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It’s often said here (by me and others) that kitchens, lighting etc can be bought cheap and replaced at a later date rather than compromise on insulation etc that’s permanent and good as they are near the end of the build.

@Jilly thanks, I have already found the support, advice and expertise offered here to be amazing and we've not even got around to purchasing the plot yet! I also like those conflicting opinions. It encourages discussion and helps to consider options from different angles and see how different experienced people approach things. All so very helpful for a newbie! The site is tight so I don't think there would be room for a caravan until the shell is up. Its certainly something we would look at if its possible when we're at that stage though. We have reduced the size and some finishes to ensure we have some contingency but it's so worrying when the budget is absolute to know how costs can spiral. I think there may be many sleepless nights ahead!

You are right about last minutes panic: be aware that self building can do this to you! It’s all new and emotionally laden. Have a contingency fund, this might happen frequently. Perhaps save money perhaps by living on site if you can? I came rushing here each time I spotted something that worried me or I didn’t understand, and it was like having 10 good friends giving me advice (with a few conflicting opinions of course). Your structural engineer will likely make final decisions about foundations and some of it is up for discussion.

Why do Cornwall County Council planning department refuse to talk to people about submitting a planning application? And why is the information on their website so piss poor? And why are they using the sh1tty planning portal system? Am I frustrated? You bet. And having submitted an application to be told that files that were uploadable to the planning portal are not acceptable just makes it all so much friggin worse. Thank you for listening 🙂 I'm off to change files to PDF, and spend unnecessary money on a map they already have. Fvckwits!

It very much depends on the Architect or Architectural Practice and who will need to be involved in your discussions and designs as to the costs to expect, as does the size and complexity of your proposals. As a very rough ballpark, as a percentage of build cost, you would typically be looking at 7% to 15%, or if engaging by the hour, £50 - £150 per hour. Of course, this depends on the seniority, skill, and experience of the Architect or Practice. For our own potential project, for RIBA Stages 0-2: Brief Development and Concept Design, we'll be spending £9K+VAT, and that gets us the various site visits, discussions with planners, development of 3 alternative simple massing design options in plan and basic 3D form, discussions on options, meetings, quotes from professionals and consultants required, etc. For RIBA Stage 3: Developed Design, it will be a further £9K+VAT and that will take us to a full Technical Details Consent application and will get us more developed drawings based on our design choices, Passivhaus assessment, collaboration with other consultants, discussions with planners, detailed Design and Access Statement, and refined site and dwelling drawings including everything needed for an application. This is for a design brief with a 220m2 main house and a 60m2 garage/workshop on a 0.25 acre site. It's a very personal choice whether to involve an Architect or not, but for us, these initial costs are an investment in their expertise and experience and we hope, as the anecdote goes, that we'll recoup that cost many times over in the value they bring.

Is that 10k to get you to planning drawings or to a full Building regs/builders drawing pack?

@RobLe stated one reason for h environmental plus a safety issue, flammability. Reasonable write here. Note we are a moderate climate not a cold one https://sprsunheatpump.com/Differences-between-R290-and-R32-Heat-Pumps-id46798837.html

Yellow is GAS. (water is blue or older pipes black) So get advice what to do with a GAS pipe.

And if you can, get double dipped. Single dipped has a matter finish and double a slightly shinier finish and worth the few extra pennies. I also suspect that the stainless is 304 rather than 316, which is usually recommnded for exterior applications: https://www.thyssenkrupp-materials.co.uk/the-difference-between-stainless-steel-304-and-316.html

Need more details. But insualtion and ventilation are the obvious solutions.

Thank for the feedback. It helps to know I'm not alone (although I suspected as much anyway from other posts). I'd love to see how all these "vote" promised new homes are ever going to get built when this is what we are all up against.

Well my build was just 1 mile from the Cornish border in Devon (Torridge District Council) and I was told then it was a shame I was NOT in Cornwall as they were far better than Devon. Torridge Planners were slated by the appeal board for not abiding by their own policies and they could not overrule the Ecology report on bat protection as they were not qualified enough 🙄 (and it took four attempts to get planning). It appears these problems and delays are the new normal unfortunately.

Get used to it, it called a planning system, you will get asked for worse. COVID made things worse as it gave them an excuse to communicate even less.

From the photos not hot dip galvanised Have read https://www.galvanizers.co.in/blog/difference-between-galvanized-vs-hot-dip-galvanized-metal/

I would be suprised if you can put any timber outside the cement board (only because of regs I had to adhere too with a roof dormer on a terraced house which required fire proof cladding as the final finish.)

