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Thank you all. So it seems the best course of action is to repair/rebuild as close to original in how it looks. And to keep quiet and hope no one complains. And in the meantime I should gather evidence/aerial photos etc to prove it has been used as storage/workshop in previous years.

I’ve said it so many times before That one of your main factors in keeping your cost m2 down is to shop around I’ve templates four large mirrors 8x4 each with cut outs Ive gone to a local grazing company that I’ve had an account with for 30 years Quote seemed a bit high So I thought I’d try another company that’s about the same size £900 difference None seem to to make the mirrors nowadays Both would just have to pick up the phone to the same company Then drop them off to me 900 on top of what ever else they are making isn’t a bad earner Suppliers just seem to think of a number now

White. Everything white. Just white.

Installing a 2100mm ring is a fair bit trickier than a 600mm plastic ring! I used a 5t digger for our 900mm rings and there wasn't much breathing room. Tbh best speaking to a ground worker.

Sorry about the delay, wanted to have a quick word with them before I posted. It’s a company called Heat, Space and Light.

It would seem cruel to have them sitting there but not free for them to use! Also, that could be the draw for people starting out who can't afford things like bandsaws, planer/thicknessers etc Granted there might be insurance issues but not insurmountable and, done properly, I could buy new toys (I mean tools...) and have others pay for them.

The outdoor units will have specs of how much space required around them. I don't think N, S, E, W will have a big impact so go with wherever it will be least annoying athestically and acousticly (e.g. don't put next to bedroom window), and factor in pipe runs. Are you having an unvented cylinder for hot water? I would go with a plant room (large cupboard) to house UVC, UFH manifold and controls

UFH as a single zone on ground floor and any upstairs bedrooms. Consider fan coils if you need cooling upstairs. Other provision for electric panel heater in bedrooms (don't buy until after you know you need them). Electric towel rads in wet rooms. Make sure you have decent heat loss calculations before going any further. Ideally do them yourself so you know what's what. You don't want the sun shining on the ASHP, ignore any advice that says otherwise. Sun will mess up the heat sensor reading. Indoor controls depends on unit being installed. Many will have an internal thermostat so really needs to in the living space not in a cupboard. They are just like a thermostat. Only consider a monobloc ASHP so everything is outside except a small controller. Don't do any 3rd party controls. Single zone means no thermostats other than the one in your controller, no actuators on the manifold, no need for a mixer or pump on the UFH manifold. Most likely no need need for a buffer or volumiser. Using a Government Grant for the free £7500. I didn't bother was too expensive, so just bought it all myself. Installers just want to rip you off.

Whilst I need to get planning permission first before I can start thinking about a plan, that's pretty much my approach. Each of my "research" notes has a section at the top for "design decisions". At the point I go to plan (or to discussions with specialists to create the plan), I'll just take the design decisions as they stand at that point in time. In the meantime, I have the opportunity through research (including here) to refine my understanding. My heating and cooling section is a great example where I'm constantly adding research and important little pieces of information, experience, or wisdom. The "design decisions" start with "Expensive fabric = cheap heating" and "Simplest system possible, even if that means a little more complication/cost in installing it in the first place" for example.

Assuming you are planning to insulate as well I would consider a floating floor - level out over the tiles with a sloppy screed, then DPM, insulation, T&G OSB and final floor. Suspended timber floors, when they already exist, can be a real pain to insulate in terms of moisture issues arising, so if you haven't got one, why build one?!

All scaffold will wobble and risk falling over if you push it to extremes. I bought a load of Kwikstage when building my house, and when I sold it, I kept enough to scaffold one wall of my house. the scaffold lives on a rack in my garden and the boards are stored dry in a custom made enclosure under a raised decking area outside the back door. Much more heavy and needs 2 to assemble it compared to a lightweight tower. But even that needs some bracing at height. You can see in this picture scaffold up the gable wall and the square frame sticking out towards you in this photograph exists just to give it some more bracing.

Getting building control sign off is not going to be helpful if you later get damp! Personally I would cut away 150mm of slabs from the house and then dig out any subbase etc from that area. This will leave a trench all the way round your house.

