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That’s not correct. There is no real minimum, and a lot of houses are built 900mm or closer. Also, right of access to inspect is just that, it does not give right of access to erect scaffold without permission. There will be an additional clause that states about access for repair which would potentially require scaffolding but it would not be deemed usual by a surveyor to erect scaffold to inspect. The crux will be, how many times have they enacted the access, and who owns it ..?? They cannot stop you building on your own land, and as long as “reasonable” provision is made for access to inspect then you have no concerns. If they cannot show that they have used this - by erecting scaffold for the purpose - in the past 10 years then it would be highly unlikely that they could enforce anything. PWA is different, and you need to serve a PWA notice if you are digging below the foundations of the house next door. This is the clause : What does the Act say if I want to excavate near neighbouring buildings? If you plan to:  excavate, or excavate for and construct foundations for a new building or structure, within 3 metres of any part of a neighbouring owner's building or structure, where any part of that work will go deeper than the neighbour's foundations ; or  excavate, or excavate for and construct foundations for a new building or structure, within 6 metres of any part of a neighbouring owner's building or structure, where any part of that work will meet a line drawn downwards at 45° in the direction of the excavation from the bottom of the neighbour's foundations So first and foremost, you need to decide how deep you are going ..!! If you are not going any lower than the existing property, and what would be deemed the same depth as your neighbour, then you do not need PWA approval. This is a really good guide - section 6 is what you need to review. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523010/Party_Wall_etc__Act_1996_-_Explanatory_Booklet.pdf

At the moment, I'm kinda being shoved out my current office, so priority is just getting it sealed up. So far I'm mulling over things, I might paint walls white just to see me through summer, and research ASHP's or something that'll ideally do both. Here's a very bad night time video I just did, showing where I want to put the unit - figured better to floor mount (sorry about the voice, quite tired) Youtube Linkie: https://youtu.be/oGJ7pQl05CY ? Those Scottish heat waves must be killers! (Scotland a place I still really want to visit, on two wheels or four!). That is really REALLY helpful to know, thank you very very much. I was going to claim all costs (as that's what book keeper suggested - note not a proper accountant), but I'm going to think twice now. Really grateful to you @joth ? Thank you too @Bitpipe ?I'm a humble sole trader, not a director/company at all, seemed like too much work to set up. Hmm, you seem to second NOT putting the costs of the build through my business, thank you very much....it's a shame, but thank you! You are a veritable wealth of knowledge, thank you for chiming in! I think I'll call it a storage room perhaps, I guess worst case if one way or another it would cost me £10k some sort of tax or cost when selling the house, I might just knock it down and patio over a very very solid base. It would make me a bit sad to do that though! You're a bit weird Tony, how you read my mind That was the original plan, blimey! I'm avoiding hot water, though I guess it depends if I start using the building and feel like having some I'd put it in. We'll see! That really did cross my mind as it'll be super-dupa insulated (external on wall and warm deck roof). I might just see how I get on like you say, use a little electric heater and see if it can cope. I just don't want a stuffy room, so that'll be the clincher. I've worked in enough dry horrible places, now I've gotta chance to change that, I'd like to take it! (caviate: unless it costs too much of course!). Thank you everyone for your comments, such a surprise as I thought my post would just get buried, what a nice bunch you all are ?????

Thanks Jimbo, your previous post made me laugh for the first time today !

That feels like enough time but in some aspects it is a 'long time'. For example tastes change and you cannot judge yesterdays tastes (as they will be in 15 years time) by today's standard - but people do and you don't want your dearest friends leaving your brand new pad being driven, by their self drive car, away and saying to each other - 'Lovely house but oh so very 2021'. Lifestyles change similarly. Yesterday and perhaps today the fashion was/is for open plan. The pandemic has taught many that having just one open space where in the 1930's there would have been three isolated spaces is a severe restriction if two of you are working from home. You may argue that as you have retired you won't be working from home but you will still have your pastimes and if those are indoor a space for them might turn out to be valuable, my other half's sewing machine would be one such device I would not want in the open plan space - but we haven't specifically built her sewing room in the new house as she has only taken it up since the pandemic (in fact - and don't tell her, I put a special power supply into the garden room to allow her to have have a kiln for her pottery work if she kept up her passion for it, looks like sewing has taken over.) So perhaps spend time looking for 'timeless' ideas and don't get hooked up on today's technologies as so many of them are already in the laggard phase and there will be a whole new crop along by then.

