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Solar thermal is parallel universe stuff at this stage. I really like the idea of it but I'm not sure I'd bother installing it if I got the equipment for free. If you want solar hot water install PV and an immersion. Solar thermal has high heat losses from the panel to the tank, requires servicing, is less reliable and arguably more expensive at this stage. On top of that for most of the year it won't get the water hot enough or will get it too hot. There's a reason nobody uses back boiler gas fires. The cheapness reliability and ready availability of 90%+ efficiency gas boilers. There's a simple answer to your issues here. Install UFH and a cylinder capable of using an ASHP. Plan to run it on cheap electricity via Willis heaters and immersions initially with an option for ASHP later. Dedicate all your energy thinking about heating into making the house as low energy as possible. Do all your tinkering in the shed at some later date.

If you go for an alternate cylinder you will have to integrate the controller into the setup yourself or the trade will have to do it. How much will a trade charge for that? The manuals are hefty reads so it won't be a quick job, I'd hazard any savings would be lost on a tradesman day rate to set it all up. If you're doing it yourself it is an epic task to get to grips with and you'll lose a fair few days which could be better spent elsewhere? It may be a false economy to go for a non branded cylinder?

So the pre-planning feedback has come back, and in the words of our planning consultant contains "nothing insurmountable whatsoever". We now need to firm up on the exact design and materials, taking into account the planning feedback received. Although I have been thinking about the construction method, we haven't wanted to invest too much thought on our wants until we had an idea the planners were in general agreement (the site already had planning but for a much smaller property in a completely different style). The biggest concern was the impact of the large glazed gable and light spill so need to consider how to mitigate this (non reflective glass, setting the glazing back with an overhang spring to mind, louvres), without destroying the reason for the glass - the great view. The other points were to consider how to mitigate traffic noise (although it's much further from the road than where we are now), and about using darker materials instead of white render" (which we wanted to anyway).

Thanks for your feedback, nod. No, not negative in the slightest... I am new to the self-build world and in the very early stages of planning a project so appreciate your comments. I am trying to keep the cost down, but not to the extent of being unrealistic, so all feedback from experience very much welcome. Bathrooms and kitchens I am content with and have experience in from previous renovations, so not too worried about those costs. It won't be anything particularly fancy. I accept your point on windows and the door, but point to note that the garage doors are not mine (although I may end up re-providing them if the build so requires) - they are only to demonstrate the need for access of neighbours who have existing rights of way. I'd love to include a supporting column for the cantilever too, but site constraints mean that it's not looking likely to be possible. Cheers!

The one in the original post by @ashthekid is an ecocent as you can see ESP on it. Mine is the same technology but is made by Joule, the exhaust heat pump is similar but was told by the plumber and house designer it was a better quality cylinder. I have set mine up as MEV system and it's pull air from the utility room, ensuite and bathroom. Although it is drawing heat from house it's not noticeable. You can set-up them up to draw from the outside, but it is less efficient. The cylinder definitely won't heat your house mine is just for hot water. My approach was to insulate enough not to need radiators or underfloor heating. I heat our house in the winter evenings with a wood stove surrounded by concrete blocks. I have free wood therefore this approach is very cheap for me. For the noise, the cylinder sits in a cupboard in the utility room and you hear virtually no noise in the kitchen and is no louder than a normal fridge/freezer when in the utility room. These systems don't work for everybody, my property is well insulated new self build.

Just clicked apply for one on their online portal at Midsummer Wholesale and it worked ok?‍♂️

Isn't the real problem that we still have cavities?

The sharp sand is the new bedding. Don't need to use anything else. Then grout them up.

A layer of sharp sand covering the entire area would work. Set the bed to whatever height suits your height restriction at the door. Could be 30mm or whatever it is. Sharp sand is much easier to work with than mortar and will fill all the gaps that are in the old mortar bedding.

Sadly so many are gonna end up in rescue homes when people go back to their normal lives and realise dogs are such a commitment and can cost a fortune..................... Your friends should definitely look into a rescue dog, I've had 2 and they have been amazing, loving German Shepherds

It may differ depending on the LA, but here they are separate functions, so notifying one will not have any bearing on the other. I may be wrong in my recollection but I'm not sure I needed to notify BC i had started, only when it came to the first inspection stage (foundations).

Just make sure both planning and BC acknowledge in writing. If you are really worried as it's so tight, maybe consider discharging the relevant planning condition (ie call them and pay the £100 fee)?

Both the last properties we bought to build on were affected by restrictive covenants. The last one (10 years ago) cost me a fortune as the beneficiary was a neighbour who was originally co-operative when we built, then turned nasty when we sold the place and we had to pay him off, thanks to purchaser's solicitors making mountains out of molehills. Our current plot is affected similarly to @Jvh2012 with covenant dating back to 1970 and when we bought the plot we purchased an indemnity policy for £600 and added it to the seller's bill because its a 'defect in title'. Seller not happy but my solicitor said that the way it is usually done. The good thing about buying insurance is that the company assesses the risk on your behalf - covenants can be incredibly complex to unravel. If they agree to sell you insurance they must think the risk of follow-up legal action is acceptable. And any subsequent sale of the property is covered as the policy runs with the property in perpituity and solicitors will accept it. I wish I could have purchased insurance on my first build, but it was not available as the beneficiary was live and well and living next door. Insurance is only available when the beneficiary is hard to track down or there is doubt about whether it can be enforced. I am convinced covenants were invented by the legal profession to create a future fat revenue stream.

