Patrick

How about Price difference? Anybody took that into account or you all just went with the best product for their building route

Thats very handy. Thanks, I will keep it for later

Hello, was looking into the available options of Floor Joists and was wondering what people in here are using. I read a lot about the advantages of the Open Web Joists , e.g. plumbers/electricians do not have to cut out parts of the Joists, Lightweight, but also seen that they are quite expensive. At least where I seen them. I-Joists seem to be the best of both worlds and I read in another Forum that they do not get the problems of the Open Web Joists of sometimes sagging after a few years , especially on wider spans. And then there obviously is the traditional 2x10 or 2x12 Timber Joists. Solid and Cheap - I do think they are still cheaper then the other 2, but I'm not 100% sure. But they have the problem that you have to cut out openings whenever you want to run pipework or ducting through the ceiling, which probbaly is VERY often in a house with MVHR . So please give me your Ideas and why you chosen your Joists . Obviousy a lot of you will havenot chosen at all but being given what the Kit-manufacturer is delivering, but others might have already looked into the pro's and con's .

I paid around 800+Vat for a tree survey in a conservation area for all trees on site (around 13-14) . I guess it includes a multibuy discount for having plenty of trees.

?. @ProDaveThanks , that is spot on !

Hi there I thought I quickly introduce my Garden Office that I am currently building. Most of the shell is done , needs a inside finished . It is on a Pile Foundation (9 Piles that hold up a suspended timber floor) I tried to not spend any money at all (wanted to do it for free just putting my work in) but there are things you can t get second hand - for example concrete ? So My Timber I got from a House demolition around the corner- asked the guys if I could load the gigantic Pile of old 2x4s and Joists into my van and just spend 4-5 runs to bring it to the house and 2-3 days to denail them all. The Timber Boards are all dismantled Pallets (given free from Industrial estate nearby) INSULATION I got seconds from gumtree , same with roofing felt. Nails I bought Bulk on ebay (10er for 10kg) , also bought window insulation foam, Silikone and Tyvek Tape on Ebay (leftovers) Tyvek Housewrap I had to spend a bit of money on as had to buy a new roll. Windows and doors where from another Demolition Site . Same with the Plywood. OSB Boards for outer walls I had to buy from second hand place (6.50 per board 9mm) Paint is the cheapest Fence Paint for 9£/25litre bucket I started off with digging 9 wholes , approx. 1.20-1.30m deep at the end of my Garden Filled them with concrete and used old cardboard boxes wrapped in Plastic bags as a mould to form the Posts (around 40 cm out of the ground) Had some old Metal wires (5-6mm thick) lying in the garden for the last 6 years which is used as rebar. Unfortunatley I forgot to take Photos of the Foundations, so first Photos start when the Floor Joists down on the Poles. I know they all not been straight and whole building is not really 100% square (kind of and also level-) , this is partley due to my lack of experience and partly due to not working with new timbers- everything was kind of a puzzle to put together this is the suspended floor from far this is closer and even closer Floor insulation in and Plywood on top and more Insulation and Plywood First Wall Up second Wall up with Window in Photo from my Treehouse (with 3rd wall framed on the floor) The Front Wall and bits of the Roof is Up: My dog wonders WTF? Photo frominside to the outside Back wall And now just quickly the rest of the front wall, cladding , doors in before I have to leave to continue working on it

How about Price comparison to traditional Timber Framed Walls. In theorey I-Joist should be cheaper -in reality I always see them for sale at a higher price then let s say two 2x4s . I was thinking about doing the same thickness of Wall just double up the 2x4s and leave a 10cm gap in between the 2 . Basically Gives you a very thick wall , Similar to a 300mm I-joist for possibly lower price (this is what im currently trying to find out)

Concrete can be pumped by a Pumping contractor for up to 100meter as a standard (they do 500-1000meters as well but that is really a specialist job) Indeed-bringing in all the equipment will always be the problem with this build .

@vivienzThanks. that sounds really interesting, yes , we looked into mini piling , and i am tending in that direction. I will make sure to read through your blog in regards to that. A stupid question , maybe already answered in your blog, but did they cost 15K just for putting the piles in? or did you mean the whole foundation?

@PeterW I will give that a measure. Sounds like something I could really use.Thanks @MikeSharp01 I am really not sure on how the Foundation is going to be done as a Raft is not the right thing in our place. What is recommended by SE is Pile and Beam and tbh it makes the most sense to me. Then it would make sense to me to fill the "middle "(the slab) with a passive slab but havent seen anyone do this(like the combination) . Maybe missed it as I am just beginning to look into all details of Foundations and options available . I would prefer to drill holes for the piles with a digger, rather then using a piling company . Problem always is the price, as we cant really spend a lot on Foundations.

