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£80k for a plot with an existing bungalow sounds outrageously cheap so well done on finding it! Although you've ruled out the caravan on site, it really is the most sensible option. I'm not saying it will be easy, but you'll find lots of stories on BH where families of 5 have managed it (also with babies/toddlers) so it's definitely doable.

Hello good people In my dotage (63) I find myself volunteer teaching in a catholic girls school. Blimey - WHAT??!! Anything with maths in it. DT, electronics, astronomy, phys chem biol. Next year I'll be dibbling into Environmental Science A level. Kids (and teachers) ask me stuff. Materials engineering then computing grad, career in various industries, C.Eng, got made redundant when companies closed, wound up repairing gas boilers (nobody makes you redundant if you do that), then to teaching/assessing Corgi/GSR gas operatives, and doing electrical qualifications. So I'll be answering a bit but mostly asking, about Alternative Energies especially for homes, practicalities of insulation, and all that. As far as I can tell from here, there's no way we're going to be able to achieve what Govt has announced. Keeps me off the streets.

Some people live in static caravans all the time and yes they are the cheapest option for accommodation whilst doing self building. Minimum number of rooms initially, cheap kitchen and bathroom stuff initially , can always be upgraded later when funds allow. Design it yourself (plenty of help with that from this forums members so don’t need an architect). Get plans drawn up by architectural technician (cheaper than architect).

Fan will only run when it's actively heating. The fan on the better units is modulated and will change speed to suit the load.

Not everyone is a fan of them and they don't work for baths, but WWHRS units (e.g. showersave) can make a 300L give you the same number of showers as a 400L+ tank and will also save energy. Downside is they are around £400 each, and if all four showers get equal use and aren't near each other, you could need up to four of them.

If health and safety is your concern for iiving in a caravan with a toddler, then you have either bought the wrong caravan, or self building is not for you. There will be MUCH bigger health and safety issues to deal with throughout a build that living in what has been designed as a residential static caravan, very likely originally on a holiday park where a huge percentage of occupants have toddlers.

did you "tack rag" the surface before starting? -as any loose dust etc will stop adhesion I just asked my plaster master mate his question was --"are you sure the plaster was FULLY dried out," as in weeks maybe 2 0r 3 weeks -longer if in winter and hard plastered onto block walls which could have been be wet as well -definately not plastered on friday and painted on monday hope it helps

How "dereleit" is the existing dwelling? I suggest buy it to secure the purchase then plan the way forward, and that should include patch up the existing place just enough to make it habitable while you get the design and planning sorted, and put aside your dislike of static caravans because that really is the most cost effective means of temporary accommodation while building. Also plan the house so it can be built in stages as funds allow, e.g so it can be built as a 1 bedroom bungalow but with attic trusses already in place so later, when funds allow, you can do the upstairs.

I gave it 6-8 hours between coats, not sure building up will work?

I had this exact issue @pocster and for me the problem was too thick mist coat and probably next coat too. Scraped off affected walls with glass scraper (slow job!) right back to plaster, easyfill where needed to repair then a new mist coat (wall still quite pink, 30-40% water). Next coat was undiluted and covered almost all plaster colour followed by a final coat but again quite thin. There is a definite knack to spraying!

Yes, if used as intended they are pretty clean for a wood burner. They are designed to burn DRY wood at very high temperatures and store the heat in the masonry. Of course, if you're using your wood burning stove correctly the fire temperature should be high as well which minimises pollution. The trouble is, on the evidence of my nose, people don't have a clue how to burn wood cleanly, even if they use properly dried wood. Masonry stoves are bulky, so they waste space in your house and they are very expensive to construct, unless you build it yourself. They don't even have the excuse of aesthetic attraction as the fire is not visible. We used to live in an isolated rural house with 10 acres of woodland so we used wood for heat. However, we used a gasifying log boiler which ran at high temperatures and produced little pollution - no visible smoke or perceptible smell once it was up to temperature, and no measurable increase in particulates. We've moved to a more suburban area near a canal. Many of the surrounding houses have wood burners, despite also having mains gas central heating and the stink of partially burnt wood is evident most of the time during the heating season. Of course the canal boat residents contribute as well and seem to be very unaware of the pollution that they are creating.

That's an adhesion issue. Is it going onto fresh, very smooth plaster? I had very similar failure on the underside of a staircase, nearly drove me insane. The only way around it was to get back to the plaster by scraping, and roller on LOTS of very very light watered down coats. I even went as far as roughly scouring the plaster with a bit of wire wool and brush. Any attempt to put anything remotely thicker just led to little flakes peeling clean off the smooth bits. I guess the same applies when spraying - lots of thin coats.

Nice. I've used their flow sensors before and know the company to be reputable which is important

Odd number of panes is a good idea as you will have a "normally" opening master door at one end, a good idea if you plan on using it regularly as an access/egress door. Leafs are normally 700-1000mm each. So for a 4200 opening you could have 5 840mm leafs. Either that or 4 as above would be smashing. We've a 5 leaf, 4620mm door arriving in two weeks time!!!!

Nope. This is a global thing caused by all the Covid money printing by Governments. You ain't seen nothing yet, what is the calorific value of a plastic bank note?

Welcome to Brexitland.

judging by the demand for labour and trades (the good one's) being booked up well into next year the demand for materials is going to remain strong , and once prices go up they are unlikely to drop unless there is a significant drop in demand.

Jeremy had problem(s)/Jeremy found solution(s).

Instructions should be on the packet, 20 to 30% more water than for pasting paper

you didn't annoy the plasterers did ya? Polished up with a plastic bag will do this...

They won't be a toddler for ever. They'll be a surley teenager by the time you're on to the second fix and can give you a hand...

Provide them with a loo and tell them what you want them to do Keep the subys out of each other’s way Dont mention inductions You will frighten them off Ive just started two sites for a contractor that is H&S mad Hour long induction No radios No shorts No eating in the building I can tell the guys not to wear shorts as most insist on this Radios low volume Eating on the go NO chance In common with all our sites Not one mention of Covid There’s two members of two gangs confirmed with Covid The other half’s of the gangs are still working onsite The jobs falling behind are all they care about None of the contractors have any respect for HSE

Or just stick it on some OSB and call it; "My Building Journey" I stuck some broken slates on a board and got £800 for it once.