Dreadnaught

Thanks @lizzie. Yes I am. Very helpful. The subject I am puzzling over is how to run my build. Who to help me by providing timely local advice, a double check on on-site quality, and local contacts. This should be the subject of a new topic I think.

Those of us with IT project management experience, and I know there are a quite a few here, know that open communication and trust is key. I visited a build in Buckinghamshire where the owner was a seasoned old fashioned IT project manager (Prince2 for those who know about such things). After watching progress by his team for a few weeks with growing horror he intervened to set up a weekly all hands face-to-face meeting for coordination and communication.

Personally I’m keen to try Google Sheets for this. It’s collaboration features are strong. But it’s key of course that whomever else is involved is willing to play along.

And sound proofing too I suspect, if that's an issue.

Interesting. I don't think even that would fit on my site.

(Sorry for going of topic slightly off topic) Having been involved in business planning, I tend to agree. Mere numbers within a spreadsheet sadly do not advertise their reliability. They wear a disguise: they don't shout "I am nothing but a misleading guess". Having said that, I assume OP is referring to a project schedule (the GANTT-chart-like thing) showing the sequence of events, not a budget. That is something I am keen to have my architect prepare for my project soon (she is experienced in running builds, not only drawing plans) and, as a beginner, will leant a lot from seeing it. I would imagine that such a schedule, when combined with a budget full of guesses and the various detailed plans, make up the key "bible" of documents which form the core set that are referred to throughout the build. Am I right about the core set?

Just to be clear, its not them suggesting the alternative wall. Its my architect and I.

Good point. Will look out for that. Not specifically no. Not yet.

I have a mere single ticket price for the whole shebang, no breakdown. They do. I pay for scaffolding but they provide a specification. As always @Russell griffiths, plenty of food for though there …

I know you know about such matters. That photo is before the crown lift but, as I am sure you know, a crown lift really only takes off the twigs (lots and lots of them) but not any main limb. There is one limb that encroaches across the gate which effectively provides a height restriction (and couldn't be removed). Its worth noting that you cannot actually see the gate in the photo. Its hidden from view on the left beyond the small silver car.

I have and its just as spectacular in real life as it looks in the photos. Still envious! Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if that will prove to be a solution. I am quite keen to give the challenge to another company to handle, another attraction of using a company like MBC. I don't but I did witness @vivienz panels going up and the crane was enormous. But I am also led to believe that they can manufacture smaller panels if they must. I will be quite pleased to lay the entire challenge at their feet to solve.

Thanks for the photos @JSHarris. Who's MJ? Shouldn't it be JSH?

Yes indeed. They had cross my mind too. Will be quite a challenge. I imagine my frame will require the smallest of everything: the smallest skip, smallest concrete wagon and pump, the smallest crane, the smallest forklift or telehandler. Hence I am proposing to use a smaller frame dimension too. At least that's my current thinking. The neighbours are all quite lovely (they might be reading this)! Actually, it is generally quite neighbourly, with just a few "exceptions". The boathouse opposite my plot is being rebuilt at present and I have a good relationship with them. I have offered them the use of my plot during their build and they have indicated they will extend help to me when it is my turn. A challenge is that the access road gets plenty of use, by the small silver car shown above, by boatclubs with boat trailers, and by hordes of students heading to the river to row at the crack-of-dawn. Beneath all that lie my utilities, all of them.

Thanks @JSHarris. What a sight! And then I imagine you had a big crane for the offload, like @vivienz had? I suspect neither is a possibility on my site, which is why in their quote to me MBC allowed two entire extra days for the necessary manhandling.

Regarding access, here's a view down the access road towards my plot. The gate to my plot is under that (slightly brown) chestnut tree at the end past the small silver car. Hopefully in the event I can convince the various neighbours to temporarily move their vehicles on frame day. As you can see, driving a digger around may be challenging.