It has wide feet so I doubt it, mine was square at 4ft and steel, much cheaper than aluminium ones. https://www.ladders-999.co.uk/domestic-steel-towers.html

Yeah, smiley protection covers 😆. I stitched them out with an SDS and used the SDS chisel to take them back to depth. I mortared the boxes in to keep them tidy, deep boxes all round.

Hi and welcome to THE forum for people like us - looking forward to hearing more about the project and getting your input on heating, which is a widely discussed topic on here.

I have bought a house with a double garage so fortunately won’t be paying rent. I did find a cheap 5.7 x 4.4 rental before we decided to move though. Cheap being £185/month plus VAT. So it is definitely do-able. Although if your son rents somewhere then he won’t want to spend money doing the place up, but could invest the money in better kit so there are definitely positives to renting. Haven’t moved yet so won’t be starting for a couple of months. Rich

I had a tower like that for years and very handy for a great number of jobs, however it’s safer to use a ladder as well to climb it.

Thank you everybody. I will look into the Crown mix as I can open a trade account in my company name and it looks like the majority vote is to all one colour, keeping the room feeling light and airy. Much appreciated feedback everyone! 🙂

Paint buying tip - Farrow & Ball is now owned by Crown. So open a trade account at your local Crown Decorating Centre (mine is happy to give the trade discount to self builders) & they will mix their excellent trade emulsion to the exact F&B colour using the code number off the F&B colour card. And don't forget to reclaim the VAT from HMRC.

I bought a cheap (£600) scaffold tower, makes doing anything outside easy. Takes me an hour to put it up, half that to take it down, fits in the car and I store it under the stairs in a self made box.

A couple of weekends ago, my wife and I spent some time at the MBC factory and got to ask some questions of the team there. There were quite a few different people there; sales, design, windows, even Kevin Blair, son of the founder Joe Blair, who took us on part of the factory tour. We were there for over 2 hours, including a 1-1 session where I covered any outstanding questions I still had. It was an informative day and great to see how they've developed and expanded. Seems they just keep buying more and more space whenever any adjacent units become available! Great session and I took a lot of photos. A couple are attached but the remainder can all be found at https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/11i21jn1n6ko1uclcbrm7/AMtb-Jt48ljlTc0lPfiQeKk?rlkey=f08zqofj4l1qllgrxphtnawtc&st=uxhdqk71&dl=0 They seem quite busy and are seeing an increase in demand from people building lots of houses, especially in the social sector where they explained it is easier for a company to secure any additional funding required for Passivhaus standards as they can offset it against potential future requirements to help with heating costs etc. From a pure materials perspective, they acknowledged the challenges of Brexit, COVID-19, etc. and how that initially affected costs and quotes quite significantly but things are a little more settled now and as they expand, they're able to secure pricing for longer periods as they're able to commit to larger orders. They're also sourcing from multiple suppliers and multiple regions as costs and availability flex due to growing seasons etc. Process Pre-start meeting - they discuss design guidelines and decisions with you and get your architectural drawings if available. MBC redo the designs in their software, including the 3D roof design. This takes about 4 days and they can then be provided back to your architect (if applicable) to update anything that did not translate from your original vision into an engineering specification. General arrangement - that design is then turned into the build instructions for the factory. The full structural engineering package is provided by Adept who MBC have been working with for over 22 years. They have 20+ engineers. Once erected - cut all your holes for service penetrations etc. and then MBC will come back to tape etc. and provide their full airtight package. These teams are all employed by MBC so are well versed in airtight requirements. PHPP - standard MBC timber-frame features are available for PHPP modelling, but they don't do any modelling themselves; you'll need someone to do that. Building Regulations - MBC don't do building regulations drawings/documentation so your architect or an architectural designer would need to do those. File ownership - MBC don't provide you with the source files from their various software packages but will do exports in various formats for you. General MBC Passive Foundation - they don't subcontract this (technically) as they own the company that does it. This is the same for the timber-frame insulation - they own that company too. You excavate the ground to (mostly) a 100kn bearing capacity and backfill with MOT Type 3. MBC then come along and puts in MOT Type 1, sand blinding, EPS etc. If you're putting UFH in the slab, you need to do this, MBC doesn't. Then comes the concrete. Site access issues - they can work around most issues. They've not been able to find some way to make it work. They send someone to the site to investigate constraints and then plan accordingly. What things influence higher cost - big open spaces, the weight of things (like green roofs) and features that require hidden fixings or complicated connection details. They have not seen any issues with mortgage companies or warranties concerning their timber-frame installations. Materials and Sources They source their materials from different places depending on the market and where things are growing. All timber is FSC sustainably harvested with documentation. They secure pricing with suppliers based on estimated cubed usage, and swallow any pricing fluctuations once a price for your timber-frame has been agreed. External walls and floors are treated. Some locations require additional treatments for things like longhorn beetles. Windows They supply and install Rationel and Velfac windows. Solarlux (generally aluminium) as a gap filler when there are requirements that can't be met by Rationel or Velfac. The Rationel windows are primarily timber/ali-clad with a larger profile, whereas the Velfac are composite, aluminium/timber and have thinner profiles. MBC are of course happy for you to choose windows from someone else so long as you use an installer that is manufacturer-approved and that they are installed to MBC airtightness specifications which they will provide. Choosing MBC to design and build the timber-frame and to install the windows can save some time in some situations; MBC will happily place the order for the windows based on their design drawings. Some window companies will want a structure to measure against unless you are willing to take the risk of measurements being incorrect. Furthermore, there is no possibility of the timber-frame supplier and the window supplier blaming each other for any issues if MBC does both! Installation of windows is by NKG as sole installers. They are very experienced with housing and deliver consistently good quality installs. Their window systems manager, Jason, was at Rationel for 15 years, was an installer himself for 3.5 years, and before that was a carpenter. How can you save money with windows? Bifolds are more expensive than sliders. The taller and wider the glass, the more expensive it gets, large spans especially. Openers are more expensive, but only marginally so in the grand scheme of things.

