The Reverend

Some very good suggestions on here and some no so good. It is Marestail / Horsetail and you do need to keep on top of it. Like Ivy it's best sprayed young before the wax coating hardens, bruising the leaves (weed wiping) is the commercial way of treating it using Glyphosate 360 and an adjudicative like Validate. I have had good results with SBK brushwood killer and Validate but it is suggested to use Kplus(https://www.progreen.co.uk/blog/how-to-get-rid-of-woody-weeds-with-sbk-brushwood-killer/) Burn the weeds and please don't put them in the compost or council green bins as this just spreads the problem.

just hoe around the plants you want to keep.

This is how I would like to see building up in the UK

@Jim30 Hi Jim, How far away are the services as this can add up. I don't know about ICF or floor frames but £3000 seems low. We are also planning to do a lot of the labour and coming in at a projected £2000/Sqm but had to make some tough choices long the way and said goodbye to the log burner and zinc roof.

I believe any department can apply for Section 106 money provided it is linked to the area in which the development is occurring. There has to be an improvement and not to subsidise that which should be done as maintenance. For instance I could not pull down some rusty railings to replace them or paint them but I could pull them down and replace with a dry stone wall costing 10 times as much. @SteamyTea I'm an advocate for building up not out. Cardiff has just approved building on farm land to the west of Cardiff and 3 farmers have not had their tenancy renewed so building has started.☹

CIL is, in my opinion, a bribe (in many cases) for Councils to grant inappropriate planning approvals to commercial developers. I understand that Councils need the money to invest in shops, schools and public amenities but they get this through Council tax anyway. The vast majority of new builds in my area are green field developments with hedgerow and woodland being destroyed and why, because it's cheap. Lots of profits to be had from lower construction costs and higher retail prices for out-of-town housing. Building on brownfield sites has demolishen costs, decontamination costs, recycled materials cost and disposing of waste costs. Plus increased costs for upgrading sewers and other infrastructure which means delays in profits for the developer. Better to bung the Council a large brown envelope full of cash and be able to build what where the rest of us would never get planning permission for even a modest home.

Hello, Welcome to the forum

I think you will have a big problem with solar gain if you are going for near passive house (haus) standard. Shading options may look out of place so you will need to budget for heat reflecting glazing. ASHP can work (check heat geeks video) with surprisingly little room but not sure about below ground level as this could be a cold/damp well which may reduce efficiency. Lots of people on here with real world experience though.

Cats & pigeons get ready! We are a long way off planning the wiring runs for our new build but a recent conversation with our electrician neighbour got me thinking about 2 way and 3 way switches for bottom/top and exit out of rooms. The details aren't important unless we have to squeeze 9 cables into a switch box but remote controlled (not smart) light switches have been around for many years so is it time to do away with the wired light switch. I'm sure purists would say no and youngsters (under 50) would get with the times but I don't know if it would be allowed under building regs. What do you think (he says lighting blue touch paper and retiring to safe distance😁) Thinkbee MINI Wireless Light Switch Kit, Quick Create or Relocate On/Off Switch for In-/Outdoor Lamp up to 1000W, No Wiring/Easy-installing/Portable/Waterproof Switch Remote Control Up to 1300ft,

Having a good giggle at all the banter.🤣 I don't see how anyone could (he says) argue that burning wood is not carbon neutral but using it and reusing on site for other things, studs, wedges would be best. I'm not sure that transporting the off-cuts to the local Council for them to put it on truck to move it to a pulping factory of wood chip manufacturer is better. Building waste, especially if it's treated can't go to composting for instance due to the nasty chemicals in it. I have worked for waste management at the Local authority so I have, on this occasion, an informed (semi) view.😉 but still open to corrections.

