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Floor slab poured today. Feels like a big milestone as that’s the foundation complete ready for the kit next month. Steelwork for garage floor done ready for foundation pour on Monday. Foundation for retaining wall poured. Good progress this week despite the weather.

"Thanks for that price. I have three other quotations due in the next [...] . Can I ring you to discuss your price when the other quotes are in?" "Well, the main issue is that I want to be sure to compare like with like. I'm trying to be fair to each supplier, and not simply rejecting the quote on the basis of the final figure " "The other comparable quotes are substantially lower than yours. Do you have time to discuss them with me?" "Help me understand why your quote is so much higher than everyone elses" "Why is your quote so cheap?" "Your quote is so high that it makes me wonder wether you want the business". "Your quote seems to be substantially out of line with other quotes I have. The others are all about 15% cheaper. Can we explore why that might be" "Why did you waste your time sending me a quote that high?" "Self builders are not stupid" "Do you have a line manager I can talk to, just to check a few items in this quote ...." "Really? Honestly? Have the decency to wear a mask the next time you commit daylight robbery."

Not quite the same subject but I went to get a quote from 3 solicitors to own a tiny plot of land ( long story ) . First said it was impossible to own . Second said it would cost 5k and a 50/50 chance Third said . 100% sure I can own it . Need a barrister and 15k !!! Took a year , did it myself for about 100 quid

Too bloody right. Here's a re-print of what actually happened to me a few years ago ..... ========================= Waiting in line at the local BM. An organisation that hasn't changed from the 1990s when I first set foot in Lancashire. But I suspect it probably hasn't changed much since time began. A powerfully built but small white haired man get to the head of the queue. No neck, just muscle, shoulders the size of an American oarsman's coach. His frame must have been put together before steroids were invented. Several staff are chatting behind the counter - there's a queue, no, audience of at least 10. All builders (except me) Roofer: Riaaat mate ah want sum roofing felt: cuppla roles laaak BM You mean Vapour Control felt: how many rolls d'ya wunt? Noooo mert, ah want sum roofin felt, just'a culpa rolls laaak. The BM shop assistant, spotty, super-clean hair do, biro tattoos : 'Mum' and 'Hat', one on each forearm looks flummoxed. Well we've got [................... A series of trade names.............] Silence. Complete silence. 10 builders (and me) , Hearts almost stopped. The roofer eyes the sprog behind the counter, and cold as ice and says Maaate if yer wanna know why wimmin dunt ever cum in 'ere, it cos o' twats laaak thee mekkin me feel laak a reet prat. Ah been cummin' in ere since long afore yer dad wuz born orderin' fookin roofing felt. '..... Kin rooofin felt 'assss all. An if yer can mek me feel laak a reet prat, yer can do 't same fer wimmin. Nay wonder ya never see a wun in ere. The shop door opens, all eyes swivel (just like a pub entrance door) and in walks a large female, in dirty dungarees, severe hair cut with purple and red highlights, forearms the size of my thighs , most things pierced - the list would be too long - sporting a chunky paint-spattered watch. And clogs - proper Lancashire clogs. Two days later my tongue is still sore where I bit it .

That’s easy ! I’m your favourite customer f s mate ; don’t want to remortgage if I pay now do I get a 10% discount you know I’ll be a repeat customer other BM is cheaper , but you guys are nicer Currently for my BM when I call I say “ Can I buy some of your crap , expensive products ? “ . Probably up the price for me - but who knows . So banter / cheek / don’t ask don’t get attitude

Leave as is. In 3 months nobody will notice, and you'll have forgotten.

Are you saying no part has been lived in since 1937? If so, I believe your builder should be charging you 5% VAT for labor and materials (20% for any materials on their own), which you can recover at the end if you plan to live in it yourself. Renovation and alteration of any residential building that has been empty for at least 2 years prior to work starting is rated at 5%. Likewise conversion of non-resident building to resi is also rated at 5%. You can't recover incorrectly charged VAT, so you'll need to get your builder to re-present his invoices showing 5% VAT

And don't assume an existing agricultural access to a field will meet the requirements for access to a domestic dwelling. Have a good look at what actual visibility you get in both directions from the existing access.

