ultramods

Yes cashflow is a big issue with TF construction. If cashflow is a problem you could: Ask for a release once the foundation is complete. The next once the timberframe has been erected (but don't pay for it to be insulated at this stage and don't purchase the windows+doors).

You might find this useful: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/room-sizes/ I used https://www.roomsketcher.com/ to design my house, might be more basic that Sketchup but i found it easier to use. It''s worth letting us know the orientation (where is North, South, East and West) of the house and also what the plot is like, as you may have views you would like to erm... view, or you may have neighboring houses that need to be taken into consideration. Something else I did when trying to decide room sizes was visit showhomes to visualise different sized spaces. I also looked at various architect websites and FB pages for houses that I liked, then tracked down the plans on the council planning websites. Houzz.com is also very useful for inspiration. From the design it looks like the living room is 12m deep and the kitchen is 8m, if that is correct that would make the ground floor dimensions about 20m x 35m which is 700 sqm.

Could you suggest to the builder that you will find a third party plasterer and pay direct but you will take the cost out of the 5%. I had similar issue with a bathroom once, i complained and the company sent back the same plasterer to "fix" the mess - obviously he wasn't able to fix it.

If it was too dark to skim the walls that isn't your problem, the builder or plasterer should have had suitable lighting. I wouldn't accept that, can you withhold payment until its rectified?

Why do you pay the utility bills?

looks like a great project, really like the current barn, along with the courtyard and the orientation

Have you checked the lenders website (might need to go into the intermediaries section), most of them will include details of the type of construction they will accept. That should allow you to confirm that the decision is coming from the lender rather than Buildstore?

If possible (hard to know without seeing a site plan) I would look at putting windows in the south facing wall of the living area. Even at this stage I would be adding storage for coats, hoover, ironing board etc and built in wardrobes. ensure the window(s) in the stairwell will bring light into the first/second floor halls

@Ralph what is the estimated build cost per sqm and what is the floor area of the house? Can you share the plans with us? Also what is the construction method and u-values?

how wide will the external space be once you have insulated the walls and erected plasterboard walls? I'm just wondering if a new build would be better.

@Robjonesour friends have recently used MAC and were happy with them. They are popular with people extending houses in Newmachar and I haven't heard any complaints.

Might be worth giving them lender a call and see what they say, some might give a decision in principle without you officially owning the land yet

You might want to hold off on having the land valued (in terms of saving money) until you know which lender you are going with because they may not accept the valuation as they all use different companies.

Here are the lenders that build loan/store have access to, in many cases you can't to to the lender directly unfortunately. However as I said above a local broker might be able to go directly to the lender otherwise the broker would also need to go via build loan/store. https://www.buildloan.co.uk/product-list.php

If you can avoid build store I would suggest avoiding them, I found dealing them very frustrating and wasted a lot of time. One option would be to go to a local broker, they might recommenced a lender that isn't on build store list or they may go through build store on your behalf (a broker might be able to deal with build store more effectively on your behalf). The other option is for you to go to a lender directly, which would be my preferred option. Take a look at Scottish Building Society, I might be contacting them, however on their website it does state they will only lend 60% of either what you paid for the land or the value of the land, which ever is lowest), which could be a problem for you/me. A lot of people have used Ecology on this website, from various posts I have read they appear to be easy to deal with, however your build would need to be near passive standard.

I gained planning permission for a house within a conservation area in December. First application was rejected, for similar reasons. I found meeting with the councils conservation officer, councils planner and my architect useful. However before any meeting decide with your architect what you would/wouldn't be willing to compromise on as we found a lot of it was negotiating with them

I think I remember seeing that plot advertised on ASPC. So if the land is worth 330k your current equity of 70k is 21% of the land, which makes it possible in terms of a lender. I have seen a couple of positive posts on here about Scottish Building Society, they have an office in Aberdeen, might be best discussing with them.

Would it be possible to split the plot and not demolish the cottage. You could then sell the cottage and own the plot outright, which would help with a mortgage. What is the size of the current plot and where about in Aberdeenshire is it?

I am currently arranging a 2 year mortgage with Newcastle building society via Build Store. We will pay interest only (5%) on the money that we draw down from the mortgage during the build. Once the house is completed Newcastle will switch us to a standard residential mortgage around 2 - 3%

I haven't looked at gates yet, however have you looked at agricultural gates, I have heard that they can be cheap. Not sure if you would be able to in fill them with cladding though.

Thanks @Grocey. What you have done in a year is impressive.

@Grosey I just looked on the folk2folk website, really like the idea from a speed perspective. Did you have the same fees and rates at the business loans, as it's looks quite expensive?

We are going for Pronorm Y Line, it came in less than a local kitchen manufacturer, which surprised me.

@AliGAre the plans for your house on this site somewhere, would be interesting to see them?

Any chance you could take photos looking straight down at the plans, and make them a bit bigger as i'm struggling to view them at that angle.