epsilonGreedy

After deciding on an LPG combi boiler for my new build spec I had assumed that an exotic subject like hot water re-circulation was a luxury I could not have. Now having read a detailed post on a DIY forum I believe there is a valid design for connecting a combi boiler's DHW output with a re-circulation circuit. My knowledge of hot water re-circulation has gone from zero to only somewhat confused in the last 24 hours, I am beginning to think that a well insulated example will behave like a low capacity linear hotwater tank. See post 13 at... https://community.screwfix.com/threads/suitability-of-combi-boilers.66102

My plot has detailed planning permission to build a 1500 sq ft house and I am happy to build what has been approved with just a few minor tweaks. The current design plan falls a long way short of what is required for building control or for trades to provide a detailed quote for stages of the build. The current high level plan is also not owned by me. To save money I intend to produce a cleansheet interpretation of the approved house plan in sufficient detail to support a new build full plan application to my local Building Control office. The design material at www.buildingregs4plans.co.uk looks ideal for helping on my solo design effort but I need reassurance because that business site feels moribund. The main intro video on the site was made in 2014 and in such a low resolution the detail is unreadable, then there is the site's business blog where the most recent entry is early 2015. I am concerned the designs there might not reflect the latest standards. Has anyone heard good things about the site?

Should a newly laid concrete floor be left unpainted for a couple of years to release all its moisture? After that I thought an epoxy garage floor paint was the best solution, that is what they claim over on PistonHeads. Having painted a new build garage floor before I reckon the biggest challenge is getting rid of any cement crust that turns to dust following minor abrasion.

Most of that document went over my head though I noted in the performance section the manifold implementation was ranked poorly, something to do with the geography of the house maybe? I need to get my head around how HW circulation pumps work... so much to learn.

I thought conventional logic about routing foul drainage mandated that soil pipes should take the shortest route through foundations to get outside of the foundation plan. My own rookie logic was that a fractured drain well inside the void under a suspended beam & block ground floor would spell disaster. However one of the regular self build bloggers here illustrated their foul drain taking a shortcut under the whole house i.e. the foul drain effectively bisected the plan view of the house. Is this something only passive slabbers can entertain? I ask because my house design has 3 toilets located at 12, 3 and 6 o'clock positions with the main drain heading way in an 11 o'clock direction. The external drainage plan could be simplified if the soil pipe for the 6 o'clock toilet could be routed under the whole house to join up at the 11 o'clock position.

Has anyone turned their selfbuild experience into a second career? I sense opportunity from my initial experiences in the selfbuild market. Most traditional building trades are hopeless at dealing with the public in anything approximating to a normal consumer retail experience. They struggle with telephonic devices and email is a technology yet to be mastered. Those who have productized self build are doing well e.g. Potton etc. The demographic imbalance in our society is causing plummeting home ownership amoung the under 40's. It is now Government policy to promote self build plot creation. Fast evolving technology is creating fascinating new ways to fit out a house. Many selfbuilds hit turbulence which results in multi-year delays before a habitable dwelling is created.

Ok tis good to know, getting clarity up front for an extra £200 will lead to some build process efficiencies. I will double check with my local council because they do seem more relaxed than some councils highlighted in forum discussions here.

The proposed alteration falls within the scope of a non material change to a plot with detailed planning permission (no foundations dug as yet). The motivation behind my question was whether I could save £200 by delaying the application until I owned the plot or even later when I was paying council tax.

While looking at the fees table from my local planning office I noticed that a non material change is 85% cheaper if it relates to householder applications. When buying a plot with detailed planning permission at what point do I become a householder? I can think of some definitions... Any non building professional intending to take up long term residence on some land. Any non building professional intending to take up long term residence on some land and who has title ownership. A person residing in an established property and paying Council Tax.

I like the Hitachi featured in this review though be warned at this point in time I am more competent in the operation of a kiddie's water pistol. At 10Kg the weigh could be a problem. Sorry about the post format, Google Chrome did something devious. Hitachi vs Dewalt DCN692 18v Cordless Framing Nailer Review

Elon Musk's techno folk hero status in the US masks some unsustainable corporate finances. You had a lucky escape. Voluntary off gridding, as opposed to being off grid by necessity, only makes sense if you believe the major Western nations are teetering on the brink of systemic collapse and dystopian social chaos is just around the corner.

