Tony K

Having obtained planning permission and put together the technical plans, the big day is approaching. Some time soon I will commence site clearance, and begin to build! I am thinking of creating a time lapse video of the project. This may or may not go on YouTube or somewhere, but will in any event be a nice record for me to look back on when I'm old and grey (or older and more grey anyway). Does anyone have any experience of this? I am not sure which camera to go for. It seems I can get an outdoor one designed for construction projects like this.... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brinno-BCC100/dp/B00EA1EODE ....but I don't know enough (i.e. anything at all) about it. Any experience out there? Thanks

Thanks all.

Hi, Am putting the finishing touches to the building regs plans for my self build, and have reached the stage where I am paying Thames Water and UK Power Networks to arrange connection of water, foul and electricity to the plot. I understand that I also need to arrange connection for Wi Fi etc, but am not sure what the current physical requirements are in the wireless age. Do I need a cable connected or not? Also, I presume I have to go to BT for any physical connection? Any guidance gratefully received!

Thanks very much, appreciate it.

Thanks. I should have phrased that better! I'm not suggesting I should cut corners, I'm thinking more about whether I'm going to double up on a part of the roof by the time I've added the bits that go under the sedum. Does anyone have any spec for a diy sedum roof?

Hi I have planning permission for my new build, it's a flat roof bungalow, total roof area approx 100m2. I would like a green roof, and have presumed that it will be an extensive one, probably in the 500mm x 500mm trays that you just stick together on site. The advice I have received from a couple of green roof tray firms is that (other than ensuring the roof can take the weight) I should just build to normal standards and then plonk the trays on top later. For me this might mean posi-joists, then 100mm insulation, then board, then GRP. I would probably have a normal 1:40 run to gutters and a downpipe. That is certainly what I'd do if I didn't have the green roof aspect, though only because it is what I am familiar with. My question is: Am I missing a trick here? Do I have clever options at my disposal? I'll never see the roof surface once its under the tiles, so all I'm interested in is the waterproof performance, and can I get that cheaper than with GRP? Do I really need to build a roof like normal, or is there a better way? I also wonder if I need normal gutters etc? Would I get away with a couple of downpipes, or even chains, from the edge of the roof given how much the green trays will soak up? I don't have an architect to design this, as this is a small project which I am desperately trying to keep very simple! Thanks

Thanks all. Has anyone found a difference in quality between standard units and custom made ones at all?

Afternoon. I have planning permission for my self build, which I obtained using my own drawings. No architect or engineer has touched this project yet, and I doubt I'll use the former at all. I have drawn a basic kitchen layout already, and am now firming up the details. Following a bit of research I feel my best bet here is to place the main appliances where I want them (having considered the work triangle etc) then essentially fit everything else (the cupboards mostly, though also the secondary stuff like microwave, recycling bins etc) around those main appliances, subject to the variety of design guidelines available online. As this is being done from scratch, I can set the kitchen out so that the gaps between the main appliances are all multiples of 600mm or 300mm. My thinking here is that units come in those dimensions, and by laying out my kitchen accordingly I can proceed to design the plumbing and electric to supply the main appliances, then keep my eye out for the best deals on good kitchen units between now and construction. Once I see some standad units I like, I can pick them up and get a fitter to install them. The alternative seems to be that Wren (or whoever) design something for me. They were talking in terms of not having standard dimension units. If I had a gap of 800mm, they would build me an 800mm cupboard. I'd be interested to know.... 1. Is there actually any value in Wren, Howdens or Wickes designing my kitchen? Are they going to add value that I won't? Am I likely to miss a vital consideration, or is it pretty straightforward really? 2. Is my approach sound, or am I over-valuing the idea of a layout based on multiples of 600mm? 3. Am I actually likely to get a really good range of options and quality in standard 600mm units, or do I have to go down the tailored/built route to get decent stuff anyway? Any thoughts welcome! Cheers

This is the sort of thing I mean: https://www.diy.com/departments/white-pvcu-vertical-sliding-sash-window-window-h-1190mm-w-890mm/1813417_BQ.prd You can't get in in the store, but they say they deliver in 21 days so I presume that they are not being built from scratch and are in fact stored somewhere. The windows in my self build are to be very much normal shape and size, so I would not be compromising in any way if I got 'off the shelf' ones. Just wondered if anyone else has done any cost / benefit comparisons with getting fitted windows made?