It’s still available in places like EBay but their new “eco water based” stuff is crap in my opinion.

Good chance they are not actually galvanised, it could be just zinc electroplating (which us cheap rubbish and too thin). If it was galvanised you actually need an etching primer or an epoxy based Paint, to get the paint to stick on. But I would use Rust-Oleum® Stops Rust® Cold Galvanizing Compound Spray. Its 93% pure zinc coating applies a galvanized film with cathodic protection, which resists rusts, scratches and chips. It can go straight on zinc coating etc. Apply 3 to 4 heavy coats. Nothing else needed. Your stainless steel ones will rust if they used tools that were also used on carbon steel or have carbon steel grinding splatter on them or they used the wrong filler wire on the welds. Spray them in the cold galvanise spray also.

3 coats of Satin Black Bedec Barn Paint on my new/second, scaffold board gates. Paint still looks like new.

I am a big fan of Hammerite direct to rust paint, several coats will be bomb proof (but not the “modern” water based ones that I found to be thin and watery!!!.)

Anyway, if it was me I'd use Bedec Barn Paint on any softwood cladding and probably a specialist metal paint for a steel portal frame.

Yes, we definitely won't give up on this as our feeling is that this is a marginal subjective view.

Rub down and spray with zinc primer first.

Back in the nineties we had a 1900 cottage with some distempered walls and the builder wanted it all removed before he would plaster them. Wendy set to work with a scutch hammer, she got through a lot of scutch bits.

We had ours designed by SE, as we had removed trees, tree remained and we are on clay. Original take off was 29M3 . By the time we had taken into account Stumps we found, Smoothing out steps, BCO wanting more in some areas, as we found small routes, Chimney and porch details too tight so we had to cut more, Lack of 750mm bucket. [bank holiday, in lockdown] We ended up with 64m2 The ground worker was on daywork and cost plus for the concrete, So I was not ripped off, but could have easily been.

Seal with SBR Staple a thin fibre mesh on the walls 3 mill coat of finish Give it 30 minutes then flatten with water Skim immediately after

I just knocked posts in to ground, ran three lengths of wire top, middle and bottom and infilled with orange dayglow mesh cable tied to the wires.

Hi all We are undertaking a barn conversion in Buckinghamshire. The barn is in terrible condition that we are going to remove 95% of the timber cladding and roof and rebuild it using clay hanging tiles. We are trying to make it as sustainable as possible and solar panels, heat pumps and also we plan on collecting the water from the gutters to use for flushing the toilets. Having worked in the construction industry for 25 years I am looking forward to getting on site and doing some actual construction work myself

Leylandii have minimal effect on foundations, and the roots aren't huge or intrusive. I would consider ignoring them other than digging through them, and reinforce the footing there.

You may be able to see on google street view (the dated images) when they were removed. Also you might be able to gauge the size/age of tree from the stump diameter. I have a couple to go also, and I think it’ll take a sizeable digger to remove them.

Concentrate on system design, refrigerant makes little or no difference to system performance. Big coil cylinder (3m2+), design for no buffer and single zone. Unit sized as close to heating demand as possible. If it can't do cooling out the box not interested, that would include lots of Daikin units, Vaillant etc If I was buying new again as small a Panasonic R32 unit as I could get away with. Why, combination of decent price, spec and user friendly instructions. I would avoid any heat pump, that makes me have an indoor unit, or ties me into the manufacturer cylinder, that includes all Bosch units, split units (of any kinds).

R290, propane. Cheap, efficient, no f-gas restrictions on disposal as not a GWB problem. First used in ac systems 100 years ago, so not exactly new! Flammability is it’s only downside - not a big issue these days, as most heatpumps are mono blocks outside - just don’t site immediately by a drain or openable window. Lots to pick from - I’d get a Vaillant Arotherm plus if I were buying a unit (I diy-ed my own propane gshp, there’s a thread on build hub somewhere). Keep the installation simple for efficiency - only one zone, no TRVs. Get weather compensation fitted and working!