A clear consensus, thanks all. I will spend the Swindon trip money on a nail gun instead and practice making a stud wall.

Sounds logical and I guess further fees expected as well.

@Alphonsox from what you say it appears the system is flexible and so I can halt before the garage is built, cash in the VAT and then continue with the released VAT to fund the garage. Thinking about this a little deeper, could it result in BC never getting an opportunity to visit and sign off the final phase of work e.g. check that the garage is structurally sound?

I am keen to absorb as much info as possible before a JCB commences digging of the foundations. I reckon that is 2 months away. Is the permanent self build exhibition at Swindon worth a look? We plan to spend a day and a half at the large NEC show later this month and Swindon is further away probably a 3.5 hour journey. My concern about the Swindon venue is that the list of trade stand looks extensive and I cannot imagine all of these are populated by expert staff for a handful of daily midweek visitors.

Just curious, when planning permission is granted for multiple houses on a plot is it necessary to commence the build of all houses within the 3 year period?

This is just a theoretical situation. If detailed planning permission is granted for a single detached house and adjacent garage would it be possible to advance the build of the main house and obtain final sign off leaving the garage as just footings? I appreciate there would be a long term VAT penalty with such a plan when the garage is completed.

This sounds like important advice that I need to comprehend but I fell at the first fence, what is a steel UB? UB is not described in the abbreviations thread.

I thought Wavin was a forum member! Anyhow plastic plumbing is beginning to sound interesting and relevant to my situation, thanks for the lead.

Oxalic Acid is a key component of teak cleaning products used on leisure boats. It is effective on dark organic stains like mildew so not sure if applicable in this case. The Yachty stuff is over priced but if you could get some of the raw crystal might be worth testing on a small patch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid

Some of the proposed designs contravene building regs I suspect. 1 - Open plan kitchen to stairs = fire risk. 2 - Toilet door opening to food preparation area = health issue. Looking at my own life style I reckon well over 50 percent of home entries head to the kitchen so the door priority of the original design at the top of the thread makes sense. Open plan in a modern low ceiling small house = yuck due to lingering cooking smells. I suggest a kitchen diner and a more cosy living room. Two bathrooms up stairs will enhance resale value because it is a far more letable formula.

Is there a factor which indicates going down the paid SAP assessment route is to be preferred over diy+software? My construction will be conventional.

@Ferdinand I like your tactical thinking. The trigger for this thread is that the plot seller opened an enquiry and the architect quoted £600 to change the plan plus handle the whole planning amendment dialogue. Only at this point did I begin to appreciate that ownership of plans can lead to an architect establishing a defacto monopoly position for follow-on design work on an approved plot. I imagine if I challenged the architect about the fee he would say the mouse wiggling edit of the plan is just part of the job and most of the quote would cover the ping/pong dialogue with the planning department. Following the advice in this thread I think I need to bite the bullet and purchase a decent technical design software program and work up my own clean sheet version of the plan. Thanks all. I will present my more conceptual legal question about whether an architect could claim that a finished house is an unlicensed manifestation of his design to my conveyancing solicitor and report back. I skipped the section on architects and planning in the House Builders Bible because the plot has DPP already, maybe I missed some words of wisdom on plan ownership in that book.

This is the problem. On most other points of build technique there is a load of advice in books and online or established technique. Such advice is missing when it comes to running stuff through posijoists. It seems that every self builder first sticks their head into the posijoist void and thinks, "woohoo loads of space" and then a little later thinks "hmm, how should I attach things... this is going to be a tad more tricky than I anticipated". I am trying to plan my self build way ahead. I have 6 months to work up a solution so I might start eating 5 Fray Bentos meat pies a week which should create enough material to fashion up a posi joist cable conduit.

See my edit above, I think it was the connections he was referring to and not the pipe material.