If it’s been laid properly You will damage it trying to separate it from the mortarBetter to dig under it at either side near the house Then lever it up Fill with semidry mortar

Cadman Manchester They have been in business over a hundred years

Progress from yesterday, had a day off today doing other things and waiting for deliveries. Basically installed superfoil over rafter and stapled to give a 25 to 50mm invented cavity. Roof topped with tongue and groove timber and a breather membrane to keep the weather off the roof. Roof buildup will be similar to this Perimeter framing on roof next and then EPS insulation on roof. Also floor to insulate and UFH to install.

I think solicitors are the worst . They each only have an ‘ opinion ‘ and as you and I have pointed out - if motivated enough you can kick the shits to the kerb .

On the same different subject I was told by one solicitor it would cost between £4 and £6k to split my plot and sell to a friend. Another solicitor has quoted £1k for the same job.

I recently had someone quote me, in person, £1,800 for a job that I eventually had done for £40. I said nothing, turned around, walked back into the house and closed the door. No point in doing anything else.

You can't take the risk of not getting access permission. Ask the agents about it. Can't tell from the plans. You need a minimum distance line of sight from an entrance, and it depends on speed limit and any obstructions. If the county doesn't permit it, you simply won't get permission.

There's 1 day of the year this line won't work.

😂 it was blowing a gale on Wednesday so we gave up with the DPM laying. Also been peeing down all week. Today been the best day. Ironically we could do with a bit of raining on the slab now. Due to rain later.

Just watch Liam Neeson's phone call in Taken and paraphrase as required. Helps if you have the accent. I found that for in person discussions, living in a caravan & dressing like a builder / tramp did not hurt, also having a slightly battered estate car to visit merchants etc.

Use this to make your own informed decision. I made the assumption the outside temp average is more likely to 4 or 5 degs in the heating season instead of the odd day in the -5 or below. So more likely to be heating at 10 to 15W/m2 than 20 W/m2. Which is well below the chart for flow temps.

Honestly? Every job requires a return and anyone telling you otherwise for a new build is being disingenuous with the truth. At least one return is required. However, that doesn't mean that the installation, of windows, doors, and openings, is wrong or not ready. It just means our install teams perform service calls within the 1st year (at least we allow for it anyway) and the client can choose whether it is something they want. However, you will find that building movement/settlement requires adjustments; if not taken, it's chargeable once the installation has been completed and signed off. "If" the doors don't fit, then why? What has caused the issue, is it the product size? If yes, is it our fault? If yes find a solution if available and address it with agreement from the client/contractor and foot the bill. Has it been the install team, have they incorrectly installed at the wrong height/position? If yes, then they foot the bill and re-attend. "if" it is building related etc. and there is nothing we can do, advise the client/contractor of the problem and what needs to be done. Move on to the next item and continue. If it doesn't add extra time (i.e. the install team have 5 days allowed, 2 days to erect/install a large sliding door, for example, 2 days for windows, then install all the windows) if in 3 days it's not ready. Then it will require a return visit. That will incur additional costs for travel and accommodation and potentially an extra day, and then the client/contractor will have to foot the bill for it. Proportion for wasted time, no. Time shouldn't be wasted, the site and installers should be ready for the installation of the windows and doors if any time is wasted it's generally due to the site not being ready but it also can be a result that the delivery hasn't turned up when requested. An example, if 5 days install is allowed, it's actually only 4, 1 day of that is for travel to the site (distance dependent) and offload/distribution. If it is delivery that has been delayed, the haulier foots the bill. However, we are pretty decent with hauliers and if any delays we know 2 or 3 days in advance and can plan ahead. It has happened a few times now with delays at customs.

Why can't covenants be written in plain and simple English? Because it is often ambiguous. Because it would require ancient documents to be translated, and that increases the chance of confusion. Because such documents are formulaic and avoid missing or confusing an issue. Most importantly, because commas are in short supply.