No you should probably choose.. 3. MIxer Shower or 4. Digital Shower (Provided the maker allows use with a combi). Not a recomendation but Mira do some digital showers for use with a combi boiler.. https://www.mirashowers.co.uk/showers/digital-showers/products/?installation-type=rear-fed-dual-outlet

You have to “Start a new application” and when faced with the drop down list for the type of application, you need to select “Approval of details reserved by condition”.

Thank you for taking the time to respond Jilly Good to know its the right place. I'll check again tomorrow. ?

Looks fab, good luck.

And don't forget that you may want access to repair your wall at some point in the future so if you are happy with 800mm then they should be. (Assuming the whole 800mm is on your land.

thanks, good to know. it will be cable tied to the mesh. I do have a decoiler and have watched some YouTube videos so think I should be ok. I'll give up my plans for Saturday and spend it laying pipe instead. then that'll give me the 2 days to do it in. hopefully it'll be enough! yeah, I remember reading that and have made a note to double check as I have one 80m coil and 6 x 100m coils.

Took me probably 3 all in. Maybe could have done in 2 if I procrastinated less. I'd say 1 was a stretch for 680m pipe. Is it stapled down onto insulated foundation or fitted to mesh? Also do you have a decoiler? Make sure you check all the pipe lengths before laying if you have different loop lengths supplied! (See my blog post).

With that kind of joint you cam tell everyone that its dovetailed and they will never know any different

Was the letter from a QS or the neighbour? Always worth remembering that a QS is acting for their client. Their profession does not require them to be fair to you, or give the whole argument. So the 'needs 1.5m' appears to be a bluff. But check the deeds. I think it would be reasonable to build the same distance as their wall is from the boundary, if that suits you. Otherwise what were they thinking when they built there? Scaffold towers are available 600 wide, and from tube can be skinnier yet. You would no doubt allow the scaffold to straddle the boundary if necessary. And I suggest re the party wall act, and distance to boundary, you get a professional to summarise the situation and legalities, with reference to the deeds, PWA and your design. Then drop a copy to the neighbour, as a courtesy (really to put it on the record) ..'.this is why it does not come under the party wall act'. and is allowed to be 600/800 from the boundary. And make absolutely sure your builder doesn't go 1 cm deeper than intended, on that wall, as that neighbour will be watching. Will you have enough space to build safely and well, without straying onto their side of the wall? It is not your fault that the neighbour is making a fuss. They appear to be mistaken in their understanding, or just bullying (or hoping for the best). If you give in, you will likely grudge it forever. If you fall out, then so what? Doesn't look as if you are going to best mates anyway.

It’s your build, don’t let “others” tell you what you want (unless they have a structural problem or financial implication). I find too many architects want you to build what they deem best!!!!!

Must be a Bristol term.

Thats a dogging term isn’t it ?

Are you miss understanding the purpose of noggins? You seem to be talking of adding them to stop the bend in the 18mm floor covering, which is inadequate and should be 22mm for 600mm centres. The real purpose of noggins is to stop the joists twisting and so reduce the sag along the length of a joist.

What a pain for you, and no doubt a worry. What your neighbour may have done near your garage some time ago is not really something you can look at now. (Bit late) Have a read online about the party wall act. It's not just about working on a party wall, but excavating within a certain distance to somebody's property etc. Have you looked at your house deeds to see what this clause with regards allowing access for wall inspection is ? If you can tell us what it actually say's in the deeds, we might be able to help more.

Exactly what we, and many, others did. In our case a 3 bed detached 1950s house on a 1/2 acre plot. Although, must be said that in 10-15 years, the economics of self build may be better (govt grants, more aligned finance & vendors) or worse (change in 0% VAT scheme, increasing materials & labour & land prices, increased CIL, interest rates etc.). I would struggle to build our place on a similar budget as we sourced about 40% of the cost from EU (everything from frame to windows to slates to doors etc etc) and the drop in the GBR / EUR ex rate from 1.4 to 1.15 makes a significant difference. I would say you need to be making a move about 3-5 years ahead of when you would like to occupy.

Thanks for the diagram. Very helpful

What about the individual units that can be fitted in each room with just a hole cored through the wall. Can't remember the detail, but there are someone that will wirelessly talk to each other, presumably can be configured as supply or extract as required. There are also some room only units which inhale and exhale through a heat exchanger so change the air in the room where fitted more than the whole house as it were

If a lightweight curtain / voile (assuming for privacy being half way down ) have you thought about No Nails pads, or similar. Effectively glue the centre support bracket on. I think you can get removable pads too that obviously wouldn’t create a mess afterwards, if it didn’t create sufficient support.

