Susie

Have you considered the plug in ultrasonic type repellers. We have a few in our house and despite being an old farm building, feeding birds a lot, not airtight in any way, we have only had 2 visitors in 5 years. Both times same cereal cupboard in kitchen. Outside we see field mice in the barns. I think they work quite well and no poison involved.

I’m still at the early stages myself but have been reading up on all my options. As you are only 100m2 have you considered a Willis heater, I had never heard of one but in short it’s like an immersion heater coil plumbed in line with the UFH pipes at the manifold. Like I say it’s new to me so best looking up on this site, quite a few users have one. I’m considering this for my heating and a sunamp (again look up on here as I did if not familiar) for my DHW.

I’m surprised you didn’t get more replies. Non traditional is anything not made of brick or stone. Modern Method of construction MMC is what most on here are most likely building anything that is partly built off site, SIPs, timber frame, pods, cross laminated and ICF to name just a few. If you speak to a mortgage advisor they should tell you it’s not as simple but certainly not hard either. It always depends on the amount of equity and the borrowers circumstances, that can be far harder than an MMC. The older interwar years of concrete built homes might be harder but they still sell well in the right area. ? I’m definitely not worried ICF for me in another few years MMC might be the norm.

You don’t mention if you own any land with the house. I presume your figures are fictitious but if you purchased the original house with over 1.25 acres then you don’t have PRR so CGT is then due. Note that what counts as garden\grounds is best researched with a tax accountant as it depends on how the land is used eg is it farmed for profit, self sufficient home produce or extended garden. A good accountant will advise you but tax rules are always changing e.g. CGT is now due 30 days after selling rather than your annual self assessment. Could you keep the property at a furnished holiday let, then it’s a business with no CGT and instead business asset relief. I would decided what you want long term then seek advice from accountant but also remember that if your plans are for in x years then tax implications can change.

How have you found R-wall. We are visiting them on Thursday after seeing them at the Cornwall home show. They are very local to me but had not heard of them before the show. Then again I am from up country, not been down here too long. We have no planning permission yet and still undecided between SiPs and ICF but hearing the wind and rain to night does put another point for ICF noise insulation.

Waiting is not a problem @joe90 we don’t expect to start with foundations for 2 to 3 years. I was up in Hartland the other week and the broadband was down in the whole village, then on the way to Bideford drove past lots of small groups of workers all seemed to be doing something with cables down holes. We are currently favouring ICF but as the build is quite a while off yet a lot can change. Once the shell is up we plan to do a lot our selves.

We have a large garden plot on the north Cornwall coast, north of Bude very close to Devon. This is our first self build but from reading current posts there are a few of us in the area. We have taken private pre planning advice and seem hopeful. Looking around for a local architect next. We are thinking of going for planning permission with all (most) matters reserved. It’s our long term plan so no rush, not saved up all the money yet and too old for a mortgage but happy to continue saving and planning. The outline planning permission will give us the push to get saving and hopefully not make me think I’m wasting my time dreaming and reading all the magazines I can. I have joined Cornwall libraries and through them have access to an online magazine service, other councils do this as well, we have one app for books and one for magazines. If I’m not reading gardening magazines I’m reading home building magazines the app allows me to read back copies so read 2018 just about to start 2019. I’m finding it interesting how things have moved on, but also not all companies are still trading, you click a link to a domain for sale or blank page. We hope to build a 2 bed bungalow, economic to run but not necessarily passive, currently thinking SIP or ICF, ASHP and SVP. We have no mains gas but access to water and drainage is ok. We have considered GSHP but not sure we will live long enough to fully reap the original cost over running costs which is quite sobering. First step is finding a local friendly architect/planning designer who knows their way around local planning and I’m not going to find that in a national magazine from 2018 so any recommendations welcome.