newhome

That's why I thought that there might not be an issue as the Solar Trade Association spent a long time lobbying them to agree the 5% rate. Can't see anything definitive anywhere however. @vivienz have you asked your PV supplier if he would zero rate the batteries if on a supply and fit basis? He surely must have fitted them in new builds before? Unless you can get confirmation out of HMRC (maybe just call them and ask, and say that it's integral to the PV system?) it might be worth bagging the zero rating from your PV supplier rather than take the risk that the reclaim is rejected.

I don't think that's right TBH. For a new build it should be 20% VAT if supply only and 0% if supply and fit. The 5% rate applies to fitting eliglble energy saving products to any dwelling, or supply and fit in general for eligible renovations / conversions afaik. I think that's going to be your issue. The VAT notices do not name every eligible product. They say everywhere 'not an exhaustive list'. The only named products as far as the reclaim process is concerned are in the notes at the back of the reclaim form and it just says that this list will give you an idea of what you can claim for. There were some additional agreements by HMRC fairly recently about battery storage being @ 5% if fitted at the same time as a PV system but nothing about self builds afaik. I will have a look. What battery storage are we talking about? Sunamp? I'll see if I can find anything explicit but your best bet is likely to be finding out what others have managed to do, so @JSHarris and @Barney12 potentially. That said I don't think you will have a problem claiming.

Welcome. Here is a guide on the subject. Have a read and add any questions as a new post on that thread.

They’ll do that anyway with stilettos ? ?

Make that everyone buying windows on a supply only basis I think ?. It’s equally terrifying when you are ordering them from plans! We must have got on the TF company’s nerves as we asked them to double check and confirm measurements at least twice. My OH put a window schedule together in a spreadsheet with the measurements to give to the supplier. I then checked it after the TF company had checked it. Always get someone else to check something like this. It’s very easy to miss your own mistakes even when you think you’ve checked things thoroughly.

I agree. The chuck and buy new culture isn’t great but it’s a viscious cycle. Appliances tend to be cheap to replace compared to getting someone in to fix them plus people want the new models that are generally ‘improved’ and can be more efficient. That leads to lack of demand for people to fix appliances so we no longer have people with those skills readily available. My OH used to be able to take things apart and fix them mostly but I can’t do that so have to bite the bullet and replace them. You can have appliances taken away when you buy new ones but that costs money so many people dump them at the local tip. I recently got rid of a carpet cleaner that had only been used once (no carpets in my house) and a couple of vacuums that both worked but were no longer required. I just dumped them at the tip but I hope they do recycle the parts.

I have a Triton tower shower that has gone wrong and will need to replace the whole thing as they no longer sell spare parts for that model so not unique to Stuart Turner.

You should be able to remortgage once the property is complete but most mortgage lenders will require a structural warranty. The structural warranty information is here. https://www.cml.org.uk/lenders-handbook/englandandwales/question-list/1913/

Get a spade and dig down I would have thought. Work out how deep you will need to go to insulate the floor a la @Onoff‘s photos and dig down to that level outside near the main room (not right next to the foundations). If you hit a slab of rock or whatever before you get to the depth you need then as @Onoff suggests you’ll likely hit rock at the same level inside the house. It won’t be foolproof but should give you some idea whether it’s going to be feasible. If I can dig a 5 foot deep hole full of bricks and god knows what (half killed me mind!) I’m sure you can dig a suitable test hole ?

I haven't done it but the remortgage rule is fairly common (although there are lenders that will allow it within 6 months). It's generally based on how long you have been the owner of the property and I thought that was based on when you were the registered owner at the land registry, so when you bought the land, but I'm not expert so your broker may be right. Do they even ask to see the completion certificate? I can't see anything else that registers it as a dwelling? Most will want a structural warranty available I believe. Have a look at the lender rules here: https://www.cml.org.uk/lenders-handbook/englandandwales/question-list/1813/

Pretty spendy to do properly.

I would never have decking because of potential creatures living under it. If you didn't want grass I would consider having some paving up by the patio doors, and then pea gravel on the rest. Should just be a case of scraping off the top layer / get rid of the vegetation, put down some membrane and then laying gravel on top. You can plant some evergreen low maintenance plants within the gravel if you wanted to. As many or as few as you like, or you could have planters but that would require someone to water them in summer. I've had success with Hebe, dwarf conifers and the like by planting them in the gravel - you don't want anything growing big in that small area although something to cover that back wall etc might be good. A gravel garden isn't no maintenance however and someone would still need to pull out the weeds that self seed in the gravel. How do you actually get into the garden? Looks like an escape tunnel at the back left . Something like this (random grabs). Thought the last one was a good one as you could have a matching step to go with the kitchen diner .

