NSS

Did you have a conversation with SageGlass after I put you in touch previously?

Welcome Matt. You don't say where the plot is, but if you think similarly sized properties would be worth 1.5 to 2 million then I'd wager it will cost far more than £350k to build. You both work (and will presumably need to continue to do so to service a mortgage) so you're going to have to pay someone else to build it if you want to be in in a year. Depending on the size and spec you're probably looking at between £1,500 and £2,500 per m2 to build. Even at the low end £350k gets you something not much more than 200m2. Even in 6 acres, that would need to be somewhere VERY desirable to be worth £1.5 million plus.

30 years ago I had the gonads, I just didn't have the money. The trick is acquiring sufficient funds before you reach an age when you lack the energy or become so risk averse that yours gonads have gone into hiding. Do it before it's too late, and good luck!

By the way, I'm not suggesting SageGlass is the right solution for @tanneja, just one that he/she may not have considered. Our requirements were unusual due to the need to avoid having to night purge making SageGlass the perfect (if expensive) solution in our case.

Fair enough, but the OP has 17m2 of south-facing glass so I don't imagine getting a good amount of winter solar gain or good light transmitting will be an issue regardless of the glass type.

But again, if you have lots if glass then the need for a high percentage light transmittance is less of a problem.

Why would you see that as an issue in a well insulated, low energy house? Bear in mind I live on the South Coast not the frozen wastelands north of Winchester ?

But I'm not talking about Solar glass, but SageGlass and when not tinted you'd be hard pressed to see any difference in the view out between it and ordinary glass. Edited to add pic. Full tint (96% of Solar Gain blocked) v clear.

Nope, you can still see out clearly, just through a tint.

Okay, but blinds will also make it darker inside, surely, and when closed you can't even see out of the windows.

Yes, it works very well for us, though we have nothing like your 17m2 of South-facing glass. For us it was the most apt and elegant solution but, as you'll have read, it comes at a cost. We were very fortunate as the first UK residential site to get a hefty discount. If we'd had to pay the full price we'd probably still have done so and almost 3 years of use has only made me more convinced it was the best solution for our particular situation.

Bear in mind that solar gain may be your enemy in summer (perhaps more so in late spring and early autumn), but your friend in winter. Any fixed or film coating will not recognise that.

Looks like a ridge tile?

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Welcome, and make sure you sort out CIL liability/exemption before doing ANY work on site!

Depends how fresh (clean) the air is outside your window.

Why would you switch it off. We run ours 24/7/365 but in summer the fanspeed is set to 1 (slowest) in the daytime and 3 (fastest other than boost) at night. We do use active cooling (via UFH) when particularly warm weather for several consecutive days. That said we have SageGlass which significantly reduces the solar heat gain in the house.

Sounds idyllic, and I'm sure it will be worth all the effort (and hassle). Looking forward to seeing more pics as you progress.

Okay, but whatever you do don't tell them your name, Pike ?

Now that looks to be both an interesting and challenging plot! Is it as secluded as it appears to be? Love how the design and overhangs step with the terrain ?

One additional thought. You say it had been on the market for years before you bought it, and that the conservation officer thought it was listed with higher protection than perhaps is warranted. I therefore wonder whether they would consider delisting it? Faced with the choice between it eventually falling down, or a refurbishment that was sympathetic to the original building but requiring a less demanding treatment may be preferable to the local authority - and significantly less expensive for you.

Then I have to be honest and say I'd be inclined to walk away, sell it for whatever you can get for it and swallow the loss. However, it sounds as though you're determined to find a way through this so my suggestion would be to turn the stable into your temporary home, even if that means spending a few grand that you feel would be better spent on the main house. It doesn't need to be fancy, just safe, dry and warm enough that your health doesn't suffer again this winter, with a loo, shower and basic cooking facilities. You'll need somewhere to stay while the dry rot work is done anyway, and even once that is done there'll be a lot of work (and cost) to get the main house livable.

Welcome @Imogen Some good advice and ideas already given, but when you say it's a "large" house, just how big is it (square feet/square metres)? And what level of "listing" does it have? Also, is it two-storey or three? Is there a basement? Is any of it on a single level and, if so, how much of it and what rooms are in the single-storey section?

Only time I've heard PAN in relation to building (other than the WC pan) is 'Planning Advice Note'.

I think if it was me and I could afford to, I'd buy the plot and build the "2nd" house first, live in it for three years (so as to comply with CIL exemption) and build the home you really want on the best bit of the plot (by mortgaging the other one if necessary), then move into that and sell the first built. I know, it sounds simple but...