You take it off the UFH manifold, I have tee'ed into the flow and return before the UFH manifold. I have a 2 port valve that isolated that circuit only when there is a call for DHW. All other times the 2 port valve is open. Thing to also remember a decent fan coil will just look after itself. They generally have an in-built controller, modulating fan speed based on target temperature. They generally need an external temp sensor for cooling, but work well without doing heating. I just set mine to manual for cooling. No real need to stop flow going to the fan coil, as they work differently to radiators.

Well I am a magnolia fan, all one colour will make it feel bigger, bring colour into the room with furniture, curtains etc, I believe you need to live in a room for a while before changing wall colours.

As said above if no one complains the LPA won’t bother about it IMO. If it’s repaired as was “nothing to see here” ! New owners using as previous ones did. 🤷‍♂️

There has been a change, but that now makes all new breeches 10 years, from 25.04.2024 Previously it was 4 years for a breech of planning control (accept for a new building, first used as residential, which was 10 years) and 10 years for a breech of planning condition. Not without a Change of Use Approval, but it is immune from enforcement if it continued for more than 4 years.

Has there been a change in the regs because I thought they always had 10 years to enforce a change of use?

But is it legal use?

putting a ceiling cassette makes a whole bunch of more work, getting it airtight into the cold loft etc. id put as fancoil unit higher up on a wall if your stuck for space. As long as you have good airtightness and leave the bedroom door closed our bedrooms were at 19/20 with outside at 30 and flow temp of 16. All free as there is excess of solar when its really hot! I did test one of the bedrooms by turning it off and it got to 25 by dusk. Within 90 mins that room was at 19 when i turned it back on. The main problem with them, apart from cost, is once you have them you can never go back.

