Square Feet

Let's see it then.

That's interesting, thanks. Do you have a rough idea of the cost of it? I've been on their website but it's a bit opaque as they want you to get your installer to fit it. It does look cool though. Edited: Never mind, I've found it here. https://midsummerwholesale.co.uk/buy/renewable-heat-accessories/adia-thermal

I was really interested to read this article in the current Passivehouse+ magazine. It turns 'fabric first' on it's head and argues that installing an ASHP is more important than the full hit of retro-fitted environmental measures ie wall and floor insulation, triple glazing etc. It chimed with me as I recently sold a flat I had bought to renovate after getting completely bogged down in retro-fit eco options. I was extremely concerned that much of what was proposed by the organisations offering this service would stop the building from breathing properly and store up considerable problems in the future. Of course, by then they would be well clear of the picture having trousered a big wedge of government cash and I would potentially be left with an unmortgageable property and a hefty bill to put things right. I do understand the argument that an ASHP won't work efficiently in an otherwise inefficient building, but I do think it is a lot more nuanced than what it is being sold as. I think I'd agree that we have made it too difficult for many people to retrofit to a decent standard, which coupled with a dire labour shortage in the relevant trades, means that progress is glacially slow (pun intended). https://passivehouseplus.ie/magazine/insight/fabric-softener

I am hoping to build a lot of the panels/frames of the structure myself in an onsite shelter of some sort and then pay people to help me erect it. Hopefully that will mitigate the issue of paying more in wages if it takes longer. I don't earn much more than minimum wage and in the gig economy that is further reduced by not getting sick pay, holiday pay etc. It's more cost-effective for me to build as much of this as I am able rather than work my job for the equivalent of something like a tenner an hour to pay someone hundreds a day. Gus is going to design it with that in mind.

Of the famous 'pick 2 of 3' I would go for cheaper and better before quicker. My funding isn't all in place and there will be a significant gap between the tranche that will fund the wind-and-watertight shell and the tranche that will fund the interior fitout. So taking longer to get things right and save money isn't a huge problem.

Yes some sort of solar pergola/brise soleil was what I have been thinking. I will make a separate thread on that though as it will get lost in here.

Can you add what the local merchants had quoted you for comparison? Also if both quotes include delivery etc. Cheers

Yes it bothers me alright. I have been thinking, but I haven't come up with an effective solution yet. I'm not blind to the issue though.

Thanks for this. There's lots I really like about Neil's own house (and some that I don't 😂). I'm not surprised to hear that they are associated with Mary Arnold Foster as their designs have a similar feel. I really love what they are doing and the new approach to Highland architecture. I'm hoping it will work just as well here in the south of Scotland.

I should say that ETC has agreed to have a look at my plans and give me their thoughts. So I'm going to wait and see what they say before I change anything else. I still really value all the feedback I've received in here so far though.

1 - I think the fact that the factory is literally on the doorstep makes me want to properly consider the hemp option. I've been in touch with them and although they have made no promises yet, I am hoping that a deal can be done for direct supply. It doesn't seem that expensive when bought retail though. They've given me some samples and it's a lot stiffer than mineral/rockwool which I like. It doesn't seem like it's going to be prone to slumping, which is what I've found in a lot of the houses I've renovated that have mineral wool insulation. I'm still at an early stage with all this and I am not going to knuckleheadedly insist on anything at this stage. I'm just exploring possibilities, but my preference is definitely for the hemp if possible. 2 - I did have a straight wall with overhang in an earlier version of the plans but I cranked it later as I was worried about the north end of it catching the prevailing wind and introducing a lot of wind-load stress onto the structure. Also the SW corner of the living space wasn't doing much, so it felt ok to sacrifice a bit. I completely get what you are saying re angles being tricky and the need to avoid introducing unnecessary complexity, but I do really, really like the slanted overhang. I also like the way the roofline stays as a rectangle and it's just that end gable wall that angles. 3 - I guess the building doesn't seem like it needs to be wider though - I don't think the living/dining need more space. My living room in my current flat is 8x4m and it's just ridiculous. The kitchen/diner next door is the same size and feels perfect, but that much space for the living room is actually a bit impractical. I actually did first put the plant room etc in the exact area you mentioned ie where the armchairs are in my current drawing but moved it away later on as I couldn't find a decent place to put the telly without it blocking the view! In Old Holloway the living room is where I have my kitchen and that's an option for it, but it felt a bit too small there, mostly because of the central door to the bedrooms. It's a good point re airtightness detailing for the lean-to though. Another point is that a steeper roof is better for winter solar generation - the time when you really need it most. The payoff of less generation in summer should be ok as it's not as critical then. If I go wider I would need to go higher with the ceilings/roofline to keep the same roof pitch and both are fairly optimised at 40 degrees (though I have taken on board what @ProDave said about 45 degrees being more practical to build and intend to raise that with Gus later). 4 - I can see what you mean. It would make use of space I don't really need up there, but I do worry that it would mean getting the ladder out every time I want to change a filter or re-boot something. Everything is a compromise though, and maybe that's the lesser one in this case. It doesn't seem very 'old age' friendly though (I'm 55).

