Curious

This barn is 17'4" wide on the inside and goes back a depth of 58' I would like to construct a second floor to double my workspace myself. I have the right tools and Im capable but Im not sure which route to take. I dont want any supports from below as it will encroach on the ground floor space. Will something like an 8"x2" timer span that or should I be using some steels or an engineered product? There seems to be room on the top of the blockwork to rest the edges on or at least there is good sold material if and additional supports need fixing to it. The top of the block work is just over 8' high. Your thoughts and suggestions would be welcome guys.

Or unless thats all the land you have.

Guys, I have plans being prepared for a garage and a workshop at my home. The garage will be 5.5m x 5m and the workshop will be 3m x 10m, these are outside dimensions. I want to insulate these well for both sound proofing and warmth. I want to try and keep my noise inside and the noise of the world out as well as them being reasonably thermally efficient. Both will end up relying on electric heating as they are detached from the main house. Both structures will have a facing brick exterior with a mono pitch roof, what are your thoughts on a construction method? The architect suggested a single brick skin then a membrane and cladding the walls with insulated panels etc, I was expecting it to be brick and block but Ive never had anything built before so dont know why I had that idea really. I would be grateful to hear anyones thoughts, Im trying to keep the budget sensible so space shuttle insulation ideas wont work, it needs to be readily available systems. Thanks in advance.

I live in a country village in a row of seven terraced houses. At the front of the houses there is a strip of land approx 20m deep that runs from one end of the terrace to the other and it has provided front gardens to all the houses for well over 50yrs. Over the years some residents have secured adverse possession, in my case I haven't yet. My garden has been fenced and tended by the owners of my house for 35+yrs but in my own case for the last 14yrs unhindered. Im told this should be an easy case of taking ownership through the adverse possession system as its never been contested, nobody has ever laid claim to the land and I have amassed more than 12yrs unhindered possession in my ownership. I was quoted £700 by a local firm to do the work needed and the timescale they said would be 6 months. Has anyone done this themselves, how easy/hard was it and could it be done faster than 6 months if I did it myself? Thanks in advance guys.

Its like James Bond stuff all this ? Thanks for the heads up though guys.

Im based in Northumberland Peter. I have a friend/mentor building regularly in and around Birmingham and he tells me he builds for £1200/m2 without doing any work other than managing the project and buying sensibly. My plan is to do similar as Im not physically able to do any work myself. Im currently doing my homework on a plot that already has PP for a 200m2 5 bed two story house, 2 bathroom and attached double garage. For the sums to work out I really need the house to come in at £240,000 finished, that would include a small amount of landscaping. Without a crystal ball its a daunting task trying to estimate this at the moment.

Oops ?

Thanks for the reply guys. Im trying to do initial costings on the basis of £120/m2 and someone threw me off the scent a little by suggesting I should factor in utility connections on top.

Very much so

Exactly

Guys, When I see people quoting a cost per m2 does that usually include the cost of getting the drains and utilities connected or is that for the structure only?

Thanks for the welcome guys. I worked for 10yrs in property renovation 2000-2010 so I have some skills and understanding. I also know tradesmen who I would trust to sub work out to and I also have a friend who has built houses for 40yrs now as a developer so he understands the game pretty well. Sadly he is based in the Midlands and Im in Northumberland so although he knows the game in general he doesn't know the specifics of my area. My motives are a little mercenary in the sense Im trying to make some money from this. I have a 10yr plan to build and sell maybe 2-3 houses in this time. Hopefully a profit from each will help to secure my retirement. I dont think this is a case of making easy money, Im aware of the work and risks and maybe Im being a little naive but I know people not half as sharp as me who have done it successfully. Time will tell...

By username and nature! I've reached a point in my life at 50yrs old that its time to build a house. Apologies in advance for having more questions than answers ☺️