Roger440

Now thats nice. Both the building and the contents......................

Fotunately there no timber in the roof its all steel. So not going to get ruined. Though it doesnt look that great, but nothing a coat of matt black wouldnt sort out. No one want to do the roof with new panels except for a chap i know. He is expensive, big company, lots of overheads etc, so i get it. But £50k isnt happening. Problem is, a) i cant do it myself, and b) going to need a crane as the panels will be 6.2m long. Cant rerally use a telehandler as there is a 10 to 12ft wide hardcore strip down each side, but no space to actually turn. If i was to do it, id probably be looking at 100mm rather than 40. Only going to do it once! Pic for reference

But as you know, when i needed an SE, i used one.............................

Looked at that too. Im not a fan, as keeping said insulation dry in this environment will be rather difficult. Wind driven rain can be rather bad. More expensive than spray foam, a bit more expensive than my under cladding wheeze (mainly because i can the do latter, but not the former) but cheaper than a new composite steel roof. The thing that skews it, is the overall roof is 4000sqft the workshop circa 2400, the balance being either the canopy (big) or the rear of the already insulated office bit. If i do inside, ive only 2400sq ft to do, and whilst i "could" do only part of the outside, it would look terrible and its not exactly hidden from the house! But everything is an option. Spray foam still looks like the winner. If i stop the leaks. Its not asbestos as built in 2001.

All correct. And whilst good in a commercial environment and enough to satisfy the law, its not really what im looking for. This is purely a hobby. If im cold, i wont enjoy it, so becomes pointless. Ive spent enough of my working life in cold workshop environments, even with various forms of heating to know i need better. My long term target is to maintain it through winter at 12c. 12c is ok if you are working. 2c or less, not so much. But until i sort the roof out, everything else is pointless.

Ive partly done/doing that. At the back (centre of pic) are the double doors into my "clean room". That fully insulated (apart from floor) The area under the mezz will recieve the same treatment with an insulated door on the front opening. That will be the "dirty room" for weding, fabrication, painting etc. But the main part of the workshop with the ramps, which is where i spend a good chunk of time doesnt lend itself to further subdivision, especially with the entrance door where it is. Ulitmately i need to sort out the roof as its just single skin fibre cement. So any heating just disappears. The walls are cavity block. The only sensible answer is either spray foam (expensive), but 27 of the roof sheets are cracked (mostly due to overtightening on install (!!!) so that needs fixing first. Or put another insulated steel roof on the inside. (more expensive) Replacing the whole roof is beyond expensive!

Just a 4 poster? You need a 2 and a 4........................... However, warm it isnt. Still to many options and decisions. And not enough money

This is all wonderful. I can get AI to do my structural calculations too, or SAP report, but the BCO wont accept them. Has to be from a competent person. Even if that same person might be using the exact same method. Though "competent" is open, currently, to interpretation. I imagine that will change, bringing yet another layer of cost and complexity to bear.

What Nick said about porcelain on a solid bed. you wont break it dropping spanners. I jacked cars up with a trolley jack with steel wheels on them. thats some crazy point loads. they were fine.

If its a proper screed, nice and flat, then if you just want to stop dust, just use a densifier. Its clear like water and just soaks in. Cheapish, and dead easy to apply. If you paint, you are appying a coating. Again, if its completely smooth, and with proper prep, a single pack product will work up to a point. However, not all single pack products are equal. Id certainly not be buying from B&Q. Ive found Promain very helpful if you ring (an actual telephone call, madness i know!) and explain what you are doing. For me, if painting, its 2k epoxy every time now. But i prefer to tile. Did my last garage with tiles and its absolutely the best solution long term. Good epoxy is expensive. Tiles more so, but the difference if you do it yourself not that big. Depending on the tiles of course!

Good work if you can pull it off.

You might not agree with my assesment of lining pockets, but that its often 10's thousand i dont think is really debateable. As each year rolls by, more and more "stuff" gets added. Councils just demanding a report on everything, soil contamination, newts, bats, archealogical digs etc. Even where this is absolutely no evidence that its needed. But it generates an industry of people who are seen/licensed/recognised as experts in those field, who all charge handsomely for often very little. You suggest it can (could?) be reduced with a good planning agent. Sure. But again, more (unknown) costs. They charge handsomely too. Eventually (well in some places already have) we arrive at a point where its simply uneconomic to build at all as the "non building" costs just keep going up. Which of course happens everytime government "meddles" and adds more layers of complexity. I saw the £76K figure reported. In some of the comments a couple of developers (big ones) pointed out that the report did not include planning costs (which it didnt). One of them said his planning costs per unit were greater than the £76k. Ok, all anecdotal, but its all adding up. Theres someone on here who paid over £10k for a bat survey!! Thats just ludicrous. There are few people willing to enter into building there own house when there are so many costs that cannot be known before you start. Of course there are a few with unlimited cash, and thats great for them, but thats not most people. That so many on here manage to see it through to the end, is in itself amazing, and hats off to those that do. I couldnt cope with that level of financial uncertainty as i couldnt simply rustle up and exta 20, 30, 40k based on a councils whim. The thread started around comments about what stops more people self building.

This comment, and that of Ed, is so true. The building game is in the dark ages, everything is a one off, even for volume builders. Its bonkers. I cant understand why no big corparate has entered the marke with a disruptive product thats better. Its happened in every other sector one can think of, but building seems stragely "off limits" And so we continue to mess about, paddling in mud, mixing up concrete, mortar and plaster, and chopping up bits of wood in said mud to build stuff! One day someone will.......................................

Its not any lack of understanding or knowledge holding things back. Its simple, practical issues, like land availability, planning, and most important now (more than in the past) is that it makes no financial sense in most of the country. Its not uncommon to spend several 10's thousands on "stuff" that has nothing to do with actually building, but more to do with lining other peoples pockets for reports, surveys, etc etc. I saw a report recently that "stuff" was adding £76k per hhouse in costs, on average, across the UK. Dont know how accurate the number is, but its a lot, regardless. I long harboured a dream to self build, but my first 2 points scuppered any hope, before i even got the the "does it make financial sense" bit. Saveasteadings point that the only sensible way now is a light renovation. Which, having thrown in the towel on self build is essentially what im doing. Will it be nice when its done, yes. Will it be what i really wanted, absolutely not. Beyond project management, which has its place, though not for me, im really not clear what you are offering. Being blunt, sounds like another "cost" thats adds little if anything to the task of getting a house built. Maybe ive misunderstood?

This is the kind of thing i used to dream about doing. Looks fantastic.