As PD says. It is 3.3 You cant spoil the neighbours rights. Plannning and regs define that anyway. Looks ok. Joining the 2 red lined areas, are you looking at taking the combined area? I would continue to research the plot to confitrm your interest but get that covenant looked at profesionally before committing. A conveyancer would likely give free advice on the promise of the following work.

Thanks for that ToughButterCup, it's staying in front of me.🤣

Forgot to mention, with free loopcad I couldn't get the insulation down far enough so the heat losses are slightly higher on the drawing are slightly higher than reality. I also operate on a 4 deg delta T so flow temps are lower and floor temps are more even.

That should be " not" to deny cover. Never discount the effect of daytime television, "have you had a accident". They will go after all parties hoping for a payoff or more. Your insurer should take the argument off your hands. And as I have said umpteen times...keep a project diary of personnel on site, what they are doing, and anything of note.

If anything was to happen on site, it is very likely that you would be involved in any legal proceedings. You must have insurance, then your people can argue with theirs. Your cover must also be comorehensive enough that the insurers first action is to deny cover.

In my case I felt £1000 for peace of mind relative to the overall cost of the build was inconsequential regardless of what insurance the contractors had.

We had ProActive self build insurance. Bought through the Insurance broker in our village. I think we started out with 1 year (Feb 20, pre COVID), then extended 6 month, and again 6 months, and then had to extend monthly for 4 months. about £1k a year, We did get stung when we had to increase the sum insured on the buildings when we took out our self build mortgage and they came up with a rebuild figure higher than we originally had insured for. The Selfbuild mortgage lender, wanted employers liability, public liability, and buildings, all of which we had in the self build insurance policy anyway.

Protek

I don't think my eyes will allow me to forget....

Granolithic. Extremely hard concrete, made with small granite chips. It used to be a specialist business to lay it. Used in areas of very high abrasion as a capping on normal concrete. The companies I knew diversified into general industrial concrete flooring.

Not a great detail. Tricky to get right on site especially if you need radon protection. There are other simpler ways of doing this. Visqueen do a set of details which uses a combined DPM/radon barrier.

And after lots of stress and calculations today we received the letter saying that we could start Instead of yet another Plan, Check, Schedule we had Confirmation of Reasonable Compliance. Now the real work begins and I can get updated quotes, but at least we can start making a real mess by digging trenches when it's been wet for weeks. Next step is to double check everything before we order anything.

Trickle vents became mandatory (if no alternative ventilation) on 15 June 2022. I'm going to disagree with the two above and say you don't need trickle vents; you've "got the window on the latch most days for the whole day" which will provide adequate ventilation so I don't think that is the problem. I note it's more the silicone at the top of the trim than against the window sill, so I'm thinking it's thermal bridging - in simple language there's a way for cold outside air to get behind the trim. If you want to start with the easiest option I'd remove the silicone and redo with bathroom-grade silicone (i.e. known to be mould resistant). But it'd be worth taking the trim off and looking behind if you're up for doing that. In my experience the supplier/installer will blame any mould on you and do nothing. Good luck but I feel you are on your own to sort this.

If we're voting I also vote 'leave as is' - and the kitchen does look good 👍.

Did you watch them being installed, if so did the seal the gaps around the window frame and wall with anything. If they didn't you may have a big thermal bridge, basically cold outside air one side and warm inside air the other side of the silicone. If you don't have MVHR you need trickle vents. Did the ones removed have them?

Would that not only an issue if you were inviting the local professional basketball team around?

I don't know about Scotland, but in England they test 1 in 10 (?) on an estate. The developer knows which they will be and they scrape a pass. The rest are porous. These houses were all on large developments.

Ours is with Protek and just under £1000 for 12 months. Similar level of cover as above.

Exactly. It’s only obvious when you look at from the angle of the second picture. In normal day use you won’t see it.

£2K sounds like a bargain, anyone can fit doors and sliders, but not many can fit them well. the 4.3m wide set is going to need a lot of fiddling, packing and adjusting to get it right. Quite possibly a return to re adjust too.

