Bozza

My ASHP tank etc, is in a cupboard 1mx1m along with other relevant bits - fuse boxes, electricity meter, mains stop clock and ironing board. No solar or MVHR.

Warranties & PCCs basically have two purposes. First is “insurance” in case something very catastrophic goes wrong with your build eg foundations fail or house falls over or whatever. Your risks against that will be mitigated by who builds your house. If a reputable builder architect and traditional construction on stable ground then what’s the chances of that happening. Second is loans & finance. If you are not requiring finance and are unlikely to sell house within period of warranty validity (10 years ???) then that is a factor. as I had a reputable builder, very unlikely to move, but did need finance I was happy with PCC and didn’t see point in warranty. Bear in mind the vast majority of houses bought and sold in UK don’t have any form of warranty as are over 10 years old. I do see the temptation of a warranty, in some circumstances. Just a case of assessing your risks in your circumstances. My biggest concern is that as others have reported the warranty companies inspections aren’t inspections, which tells me a lot about how they assess their own risks of paying out. I think others have highlighted warrant companies going bust too.

agree with all other posts. With posts like this I always recommend you look at : https://www.dan-wood.co.uk their prices do not include foundations nor kitchens. So them being turnkey, you can price southwards for a true self build. But of course they would have economies of scale that you wouldn’t. What you have to factor in with a modest budget / small build is that if a decent plot comes up you are likely to be in competition with others wishing to build a bigger house and thus someone with a bigger budget. Depends where you wish to build & plot prices etc. If you have a decent paid job one thing you could consider doing is sticking with your job perhaps working overtime or second job combined with saving like buggery for a few years. During that time pick up bargains that you can stockpile for a future build. There are bargains around. Regardless of how competent a DIYer you are sometimes with self build some elements can be a false economy not to get trades in though. I sometimes wonder of the logic of those grand designs shows when “IT expert Jimmy” gives up his £80k salary to go on the tools for 5 years and lives in a caravan in a mud pit and rarely sees his kids etc. If you wish to share your relevant circumstances it may help us to help you identify a potential pathway to your dream. Some of us have had to park, or adjust, our self build dreams for a few years until financially able to self build. If it were me and you are working age what with interest rates as they are I’d work more and save more for next few years.

@Beechgate sent you a wee pm

Hi just a few little observations and thoughts. I think the combo of the width & height may be an issue as you say. It’s a nice house but I can see that being a problem in planning etc. The solution may be that the width & height is reduced and you gain the volume from going back. As such this will influence everything else design wise but let’s say you are allowed to this exact house just a few things to think about some of which you have identified. yes best to have ASHP near plant room. yes bedrooms 2/3 too small. personally I think flat roofs are always a higher risk than pitched ones, and that why I avoided having any, but of course there will be plenty of successful flat roofs including amongst members houses. with your master bedroom - commonly used pocket doors can be noisy and I’d avoid in a bedroom. Also wary of walking through a dressing area into a bedroom. Real life is not like instagram, unless you have loads of designer clothes beautifully staged colour coordinated clothes, or someone is OCD, I wouldn’t walk through the dressing room and into the bedroom. id be wary about the front windows for the main living area, for privacy reasons as well as overheating. really love the way the living areas wrap round and having a quieter lounge area away from main kitchen area. with a nice flat square plot you’ll end up with a great house there.

Unless your house is, or will be, extremely well insulated, I would be wary about expectations from ASHP. I have one and I am happy with it, but I wouldn’t put one in anything other that an extremely well insulated modern house. And certainly not one without oversized radiators, underfloor heating etc.

That link was for a pump & cylinder package I think you’ve just read it as just a cylinder..

@kandgmitchell so here’s me trying to help you….and for my efforts…. so as you can see you others have suggested it may cost way less than I remember, but of course it all depends on how you define what your ASHP system to include. Whether it’s a cheaper brand, or expensive, whether your definition of ASHP system does or does not include a cylinder, where you buy it (eBay etc), and whether you consider an ASHP system to include oversized rads and UFH, or not, and whether your install it yourself or not, or get some bloke off Facebook, or a reputable installer. And of course whether retro fit or new build with no. VAT Because my own system was included in a whole turnkey package the £10k I mentioned may be a figure to include the whole central heating system supplied , quality products, and installed. certainly not just the ASHP and certainly not done on the cheap. But I just can’t remember. But that said, https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/air-source-heat-pumps/ they say between £7-£13 k. but you have weigh what EST and I have said against what others are saying. The only accurate cost will be what your spec is and what you actually pay for it.