Here is one such case that was found against HMRC and added to HMRC's internal manual but again it is 'doing' activity, ie construction of a sewage treatment plant. https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/vat-construction/vconst02560 And the further guidance on: are my services supplied ‘in the course of the construction’ of the building' is again 'doing' work. https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/vat-construction/vconst02570

So interestingly there are examples of what is meant by civil engineering further down in section 20 that covers zero rating for caravan sites rather than new builds but I suspect that the same sentiment applies. As I anticipated it's all 'doing' things rather than surveys. 20.3 Is my civil engineering work necessary for the development of the park? Examples of zero-rated civil engineering work include: laying new pitches or bases for the caravans laying new roads, drives, parking bays and paths installing water, electricity and gas supplies, and installing drainage and sewerage

There are many things that appear to be unclear in VAT notice 708 IMO. So for example It states that site investigation is standard rated if it takes place before planning permission is granted but that only infers that it is zero rated if PP has been granted, and it doesn’t state that explicitly and nor does it explicitly state what site investigation comprises. From piecing together the responses that others have received from HMRC over the years we are able to provide some ‘custom and practice’ guidance based on the experience of others. Essentially the type of investigations that appear to be eligible for zero rating have been those things where something is being physically done on site, so holes dug for investigation and the like, not just a visit followed by a desk exercise. In fact I wonder whether the term civil engineering is meant to mean things actually done on site, although the holistic term includes a variety of things including design so still clear as mud. There isn’t much case law for this type of thing through the DIY housebuilders reclaim scheme as this type of thing isn’t eligible for reclaim anyway but there may be some cases that builders have brought. I’ll have a look but seems unlikely because surely structural engineers would know that their work was able to be zero rated on new builds if that was the case. Where there have been cases that HMRC have lost these things tend to be added to the internal manual and there is nothing specific there afaik.

Definitely. At the end of the day it’s what you can persuade them to do that counts.

I see that you added this bit after I replied. That section is interesting and I don’t know in truth! Structural engineer fees have always been standard rated afaik and that section mentions civil engineers. A civil engineer will do slightly different things I believe but whether the statement could apply to a structural engineer I’m not sure. @Temp are you able to interpret 3.3.6 please? Here is the guidance from HMRC’s internal manual but it’s still non specific. https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/vat-construction/vconst02710

Yes sorry separate structural engineer fees are standard rated. You will only get them zero rated if (for example) you order a timber frame kit and they include the structural engineer’s design for the frame as part of the package.

That’s sad. New house, new dog then ? just like @lizzie. How’s your little chap doing @lizzie?

I’m never ever going to make one but I do like to know how things work in theory at least and @PeterW had already explained to me how similar it was to an air conditioner which didn’t require any technical knowledge on my part at all TBH. Even having a basic knowledge of how something is supposed to work prevents being done over when someone comes to service it or whatever.

So what’s the issue with the single temperature on your set up? Shouldn’t you be setting it at a temperature appropriate for your DHW and letting the blending valve or whatever you have set up control the UFH at a lower temperature?

They fixed my heating! And drank beer ? / ate bacon ? ?

He came with his man friend ?. I have no idea what they did over that side of the house ?

My neighbours have a similar set up in their own home as since the kids all left home they rent out their spare rooms to contractors at the local power station where they work. Their house is similar in size to mine so pretty large and the contractors have their own en-suite bedroom large enough for a sofa and tv too, and one of the reception rooms is for their own use too but they share the rest of the house with my neighbours. Seems to work pretty well and the contractors tend to stay Mon - Thurs nights and then go home to their families. They have anything between 2 and 4 staying at any one time. They tried to persuade me to do it too but I don’t fancy it TBH so I just rattle around here on my own ?.

Welcome to BuildHub and congrats on finally getting your PP after what sounds like a complete nightmare. The only way is up now hopefully! You say that you are building 2 houses and intend to live in the larger one. What do you intend to do with the smaller one? Will it be built at the same time as the first one or after you have completed your main home? As you have mentioned an accountant I assume they will have gone through the various obligations you have in relation to CGT plus being eligible to claim a VAT refund (or not on the second house at least, or both if the second house is to be used as a business) but if you don't mind sharing what you've been told to help others on here who may be in a similar position that would be great. We don't get too many people here who are insane enough planning to build 2 houses at the same time