I fitted a water softener on our mains supply but fitted it after a seperate supply for drinking water and toilet cisterns. I fitted a water filter under the sink supplying a three way tap. In the first picture, the manifold with the white taps is hard water.

Many thanks for the replies and suggestions, although from what's been said, it doesn't sound like a Structural Warranty is worth the paper it's written on. We're unlikely to want a mortgage to cover the cost of the build, but you never know and we may not be living there forever so it makes sense to obtain a structural warranty to cover the possible eventuality. So this seems like a paper exercise to me, potentially a costly one. Do we need an SW, or would an architect's certificate suffice? I'll speak to our architect and see what they have to say.

they offer the service but they charge handsomely for it. if you do it the way @Kelvin has and we did and how many others have on here by project managing after the TF company gets you to a watertight stage then you can save substantial amounts of money. but it can often take a lot longer and can be a lot of work managing it all. everyone has to take their own journey but for us doing it this way meant we could build a bigger house. to pay a turnkey or main contractor would've meant a much smaller house for the same amount of money.

It’s unfortunate that when you pay for expert advice you often don’t get it - and to find out about needing timber frame panel drawings far into the process is very disappointing. In my previous life I would have taken my clients step by step through the building process and would have tried to explain in simple terms how they get from a brief to a completed home. I would have felt that if a client did not understand what I was saying then I needed to explain the process in a different way or in simpler terms. I reiterate what I have said in the past - I am a BCO and RA and if I can help with anything I will.

I feel very sorry for those who feel that they have been ripped off and haven’t got value for money when appointing architects, architectural technicians and engineers. When I see the fees being charged and the level of frustration and mistrust I almost feel that there is an opening for a co-operative not-for-profit organisation that can help self-builders get their projects off the ground at a relatively low cost. I see that this forum is often a last resort for many self-builders who are trying to make sense of what they are going through in their self-build journey and in many cases the advice they receive can unfortunately often be too late.

I haven't been following this so excuse errors. Just in case you don't know, bison type slabs come with a big curve up to the middle. The longer they span, the higher the curve. They don't tell you, and architects mostly don't know of allow for it. Either the screed needs to be thinner there, and strength of slab reduces, or all the levels go up as does the screed volume. This doesn't apply with beam and block which are straight. Dry rot isn't dry * and depends on wet conditions. Spores are everywhere anyway. As long as your timber is dry, it won't rot. * silly name. It isn't as wet as wet rot.

So, to break it down a little, I've totted up what a basic one man band tradesperson non vat registered might just spend on a monthly basis, with some assumptions. These are the kinds of costs involved which obviously aren't exhaustive - e.g. no tools/plant/equipment/premises costs as that can be a bit more complex - but representative. You'll see that the total below is just under 1.5 weeks work per month for the basics at £200 per day so essentially after these costs it's a mere 31k/pa, minus tax and NI and to cover any sick leave. The other important thing to consider is cash flow. For example, for February, my expenditure is 3x my revenue due to work on a large project where I supply all materials and which has only just been invoiced - there's a significant cost associated with this which is so often overlooked by newbie business people, especially if and when customers are slow to pay up - this is why so many young businesses fail in the 1st 18 months! In terms of estimating/quoting, I've recently spent several half to full days working things out because they're for large whole house heating system replacements that whether I like it or not require at least basic whole house heat loss calcs which I then caveat with a full calc included if they accept the quote. I'd say I spend at least 3-4 days per month just doing basic pricing work. And today, my afternoon was blown out because one customer wasn't there when I arrived for an appointment and then it took me 1.5hours just to get across town to pick up some bits for a job on Friday (To save time I mostly use a supplier that delivers directly to site either morning or afternoon provided I order before midnight or midday, but they didn't have the specific bits I needed) Some basic monthly costs: Accounting software 25 Customer Management app 25 professional insurance 35 professional registration 15 advertising 80 website 15 van 600 vehicle tax 12 fuel 300 accountant 50 equipment calibration 15 tyres 30 checkatrade 50 van insurance 40 bank transations costs 42 clothing 25 phone 35 IT 50 1444