Makes you wonder how much money people were blowing on eating, drinking and holidaying ?

WOW just WOW you spent £1000 on a "repair" and it's still not working. I would get them back and not let them leave until it was working properly. All at NO extra charge, just getting them to make what they fitted work properly. I sometimes wonder how people have the balls to charge outrageous prices and have no shame or concern if the work they have done works or not. I am pretty sure if I took that attitude it would not be long before I had no work and people were advising others not to employ me.

Unfortunately they do cover it: https://www.pavingexpert.com/faq_fix_loose_flags The suggestion is that you can try but success is not guaranteed.

Everything paving for free here https://www.pavingexpert.com/

I had cause to do this again this week and I quite enjoy it now. The way I do it is below for anyone who is interested. In steps 1 and 2, I clamp another piece of 4x2 along side to provide more surface for the circular saw to ride on and stay square. In step 3, I clamp a speed square on to the timber and follow that, it's actually 30mm away from the cut as that is the gap between my saw's blade and edge of its base. Step 4 is just some easy clean up with a chisel. My circular saw's blade isn't quite deep enough to cut half way in steps 1 and 2 hence the way it is shown. Important to remember to adjust the blade between steps 2 and 3.

Cavity closers built in, blockwork pargecoated inc reveals upto closers. Windows fitted, clearance caps left unfilled at fitting. Window board fitted foamed underneath with decent 10mm ish gap. Illbruck airtight foam. 10mm ish OSB board cut into strips roughly sized from back of window frame to face of blockwork. These all stuck to blockwork/lintel obviously spanning junction of cavity closer to blockwork. Illbruck airtight foam again. Fill window gaps in internally at this point also. Screw plasterboard onto osb job done. Wetting the OSB and blockwork/lintel seemed to help. It's a pain to set up but easy if long winded after. Window board goes on first to give you a level platform. A jig built to hold the head OSB while the foam gets it. After half a day than comes out and reveals cam be stuck on and held with friction or a couple of temp pins into head and window board. Good for blind fixing in head too.

Just checked, I paid £4870 for the 8.5kW Ecodan ASHP & 300l UVC. So in 5yrs that's a £700 increase, 3% a year isn't too onerous.

Going to double board walls and ceiling with pink. Sod the money I’ve got used to eating beans on toast every night ?

A friend of mine builds and renovates pools. Since Covid started, he's gotten so busy that he's had to stop the renovations and focus on new pools. He's also stopped quoting because his pipeline is full to the end of next year, even with new employees on the books. I told him he needs to up his prices.

Yep Ive quoted for large jobs which I will struggle to do I’m not taking anymore work in till after September now

At least they are out at the quote stage. Far better than taking your money and messing you around.

I would run a million miles away from something like this - they have hit something that has sent them down so you don't want to either spend the money to find out what it was or faceplant straight into the same problem.

Bodge something up mate - their bod will come back with other ideas on species and the like and then just plant what you like. Highly unlikely they are coming after you on this one to be fair. Get the box ticked and move on mate.

£4152.55 delivered (to Orkney) for 8.5kW ASHP with coastal coating, FTC5 controller and 300l preplumb cylinder. That was in 2016 though.

for 6m span 3 100x100 fence posts conked in will be more than adequate.

I agree with @Nickfromwales, I have a 70mm screed with UFH pipes In it over 250mm EPS on a ground slab throughout my whole ground floor, I expected cracks in the doorways but no, no cracks at all anywhere . ? the only thing I would consider is a thin sand layer over your base concrete to give a flat surface fir the insulation to rest on ?.

Make sure you have notified the planners that you have started the development then your planning is locked in for good.

surely you'll need an impact driver for the rest of the build?

Serious suggestion. Air source heat pump to under floor heating. This will keep your house warm all the time, in a well insulated modern house that retains it's heat well. Then a well placed (i.e central) wood burning stove. This is what we have. Constant 20 degrees form the ASHP, but if we want to indulge, light the stove, open all the doors so the heat circulates throughout the house, and it's quite possible to quickly get the house up to 23 degrees or more.

So after getting the bungalow approved plans the smaller 3 bed comes to 113m2 which is a much smaller than the 4 bedroom1.5 storey but obviously more price appealing! Thanks for all the advice ??

4 bedrooms, 314m2 that seems huge. Our three bed build is 140m2. I'm not a fan of m2 calculations. If you need a mortgage you need to show a break down of your costs. You will also need to demonstrate that the final cost is affordable. I set a target of £500 a month for the mortgage/property bills a month. Last thing I wanted was to be so stretched financially that I did not have much disposal income.

Of course it possible We’ve built a 5 bed 3 bath home for 200 k 815m2

Why are you plasterboarding a garage ceiling?, a garage roof space is fir storing all those things you might need (that your kids will have to get rid of when you kick the bucket!!!).

Maybe if they're in a jam...

Exactly that. He said a lot of them were talking about treating themselves after not having a holiday last year and likely this. He mostly works for people with Very Big Houses. The sort for whom a £50-60k outdoor pool they can only use a few months of the year makes financial sense.

Are they all gold plated ..??!!! That’s eye watering prices ..!! I would be getting them back as that definitely is not working correctly.

No they don’t. One LPA near me suspended their Pre-app service around 4/5 years ago. However, the majority of LPA’s do offer it. That process isn’t for people to ask whether they need Planning or not as that is what the CoL application process is for. Pre-app relates to formal and Full Planning applications where Council’s advise on compliance with policy.

Can you turn off autocorrect?