Grian

Brilliant! Thank you so much for this advice. Roads dept have said today that they aren't concerned about the new entrance so that is two massive steps forward. I don't care if it is Monday, this calls for half a cider!

When my house was built I was connected to an existing transformer approximately 80m to my north. I feel they mentioned this was as far as they would lay cable before requiring a new transformer - I remember being hugely relieved they didn't! I always planned to have a holiday accommodation 'hut' in the garden and to this end the electrician connected about 40m of heavy duty cable to the house, ready for when it was built. I've found a much better spot for the hut, but it is another 80m beyond the house, and wonder if it is going to be possible to extend electricity that far? I think there is capacity in the transformer for this. This is the diagram from my connection quote showing what is in place. In case it is relevant, the hut is for 2 occupants, it would have a normal cooker (ceramic not induction), a shower, a panel heater... A new transformer would be prohibitive so the alternative would be to go off-grid, but it is in a sheltered spot shaded from the south so solar would be difficult - unless I could run a very long cable from the adjacent hillside. My poor effort at photoshopping the hut onto the site below. Thank you in advance and apologies if I have left out key info, I suspect if it isn't included then I don't know it.

Argyll has pods and huts aplenty and the planners were surprisingly comfortable with the evolution of my hybrid, though very particular about the actual siting, down to the last meter. My concern has been Building Control and the mobile criteria but a timber ring beam should to be just the job, what a relief to have a solution. As soon as I understand the spec required then I will press on before there are new hoops to jump through (the short-term lets licensing was a twinkle in the politician's eye when I started this project!). Again many thanks indeed for all the input!

I'm in Scotland, Argyll. Thank you for replies. I will look at your blog Crofter, sounds as though you have the solution, muchos gracias!

I obtained planning permission to build a shepherd's hut (5.4 x 2.6m) for letting in the curtilage of our house - the topography means it needs to be built on site. I didn't actually want the expense of the chassis and the planning authority agreed to me not having it so it is now going to be a hut-shaped pod (bed, kitchenette, en-suite). I do still need the building to be mobile so that Building Regs only involvement remains in the connection to the septic tank. As I understand it the building has only to be technically mobile - i.e. though the site is not accessible by crane if I could demonstrate that the structure could be moved using one then that would satisfy requirements. The other alternative I am aware of is to build it on skids, again it wouldn't be easy to actually tow it away but that shouldn't matter. For either of these options to work the structure would need to be adapted, I imagine, to cope with the hypothetical means of transport. I would be very grateful for advice how best to do it in order to convince the building regs inspector it definitely is 'mobile'? Thank you!

Thanks, several things I'd not been aware of. Naively thought it might be easier than tongue and groove, but most importantly for me the need to treat with fire retardant. I'm trying to be as green and chemical free as possible. However would this also be a concern for tongue and groove - or is it the glue or some other characteristic that makes the ply more flammable?

Thanks. Similar but cheaperer, https://sheetmaterialswholesale.co.uk/18mm-chilean-radiata-pine-softwood-plywood-2440mm-x-1220mm-8-x-4/ I wonder if it is adequate quality.

I'm considering this for my shepherd's hut interior, as an alternative to the usual tongue and groove lining. Has anyone any thoughts on whether this is a good material to use? There is no wood stove, only a standard cooker, so is there any more fire risk than if using actual timber cladding? Does it need a special finish? Is it very expensive in the right quality? Thank you!

Thank you - on the next island up I know you know what driving rain is!! Hmmm, by drainage void, do you mean the tin should be on battens? Seems the hut-making norm to attach to OSB. Or is the wriggle in the tin the drainage void?

Thanks, excellent information! Regarding bending, I had a conversation online with someone who seemed to have done it as they fixed the sheet to their hut, elsewhere i have seen examples where people construct a thing to hold the tin and they pre-bend it. None of it generates confidence, but sometimes things are not as hard as they seem. Sometimes of course they are worse!

Thanks very much, appreciate it!

Could collect in an Ifor Williams trailer

Argyll. Could reach central belt, Inverness etc easy enough.

Phew, good to hear! Thank you. Knowing nothing I can't tell whether some of these timber types would be very short lived, or whether I'm unnecessarily over specifying for this purpose. Our house is clad in Siberian Larch but we can't afford it for this project.

I reckon we have a softwood budget. Planners would have a canary if we went for that red but I can see it looks well in the right context! I've been impressed with the performance of linseed oil paint, which seems to protect for a very long time.