G and J

He has, many times, but I still want to make our own informed choices. We did set out to find an architect would would work with us collaboratively, and we appear to have got very lucky.

I’ve not got the actual detail of the wall build up but from previous discussions with the architect but I believe even with our vertical larch cladding we are looking at getting within foot thick walls. That may be with only the most basic level of insulation, and I will be looking at ways to improve the insulation without excessive cost or wall thickening. If I understand the term correctly then the insulated box profile is the stuff I’ll use for the roof of my man cave at the bottom of the garden, but for the house we’ve got our hearts set on untreated larch to go lovely and silver grey over time.

With a wall like that would you be able to hear external sounds?

A proper loo, which will very, very rarely be used for anything other than a pee, would be a useful thing to have in the cave, saves me dropping sawdust if I’m making stuff or sweat if I’m rowing in the house as we don’t have room for a downstairs loo right by the back door. So it’s worth it to me to construct a water level to give me some accurate levels before I finalise my plans. Thank you for the inputs though folks, much appreciated.

Ok, so if I adhere to the no poo rule then all I need is a bush. In fact, that was the on-site welfare arrangements we had when we built the first time. It was a different world back then. We've got bushes so that option is free. Option 2, a macerator looking at circa £500 inc piping but opinions vary about feasibility. Option 3, a chamber and pump, circa £1,200, appears feasible but some think it’s overkill. Option 4, compost toilet - don’t know how much as I can’t contemplate it. Rather use a Thetford potty like in our campervan and I’d rather go without than have that. Unless there’s no other options I can focus my research on options 2 and 3.

Over half a metre. Oh my word. That would shrink our rooms quite a bit. The site is only 24’ wide.

We are trying to build with walls a foot thick, inside face of plaster to outside face of larch cladding. I understand and inherently trust blockwork, (emotional based thinking) which is what we used first time, but that would require much thicker walls. So you built your house with SIP panels?

Our architect said stick built as soon as he visited the site. As Jilly highlighted above there’s new and interesting stuff about now that might mean we can have better insulation than previously available for a given wall thickness. It’s a bit like careers though, all the big decisions have to be made long before one had all the info! So a leap of faith and trust in other’s experiences appears the best way forward.

Well, we did ok in 1991. We took just over 5 months to build, but then we were under the financial cosh as we had two mortgages running and we were right on the limit of what we could fund. Since then we’ve fully renovated three and done various other projects. I guess I look to norms and trends as guidance. Every SIP based project I’ve read or heard about used big panels craned in. If ‘micro SIPs’ are practical where no crane is needed then it would be an option, but presumably there could be a reason why it’s not a common solution, perhaps because of the greater number of joints and the sheer volume of glue needed.

Hmmmm, that’s less than I expected. Interesting thought, but not a solution I fancy. I know it’s an illogical response but for me I think I’d rather go without and trudge back to the house for a wee. But thank you for the idea, it’s not one I’d considered.

And it’s a man cave. None of that stuff is required lol

Well, my thinking started as just being for my man cave (v irritating to have to trudge up the garden for a wee during a workout) but now I’m thinking during the build phase it could serve as the site potty. And I’ll not hear the thing working over my music anyway! 🙂

Ah! I think then I’m getting confused by the fall requirement after the maximum lift. So in my case the pipe will first drop a couple of feet to go underground then run flat for circa 30m then very gently rise by about half a meter over about 20m. Effectively a stupidly long flat u bend. Very good idea re the ducting.

Just googled it and it sounds expensive but interesting. Will call em next week. Have you used their products? I went to the NEC self build show and when I shared our situation the two companies who weren’t just all out salesy types quickly identified that they would not be able to offer a sips based solution. Do peeps erect SIP kits themselves? Agreed. However our house sale will take rather longer.

Did you install it near the sewer connection or near the garden building?

I started by looking at macerators but I got the impression it would lift the waste but then needed a fall to the sewer connection. As that would mean above ground pipe I wasn’t keen. Have I misunderstood? (Again!)

Is this the kind of thing? https://www.henrypumps.co.uk/js-sv-sewage-vortex-pumps-2--3-inch---js400sv-js650sv-js750sv-js1500sv-227-p.asp?_=&variantid=231&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrMW42NirhgMVRotQBh1OBweQEAQYBSABEgLhSPD_BwE If I understand you correctly then the pump would have a negative fall to the main sewer?

A poo with a view? 😉

Would said pump go up near the house, with the pipe from The Hide having a gentle fall into it?

So, another on of my brainboilers at the mo is the potty in my man cave (AKA The Hide, because it looks like a bird hide). The sewer leaves the site out front, the invert level at that point is 500mm. We are just about ok for the house, but at the end of the garden it’s otherwise. The ground in the back garden is about a foot lower than out front, so I simply can’t just rely on gravity (unless I put the potty on the roof of The Hide and have a feature aerial sewer pipe!). I’ve tried to put a pic on this post to illustrate. We believe that we will not be allowed to bury a waste system, and it would probably not be practical anyway given the mature trees we wish to preserve anyway. I would be grateful for ideas!

We’re fortunate in that we’ve got planning permission for all we asked for, though we can’t start till end of August due to a planning condition. There’s the small matter of wanting to sell our current house first, to fund said build. 😕 It’s a narrow plot so we want minimum wall thickness so we’re told that means stick built, and overhead wires across the front of the site pretty much preclude kit builds/sips/icf/etc. (anything that needs lifting kit or boom concrete pouring or the like won’t be possible). Good point re saving cost re the sourcing, I guess that was sort of in the back of our minds without articulating the thought. And our constant presence on site (a bit like Mr LSB I guess) will hopefully drive the quality. We can’t massively up the wall insulation but we can work hard on being airtight. I'm comfortable plumbing (well, vented at least, I’ll continue my research re vented vs unvented), I’m happy with electrics, carpentry, general labouring, etc. Our next stage is a relaxed planning phase with the architect, and from the output of that we can start getting quotes. Can’t wait!

Thank you all. My natural way would be to do as much as I could (except plastering which I agree, is a black art), but I fear that would extend timescales unreasonably. By then we will be in rented accommodation, so extra time has a cost. We built our current house 33 years ago and we were incredibly lucky with the guys we worked with. We did the electrics, plumbing, some of the roofing, fitted the floors, the decorating, the rainwear, and generally kept the site tidy and supplied. That was a rendered, block built house, this time it’s going to be stick built part rendered but mostly larch clad, and they were different days back then. Then, unglazed windows were built in to the block work all lovely and tight, now it seems everyone just leaves holes for windows to be slotted in later and the inevitable gaps are filled with foam. Plumbing was all vented and very simple. So many things to think about, all at once!

I will read up, ta for the nod. As for doing only what I’m comfortable doing that’s the thing, I’m dumb enough to think I can do most of it. If I’m not careful I’ll end up extending the timescales and/or effectively working for thrupence an hour.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. Steven Wright So, I’m looking to benefit from other peoples’ hindsight. We will be building a stick frame, two storey house, slate pitched roof with solar pv, MVHR, ASHP, UFH, clad in untreated larch and some render. We will be doing what we can and is sensible ourselves to get it within a budget we are happy to live with. But what is sensible? We don’t want to take forever but we don’t want to overspend either and perhaps most importantly, we want it built well. Looking back, what is there you think you should have done yourself and didn’t, or that you did do yourself and wish you hadn’t?

So if my DNO allowed only 4kW and thus I had a 3.6kW inverter I could still have 5kW of panels?