Imho you can't beat an externally mounted fan unit. Loads of power and little or no noise. You just need a spark to wire up a control switch and speed dial somewhere in your kitchen (we used a standard dimmer switch!). We then used an off the shelf extractor hood and removed the fan unit. If you are ceiling mounting then you can get ceiling grill units for kitchens. This is what I used. https://www.fastlec.co.uk/monsoon-150mm-6-external-centrifugal-extractor-fan-600m3-hr?gclid=CjwKCAjw-e2EBhAhEiwAJI5jg3ld4z-kGumyDJ2ZYkhCdmIV-uJmUAI7lzL9C5DBQ3NEMo8hyJmNTRoCCjsQAvD_BwE

Thanks, it's the members that make this place what it is - which includes you You may well be entitled to claim some of what you are doing as a legitimate business expense, but just double check first - if your book-keeper seems a bit too relaxed then talk to an accountant, I expect many would give you some time for free. You can always take the chance that, irrespective of what you're allowed, you bang it through the business and hope it's never noticed - plenty of folk do this but if caught the consequences can be severe and I suspect that HMRC will be out to get every penny these days to help plug the deficit! I'm quite risk adverse in that respect and don't sail too close to the wind where tax is concerned.

It's to far down the road. Look at sites but I wouldn't stress to much about anything else. Building regulations, styles, environmental requirements, materials, etc will all have changed a massive amount not to mention any personal or financial circumstances. In 7-8 years I'd review and start getting a bit more serious. Just enjoy life until then.

Not a hope in hell. It was very difficult to do that as is. First project each part was put in individually. It was a refurbishment and the walls weren't plum and blockwork so rough. Incredibly hard. Second project was a new timber framed house. This was easier and the walls were more plumb and timber made it easier. The surrounds were made up in a workshop and lifted into place. For some of them we have in the top part a recessed cut out in the top of the timber which is where the blind is. This has to be designed in early enough as you could have structure or a DPC above the window in the way. Another one has birch ply shutters incorporated into the sides that disappear when open. Again this was difficult but looks well.

Ohh dear, find a compromise with him if you can and calm the situation down. Not sure if it's any consolation, but dramas seem to be part of this building malarky.

Or one of the online calculators ... https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/geometry-solids/pyramid.php

Indeed, CIL exception applied for and commencement notice issued to the council today (with a written confirmation back from them that everything is in order for the exception). Looks like all is set for commencement for Thursday, woohoo.

Yes I've done it in my own house and others. Some of the below photos are before moving in and they window surrounds were cleaned or shadow gaps tidied but you get the idea. Edit: one of the below is veneered MDF and the other is Birch ply so you've options.

Investigate the build concept : Fabric First Decide on your Risk Appetite. Take holidays in houses of different types Choose the right partner. Spend many hours reading BuildHub.

Travel more around the UK to help you decide where you would be most happy to build. Shift your holiday focus to holiday rentals to sample more properties to pick up ideas. Visit other self builders to hear their war stories first hand. Go to the big NEC self build show once a year and book into the seminars. Learn Epsilon's first law of SelfBuild "Build the house that you will need for the next 20 years of your life and not the house you dreamed about 5 years ago.", basically this means don't fall into the the downsizer's upsizing trap.

We have a similar spec with a Daikin etc maybe two less rads and I would say you are about 30% over.

I don't mean any disrespect. I just meant I don't think planning officers do the validation check themselves.

Go on Toughbuttercup. People constantly make excuses for planners in councils. Poor things have so much to deal with etc. Me, i'm a plain speaker, and think they are just $hite. Temp. my planner told me on the phone that he thought my idea for Two smaller houses on the plot, instead of One large one, was a great idea. Then told me it was refused without him trying to put any sort of case for it forward, because the Parish Council objected, and they don't go against the Parish Council. W4nker$.

My bet is they only looked at your application last week when they realised their decision deadline was approaching. They can now claim the deadline doesnt apply as your application was incomplete. Our planners also told us 24 hours before deadline that they wanted changes. This despite spending over a year at the preapplication advice stage. Fortunately they were trivial and my architect was able to get revised drawings to them same day. A few years later one of the planning officers made a comment that he thought the house looked nice and that his department had "done a good job". I had to bite my tongue. They have no shame.

