluded. - The purchase you make to redeem this coupon must comply with eBay’s User Agreement and policies.This coupon cannot be combined with any other coupon, site discount, rebate, offer, gift coupon or other promotion. - This coupon has no cash value, cannot be transferred, cannot be forwarded and cannot be exchanged.This coupon is void where prohibited. - Any refund you may be entitled to receive will not include the coupon or its redemption value. You will receive no more than the amount you paid towards your Purchase Price and will not be eligible for a further coupon. - These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.eBay makes no representations or warranties of any kind regarding any product or service provided by any third party in connection with any coupon promotion. - eBay will not be responsible for any third party's performance or failure to perform any services related to any coupon promotion, or for any costs, damages, accident, delay, injury, loss, expense, or inconvenience that may arise in connection with the use of the coupon, provided that nothing shall limit eBay's liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence.eBay reserves the right to suspend, change or cancel this coupon promotion at any time, in the event of circumstances arising which in eBay's opinion make it necessary for it to do so. - eBay reserves the right to add additional terms and conditions for certain parts of this coupon promotion. - eBay (UK) Limited (“eBay”) is the organiser of the promotion. eBay may carry out this organisation through its local subsidiaries.

Welcome to the adventure. Poetry? "The stronger we our houses do build, The less chance we have of being killed." William Topaz McGonagall (Said the person with left arm swathed in bandages having dropped a steak too rapidly into a stonkingly hot wok with some fat in it last week.) On the encouragement side, the best value time you spend is thinking time at the start of the project - costs nothing, saves oodles later in the things you don't get wrong.

You should get a confirmation letter/email back. We made sure we had it, as there was a case where someone had notified the LPA but didnt get a confirmation and they ended up paying the full CIL.

It's 120mm insulation. I'm doing the falls using firring on top of the joists (cross firrings to create diagonal falls. Then 22mm ply on top. The roofers take it from there although we are supplying the insulation. Overall there are walls and parapets all round, 11 internal corners, 1 external corner, 5 drainage outlets and one soil vent detail. It's a reputable company and I agree seems like a reasonable quote. 3534 WD07G External Services and internal Penetrations, Roof Plan.pdf

First step is read the other threads on this forum! Then buy a lot of plastic inserts for ring binders to put reciepts in (or similar storage that keeps them in date order.) Labor - zero rated to you, VAT paid in error cannot be reclaimed. Materials you buy - VAT can be reclaimed. Mixed (supply and fit) both materials and labour must be zero rated to you. Tool hire - VAT is charged and cannot be reclaimed. Any doubt ask here before you accept a quote.

Here's the spreadsheet version of the VAT form (which is acceptable to HMRC): VAT Claim Form 431 - Blank - extra sheets added.xls

To give you a comparison, I'm in an expensive area paying ballpark 25k architect and 12 SE for a larger build on a complex site. Using an architect firm with many awards etc for design and building regs they are good value in my opinion but their cost to me is a smaller percent that your original option is to you. If planning TF surely you can use them for a large part of design and SE so will be in their fees anyway, be careful to not pay twice. Good luck

To clarify; I wasn't just boiling a kettle continuously for 24 hours. That would be weird!

Not sure a CU that low down is allowed now? Part M?

You clearly have no idea of the sort of person I am... Burns and Shakespeare - Pah! McGonagall had style.

Thank you for the research, on the face of it that undermines my case. However there is much peripheral discussion on the internet that indicates if OpenReach need access to a property for an install (even just a fly over) this tips rights back in favour of the property owner. Until this week I had not realized what a basket case institution OpenReach is, any political party that promises to eradicate OpenReach by Act of Parliament will get my vote.