Not us that needs to be happy, it your house🙂

I haven't included the cost of 10 or 12mm rebar that is used as lintels but since it means no Catnic lintels, dpc or cavity trays, I'm pretty sure it's cheaper too

We started gas and quickly moved to ASHP. Really wouldn't bother going down the grant route for the ASHP you will just be ripped off with a unit way to big. ASHP like it all kept really simple, this also reduces costs, so no need for thermostats, mixers or pumps, buffers or volumisers, do it all from the ashp circulation pump. So UFH on ground floor and in bathrooms only is a good choice. Keep it to single zone, run 24/7 in weather compensation mode is best way to run in a new build. Make provision for panel heaters in bedrooms. Electric towel rad in bathroom. I would definitely look at Panasonic, easy to install and set up. You need to know your heat loss before progressing. So you need to understand your airtightness and ventilation strategy first. MVHR is for ventilation, if your house isn't going to airtight (better than 3) it's not a good choice, demand activation MEV would be better. Advice, go airtight, really well insulated, MVHR and ASHP. You may not be building a Passivhaus but read up on them, nearly everything is sensible and can be applied to any house. I would steer clear of companies that want to design something and you hand over loads of money for kit you don't really need. Once you get your head around MVHR it's pretty easy to design yourself. Same with the heating system, download LoopCad and design the loops yourself.

What finish? What steel spec? How many corners? How many levels? What performance level? Access? Where is it? Define normal build? Stick or masonry? I have never hidden that I work in the industry and know full well that I could give you a meterage rate for a notional ICF build which would bare no relevance to the real world. Locally, in the last 6 months, we have had clients quoted £2.30/4" block labour only and £3. That in itself is higher labour rates than ICF. Add materials, insulation, cavity details, dpc, windows etc. The only true comparison is a rate inclusive of labour. I tell you what, you price up the OP's build in an alternative and I'll get it done in ICF and we'll see. Proper BoQ style, cards on the table. I'll plant a tree for every 10% price difference in your favour. Although I know that I can't plant half a tree.

As long as the breech had started before April 25, 2024, then for Change of Use its 4 years continuous breech to become immune from enforcement. A new breech starting after April 25, 2024 would be 10 years. It does sound like the breech is already beyond that time.

But it’s continuing use is a workshop!!!!

Unfortunately the planners have 10 years to initiate enforcement action when an unauthorized change of use has occurred. If he or the previous owner have used it as a worship for nearly 10 years I would wait and meanwhile collect up as much evidence as possible. When you have good evidence file for a certificate of lawfulness on the grounds that they cannot initiate enforcement action. They will try and prove the breech didn't occur until more recently by looking at street view or satellite images. So be sure you can prove it. Letters from a neighbour or previous owner stating facts might help. Rebuilding now would/could attract attention from the planners that might be unwelcome. Typically this is triggered by an upset neighbour complaining. Agricultural buildings can be constructed without Planning Permission in some cases but you would have to show it was necessary for an agricultural business. Some councils will say a farm cannot be a viable agricultural business under a certain size like 7 acres. It's quite possible for the planners to decide the building has no officially sanctioned use.

These numbers don't stack up! Single digit percentage premium on price for a far superior, longer lasting product. As per my earlier comment, if a house has 3, professionally fitted bathrooms and a professionally fitted kitchen to a medium spec, the client will spend more on these than the shell. All four will probably be changed within 15 years. You need a shell that will last that long. You can build a shell for less, agreed, and ICF doesn't suit everyone, but saying it is at least double the cost for negligible performance gain is poppycock.

I don’t, I would repair it as near original as possible and carry on using it like the previous owners, only if someone complains will the LPA get involved then you can say it was repaired and continual use.

I feel a little more cautious than some here. If the land isn’t actually residential curtilage then using it for garden-ish activities and workshop sounds not so legal. If you’ve been doing that for 7 years without challenge you may be able to claim it’s now residential. But, if not, you might not want to alert the LPA.

Please read the discussion about a responsible person in the thread linked to in my previous post. It's about 6 paragraphs from the start. I am not an expert. But I am watching your back.

Table saw, but make yourself an 8x4 table drop a sheet of ply over the table and then make some legs up for it. You can then screw a timber down as a long fence for cutting multiple cuts. Forget the extraction and set up a leaf blower pointing directly at the blade, any dust extraction gets blocked quickly, better to blow it away from you. Sod the neighbours.