You sure ? https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/p/mit-ecodan-w85-8-5kw-and-150l-pre-plumbed-cylinder/p/232609#fo_c=2832&fo_k=ffa88897940fc2de0131b2a490f4b0a6&fo_s=gplauk

Was at your stage 2019, so prices will have increased, but my very vague memory was £10k ish for ASHP and £6/£7k for MVHR. Give or take a grand or so. Will be more than happy to be corrected by others with more recent info and/or memory. I went for turnkey in the end so didn’t have the experience of getting loads of quotes.

Welcome. Self build loan - see Ecology BS and search this site for previous posts re them. Owning the plot has a value. single storey barn style - makes sense not at least budget but think about 1.5 building with accommodation upstairs. Means less foundations / footprint / roof for same space. 0.5 acre plenty of space. lack of services. With current technology you don’t need a phone line, mains gas, mains waste, even mains power. There are solutions. Water is the biggy. Lots of solutions for off grid but some pricey if modest budget. As others have said planning is going to be your biggest hurdle. agree don’t spend a penny on anything until you are certain you could actually build there under planning rules.

Having read @TonyT s helpful attachment I’ve looked around and cannot see anything else on tinternet that suggests hunching is adequate to cap a disused chimney, and there’s some that says specifically mortar flaunching is insufficient. I think you’d be in a stronger position if you had something in writing / published to say what you’ve done is totally acceptable and recognised by industry etc. so it may be the case you’ve acted in good faith, as has you’re neighbour by approving it, but someone knowledgeable (surveyor) says, understandably nope not acceptable. So ultimately I would assume that you both have joint legal liability for the chimney stack and frustratingly you’ll may have to cope it, and share the cost assuming you both have equal liability. I’m wondering how the decision was made to flaunch it rather than cope it was made in light that certainly I can’t find any guidance to say that the former is correct technique. Did your roofer / builder advise you (wrongly it appears) in which case their issue to resolve? Yes bloody annoying for them to raise it so late, but it appears to have been raised correctly. So rolling back the start point for responsibility would be that question as to who advised you flaunching would be acceptable. Just my own observation.

Sounds like if it had been raised earlier you probably would have coped it, at relative minimum cost at that time all things considered. Now they are asking for something which is only a problem due to their delay in raising the issue which seems entirely unreasonable and unjustified. Ask them why they have raised it so late. is the scaffolding down / is that costing you / how much would it cost to cope it. If you can cope it just now at minimum cost I’d just get it done and take the hit biting my bottom lip for the greater good eg not falling out with neighbours (assuming they are decent)/ legal issues etc. But if what they’re asking is going to cost you a lot of money AND your neighbour is a dick I’d say yep we can change the agreed spec but at a shared cost. it may be that your neighbour agreed the work with you in good faith but that it his surveyor who’s insisting it’s inadequate. In which case he’d surely have to provide evidence eg building regs or whatever that flaunching is unsafe or whatever.

@AppleDown let’s put it this way, your effort is significantly better than your architects and you are barking up the right tree. The bedroom wing is a very neat idea being downstairs and gives it separation from the living space. You and your kid will appreciate this when older. Appreciate its not a final design but maybes just give the bedrooms even just another 20/30cm so you’ve got maybes 1-1.2m from bottom of bed to wall. Minimum cost but will square them off and will be a lovely size. Give yourself more storage in the hallway, you won’t regret it. I like the window through to see back garden, but likewise that could be a great area for a big storage cupboard. the little room off livingroom perfect playroom then future study. swapping dining table with secondary seating in living would be an obvious call. upstairs your long storage room will be invaluable I genuinely think you’ve got the makings of a great layout there. Lots of multi functionality and nices spaces. When your old and infirm the upstairs can be used by your visiting grandkids.

Etc’s latest idea, or something similar, gives you the multifunctionality for your circumstances. Upstairs study used for small child bedroom until older then they can go downstairs if necessary. You can use upstairs spare room as nursery / bedroom / guest bedroom /study / snug / dressing room as you see fit as as your lives change. Everything you need as a minimum is downstairs should this be a home for life and as you get older. 100% agree that having the living space to rear on this plot is the way forward, and your own design has wasted space especially hallway.

