Tony K

Its ridiculously close (nature of the plot I'm afraid). Probably about ten inches away from my new wall if measure five feet up at the main trunk. Its a Robinia, and I think it must be about thirty years or so.

If it helps, as an LPA planner who works in enforcement I would advise you that if you stray from your approved plans in any way then you are exposing yourself to risk. Even if the chances are that nothing ever comes from it, you need to be aware that the risk exists. There are very few projects of any type which don't evolve at all between the planning application stage and finishing on site, and that's the simple reality. At the same time, the value of putting a set of drawings in when seeking permission is reduced if we don't then stick to those plans when we build, increasingly so the greater the differences between what we build and what we asked for permission to build. The idea that you should sweep all the minor changes up into one accurate plan is correct, but as best you can you should do that before you build, just in case the Council don't approve those changes.

I'm working on the basis of a 200mm reinforced slab, then insulation plus screed to bury underfloor heating. The U value doesn't have to do anything more than meet Building Regs, so 0.3 overall. As a planner myself I should probably stress that the ridge height is always strictly set! The approved drawings are to scale, and show the overall height of the building relative to external ground, so yes I do have a fixed point I cannot exceed, though only in a way which is true of nearly all permissions.

Hi, The base /slab of my selfbuild bungalow has to bridge over the roots of a large protected tree which is in close proximity. I will probably use mini piles and a raft, but the top of the roots may be higher than I thought, which in turn may push the FFL up and perhaps leave me having to go back in for planning if that affects the rest of it. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of clever ways to minimise the depth of the slab / base and perhaps the floor insulation etc? That may save me a lot of bother if I can get the total thickness down enough to compensate for raising the underside of the base. Thanks

That's neat and tidy. Which shelf did they come off of please? The look like they just go straight on top of sheet timber?

Mine is a new build and I had anticipated setting panels into the roofslope, and so had thought about the savings in terms of slates and roofing labour. It does occur to me though that the sections of roof under the panels will need to be treated with something (GRP perhaps?) which will have a cost, including labour. It won't be anything like the cost of posh slates, but it is to be factored in, especially if it makes the roof carcass more complex, as that may increase the roofers price to put it all together..... Perhaps? All in all, it seems to me that I have very little to lose by sticking in PVs. If I shop around for best prices (including Mikes idea of some second hand ones) and am careful with the initial outlay, then even if I never quite master the disciplines of most effective self use as set out by ProDave, the panels will contribute something at least over their lifetimes. Even if that never quite reaches the initial outlay cost, I'd be pretty unlucky for it to fall far short. Given the potential benefits, the panels seem a risk well worth taking.

Peter - what data / clacs have you used to guide you in your procrastination, and has the detailed advice offered by ProDave (for which thanks) affected your decision? It sounds like there is not-insignificant care required when purchasing, installing, designing and even using panels in order for them to be worthwhile.

Hi all, hoping to tap in to some experience / knowledge on this subject. I hope to break ground on my new self build house after Xmas. It will be small (110m2 approx) but has a south facing pitched roof which I estimate could host about 17m2 of panels. I have been searching for generic cost/benefit calculations, and most of them seem so suggest that domestic panels are reliant upon FIT etc to make the panels pay for themselves inside of 20-30 years. One fairly well researched article went so far as to suggest that in the absence of FIT, the panels may not pay for themselves at all based on electricity bill savings alone. In addition to the above, I have seen some articles suggesting that 17m2 is just too small a surface area to make panels worthwhile, making me doubt the wisdom of installing them at all. We aim to stay in the house for a long time, and so I can play the long game and am happy to invest in good kit upfront. I am aware that as prices from the grid go up over time, the investment in panels will perhaps become a better one, but I would still like some guidance on whether, if all things remain as they are now, I would be making a sensible investment by installing panels. I am working on the basis of PV panels feeding a battery, by the way. Thanks for any assistance!

Thanks everyone, I have PM'd those who made the offer, and am grateful for all the advice as ever!

Does anyone have a spreadsheet breakdown of their self build costs for anew house they wouldn't mind sharing (even if the figures are removed)? I am not trying to use anyone else's spreadsheet as a costs guide, I just want as thorough a list of itemised costs as I can get to save me drawing up my own one from scratch when so many people must have done it already. Thanks

This is all very helpful, thank you all. I think my instinct is to try and find a firm to do as much of the design and building of the shell as possible before taking over at roof level. I am intrigued by ICF as a solution, and will speak to some ICF firms, as well as some general design and build firms, and take it from there. Any tips on distinguishing good firms from bad would be welcome, but thanks for all this so far in any event.

Thank you very much for this info, especially the link to your blog JSHarris - it is very interesting and useful. My plot is not a challenging as yours, but will need a good Structural Engineer as I have to contend with neighbouring trees very close by, and the design I have come up with involves a partially sunken bedroom block, the bottom one metre or so of which will be dug into the ground. As you say in your blog, design is largely a matter of responding to the site constraints, and that is certainly true in my case. My own list of 'to-dos' looks like: Confirm my mortgage in principle for the works (I am told this should be OK, but see you have a cautionary tale to tell). Locate any underground pipes on the land (somehow?). Contact Water, Drainage and Electricity companies to arrange connection for the plot. Thereafter I will need to decide between three routes (I think): 1. Employ an architects technician (or suchlike), a structural engineer, and some sort of renewable energy consultant to turn my very basic plans into 'proper' building drawings. Then tender the different parts of the build out (groundworks, walls, roof etc and so on), managing different sub contractors along the way. 2. Take the 'proper' drawings to various contractors and get quotes for them to do most or all of it. 3. Get a design and build firm to do both the drawings and the work. I favour the first option as I have a plumber, electrician, roofer and plasterer I have used before and trust, but wonder if I am missing a trick by not getting one firm to take it all on? I work full time as does my wife, we have three young children and I have enough experience of doing building work myself on our existing house to know that it is stressful and time-consuming, probably more so than I can accommodate on this project! Any advice on the best route is again welcome. I am a planner by trade and happy to help anyone else out with questions on that front by the way.

Hi, I have planning permission for a new house on land I own. I am now wading through the various literature on what to do next, and have concluded that whilst I would be happy dealing with sub contractors and trades from DPC upwards I am too far out of my comfort zone with the stuff that comes before that. I wonder if anyone can suggest the best method, or a checklist of to-dos, from obtaining planning permission to DPC? Everything from paperwork (insurance, warranty, detailed design spec, engineers drawings, renewable energy tech etc) to the actual physical works, which in my case are likely to be a bit complex and awkward. I would be happy to find one person or firm to take on all of the above, but am unsure what type of person or firm is best. Any advice gratefully received.