Juj

How about hardie backer board? Assuming you're tiling of course.

Sorry to take this off topic @Mr Punter but I'm literally window shopping at the moment and like the look of your, erm, windows!

I'm working off the principle laid out by @Nickfromwales : MOT1 then whack that flat, then sand blind, then 25mm of EPS as a sacrificial layer to protect the DPM, then DPM, then insulation, then light gauge membrane, then 120mm reinforced concrete floor, ( including mesh and UFH pipes as required ), then your chosen floor covering including any surface prep required. But instead of 120mm concrete, you take away some of the concrete and top off with screed. Between the concrete and screed you add in some kind of membrane before laying the UFH and pouring the 50mm liquid screed. I've no idea if this is feasible or not, just asking the more experienced heads on here for their thoughts

Jumping onto this topic, would it be feasible to reduce the depth of the concrete floor to say 100mm, then lay your UFH and top with 50mm liquid screed? The reason for the suggestion is that it'll give a better/ flatter finish than concrete applied by an unskilled hand.

Hi @JSHarris I've tried to upload the spreadsheet but the document is no longer available, any chance of a copy?

I'm surprised the choice is only Timber frame or brick and block. ICF ticks all of the boxes (Quick/ Solid/ Air Tight etc) AND is DIY'able!

That's a really nice looking roof @Cpd Your experience's with the so called professionals are similar to my own, anything that is out of the ordinary and they don't have a clue, but won't for the life of them admit to that!

@Cpd Yes, Velux or similar. You've just actualised my fear, I'm not going to be tackling the roof myself and these minor details are the ones most contractors I know are rubbish with. It would be great if there was some kind of flashing kit available.

Another one looking for corrugated sheeting for our roof. I've still not decided whether to go for Nu-Lok slates, ColorCoat Urban or corrugated sheets. I have seen roof lights in some of them but I'm a little concerned who easy it would be to incorporate, we're having 6 roof lights and possible some integrated solar panels too

@lizzie Thanks for the details, I've emailed them ?

I did read the link that @lizzie posted and it seems as @newhome has mentioned that the grounds for refusal are different to mine. I don't intend to submit late, I'll be sure to do this as soon as completion certificate issued. Regarding the annexe and garage, these were indeed part of the initial planning application.

@lizzie Oh dear, it's probably all of the bad reviews they've had from customers putting them off dealing with people directly! Once they open, I might pop down and see if they're better to deal with one on one. Its easier to ignore an email than someone in front of you.

@JSHarris They do a full aluminium profile too which is of interest to me. I've made contact but they're all on holiday until 7th August! I'd be willing to put up with some PITA for the sake of a few £k saved! lol

@JSHarris How long ago was this? I've just noticed that Munster are based 10-15 minutes away from me! Would you recommend Munster again?

I bought my property as a derelict shell that qualified as a conversion since had been empty for so long. We built the main home but left the outbuildings (garage and annexe) to be completed when funds allowed. As such, we didn't get the house signed off, and when the building inspector reached out to ask, we explained as much. We did however move in to the main house and have paid council tax since then, this was in 2012. As the property wasn't completed and I envisaged more spending, I didn't submit my VAT reclaim. Well, since then, many things have changed, including the original plans and we will be spending a considerable sum to now finally complete. The question I have is, will I still be able to claim VAT back? I'm not too bothered about the VAT from when we first started, though that would be a bonus (I have all of the receipts still), but I would obviously like to reclaim VAT on the building that is to take place although I fear they will reject it based on the fact that we've been living here? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the links @Ferdinand I'd already read most of what's on here and have pretty much applied the same assumptions you have regarding prices but it's a little hit and miss, I've only had a couple of particularly competitive quotes, the more popular ones (Rationel/ Internorm/ Idealcombi etc) that I'd expected better quotes from don't seem to have factored much of a quantity discount although I'm not at the order stage so perhaps they've built a fair amount of play into their quote? Also, thanks for the heads up about the East and West facing windows @JSHarris, @lizzie & @Dreadnaught Perhaps a solar film will be in order to prevent excessive solar gain? I'm beginning to err towards a very good 2g as opposed to 3g, the cost savings will pretty much pay for a decent solar set up.

@CC45 Decisions, decisions! Do you think you would do it the same way again? Our situation is that we can hold off as there is no great race to get things done other than wanting it done! We could potentially wait until finances are more favourable, could be years we're here for life so can wait if its something really important. I'm just not sure if 3g is a game changer! @PeterW Solar gain shouldn't be a huge problem as most of the major glazing is West facing, south facing windows are either shaded by hedges or have been minimised already. Less solar gain would be a bonus, as would less noise but neither are enough to swing it, air tightness and insulation are probably bigger factors but how much heating would I save for the £££'s extra in outlay? Regards to scaling the glazing down, that has been scaled down! lol (it's a huge build for a large family!)

Is 3g worth the investment over 2g? We have a lot of windows and doors, including sliders etc, altogether we're looking at 200m2 over 70 items. I've had around 10 quotes now and the feedback from the window companies has been to stick with 2g (possibly because they know it's cheaper and therefore within my budget) however, it seems the majority of you guys have 3g and you all seem to know what you're doing! I would say that my main priorities are equally: Quality (highly rated, long warranty etc) Aesthetics (They have to suit the contemporary style of the house, the slimmer the better) Cost (I'm trying to get a LOT of house for the money so would be glad to just get the shell made, sealed and clad leaving the rest to be finished bit by bit) I've had quotes from all the main players mentioned on here selling Alu clad as well as some Aluminium frame companies and there are many pro's and cons with each. Initially I was pretty set on 3g but I simply can't ignore the potential additional cost, it could be the difference between getting the project started right away or waiting a while longer to save up the necessary funds. I'm even considering flush casement plastic windows as they look pretty decent but I'm yet to be convinced. Ultimately, this is our forever home and as such, I really don't want to make a decision I'll later regret. P.S - We're not building a passive house but it will be as air tight as we can make it (ICF construction married to brick and block)

@recoveringacademic Are you going to be installing this yourself? I'd be very interested to see how you get on as I'm planning on using this with the integrated solar tiles.

@Visti I'm speaking to them now. Do you have any pictures you could share? I'm finding it difficult to find contemporary looking projects of theirs.

That looks stunning @Mr Punter

@jpinthehouse Sorry for the late reply. Plans were only finalised today so I'm just about to get quotes in now. I do like the Idealcombi to be honest but will get quotes from as many sources as possible and narrow down based on price/ look/ quality etc.

Thanks for the recommendations all, it looks as though I might have over 200m2 of glass including doors/ windows/ roof lights so this is a pretty huge decision. I'm going to be getting a quote from everyone then compare features/ u-values/ pros and cons, and after all that, I'll go with the cheapest! lol

Do you guys have any recommendations or are you familiar with any companies who provide quality, reasonably priced slimline aluminium windows? The most mentioned on the site seem to be rational, but their frames are a little chunky for my preferences, I'm not looking for PH standards, so triple glazing is not necessary.

This Nu-Lok sounds ideal for my project!