Zak S

Thanks much appreciated. Entire insurance industry is a con. Things these giant corporation for their own interests!

@Gus Potter really appreciate you providing such a detailed analysis and some great tips. I am very keen to learn however, the requirement for experts would apply at the end. Please see below the picture of boreholes to 5m. They went down to 15m and found more solid stuff at 12m. The clay was very soft and I could easily press. High Water table at 1m. The area used to be a coppice and there is an area wide TPO hence lots of tree but most at least 10m away from the house.

Hi. Just wondering if there is good structural warranty provider who given the flexibility to source the alternative material other than from only approved manufacturers? Not liking the monopoly some of these big players have and see if there are any alternative options. Thanks in advance.

Hi @Mr Punter sorry to high Jack someone's thread. I have my own post but was not sure how to ask you on that so asking you here. I am at GI stage and Abbey Pynford will cost up the 10m piled treesafe slab with void foundation. Do you think that works out to be overall cheaper than traditional piled ring and beam finished with block and beam floor. The ground is soft clay with some silt sand, lots of trees and high water table. Any experience of abbey Pynford would be extremely welcome.

Hi. Thanks. Totally agree. The way we are looking at it is that we want to get the design and plan absolutely right hence going with a really good architect who has already done two houses on the same street. In terms of structure, we will play it safe (other than windows which we want to Internationally procure from China using the suppliers who supply a lot to Australia). We are splitting the shell into sub and super structure appointing key skilled trades peoples for each (sub) element. In terms of fit out we will experiment via cheaper procurement but use skilled labour. It would take a lot of time lining up these and planning before the project starts. Any tips would be very appreciated.

Sorry ignore please. It was about my rant on the costs

Yes I did consider basement and wa taken away from it by the architects whoever's I spoke with basement cost would be c £2500 or more per sqm hence I dropped the idea. I thought it would be same as cost of piling /slab but it was lot more expensive. Do correct me if I am wrong. Piling is just drilling holes which is lot cheaper than excavating the entire site.

Yes I agree with that that the minimum standard should be exceeded and that's what I'm planning. I will slightly diagress here. In the same street they are two houses which are being rebuilt by turn key builders and the both builders are cutting corners wherever they can in terms of using material which just barely meet the standard. For insulation my understanding is that partial cavity is the way to go with PIR insulation TW10 whereas these builders are you using glasswool and not even properly filling the cavity. So I intend to ensure that I do exceed minimum standards but the cost is also the key driver for me. Frustrating issue is that one can get lots of building material from the overseas manufacturers much much cheaper and this is of good quality but the construction industry's rules are as such that the barrier to entry is significant. I have tried to go down the road of sourcing material internationally and getting it tested in the UK but but that is not viable as the cost of testing is significant in hundreds of thousands of pounds therefore I'm planning to make sure that the structural fabric of the property is all BBA approved so that there are no issues with warranties (though, I do understand warranties are not worth the paper they're written on but they are essential for the financing of the properties).

Thanks. That's good to know. I will look into it will be included in the building regs drawings.

Thanks. Definitely not looking for Passivehaus. Piles with ring and beam would cost same as pile with Raft so thinking of going with Raft option if more economical. 400mm foundation is not going to work 10m deep clay and high water table. In terms of costing it will go through all that and a bit more before knocking down. Given the plan for procurement and self managed project management traditional per sqm cost would not be appropriate hence need the excel spreadsheet if anyone ca kindly share that would be great.

Hi thanks for the advice. Is that under the slab or over the slab and under screed? I have been looking at my insulated slab but not sure if Abbey Pynford would accommodate that. I might switch to Ring and Beam piles and then block and beam which is traditional and different from slab foundation offered by Abbey Pynford. I wanted to avoid thermal bridging of walls to foundation slab. Not sure what other ways are to avoid this other than insulated slab?

Hi I am starting on Selfbuild Journey. We recently bought a banglow built in 1960s on a very clayee place with existing foundations between 400mm and 1m. There has been no movement/cracks. Good old days..... but it wont pass the building regs these days and we want to build on top. Hence, starting again is the option we are seriously considering to future proof the house to some extent. The existing banglow is c180sqm and with extension we can go to 225sqm plus if we build on top the first floor and the loft, one can see the expected size. This is a great forum and it has been very helpful so far and now I want to start active conversation with you guys who have been on similar journeys. Is there anyone who can share the excel spreadsheet for the cost estimation. It will be a self managed project with core skills arranged with each of the skilled trade. I read somewhere on this forum about Abbey pynford for foundations involving Piles. They have been contacted and yesterday the ground investigation work was done (expect the depth of piles to be around 10/11m with slab and the void to allow for the clay movement. That would a significant spend. The reason I am describing this as an experiment is as I want to test getting material and fit out outs from manufacturer and the scale of the project is such as that in my experience manufacturer here or in Europe/China will happily provide the requirement. In other words what would be the bare cost of a house build taking all profits element within the supply chain and building contractor out. I am just keen to find that out as the build cost per sqm does not work in my head. I want to know the real breakdown. So procurement is where the true experiment sits. I have some contact in China supply chain so any procurement from China should not be an issue. My plan is ensure the structure is all based on BBA approved items so that it qualifies for the warranty. Key steps I have outline in my plans are as follows and I am expecting different skills are required for each of the key stages hence would source these: Surveys / planning work QS costing Warranties Procurement Foundation / ground drainage /Subfloor Underfloor heating DPM Brickwork/Block work/steelworks and insulation Timber work Roof work (clay tiles or sate -chinese/spanish) Windows Weather tightening Heat Plumbing and in house drainage Electrics first fix MvHR Drywalling (metal furring channels and then either tape and joint using plasterboard or MGO) trying to skip the wet plastering but enhancing the sound insulation Stairs and balustrade Bathrooms Tiling and flooring Kitchen including separate scullery Internal doors and skirting (composite skirting boards) Decoration Second fix electrics Lighting Patio Landscaping Epc (Any thing I missed -please advise) I dont envisage I would be able to do all in one go so happy to divide the project in phases if required. Would really appreciate any help/feedback/insight that can be provided.