Good point here from the_r_sole. It's hard to compare designers prices. You can get a set of BR regs set of drawings and calcs cheeply, but that is all you will get. Just enough to get your approval. You can get them really cheep if you are happy with saying say.. ,x ,y and z will comply with clause x, y and z in the regs.. very few drawings or supporting info required. You'll have your approval but the info you have will be very limited..trouble ahead if you don't have significant experience of building and dealing with individual contractors. It will then be up to you to develop and communicate the detailed design information to the contractors ect who are pricing unless you are really doing it all yourself. The less info you give them generally the more heavy they will be with the pricing pencil or build in caveats to allow them to charge you for "extra work". It will also fall to you to take on the liability / responsibility if you get it wrong, BC come to inspect and say. NO! Put it this way. A good skilled trades person who will also keep you right on a DIY build (maybe by saying.. are you sure you want to do this?) may cost £250 - 300 / day as an average UK price. £31.5 - 37.50 / hour. Now chuck in some plant / van tool costs and so on. Just say 40 quid per hour = £ 1600 per week. That is just for one person. For two.. £ 3200 per week. Now an experienced Architect or designer can easily save you this and more. Go cheep and you risk getting bogged down trying to resolve buildability issues that crop up because you are just relying on the drawings you have use for regs approval, trying to source different materials that will still comply with say the U value requirements and so on. The test when comparing fees is to ask this of the designers. 1/ Your fee is this. It is higher than the others so can you convince me that this extra fee will result in an overall saving..mitigate the fee? Tell me how you are going to do this. Explain to me how say you have thought through the buildability aspects so it's easy for local trades persons to build and thus they will be less heavy with the pricing. Are you sure that the materials can be easily sourced and on time to avoid delay on site? Where is the risk in this project to me, can you tell me where the risk lies so I can make an informed descision? A good designer will think about all these things but that "thinking time" and experience comes at an upfront cost. 2/ Your fee is this. It is the lowest! Can you convince me that I'm still going to get the same service and effort of design thought on my build/ project? Can you assure me that you are giving me enough information so that a contractor is not going to get free access to my bank account while at the same time my job is not going to go off progamme, I'm not going to get into trouble by inadvertantly by doing something that may breach the regs.. go for the completion certificate and get knocked back.. ? If your designers don't like these types of questions then.. keep looking. As a last thought.. a washing machine repair "Engineer" may cost £ 60 per hour.. this is your home. While the professional fees may seem a bit steep initially, once you look at this in the round and if you don't have significant experience then a responsive and supportive designer can be a good route to follow.

I'm currently at the stage of building a detailed budget as we are now in for planning and interfacing with self build mortgage lenders. I do have a high level spreadsheet and have a full development cost understood, however I need to break the build cost section out with real numbers just now as I just have my magic 'finger in the air' 1200/m^2 figure at the moment for the build. I have various prices back for all the windows, the house kit, MVHR, etc however I have basically been procrastinating as hard as I can before building the full budget spreadsheet and cashflow (albeit I have a very good idea of what I want it to do). I have a terrible habit of avoiding these things, rather than just eating the frog and getting done. I have downloaded a number of spreadsheets from on here, which I have attached for reference for anyone else who is looking. I can't remember who posted them (one is definitely by @Jeremy Harris) but thanks to those who shared. I am going to build a budget spreadsheet using the 'self build - cost estimate' attached. I seems to make sense and uses pivot tables to allow the data to easily broken out. I've a little learning to do on those but, I spend most of my day costing and estimating on spreadsheets for large engineering projects so should be fairly straightforward. Then I plan on adding a cashflow tab and actual costs vs budget. Hopefully so it's all easy to update and doesn't take up too much time throughout the process. However, I wanted to check if anyone else had other examples they would be happy to share and that worked well? And also any tips? extra functions or info to add that you would add in hindsight? I do plan on adding a column for reclaimable VAT so I can track this and also an easy way to add a column to monitor costs during build easily to see if we are on track. Sample_Costbook.xls Self Build - Cost Estimate.xlsx Simplified costing spreadsheet - 050421014.xls