Think about how you will use it too. If you have stools at an island will they face out a window with a nice view, will guests sit at them while you prep dinner, is it a place to put the nibbles when entertaining (party's always in the kitchen!), will you have breakfast at the island, if one or more side is along a through route what will that side be used for, what will be under it and how often are those things accessed, will you be fed up turning between it and the wall backed worktop... and a million other things i'm sure

I'd agree with you on that as there's almost always going to be some level of confirmation bias. I think there's also a skewed demographic here on this forum because most self-builders take an active interest in the tech they're installing and also put some effort into how to use it. Hence they take the time to commission, install and use the technology. They also seem to me to take on the challenge of changing their behaviour to accommodate it. There is also the methodological problem with control - not many self-builders are going to build a copy house to test if natural ventilation provides the same results ?? Reading some of the wider research on natural ventilation and MVHR, I've found there seems to be a pattern between those who choose to install the tech and those that get it as part of a house they've bought. When an occupant gets it ready installed, there's almost always a significant need to change behaviour and halt our natural unconscious reactions to indoor air quality. For example, researchers have found that occupiers unconsciously react to raised CO2 levels by simply opening windows rather than consider alternative action. But likewise in natural ventilation there's been a history of people plugging up vents due to their experience of draughts, but that's largely due to badly designed vents in the first place. It is indeed absolutely not a conclusive study, but does helps to start a discussion about different perspectives which I hope is more constructive than the assumptions often bandied around that suggest natural ventilation doesn't work or is energy wasteful and inefficient and that MVHR is the solution. Unfortunately, there is a deficit of recent high quality research on natural ventilation, but there is increasing research on using intelligent natural ventilation systems in commercial premises, offices in particular and which do test some forms of heat recovery. There are actually some solutions on the market now. The other thing is that the research alludes to is one of the commonly accepted advantages of natural ventilation compared to MVHR in that it can provide better micro control of ventilation through the house. For instance, this is advantageous if you like to have different temperatures in different rooms, and/or zones. And from the perpective of indoor comfort, there are those that propose that contrary to providing uniform and constant indoor climates, wider and varing indoor climates are more healthy environments within which to live, IIRC Susan Roaf is one of those. I'm not trying to be evangelical about any of this, I just think that our understanding of ventilation in houses and its relationship with healthy indoor environments and its occupiers is still in its infancy. From some of the books I've read on the subject that were published back in the 1800s, it doesn't seem a huge amount has moved forwards (as an intresting aside a couple of papers I've read that were published in the late 1800s can tell me the exact maximum airflow through a vent that prevents occupants from percieving a draught!) For me, there's also a final question about any form of ventilation and how it relates to building fabric.Some researcher in Canada and other countries like Finland have found that buildings using hygroscopic materials may need modified ventilation designs and that designs of MVHR are rarely, if ever design with this in mind. Anyway food for thought, if you're so inclined.. or find you nerd out on some things like I clearly have the tendency to do ?

Can I take from this that this is your first development ..?? I’d research your suppliers a bit more - also don’t discount on site insulation as you may be better doing this as you can see the attention to detail. It may not be as quick but get the frame up and the roof on and then let the frame settle and you can insulate and get airtightness done on site with very good results.

Very true and the research you cite highlights this and it also has some depths that might need investigating if you are going ahead with MVHR on a bigger scale than the Cardiff models. The research did two things:1st it modelled both houses using the PHPP (2004) so turning off the MVHR naturally results in lower energy use because the MVHR is not running and / or the running of the MVHR did not recover enough heat to 'pay' for the energy required to run the MVHR. However the paper does point out that the MVHR was more efficient when the temperature throughout the house was kept constant. There is a lot in there about the 'comfort temperature' so to some extent the energy model shows that if you are both happy to widen the comfort band and you live in the South West you can have a lower energy bill without MVHR I don't have time to work out what the 'breakeven latitude' is but there must be one if only notional as other things - coastal area etc must come into play. 2nd it looked at the real figures from the two houses and found that the real consumption for the MVHR house was almost as predicted while that for the non MVHR was significantly lower. The paper looks at this and finds that some of the difference was the lower running temperature of the home and makes an adjustment which brings it up but nothing like to the model level. The paper, to my recollection makes no attempt to explain this much further although the point very much stands - it was lower. However in its conclusions it makes one point that was the cruncher, and you highlight it above, for me and the was that "Devising systems that ensure occupants open and close ventilation opening at suitable intervals to provide adequate fresh air is critical and might constitute an advanced model of trickle vent, automatic opening and closing mechanisms, new window designs or other manual or automatic systems." (Sassi, P. (2013) A Natural Ventilation Alternative to the Passivhaus Standard for a Mild Maritime Climate, Buildings, MDPI AG, 3(1), pp. 61–78, [online] Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings3010061.) The winning factors for us in installing MVHR are summed up as; MVHR in the age of intelligent buildings - which can turn the MVHR off when not needed, can sense the RH around the place and act accordingly, recovers what would otherwise be waste heat when this is valuable (worth it) and needs no supreme intelligence in the occupants - that would be me in my old age, is the way to go.

