Jilly

Wow, thanks for the quick replies! We have full pp to create a new dwelling, in the South East on clay in a Conservation Area, the trees (actually out of control hedge species) are therefore in the CA, lining the highway, so I can manage them and expect it would be safest to speak to the tree officer to get permission to reduce the crowns. We have been unbelievably lucky to be able to create a new entrance as it will involve the removal of some hedge trees (not the ones affecting the foundations) but they are pretty rough. There were no conditions about replacements, but I want to be sympathetic anyway. It is a conversion, we can't flatten it and start again, so I will have to work with what we have, expensive new foundations and all. We have not yet divided the title, but have permission to create a separate dwelling. The actual Bat Licence and its stipulations is being prepared.

Hello I'm very pleased to have found this site. I have pp on a small barn just 80 sq m. I have about £120k for the conversion, which the architect (who was going to project manage) has warned me isn't enough and that I might need double.. so I want to investigate the self build route as they are encouraging me to borrow more, which I will struggle to do as i'm semi retired. I'm not able to do more than decorating myself, but live cheaply near the site and am reasonably intelligent and so from reading on here, it doesn't seem impossible. I'm not willing to do any of the drawings myself. I'll give you some background and welcome your advice, please. The barn is about 30 years old, wood cladding over block (Bat licence applied for, just common pipistrelles, main stipulation seems to be to remove the cladding by hand) It has trees at the back and subsidence in one corner, I haven't yet had a soil analysis or a structural survey, but I am assuming this will be so that the structural engineer can calculate how to make the building support the intended alterations. I also have to create a new entrance and get my own services in (although can use existing electricity and water from the main house for the build). The highways have stipulated that I use one of their contractors to create the dropped kerb, however, there is no actual footpath or kerb on that side of the road, so I guess I can query this with them? There is a sewer across the paddock which I assume I can join. The floor is solid concrete, the roof tiles are sound, but the roof is supported by unattractive trusses. However, there is insufficient height for another floor or a mezzanine (except for storage, perhaps). I am considering an amendment to change the windows/patio doors in one corner of the building, it won't radically change the appearance, so hopefully will be acceptable. There is to be a large south west window cantilevering over the corner of the building, does anyone have advice about these? They look great, but people have discussed excessive solar gain, so I will have to think of some mitigation. I am a bit of a hippy and would love to make the house as sustainable as possible, but think any plans of ground source heat pumps, reed bed sewage system, water bore, passive haus etc are out of reach and I'll have to content myself with keeping everything as affordable as possible (unless you have better ideas, of course!). I would also love to insulate with 'heathy' materials like sheeps wool as I'm asthmatic and can't handle dusty stuff at all... The building is a square box, so hopefully I can use this to my advantage. I have plenty of time to research this and try not to make mistakes as I can see how expensive this could be. Thank you in advance