My proposed build is in a conservation area, in North Hertfordshire. All trees are protected by default in such an area. But we asked in writing for permission to remove a 65' leylandii. Because its a non natural species the planning department were glad to see it go. And, i guess glad that someone other than them paid for it to go. Take away message, no one cares about Leylandii

NO. It is less than twice the work. But twice the earth has to go somewhere else. The concrete quantity depends on the design. the deep trench may need shoring for safety. So it is more expensive for sure. How much? well, technical estimating was my job for decades and I still don't know without knowing all your details. The tree trunks and roots will rot and leave voids. The leylandii wont be too much trouble and perhaps the bottom of the trunk can be left in place and bridged over. If the bigger trunks can be carefully removed then there is still a hole, and any replacement fill will be harder/ softer than the existing. It needs onsite expertise. The less ground id displaced, the better.

I'd guess that the only complication will be the size of the hole created by the stump removal, and the additional cost of shuttering for the foundations. If these are old stumps and rotten then additional work might be minimal. Even if they're relatively 'new' I can't see it being a a show-stopper. Removing trees in a conservation area is likely to require consent, but Leylandii is unlikely to pose a problem if you follow due process.

Get a quote from BPC Ventilation. Middle of the road, but they’ll design for you.

I just found the part m document if it's any help: nhbc-part-m-disabled-access.pdf

Hi @Canski This may help: https://www.labc.co.uk/news/providing-accessible-ramped-entrances-existing-homes

Good air sealing is far more important than U-Value in my opinion. A neighbours new build, with MVHR and good airtighness . Excellent U values of 0.1-0.16W/m2K. However they opted for new sliding sash windows with brush seals. The house was drafty and sitting in the kitchen with the heating on in winter you would occasionally get a little shiver. Whatever you pick, make sure you have good compression seals, joined properly at the corners (not just loosely butt jointed). Preferably 3 layers of sealing and multiple locking points to ensure they squeeze tightly to all sides.

Yes. If I had our time again I'd use a three phase pump to reduce any potential for reverse rotation; but the wide head ashtray bought a single phase pump before this and intended to use it equity a basic pressure switch.

Are you trying to get elected or something.