Yep so if I’d paid someone I reckon £1k install and £1k unit ..? I got some decent eBay deals and also used things such as 63mm ducting rather than the “proper” duct. It does show it doesn’t need to cost loads and I think the issue is sometimes the “specialist retailers” tell you it has to be SAP-Q etc and that their ducting is coated with anti-COVID Unobtainium TetraOxide, so you soon end up a £5k bill for the kit alone.

Well, I'm one of those opting not to go for MVHR. Having done plenty of research on ventilation, there's still lots to learn about the whole subject when it comes to domestic properties. There are also lots of myths about the effectiveness of natural ventilation (I suspect often perpetuated by the marketers of MVHR system makers). This goes for the eco perspective too. When it comes to MVHR location is often overlooked. If I was back up in the north of Sweden building a house, MVHR would be high on my list due to the very long and cold winters. Down here it the southwest of England it's a very different matter because the climate is so mild. Here is a piece of fairly recent research suggesting similar. In this study, they used two new passivhaus flats built in Cardiff. One used MVHR and the other natural ventilation. The naturally ventilated flat consumed 36 kWh primary energy/m²a less than the flat with MVHR with no reduction in indoor air quality or comfort. A Natural Ventilation Alternative to the Passivhaus Standard for a Mild Maritime Climate At the end of the day there are plenty of studies looking at problems associated with MVHR but there are also issues with natural ventilation where it hasn't been thought through or implemented properly either.

Well the one way to address that is to change the standards and then the skills will follow. Sad fact is most volume house builders have made their profit when planning is granted and everything from there on in is a cost to be reduced. Usually only 1:10 builds is inspected by BC (I got this figure direct from a BC themselves) so if that one barely passes then god knows what state the others are in. SAP has helped to a degree but we've all seen new builds with 'bolt on green' like solar thermal that the householders likely do not understand either. As a nation, we're not very environmentally literate - we like nature and the countryside and tut at litter and fly tipping but won't learn how to reduce energy consumption at home unless it's really hitting us in the pocket.

Just remember the important rules, my neighbours have informed me of, over the years. 1 You are entitled to a view. 2 If your tree leans over your neighbours fence they cannot cut it back within 10 feet of the boundary. 3 If you move your fence onto someone else's property after 10 years you can keep it. 4 If you want to move a bulk storage gas tank into your back garden you don't have to ask permission, just go down your neighbours private drive and trash the hedge leaning over. No worry. 5 You can build all you want because you need to, but no neighbours can build as it will destroy the neighbourhood. 6 You can put your stereo in the back garden full blast and have parties on every hot Saturday in the summer, but your neighbours builders must only do silent working. Have I missed any?

Fab Bobby Dazzler. Don't worry about next doors deeds. Yours says it all. If you want to build 0.8 mt from that wall you crack on. There is no stipulation as to how much room you have to allow for either them, or there tubby builder. There scaffolding etc is total tosh. Check up on the PWA and get your builder to confirm that he is only digging to the same depth as your existing foundations. Then you won't have to worry about the PWA. Because you neighbour has been such an arse, I would be making it very difficult for them to ever come on my land. Method statement required, and full insurance for any damage they might cause to your land or property.

And we all know that stiff is good, and sagging ain't.

There are a lot of smart people on here, and i am not One of them. ? Making things stiffer can only be a good thing in my opinion.

Stop watching Grand Designs (or any other self-build programme) ?, spend some time learning how to make decisions and save up your money. Think about how much of the work you want to do and then try to develop any necessary skills and some experience ahead of time - or not if you want to pay someone else to do it all; then you can sit back, drink beer and consume design inspiration ? Otherwise I'd just be repeating what others have said..

You have plenty of time to plan but it’s best to take advantage of anything you can well ahead of your schedule. For example have you considered some walk on glazing ?

I wouldn't cross the road to piss over Wren. Showroom is drop dead gorgeous, killer salespeople, "buy now or your children and the planet will die before you get back in your car".....etc......and then nothing after you have left and have paid, other than two fingers when the order all arrives smashed to bits by an over-worked angry delivery driver and huge turn-around times to get replacements 'when they can fit you in'. I lost a lot of money on 2 of their installs, when replacement panels and cabinets etc kept on getting redelivered by the same angry driver in the same state. The builder had to threaten the driver with a slap around the face due to just how badly he was treating the clients order whilst getting it out of the wagon and lobbed onto the pavement. 7 damaged deliveries of key decor panels which halted the whole install, and when the client went to the showroom to protest the showroom manager took over and got the transport manager to deliver the new white gloss decor ends, and proudly opened it up, removing all the 34 layers of bubble-wrap, to reveal the new hand delivered panel, damage free, in fcuking grey.