Yes. There is parking nearby. Around 100 meters away. Planners are happy with it as the whole area has not got parking. Plenty of old cottages with no parking, and as there are 2 spots provided they agreed to it (it s already approved)

@JSHarrisIn regards to the windows I don't see this as a problem, we are getting ours from passivhaus window manufacturer in Poland and they practically don't do any other windows in new houses there. With access I didn't quite clarify how restricted the access is. The house/plot is in the town centre next to a park and a river (stream). There is either houses to each side with backgardens bordering the plot or the park which has a historic Wall around it. The only access way is through a narrow lane (1.5m) with walls left and right. This lane is around 50meters long and the ends on a small road where you maybe get a Van in (around 2-2.20meters wide). The plot is really nothing you would find in the papers or on rightmove. I discovered it by pure accident and never thought it would be available but out of pure boredom looked into more details and ended up buying it. Obviously nobody before ever wanted it as the access is a tiny problem ? So basically we will have to carry (or wheel) in every piece of timber by hand and then it will have to be build there. Foundations are a bit tricky with this, but a micro digger is able to access and pumping concrete over 90-100meters is also not a big problem. I also looked into the possibility of getting a massive crane with a reach of 50-60 meters and lift it over neighbours houses, but the price of this plus the timber kit will without a doubt will be a lot more expensive then doing the frame in place. Bringing the material in is already sorted so our 1st fix framers will just need to put it together like on any regular building site. My real headache at the moment are more the foundations because I haven't sorted them out yet. They will most likely be pile and beam but I am currently unsure which system to use and also still not sure who would put the construction plans /blueprints together. I have quite a bit of time to organise everything and would like to think that I'm not completely useless in managing/paperwork but just not loaded with cash.

@MikeSharp01 Thanks for the welcome. I will check that out, sounds really good . Great U Value is what i'm aiming for @the_r_sole you are absolutely right with the windows, they already are redesigned as a full opening window(tilt&turn) , I just didnt have the ammended plans handy

?. No offence with the little comment about the Architects. I used one and he was excellent to do the Plans , but I feel like that architects use there time better in doing big projects then small self-builds. Not really a market here in the UK for this and therefore quite expensive(often) . In regards to the section-I do not have quite that- but got Elevations (see in this post) . We abandoned the Kit route not only for access - it is price as well . We will be sourcing our own Materials as Friend runs a Sawmill in Poland (quite a long transport-but then there is roughly a 50% discount compared to UK prices ?) Views are none existing. It s in the centre of a Town within a Park -Trees around it everywhere that can t be removed (TPO) and the restricitons to the building come also from Conservation officers and the location. So not quite "do whatever we like" but I m happy with the result . Also important - "Standard Glazing" cost standard money , while large Glass Fronts, windows and sliding Doors cost a fortune if you want them triple glazed with decent U-Value (already the Standard Size Windows with Triple Glazing make me cry whenever I see the quotes from UK suppliers) Main thing is that I will have a nice cosy, warm house not a drafty carboard paper box like the houses that your average Developer builds.

@recoveringacademic how come that dual citizenship has anything to do with wether mum or dad is German? Never heard of this. I am German , my daughter is half German , half Polish and has 3 Passport. If you have 1 Parent from an EU country , you can have Citizenship of that country. Different rules for non-EU countries as not all EU countries accept multiple citizenships outside the EU -this will be quite something when we Brexit .

@JSHarrisThanks a lot for the kind offer, i realised that you are in Wiltshire as well reading your Blog. It is inspiring reading it as you are one of the few guys out there who tried to do a lot/everything on your own , which is basically what i am doing (or at least planning to do) . I will certanly be in touch with you the coming few months to take you up on your offer ?

Hello everyone, I came across this great Forum through JSHarris Blog (which was quite an amazing read to me). The first time ever that I found really usefull information in bulk, as a lot of the Info about so called "self building" is really just customised building (I tell the architect what i want and how it should look like at the end and then just empty a wheelbarrow of cash in front of his office every week) . My approach to building my own home is a little different, as I am German and as far back as I can remember I never heard about anyone buying an off-the-shelve home ( whats the point of someone else building YOUR house ) . That s until I moved to the UK, where it is the other way round (why would anyone go through the stress of building their own home if you can buy it off the shelf) . I hope I can learn bits and pieces here and also ask a few questions, as a few of you seem to be quite experienced and knowledgeable. It is always good to have advice from people who have done similar projects as there is a chance of avoiding costly mistakes here. So here I am , bought myself a plot of Land (came across it by accident, driving through the countryside in Wiltshire) with an old Timber Shed on it.(Shed is not quite the right word, as its footprint is around 130sqm) Wanted to renovate the Timber buidling (It s an old Assembley Hall ) and planned everything until I discovered that the foundations are too poor. So now I will have to knock the old down and build new. Which is an advantage somehow as I dont need to stick to any restrictions from the shape of the old building , but unfortunatley this will cost a fair bit more money (apparently Foundations are really expensive ? ? ) . The House going to be a 1 1/2 Storey Bungalow-Type 3 Bedroom with approx. 160sqm which we will try to build as energy efficient as possible on our tight budget.(We meaning Wife and Kids , although not planning to use the Kids as Labourers just yet ?. It will be Timber frame, but unlike so many of you, I do not have the option to use a Kit (or SIPs ) , as there is no access for a Lorry, Crane or even a Van within 50-60 meters from the site. So it will have to be built on site (oldschool) . I am now looking into the details of how to get construction Plans together (not really Building regs, as this is not that difficult to figure out) for the actual building to start. Most guys here that have done a House themselves have used a Timber Frame KIT and where provided with Construction Plans by the company or, alternatively had these done by their architect. The Problem with Architects is(as discussed elsewhere) , that they are quite expensive and on top of that rely on others to work with them (Structural Engineer) to make the plans work. Quite a bit of information for an introduction post so i stop here and just leave it with some drawings and models of the House .