I'm not totally sure what I mean by space frame to be completely honest. It's what @Gus Potter has been calling it and I haven't had time to deep dive into the implications of that yet.

I guess the eco credentials of the building are something that is important to me. I don't want to fill my house with off-gassing chemicals if at all possible and I'd like to keep the environmental impact of the building to a minimum. The cranked gable end has always been there - I'm surprised you all missed it 😂 It comes from this house in Herefordshire that featured on GD in in 2019 or so. I really love it and the idea of connection to the outside whatever the weather. It's angled the way it is so that the outside glass would block the prevailing wind and mean you could sit out there or even just have the patio/bifold door open in windy or rainy weather and be protected. Being outdoors is a big part of my life so I really do think it would get a lot of use. The lean-to was a way of stopping the building getting too long and thin whilst providing a buffer zone for a muddy me and keeping noisy machines out of the way. I'm open to suggestions though, especially if they save me money.

I'm still working on this, but here's the latest iteration.

It's purely financial - money's too tight to mention. I won't have much money on a day-to-day basis at the end of this either, so keeping it small and manageable will help. There's always compromises to be made.

I should maybe say that I work as a delivery driver so I don't need WFH or client visit space. I do use my computer quite a lot though, I think it's just a tool that we all need in modern life and I do love being able to do things on my desktop so that I can properly see what I'm doing. I probably spend too much time on it atm, so I don't want it in my main living space where it might tempt me to use it more.

It's a good idea that I can see the merits of, but I love my dining table and sitting around it with friends. I enjoy cooking but I don't go to town on it - the kitchen isn't a big part of my life. I'm going to dig my heels in and say that I really want the dining and kitchen round the way they are, but I really appreciate the opportunity to fully think that through.

I think I'm probably at the stage now where drawing it up a bit more precisely would help as the few mm of discrepancy will add up when repeated enough. Many thanks for all your help with this so far.

Yeah I thought about one of those, but you still need 900mm of space for the door to open. Maybe a pocket door would solve it. The view to the south is stunning. To the north is not that great - mostly a stone wall. I was thinking that the lean-to would be out of the insulated envelope but still fairly well insulated. I've drawn it with 200mm thick walls instead of 350mm. I think a single is ok for bed 3. I know plenty of singletons. The view to the south:

Thanks, some food for thought there. I do come home very muddy at times so the toilet in the lean-to was for that and also for when working outside, with the additional option for guests or if someone is watching TV after others have gone to bed too. If possible I'd like a shower in there so I can hose myself off and get out of my muddy kit before I get into the main space, but I haven't done the maths to see if it will fit yet. The plantroom could probably be smaller to help with that. I guess I was thinking of the way my son keeps completely different hours to me (and often wakes me up) when I put the bathroom further away. But that'd probably happen anyway with doors opening and closing etc. I will swap the bathroom and study back around as you are right, it does work better that way. I don't think I want the study in the lean-to. In my head it has a bunk bed above the desk somehow and I would want all that in the main building. I don't think I need a dedicated pantry - the kitchen is pretty big and there's the freezer in the mudroom and the possibility of shelves for bulk tins or dry goods etc in there too. This would be my ideal Bedroom 3/Study, but I can't figure out how to get it to fit. I think I would need around 2200mm of width (maybe more) to get it all in.

Forgot to answer the question re insulation. I don't want blown insulation as I think it will slump and not fill the edges properly. I am hoping to use hemp insulation as the factory is very close to the plot and I like the idea of limited transport miles. It's a really nice product but will probably increase the wall thickness and overall cost. Gus and I are investigating the possibility of building with a space frame atm, but it's early days.

Here's my revised drawing. Still some tweaking and 'lining up' to do but it's just a sketch at this stage.

On my drawing south is to the top of the page - north is at the bottom where the Sketchup logo is. I have put it on my revised drawing which I will post below. Did you get that round the wrong way or have I misunderstood you? I have made Bed 1 a bit wider and the kit/dining a bit smaller. I changed the island to a return/spur thingy so that you can see right down the corridor when you are sitting there and it doesn't foul the door so much. I think it also gives a purpose to the support wall in the middle of the kit/dining/living space. I didn't make the utility bigger as that would mean the roof pitch for the lean-to would be a bit unworkable I think. Needs to be 1.8m at the lowest wall point inside so that doesn't mean much projection for the building when it starts at 2.4m. Thanks for the positive comments. I was expecting to get ripped to shreds, so it's been a pleasant surprise. I had it that way to start with but changed my mind later on. I want the bathroom nearer to the living space for guests to use and also it moves it further away from Bed1 to keep noise transfer down. I totally get what you are saying re HW pipe runs and it has bothered me too but I was wondering if I could put the HW tank in the ceiling above one of the smaller rooms ie bathroom if I put a flat ceiling in there. Crazy unworkable idea or perfectly normal? Thanks for going to the trouble to redraw this Mike. I'ts perhaps a bit confusing but north is at the bottom in my drawings so that would mean the kitchen was in the best south facing bit of the house and the dining room in the cold dark north. Having the dining table near the fabulous view is really important I think.

Here's a link to a vid about Old Holloway for anyone who might be interested.

I think so - especially if I can get the level of the decking to match the flooring inside so that it all seems to the eye to flow on outwards.