Jilly

If it runs through a wall, could somebody have nailed a picture up or something? Bit odd/worrying that it's happened, anyway. Did you read about the woman who (fatally)poisoned her neighbours using some toxic bedbug killer? Worth keeping a couple of active CO monitors present to protect them and you, electric or not (as not needed if there's no gas).

It might be easier to go with electric than worry about the implications of the flue being incompletely repaired within a building? Is it one flue per flat or is there a possibility it joining another…? I’d be worrying about CO leakage. Flats have a chance that they are not sealed between each other. A couple of wall mounted electric heaters are not expensive plus an immersion heater might not be too bad?

Just listened right through. I loved it: very high welfare meat. I’d love to try to be self sufficient, but I’m not disciplined enough. Permaculture is a nice idea, to allow wildlife and ‘foraging’ on your own patch rather than manicured lawns.

`You might have to get a condensation risk analysis done, to answer that question properly.

I’ve never heard of anyone building from the SAP, they usually build from the construction drawings from your architect…

Yikes, I can’t help, but would say: remember to wear a dust mask. I’m getting an asthma attack just looking at those images…

Use the local council.

Welcome! Do you have diagrams of what was submitted to Building Control and/or the SAP calculator? Someone should hopefully then be able to tell you if it’s ok or what to do.

Apologies, on Build Hub (BH) we usually critique plans for each other, and give you some ideas to improve the layout or help you save money before you get too far along. On BH we don't get involved in recommending builders etc. It's very difficult. The usual advice is to get personal recommendations and also get 3 quotes and speak to the builder, there can be a big variation. Get a feel for if they understand your requirements and seem honest. They might give good advice. If I'm reading it correctly, why not remove the wall between the proposed room and the study? It would make a nicer room with a window. Do you mean ensuite? That usually means a shower/toilet leading off a bedroom. It looks to have been drawn like a downstairs loo with no shower as noted by @JohnMo. Do you really need the door next to the loo? If you use the French doors to go in and out, and got rid of the door, you would have room for a shower. Will it be used as an annexe?

Some thoughts/observations: People vary they include foundations when they quote the per sq meter price. Not many of us here have the economies of scale you might have. You are very identifiable, it might be worth speaking to the moderators? @Gus Potteris a structural engineer (SE) with vast experience of the industry in Scotland who might be able to give you some good advice. You might have a very steep learning curve. Not sure if Scotland has CIL payments, but something with would affect the bottom line.

I saved money by using a pile company which was owned by a structural engineer, so the design was included. There was a huge price variation so get 3 quotes. Also, you will might have to think about SuDS as a planning condition, if there’s been flooding nearby. It’s a whole new rabbit hole.

There WAS robust scientific debate, conclusions had to be drawn to try to protect the statistically greatest number of people against an unknown, so there was always going to be a complicated risk/ benefit analysis. Air travel and climate change will contribute to the next pandemic, no question. Insect vectors for diseases from the tropics are migrating further, so let’s hope the RNA vaccine research continues apace. The One Health initiative draws medics, vets and environmental scientists together to develop policies on antibiotic and agrochemical stewardship for example. Scientific collaboration is key to developing meaningful policies and subsidising the STEM subjects at degree level to motivate and educate the next generation who will be most affected, is my hope for the future.

Yep, that’s stress we were on about. Maybe @Gus Potterknows someone or can advise

Looks great! Well done.

Do you own any nearby land on your farm you could direct the water to? I have a pond that Building Control were happy with, which is not on the building site.

@william greenHave you heard of the schemes where you can buy a house for £1 provided you commit to doing it up? Quite a few caveats, but might be worth exploring? Also, there is a similar scheme in Italy where you can buy a house for 1 Euro.

It’s the land price and planning permission (PP) which are the issue. There are places in the country where land is just a few £1000 per acre (without planning, so you can’t just rock up with a caravan), right through to the south east, where land with pp can fetch £million/acre. You also have to consider the viability, as there are areas where you can buy a nice ready made house for £150k and there’s no point building. Morally, £160k ought to be enough, but the answer is ‘it depends’ and it might not be enough for the land purchase too. Eg I spent £25k just on all the fees, bats etc, all risk money, to try to get planning, (luckily successful) so it’s very scary. My advice would be: keep your dream, keep saving and learning and maybe consider moving to a cheaper part of the country where your dream might be doable. You can build a mobile tiny/ microhome, for much less, but of course you need somewhere put it.

I know someone who did a barn conversion as you are describing, knocking and replacing bits so that it never came down all at once, which would have invalidated the planning permission as it was. A bit like Trigger’s broom.

Hello! Someone suggested on here ages ago that it would be a great idea to have some kind of list where people could go and lend a hand and learn on the job. In reality, I don’t think it happened. Forgive me, but are you certain the council will give you land with planning permission? All the people on here mostly have reasonable means and find planning permission one of the most difficult parts. They often have a trade or are very good at DIY and teach themselves as they go along. It is a huge undertaking, but a wonderful long term ambition. Is yours an experimental scheme by one local authority or housing association? I know of someone who went to ‘building school’ before attempting his house renovation. You could learn a trade in that time and be in a good position to collaborate with other self builders like Graven Hill. Carpentry skills would be very useful generally. Many self builders rough it in a caravan during the build to save money. All the best.

So basically: 1 you might need a structural engineer (SE) to visit the site to advise and do calculations to specify the lintel required. 2 Tell your house insurer what you plan to do and make sure your policy covers you. 3 You need to contact Building Control to tell them what you are doing and pay the fee, on a ‘Building Notice’ and they will then ask for the SE calculations and it will set off a chain of inspections. 4 Decide if hubby is up to the task 5 Change the lintel as discussed above, supporting the house with acro props so it doesn’t collapse 6 Insert chosen window making sure it has the correct kite mark to show the Building Control Officer. 7 Anything else around that bit of the house you decide to do can be covered on the same Building Notice (I think) but you must check it complies before you do it, to prevent mistakes (NB A so called ‘Full Plans’ submission to Building Control is drawings and calculations submitted by an architect and checked in their entirety for the whole extension/building by BC in advance, and this can give you a building ‘recipe’ to follow. You are too late for this option I think.)

In these situations, I feel a friendship acquires an actual monetary value.

Have you read ‘How a planner got planning’ on here? It’s very good. Many people count the planning as the most difficult bit of self building. It can feel like a game of chess with constantly changing rules.

Doesn’t make sense. You can prove lower outgoings.

As far as I know, it’s the usual stuff: Make a file of Risk Assessments (lots of online examples), look at everything you can think of which could be dangerous at each stage and update it regularly, First Aid Certs , On site H & S policies, location of the First Aid box, welfare facilities, toilet. Compliance is the issue…

Eek, that sounds stressful, I can’t advise, only commiserate.