I've put polished concrete floors into a lot of projects. Huge polished floor to the atrium of a Performance Theatre, Several Universities Projects, lots of houses and even my own house. Many of the projects won prestigious RIAI Awards. I've also seen polished concrete floors by others go horribly wrong. Some put in the wrong reinforcement, some use the wrong mix, etc. I wrote the below for someone at work but is relevant for you too. If you've any questions on any parts let me know. Concrete The concrete is 35N10 which is reinforced with plastic fibres at 900g per cubic meter of concrete. As a polished floor goes in later it might need to also be a pump mix as you’ll have doors, windows and roof on. Whoever you get to do your floor will help input on this. Placing of concrete It’s not just the grinding and polishing of the concrete that’s important. The placing and power floating of the concrete is critical. Unlike a regular concrete floor, a floor poured which will be polished has to be super flat and power floated for hours after. Very few people in Ireland can do this correctly. Formwork for steps and other edges has to be perfect and have 45 degree edges to allow trowels into the corners. Little things like dragging a vibrator, shovel or rake through a floor when placing the concrete the wrong way will result in the drag mark being visible when the floor is polished. These things may not be visible to the untrained eye but are flaws in a lot of cheap or poorly installed polished floors that can never be fixed. Spend time and money on this part as a poorly poured floor can’t be fixed by grinding and could make the errors even more visible. Crack Joint These have to be around every 6 meters max and are a saw cut made the day after in the concrete about 30-50mm deep which is later filled with a flexible mastic. Don’t have any areas too small as they could rock like paving slabs. Don’t have them long and thin either as they can crack in the middle like a seesaw. If you have a few pipes in the floor, eg heating pipes coming from a manifold it’s a good idea to have a joint here. It’s also good to line these up with any columns you have. Hide them under lightweight internal stud walls and have them at all doors, etc. You have to think about underfloor heating pipes and ensure they’ve sufficient coverage before cutting the crack joints. That’s where the thickness of the floor is important. Expansion joint Not to be confused with a crack joint these are flexible day pour joints and are also positioned above expansion joints in the structural floor below. As a result they’re slightly wider than a crack joint but again are filled with flexible mastic. For a house you probably won’t have one however we had one on a larger project I worked on a major project. Coloured Stone This is optional. I’ve done it in some projects but not my own floor. Make sure you get the contractors to quote for 4-5 samples if you plan on using coloured stone as you don’t want to get a claim later. You can pick whatever stone you want and also the size of stone. Usually they’re sprinkled over the top during powerfloating. They can be mixed through at the concrete plant but you’ll use a lot more coloured stone and it will be a lot more expensive. Glass which can also be used has to be lead glass as ordinary glass can shatter when grinded. Slip Resistance The slip resistance of polished concrete usually complies with all regulations. Like any regular floor it can be more slippery when wet. Additional grinding and polishing doesn’t necessarily impact the slip resistance of the floor so thinking a shiny polished floor will be a lot more slippery isn’t right. As it’s a domestic situation I wouldn’t worry about this however if it’s a public building you’ll need to include in your specification a slip resistance pendlium test to be carried out at the end of the project to prove the floor is safe. This is a useful document to have in the safety file should someone slip in the future. If you want to get it carried out for peace of mind you can. Sealing Make sure you ask in your quotes for sealing the floor after it’s grinded and polished as the concrete is porous and will absorb tea/coffee spills and heavy traffic if not sealed. The sealing will make the floor a tiny bit darker but in my opinion is worth it. Protection Include in the spec for the contractor to protect the floor after its poured for the duration of the works. We had two layers of cardboard over the floor for three months. It dired out more in areas where it wasn’t protected and at joints but once exposed the variation disappeared. Just ensure it’s well protected everywhere particularly if its not yet sealed as any paint spills etc, will destroy it. Grinding and polishing You can very lightly grind the floor and then polish it as normal if you don’t want to expose aggerate or alternatively grind it to expose the aggerate and then polish it. Grinding a floor is time consuming and therefore expensive so include for grinding the floor to expose a lot of aggerate and for a lot of polishing. You can then later decide with samples not to grind as much or go for a reduced polish. If you don’t specify the amount of grinding required they’ll assume a very light grinding with no aggerate revealed. The floor will be grinded in stages starting at 10 grit working through 15 grit, 25 grit, 50 grit, 100 grit, 200 grit, etc. 800 grit is matt finish and 1500 grit would be a medium shine with 3000 grit a high shine. If you want lots of stone aggerate exposed they’ll spend longer at the 10 and 15 grit before moving up. Reinforcement We used a plastic fibres reinforcement. You can get thin ones and heavier ones but the heavier ones can appear if you look closely in the finish. It’s 900g per meter cubed that use used which is standard. Don’t use steel fibres and don’t use steel mesh. I researched a lot of failed concrete floors and one major issue with steel mesh is when they cut the crack joints they don’t cut through the steel mesh so the floor can’t crack at the crack joints. The joints are still reinforced and therefore crack elsewhere. Perimeter You’ll need flexible insulation 12-15mm thick around all perimeters and at columns, service popups and penetrations, etc. Don’t use rigid insulation as this won’t allow the slab to move and therefore risk cracking. Another issue is with stone walls which are very uneven require thicker flexible insulation. If you intend to dryline do this after the floor is poured and you’ll hide the perimeter insulation easily. Thickness Our floor is 100mm thick and that’s the optimum. Don’t go below 75mm as below this is too thin and you’ll risk cracking. If the floor changes thickness anywhere you’ll need additional crack joints. For example if you’ve steps, ramps or around all recessed matwells as you have a change in thickness in the concrete. Services All electrical trunking and mechanical services should be cut out of the insulation below the concrete floor. If a 50x150mm electrical trunking was placed on top of the insulation the concrete would crack over the trunking. Where we had several pipes close to each other in the floor we had to include a steel plate to rest over to ensure the concrete remained 100mm think and didn’t flow down between the pipes increasing the depth but also preventing the slab from moving. Underfloor heating This works great with polished concrete floors due to the thermal mass of the floor and the slow release of heat. It’s important to have the floor well insulated so put in as much insulation as you can afford otherwise you’ll be paying to heat the ground under the building. Another key point is to ensure the underfloor heating pipes are firmly clipped down to the insulation as any pipes which become loose or if the plastic staples become loose they can be exposed or damaged in the polishing of the floor. Also you’ll be cutting into the slab for the crack joint and if the pipes rise a bit you risk cutting them.

Kernow is a different county. And has a lot of inbred wankers in the council.

Planning = P eople l ack a ny n uance n (k)nowledge i n n egogiations g eneral public You have no idea how hard that was !

I wonder whether you can use something like a fibre cement board for that part of the build only e.g.: https://www.cladcodecking.co.uk/3-66m-fibre-cement-exterior-wall-cladding It may also be possible to use say steel or aluminium square tube 'battens' instead of, say, spruce. Then you would have: ... cement board membrane V steel 'batten' H steel 'batten' cement board planks .. which looks properly fireproof - to me, at least.

If offense is taken, it isn't intended. I bet she's glad it's not intended 😁