This post is summary of the Principal Designer thread. The purpose of this summary is to assist members and guests decide for themselves how CDM2015 impacts their build project. The summary is offered as is and should not be interpreted as authoritative advice. As is normal in asynchronous online discussion, the thread sometimes changes its focus a little. Where those changes occur, the content has not been summarised. Discussion of this issue is particularly relevant to us because we are a self-build forum, whose members are assumed not to be professional builders, or -in relation to building- have any technical understanding or capability beyond simple DIY . To be clear, the following assumptions are made; · A client is a Domestic Client. The distinction is central to all that follows · The Domestic Client can choose to apply for VAT relief in due course, whereas a Client cannot · The Domestic Client is not engaged, or about to be engaged, in a business related to the build (because they will then be a Client, not a Domestic Client) The thread started with a question about the role of Principal Designer. The examination of that question inevitably lead to discussion about how the role related to other key aspects of the legislation. There was some reference to the history of Health and Safety legislation, but it was pointed out that over time, the general emphasis had not changed. If you qualify for Domestic Client status, then a contractor working for you carries the main responsibility for Health and Safety. It was in the detailed examination of the term ‘responsibility’ that a good deal of discussion arose. Several members agreed that the legislation was poorly drafted for our sector of the market. And in the context of a self-build forum, where many of us will be doing things for the build on our own (DIY) as well as employing contractors, it is easy to see a rich source of confusion. For example, self-builders might be tempted to become involved in the build in a way which implies technical competence and so enhanced H+S responsibility. A strong warning was given to self-builders to avoid becoming involved in technical aspects of the build to the extent that they might be considered ‘ a responsible person’. And that includes the self-builder being trained in a relevant build subject to the extent that he or she might be assumed by the courts to have more responsibility than a Domestic Client would be expected to have. Perhaps the simplest articulation of how CDM responsibilities can be operationalised was in this post (@jamiehamy) ‘… We have only used contractors for the steel frame, lifting in floor beams, ground works/drainage and electrics - and each time I've made it clear that the contractor is responsible for operating safely and I do not dictate how they complete the activities. I don't supervise on site and most certainly do not manage their work or how they work - they have a deliverable and it is their responsibility to complete that. Where required, I offer safety equipment, ask what they need me to provide to work safely and healthily, I find out if they are dependent on me for anything and let them get on with it. Maybe I should do more in writing but I choose reputable contractors and all work is fully invoiced…’ In terms of prosecution for H+S breaches, providing the Domestic Client has fulfilled their duties (not covered in detail in this summary) prosecution is highly unlikely. Domestic Clients should make sure the site is safe and secure, tidy and clear of obvious hazards. There was some discussion based on the meaning of a series of CDM-specific terms; Project Manager, PD, PC, Client, Domestic Client, Business or Business Activity, Contractor, design, designer as well as others. Please refer to the full discussion for a more detailed discussion. But it was convincingly argued (with supporting evidence, and some unevidenced dissention) that a Domestic Client cannot be either a Principal Contractor or Principal Designer. Additionally, there was some discussion of official legal documents related to CDM2015. In summary: be sure to understand the meaning of the term Domestic Client, and to maintain that status throughout the build. Any competent person with whom you have a contract to complete work on your site should be capable of working safely. Offer support to fulfill H+S requirements, but never offer advice or direct work or manage the process. If, after reading this summary you feel you need to, take care to seek advice from more than one reliable, authoritative source. Paying for advice does not guarantee its accuracy or authority. Source url forum.buildhub.org.uk/ipb/topic/2376-principal-designer-role/ Bibliography. HSE (2015), Managing health and safety in construction. Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, HSE Books downloaded 04/05/2017 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l153.pdf See especially Appendix 6. HSE (2015), How CDM 2015 applies to Domestic Clients Appendix 6, Figure 1, in Managing health and safety in construction. Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Download the flow chart (from our server) here HandSforDomesticClients.pdf HSE Construction Discussion Forum (accessed 04/05/2017)

when it topples should I hold onto the window sill or aim for the nearby hedge? 😅

Don't do it, you will spend too much time looking at stupid computers and get nothing real done. I pretty much took the opposite approach, research, decide, put on plan. Freeze that bit of the plan. Otherwise procrastination takes over. Stopped looking on here once build started to stop any tangents.