NSS

As previously mentioned, the existing bungalow is tired, but habitable. It's been extended before, but not well - essentially a couple of random lumps added on that, if anything, just confuse the layout and usability. I've not viewed it myself as yet, but I'd guess the original construction dates from the 1950's. The current occupants have lived there for much of the time since, so a degree of sentimentality is understandable, but it's worth what it's worth, and the fact is it hasn't yet sold. No doubt, with some relatively minor structural repair and modification, and a lot of cosmetic work, it would make a nice 2-bed bungalow for someone, but again, if the price were right someone would already have snapped it up to do exactly that (it's been on the market since middle of last year). The garden is, like the bungalow, a little tired, but you can see it has been loved and is south-west facing and not overlooked from behind. There's plenty of parking at the front, and neighbouring properties have had fairly major remodelling into 1.5 or 1.75 storeys, so planning shouldn't be horrendously difficult. It just needs to be £100k cheaper!

Yep, £3k is more what I thought. To clarify, this wouldn't be my build, and whilst I might help pm it, my labouring days are behind me. My son-in-law is a grafter though, and can handle a digger, knock up muck, lay drainage, etc, etc. I'm just not sure how much of his week could be devoted to being hands-on without significantly compromising his income.

Having completed our build in 2017, I've always said never again, unless we had a significant windfall and the perfect plot arrived. Well we haven't, and it hasn't, but one of my offspring is currently eyeing a small bungalow on a large plot in rural southern England. Her initial instinct is to hugely extend, out and up, but retaining anything meaningful of the existing fabric will significantly compromise what might be achievable. To me it's a tear down and replace, but the existing bungalow is habitable (albeit tired), so the vendor, understandably, is looking for more than it's value as a plot alone. Assuming project management of individual trades, and a limited amount of 'self building' (primarily labouring and decorating), for a reasonably good quality, traditional block & brick build, circa 230m2 chalet bungalow, is £2.5k/m2 a reasonable expectation? Much more than that and the value of the finished build will likely be below cost.

Thanks @Mrog, much appreciated. In the end, MyEnergi accepted that the issue was almost certainly a relay failure, and that it had been causing an intermittent fault for some while (probably since before tge warrant expired). As a 'goodwill gesture' they replaced it FOC, albeit with a refurbished unit, and our original installer agreed to install it for a modest fee. Happy days! To my surprise, MyEnergi did not ask for the old one to be sent back. I have a sparky mate who's going to have a look at it when he has a spare moment, and if it proves to be a cheap fix then I'll probably keep it as a spare.

Not sure I knew you'd had those issues, Terry. That may be that you'd not shared back then, that I'd just not seen, or that my aging brain simply doesn't recall. I know I struggled physically at times with our build, so you did very well. We also downsized, or perhaps more accurately, right-sized. Though I never aimed for PH levels, our home performs incredibly well compared to our previous property. Over the first 7 years, our net energy cost averaged around -£100/pa. However, since last April, we no longer receive the RHI payments so this is the first year in which we're actually paying out for energy (albeit less than a third of what it cost us in the old house 10 years ago!) Like you, my wife's health forced early retirement (from teaching). In her case it was due to a whole bunch of complex medical issues, some of which date from birth, some that are much more recent, and (unfortunately) some that will likely have been caused by treatment she underwent in childhood. But the difference the house has made to her (and our) quality of life is absolutely priceless. I don't know how many more years we'll get, but I have no doubt it'll be more than we'd have enjoyed had we not built our bubble.

Hi @TerryE, yes, I remember you getting in around the same time as us. Good to hear you're both still enjoying your home. I don't know about you, but we feel ours fits us like a glove, and all the little things we did in order to ensure we can stay here as long as possible are proving their worth. Sadly, though Mrs NSS's lungs have stood still, her mobility has deteriorated significantly, but the house was built with the knowledge that that was likely to be the case, and that's paying dividends now. Many of us self-builders are 'past our prime' but if there's one piece of advice i could give, even to those who are fortunate enough to get the opportunity to build their dream earlier in life, it would be to think about what you may need in the future, not just what you may want now.

@ToughButterCup, long time no speak, and I'm really sorry to read of your struggles. I don't have a magic solution for you, but I can tell you what has worked for me. Firstly, I remember going to visit my parents many years ago. My old man had just redecorated their lounge. It looks great, I said. He jumped up from his armchair and dragged its twin from the corner it always sat in. Angrily, he pointed at a tiny mis-allignment in the wallpaper join in the corner, a near invisible flaw that nobody would have noticed even if it wasn't hidden behind an armchair. He was so stressed that he'd not achieved HIS perfection. But what is perfection, and does it really matter if you don't achieve it? Whilst our build was largely complete when we moved in, some of the minor details are still a little rough 8 years later. Does that bug me? Sure it does. And the perfectionist in me still rears its head from time to time, and gives me a sleepless night or two worrying as to what my old man would have said about it had he lived long enough to see it. But, if you've read my earlier post, you'll appreciate that my number one objective was achieved. I've chosen to accept that is enough of a win - and certainly enough of one to overlook those less than perfect details - and to concentrate on living our best life (whilst we still can). I'm not sure where you are with your build, but try to focus and give yourself credit for what you've already achieved, rather than what you have left to complete. And whatever else you do, don't lose sight of life, and the importance of enjoying it.

I appreciate very few will have read, let alone remembered, my original post in this thread (hence I've quoted it for context), but i thought some may be interested in an update, 8 years on. Just before we moved in in October 2017, my wife had a spirometry test on her lung function. It showed, despite having nebulised antibiotics for 18 months, that her lungs had worsened, with capacity having deteriorated to 50% (from 65% three years earlier). She stopped using the nebuliser around three weeks after moving in, and has only used it for a few days in total in the 8 years since. In late December, as part of a pre-assessment for surgery for an unrelated condition, the anaesthetist requested a new spirometry test. Remarkably, it shows that her lungs have not measurably deteriorated since 2017. I can't say for certain that the house can be credited entirely for this result, but it has certainly played a massive part, and this is one bubble that refuses to burst.

🤞🏻

Probably another dumb question, but would it be possible to tap into the supply before it reaches the existing property, connect the new build and then continue on to the existing, hence meaning it's still the last in the line? Okay, I'll get my coat.

Probably an obvious question that you'll already have looked at, but can power be brought to the plot from a different source/direction?

Cancel that, apparently Lindab no longer offer 7011 either.

Landscape gardeners have managed to damage two of our Roofart steel downpipes. Unfortunately, Roofart no longer supply in RAL 7011, but Lindab do, so just wondering has anyone tried connecting Lindab to Roofart?

Hi Dave, how are you doing? The warranty was 3 years. The recon unit would be of the latest version, but I have similar concerns, hence my second question. I've spoken to the installer, who says he's come across this issue before and, in his experience, it's not something that can be easily (or economically) fixed. Online searches suggest it can sometimes be caused by a loose terminal or broken contactor, or a faulty relay, but I wouldn't have a clue what to look for, and even if I did I wouldn't have confidence in being able to safely dismantle and fix it.

Hi all, long time no post, but I still loiter. As the subject says, our Myenergi Zappi has failed (output failure error), irritatingly just 16 days out of warranty. They're offering to supply a recon unit "as a goodwill gesture" at a cost of £349 + VAT, but I'd have to arrange fitting myself. As those who remember me will know, electrics is a black art to me, so my questions are.... 1) how easy would it be to swap out the old for new, ie does it need to be a specialist fitter or could any competent sparky do it? 2) should I be considering an alternative solution? Thanks in advance for any advice 👍🏻