Good point. Thanks. My architect mentioned this as an advantage too. I forgot to mention it. Oh, interesting. Why so when the U-values are comparable? Was it decrement delay and better sound insulation? Did you have a direct comparator to draw the comparison I wonder?

Thanks. Yes, Peter. I have a quote from them (and visited two of their builds). I must say I rather like Touchwood's system. And they would also offer me the advantage that their frame team are relatively local (Hertfordshire I believe) so would avoid the expense of local accommodation. Disadvantages are that, as far as I know, they only offer a full Passive-House specification product, which is inevitably more expensive than either MBC's passive option, let alone the 140mm-open-stud MBC option that I am now considering. And they don't offer a in-house foundation solution (although they do seem to recommend AFT for foundations).

Building on your comment further, @Russell griffiths, I think I am lucky to have chosen a good architect. She is a certified passive-house designer and is experienced with designing timber frames (she has, at various times, even been retained by frame companies to do their designs). And I feel I have excellent working relationship with her. The only disadvantage in choosing her is that she is not at all local, she lives many hours away from my site. And she not overly keen on wielding spreadsheets for some of the more detailed building physics work. My choice of architect has presented me with a puzzle to solve about how I should structure my build team. I could do with somebody local (to Cambridgeshire) to compensate for my total inexperience, to have a rolodex of local contractors (and mental list of ones to avoid), to attend weekly onsite meetings and advise on quality, sequencing, and resolving problems. It would seem to be that that person would be an experienced old hand but ideally someone who appreciated the importance of airtightness, etc. Is this a good idea? It did cross my mind that I could all but rely on BuildHub (BH) to act as this party. BH has been hugely valuable to me thus far. But am I being unrealistic. I would welcome others views on this. As some others have said (was it @recoveringacademic?) I am huge fan of building empowered teams filled with trust, but given me short (and no doubt unrepresentative) experience thus far in self building that does not seem to be usual culture. Or am I wrong? Its a hugely steep learning curve (which I am secretly rather enjoying).

@Russell griffiths, good question. No I hadn't. I started by assuming that I would go for an MBC-style factory-built frame. Its only when I received their details and quote did I first think about deviating from the standard passive double-stud wall. Open stud is new territory for me. The advantages of going with someone like MBC are that its quick to get to weathertight compared to a stick build. And they do the foundations too, giving the impression of reducing the build riskiness. And companies like MBC also give the impression of easing the path, providing reassurance, being easier for a novice like me. I can easily appreciate that for someone with your level of experience and ability that a stick build would be attractive (I suspect you'd do the build yourself). I am much more wary as a beginner but possibly without good reason. I suppose it depends on whether I could identify a pair of chippies I truly trusted, no easy task as I am already finding that trust-filled relationships can be few-and-far-between in self build. I have already had the impression from some parties that I am viewed as a meal-ticket-on-a-plate. Having said all of this, I intend to devote plenty of time to being on site. And I am also keen to be as involved as much realistically possible given my total inexperience. Hmm, food for thought. Thanks for the comment.

@lizzie did you use Habito everywhere? What about ceilings? And, for example, in the utility room? What about bathrooms, don't they need moisture resistant board?

Thank you @lizzie. Good point. Your comments are very helpful. That would be Gyproc Habito I believe. Certainly superior but, as I understand, sometimes cursed by installers?

Yes. Your and @lizzie's comments both support my hunch on where best to spend limited funds to maximise sound proofing. Funds are best spent on a triple-glazing upgrade and airtightness and not on replacing Earthwool/PIR with blown-cellulose in a (thicker) double-stud wall. But its only a hunch; I don't know how to support this guess with calculations.

Ah, makes sense. I will have vaulted ceilings throughout so highly relevant. Thank you.

Oh I clearly have so much more to learn about. I had not realised that.

Interesting. Even in a living room? I had thought such lights were only for kitchens or bathrooms: more utilitarian spaces needing bland flood lighting.