For the UK it would be 150mm I think but LABC says 125mm

My Accountant (Wife) has been very clear about what I claim for regarding VAT. HMRC has a web page devoted to self build VAT reclaim but the short version (Rules of thumb), you can claim for items that form the fabric of the building. So nails and screws but not sandpaper or tools, you can't claim VAT on labour so if you buy a "package" it's a single item but if you employ a builder you can only reclaim the materials. Ask for any bills to split the materials and labour so you can reclaim part of the cost. There's lots of information on the self build magazines or HMRC itself but you will need an interpreter 🤣

This may help https://www.labcwarranty.co.uk/technical-blog/a-step-by-step-guide-to-level-thresholds

The difficulty you will have is pooling, creep and wind driven rain. A common practice is to use a ramp up to a plateau and then cross the thresh-hold, see your local council flats entrance. I'm going to face the same issue but hoping a french drain in front of the doors will solve the 150mm issue.

"In an emergency situation they can take steps to remove the danger immediately. " The Council will say this is a private matter as it's not close to a highway and won't want to get involved. I understand your concern but there is very little you may be able to achieve and you still have to live next door. Maybe write to your neighbor expressing a concern about damage from unintended consequences such as the trenches collapsing or acro failure and keep a record that you sent it. Ask for permission to speak to the builder if you're concerned. It may be pushing it but ask if the building/builder is insured but by the sound of it it's unlikely, I feel for you because it seems there is a risk of damage to your property.

I'd be interested in the answer too

I can't see a step (heel) on the back of the retaining wall so I would be concerned about settlement and hydro-static pressure building up. Tanking the wall as @Radian suggests will deal with potential water staining. French drain to a soakaway or rainwater gully should be considered if it's not too late and back fill with plenty of clean hardcore to 45 degrees woven geotextile and top off with soil. Render is popular because it's relatively cheap and produces clean lines but if you wanted flint then just push it into the render, which does not have to be white(see cement pigments) but use a "whiter" cement for light pigments. Scattered tiles in the render can also break up the appearance or be creative and a do a mosiac. There are plenty of 20-25mm large tile to top off the wall but if the budget allows slate provides a great contrast.

@ToughButterCup That sounds very reasonable for piles. Who did you use, if you don't mind me asking.

Piles and a ground ring beam maybe? Tree protection zone is 12 x diameter of tree at chest height

Check for any covenants on your deeds, it should say. Then contact open reach wayleave department. https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/obtaining-wayleaves/wayleave-address-change-request They wanted 10K to move a pole but agreed to do it for free if I had it moved to another spot on our plot. Once house is built I will see how obtrusive it is and then review if it needs relocating.

While the cellulose itself may not be harmful I'm concerned about the Borasic Acid and Ammonium sulfate that it's treated with. I'll think I will stick with rockwool for the roof and hemp for the walls. Thank you for suggesting it though.

I wish contractors would think as you do.

Our architect suggested it but there are some pretty nasty chemicals added to make it fire proof resistant. On top of that is all the taping of joints to make it air tight and what happens to the tapes when the adhesion dries out and gaps appear, if moisture then gets in I dread to think of the mess that would be created. It's just my opinion but a lot of modern building construction seems to be short term 'in the moment' options and only time will tell if these system work.

I had a quick look but it's 50 pages and I couldn't find hempcrete. Did I miss it?

Vehicle excise Duty changes were announced in autumn statement 2022. (Proposal is below)☹ Proposed revisions Schedule 2 of VERA 1994 will be amended so that the electrically propelled vehicle exemption no longer applies to cars, vans and motorcycles. The exemption for cars with low CO2 emissions will also be omitted. Schedule 1 will be amended so that electric cars, vans and motorcycles are liable to pay the same rates as petrol and diesel vehicles. Schedule 1 will also be amended so that new electric cars will be eligible to pay the higher rate of duty, commonly known as the expensive car supplement. The Graduated Vehicle Excise Duty (Prescribed Types of Fuel) Regulations 2001 will also be revoked so that hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles are no longer eligible for the reduced rate.