Mrs S

Thanks all, you’ve been very helpful

We bought a plot with approved PP which we subsequently gained approval for a different design with a different approval number. Is the previous PP superseded by our newer application or can the older PP still be built? We are in Scotland, thanks

Hi, we have a plot South Aberdeenshire that we have PP for a 3 bed build with integrated garage, TF build, due to our narrow access roads. Had hoped to have started by now, but I fear we are being given the run around from the “local” tradesmen with their pricing and the length of time they take to get back to us! We had hoped for a turnkey but looks more likely that I will PM and sub out the work. We aren’t local to the area so going on our architects recommendation, which isn’t proving very productive!! Any help or advice regarding do’s & dont’s would be gladly appreciated ?

Thanks, you brought up some good points. Apparently we have overestimated for our bathrooms & kitchen, so we’ve saved money already ?? It’s the final market value of the house when we come to sell it that has dictated our budget. Hence, why we’ve limited ourselves to the home values in our area. Yes, I agree, it is easy to get carried away, but I’m the one who is loath to part with money not my husband, so I am usually quite good at sourcing a good deal. Also design names don’t interest me, as long as the product does what it’s supposed to, I am happy - shoot me down now ? I think we have agreed that we will go down the route of me being PM , I am good at organising whereas my husband is the more practical one.

Thanks for this @Ferdinand, a lot to take in & think about. Let me attempt to explain our reasoning ? - we have 2 loo’s downstairs, as I didn’t want to have to trail through the house to use the loo, after I’d been out working in the garden. - the balcony from the upstairs lounge was the architect’s suggestion and we kept it as it’s South facing and will allow us to enjoy the summer evenings. - the balcony over the dining room is there for our coastal views, & we have further plans for it once we have the budget. - the shower room off the lounge, jack n Jill style has been done that way, as the lounge will also be used for guests staying over. - the “plant room” in in fact a storage cupboard, as I felt we lacked storage, so utilised some hall space. The Plant will be down in the garage. - I am the only person in our family that likes a bath, & I wanted it in the master room to be more relaxed. - the stairs I can’t answer for, that again was my architects doing - I agree completely about the garage/ entrance way, but we don’t have the room to make it a double, as we have to leave rights of access up the back of our property. - the roof is not the design we wanted, but we had no option as our initial design was rejected by planning for being “too modern & urban” for the area. This is basically what the planners suggested the architect to do, in order for us to pass planning. - one of our suggestions was a corner entranceway, which would have given us a more open hall, which we wanted, instead of the corridor, but was told we didn’t have the room. - As per Scottish Building Warrant rules, a provisional space has to be made for a chair stair lift in every new build. If it comes to it, we will use the area to the side and put in a lift, using the storage area upstairs. Thank you for all your comments & suggestions as every bit of advice counts. I will sit down with my hubby later with a glass of red and think about what you have written & if it’s still possible for us to implement them ?

@soapstar, at the moment we don’t know who we’ll use for sub contracting, we’d prefer to use local tradesmen if possible

Interesting, thanks for that, I’ll look into them ??

Sorry, what do you mean by a “fall”? There is going to be a slight step from the hall onto the balcony. This has already been passed by BW & planning. I understand where you are coming from regarding the large glazing, but we are directly on the coast and have a stunning view, hence why the windows have been designed as such. It’s possible to get blinds to suit your window shape, which should help with the early morning sun. We have taken the step to reduce our facing materials, and are putting it by planning to get the ok. Concrete tiles are a definite no go, we have to use slate, as we are in a conservation coastal area. We’ve already had to change our roof design, as it “wasn’t in keeping with the area” ? The downstairs shower room is already designed to be wheelchair accessible.

Thanks, but our budget excluding what we paid for the plot is £1300-£1450/sqm

Hi @soapstar, we didn’t receive detailed quotes from either builder, which perturbed me ever so slightly, as I like to know what I’m paying for. Having previously done some homework with our costings, we know that we are being overcharged for some of the products ie the sewage treatment plant is £3k more than if we purchase it ourselves! After meeting with @ultramods, my husband and I have decided to go down the sub contractor route. I will PM the build, along with my husband when he is at home, this will hopefully allow us to build a house within our budget without having to sacrifice some of the design features. Good luck with your build ?

At present we have 4, but one will be removed if we change the roof type, which will leave us with the 3 finishes that we MUST have as per our planning regs.

The plot has dictated the house shape, it’s triangular, narrow at entrance & the back. We also didn’t want the standard box shape house. It faces the coast, so we wanted to make the most of the views. We don't think it’s that complicated looking at it ?

Thanks, the solar thermal was in addition to our ASHP.

Our external coverings have been dictated by local planning. We have to stay in keeping with the other houses in the area. We are trying to see if we can limit the more expensive finishes

I understand where you are coming from, but we’ve already taken away some previous rooms. We need the dining room as a future bedroom, as I have health issues, hence why we also have an accessible shower room.

Thanks everyone for all your replies, they give us a bit of hope. I have now attached my plans in my initial post. We have already decided to change the roofing material which will save on a big chunk, and unfortunately we’ve also decided to remove the solar thermal panels, as well as render most of the house with only a bit of stone. Hopefully the planners will be ok with that.

Thanks, my hubby has been back to the site and thinks the access isn’t as bad as we first thought, but obviously not suitable for HGV. Think the builders are just being over cautious as the access road belongs to our neighbour.

Wow, I will pass this onto my hubby, thanks for this. We have a tight corner, and our architect and the builders have said TF and sips are out- but maybe there is a way. I think it’s also because we use our nearest neighbours road to access our plot and I believe they aren’t the most accommodating.

We are building just south of Stonehaven. You aren’t building at Brownhills by any chance? My husband is in Aberdeen from tomorrow for a few days on business, I will pass on your message as I’m sure he would love to talk to you. Thank you ?

We’ll be living on the site, so I’ll be able to keep a good eye on the builders. I will do what PM I can, along with the occasional assistance from our architect. I’m no stranger to getting my hands dirty or a paint brush ?

Thanks, we had thought going down the TF route as it’s quicker, but our plot isn’t accessible to cranes or bigger lorries unfortunately.

Thanks New Home, but as my husband works away from home, doing it ourselves is not a possibility. We are going to split the jobs up, as opposed to having one contractor and try and source what we can ourselves, as looking at the quotes we know we can get some of the products cheaper. We have gone back to the drawing board and changed quite a lot of the external design that our architect had put in- ie slate tiles instead of a zinc roof! The interior is not high spec in any way, as we believe our money is better spent on the insulation & Windows- especially as it’s directly on the coast.

Sorry Jack, this is not including the price we paid for the plot. Our budget for the build is £350k, which isn’t a large amount, but at the same time it’s not a small amount.

New home- we are in NE Scotland, and our budget is £1300 per square metre. lizzie- thanks for your advice, we aren’t prepared to spend more, as we know we won’t recoup our money when we come to sell it - that’s including the price of the plot.

Hi, we’ve just received a couple of tender costs ( out of 6 builders only 2 bid), both have come in quite a bit above our budget ie £150k above. They did mention costs had increased due to Brexit! Our architect was told at the beginning the max we wanted to spend. We are looking at ways to try and cut costs, but we’ve already had to compromise on the house design to fit in with our local planning. At the minute we are looking at a main contractor to do our build. My husband did query if the build was within our budget with the architect prior to it going for planning permission & he said it’s not a problem. Do we try and find more builders to bid? Do we go back to the drawing board & attempt another design? Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Any helpful advice would be gratefully appreciated from 2 novice and very frustrated self builders. 119-2018_-_Draft_Warrant_-_REDACTED.pdf