Ok…so… if you love the architecture, and the layout is perfect for you..I would 100% encourage you to build what you love if it is this house. That’s the whole point of self building. ….but I would equally encourage you to rethink this design completely. without even meeting you, and I am no architect, it seems very little consideration has been given as to your circumstances. Small child / young family / dog. Your architect has given you what feels like a 70s bungalow that has been extended, resulting in some weird long rooms and long distances to walk to/from different key areas. Distance (and separate floors) between master bedroom and young child’s bedroom for example. That’s quite poor actually. The strange thing is that you like what @ETCcame up with and that’s totally different to what your architect came up with, and is in my opinion 100x better. Did your architect come up with a few different indicative designs or get a feel for the style you like. Or did he just give you that design. I think you’re building it in a garden so I assume the idea is to match what’s already there. If that’s the case you may have limitations with the exterior design but not so much the layout. For a young family you need a design that is flexible as everyone gets older. What is currently an office may be a bedroom in future for example. I don’t see any multi functionality in that design. Sorry if coming across all negative genuinely trying to encourage you to get the best design you can. I would encourage you to rethink entirely, as opposed to tweaking. likes of Etc can only go on what we see in your post. Plot pics including adjacent house would help us to help you better.

If you screen it you should be able to sell it on Facebook, etc, as has been suggested. But whether this is worth it depends on how much you need the money and how much time / effort / cost involved for you to do so. It might be overall easier for you just to give it away, only you will know. 1 tonne bags of screened topsoil can sell for £120 but as a comparison I’m getting loose topsoil delivered at £25 per tonne, screened to 30mm.

https://www.dan-wood.co.uk/en/projects/point-158a-e If this company can build this (longhouse ish simple shape and 164sqm) as a turnkey, allowing for founds, kitchen etc etc this house would cost you around £300k to build, so £1800 ish per sqm. Thats a turnkey imported house. So you can spend less than that if you sub contract etc. More than that if you put in higher end products & spec. A kitchen can cost £6k to £60k for example. I was just away to say therefore allow £2k per m2. That would be reasonable. As I was typing this @Conor just posted exactly the same estimation. And I was just away to also say all the estimates are correct. It’s like saying how much to buy a new car. The answer is anything from £13k to £millions. if £2k-£2.5k per sqm is your build budget, you’ll be ok for a “normal” self build.

Oh dear. Would be helpful to elaborate on the specific issues and where the confusion has taken place. Eg were there numerous back and forth submissions , amendments etc. Or you simply submitted one set, with no obvious blatant BC errors, they were approved and away you went.

The only scenario that I can see to justify flooring under units would be if you were to change your kitchen & layout in future, and keep the flooring. I’m not sure that is realistically very likely to ever happen though TBH in practice. Normally replacing a kitchen involves new flooring for design reasons of course. I would however advocate taking the flooring under where you have appliances eg dishwasher or washing machine. Makes it easier to get in and out, and if there is a leak it’s less likely to pool inside what would be otherwise a hidden trough. So my default is to not floor under units unless there is a technical reason to do so as has already been indicated.

*I am not a qualified tiler* but have tiled, and if it was me I’d just snip out partial sections of the unseen part of the trim, the bit that goes behind the tiles, to leave tabs along its length. Just enough for the trim to adhere and bed in behind the 25mm wide cut tiles.

@ProDave cheers for suggestion. Have attached best pics I have, its the left one of the three first floor identical full height windows. The noise stops when I open the window, so unsure if it would be house wrap, or anything like that, unless the wind is hitting loose wrap when the window is closed, and opening it this diverts away from the wrap and into the house, obviously. The cladding and sealant all seems stable around the window, so can’t see a way in for wind TBH. Only thing I can think of is when the wind conditions cause this next, is to seal the frames internally with airtight tape. If it’s the seals…should confirm…

Attached video is of one of my upstairs Rationel 3G alu clad tilt & turn windows (2 years old). During stormy weather, it seems to play an annoying humming, unlike the same windows on the same elevation of the house, exposed to the same conditions. My excellent local approved supplier has never come across this. We replaced the pop out vent but that is not the problem. Unlike other Rationel windows these ones don’t seem to have any adjustment ability. On examination nothing seems to be different, damaged etc. I think it’s vibration from one of the window seals. The window seems level but a bit of a cold draft bottom right at the hinge side. Anyone any thoughts on this, specifically come across this issue? IMG_1460.MOV

you don’t need ASHP it won’t work well in an old house, stick with mains gas. @PeterW has hit nail on head with his post. I get trades will be more expensive in London but ultimately material prices won’t be, and it is not a huge house.

Ok so is the estimate of the future value of the house £1.3m based upon renovating and extending it at very top spec, or not. Footballers wives etc. What would the house value be worth if extended and renovated to a decent spec. what have local estate agents advised you. some things are minimum requirements to increase value. Size/rooms etc. but somethings just won’t increase any value that much. Have you over specced. nobody’s suggesting putting in a £2k ikea kitchen of course but holy crap that’s an incredible budget to renovate & extend a small house. I know London is expensive but holy crap some of those quotes are obscene.