On a few occasions now I have heard that a self builder saved money by using ‘standard size’ windows. I am aware that there isn’t really such a thing as a standard size, and presume this to simply mean that the builder created openings in their new homes to fit windows which they had already bought off the shelf, as opposed to creating openings and then getting made-to-measure windows installed. I can see how this might save money, and it could work on my self build. I do wonder though where one goes to get good quality ‘standard size’ windows, especially ones with very good u-values etc. Has anyone been down this road, and did it actually work out noticeably cheaper than getting windows supplied to fit? Thanks, as always.

Whole thing would be refused, though if an NMA is refused all it means is that the works are too significant to be considered non-material. It doesn't necessarily mean the Council doesn't like them, just that you need a planning application for them. Should also point out that one of the factors in considering whether your amendments are material or not is how many there are (the cumulative impact), so assessing them separately would defeat the object a little!

It's very frustrating but without making any wider or political point, this is what austerity looks like I'm afraid.

I know him well enough already to be making arrangements which don't rely on his cooperation! The land came with our house, we've lived here for 15 years, he lives miles away and rents it out. Limited access for bits of roofing is something I can work out with the tenant if need be.

Shouldn't need to. It's single storey and that wall will be blocks laid over hand from my side.

I think it's only if their foundation is close by rather than their land.

Mini piles will be used with a slab on top so shouldn't be an issue.

I may well shape the building around the tree in that the part of the house closest to the roots will have floor to ceiling cupboards anyway, so can be on a raised plinth which can be formed within the shape of the slab itself. My concern is the rest of the floor area, hence the question about slab depth minimums. It's not a tpo but is protected by condition, and as I say, I like it.

Depends entirely on the context. Conservation area? Visible elevation in a key part of the street? If so then possibly you need to go to the planners. Otherwise probably not, but it's always a matter of fact and degree based on the exact circumstances of the case. Check the conditions of your permission. If the council has imposed conditions relating to Windows then they are probably a big deal, as would be any changes to them. Otherwise probably not.

Yep, agreed, but every plot has its downsides, and mine is small with a tree too close. The upsides of the plot more than compensate in this instance, and I'm happy to work around this one issue.

The plot is what it is, including the tree! By using piles and bridging over the roots I am creating a build where it won't matter if the tree comes down in the future. There is to be a void former used to create space enough to accommodate future root growth.

Perimeter to floor ratio is 0.52 of I've calculated correctly. I am having ufh yes. The slab will probably be sat on mini piles.

Ta for the suggestions all. I am of course considering all options including removing the tree, but as I said, I like it and want it to stay if possible. Presuming the slab can't be made slimmer than 200mm, does anyone know how little I can get away with in terms of insulation and screed etc?

The tree belongs to the neighbouring landowner, an absent landlord who can be uncooperative at times, and is a very nice backdrop to the new house anyway. Even if I can convince the council to let me fell it, I'd then have to deal with the neighbour and lose the benefit of the tree, none of which I fancy particularly. I can of course go back to planning for a redesign, but if there is a way to engineer a solution outside of that then I'd certainly explore it.

This question is asked a lot, and the answer always depends on the circumstances of the case. You can seek a certificate of lawfulness from the council to confirm that the planning permission has been commenced (anything less is not secure enough in my opinion). Whether the council grant one is likely to depend on whether you can demonstrate that the demolition was intended as part of the redevelopment rather than an unrelated operation. Anything you can supply to prove that will help. Alternatively, you only need to dig a foundation trench on site to keep the permission alive, so it may be easier to do that and record it properly.

Yep, everything you have said is correct and it sounds like you are factoring in the correct things when assessing risk (though in every setting there are a great many unknowns - you may have a local busybody in any neighbourhood who likes reporting things for instance, and whilst Councils do not like these people, they can't ignore them either, and they tend to crop up were you least expect them). If faced with a decision as to whether to make a change to your plans without reverting back to the planning dept, the factor you have perhaps to attach most weight to in my opinion is: how serious would it be for me if I ended up having to change this back to match the original plans? Whilst you are quite right that an enforcement notice is not a big deal in itself (though it can upset lenders and buyers a bit), it's more the cost of doing what the notice asks of you that can be the hard bit. If you are thinking of adding a door instead of a window, you may decide to proceed without going back to the planners as the cost of having to change it back is not too bad if the worst should ever come to the worst. I'd probably do that myself. If you find that your roof ridge needs to creep up a bit on the other hand, you are in a different area altogether. The cost of changing that later if you had to doesn't bear thinking about, so whatever you do, go to the planners first.