Great_scot_selfbuild

Great point. I've been so focussed on errors elsewhere in the design detail I haven't yet asked how the designers proposed this will be protected against.

Both are good with this. Thank goodness as it's essential (RPZs).

@JohnMo, @G and J Thanks - these comments are exactly why I post here. Really useful to get an objective external check/opinion. Just off to ponder...

The score piles is something I researched significantly and is actually the least of my worries with the ones we’ve gone for (Quadrabuild, aluminium alloy helical screw piles) and we’re in a good sand-soil location (the area around us used to be a sand quarry in the late 1800s and the plot was set out in 1908 but never built on). Ground tests reached ‘refusal’ at around 2 - 2.5m.

Indeed - I’m please to hear that the stuff I’m focussed on (a lot!) is the bits others would recommend. The engineer initially specified everything (literally) to be galvanised, but then he has a tendency to over-spec. We’re having to consider carefully what we go for as galvanised vs. Zinc oxide. It’s all going to be well protected from the elements and I have to keep reminding myself that one of the alternatives was a timber ring beam (saw an example of a house using this), and so a well-maintained steel ring beam already has a far longer lifespan). Plus we’re not in a challenging environment (not exposed, not next to the sea etc.).

Thanks - I’ve just received and posted as a separate topic about thermal bridging question.

I’ve received this design through as the proposed edge detail for the foundation to timber frame. I’ve only just received this, so haven’t had the answers back from the architect and so I thought I’d reach out here to you good people. I’ve attached the version with my comments (and observation of a puzzling measurement discrepancy). He’s shown the insulation being continuous with the wall, apart from a DPC layer, whereas in fact the wall above the DPC is a modular timber frame (Larsen Truss twin wall). That wall is U=0.11. We’re going for 150mm PIR floor insulation (0.14U) as a cost-based decision and also to avoid adding a lot of height to the house - it’s already got to be raised off the ground, so every bit counts. Specifically I’m looking to understand the most sensible option for the insulation on top of the ring beam steel, but happy to take any other comments/questions. Thanks! (after-edit: the ‘90x25 batten’ has 28mm written as the height distance and then this section adds up to 208mm, but aligns with the 215mm floor depth. Have others had to pick up discrepancies like this from your designers?)

@Fi and J I feel your pain. I did a lot of research on this when we went through planning. There is legislation (statute law, so the council *must* follow it) stating that hey are to manage a register and process of tracking self-builds. They are required to report on it annually (you can put in an FOI to request the stats - I did), so that is no reason for them to avoid what may well be an easier exemption criteria for you. Here are some relevant links and policies that helped me: (Useful but you may need to check if anything has been updated since it was published) Self-build statute legislation (get familiar with this, get yourself on the council’s self-build part 1 register too): https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/17/section/2/2016-10-31 Key Legislation and Policy Sources 1. Environment Act 2021 This is the primary legislation introducing mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in England. It amends the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to require a 10% BNG for most new developments. 📌 BUT: The Act itself doesn’t list the exemptions — it gives the Secretary of State the power to create exemptions via secondary legislation. 2. The Biodiversity Gain (Exemptions) Regulations 2024 ✅ This statutory instrument (SI 2024 No. 3) provides the legal basis for the self-build and de minimis exemptions. 🔍 Key self-build exemption section: Regulation 4(1)(d) – Exempts self-build and custom housebuilding where: The site is less than 1 hectare, No more than 9 dwellings are proposed, It is not part of a larger development. 📖 You can find this SI here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/3/contents/made 3. BNG Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) – Updated 2024 This is the official government guidance that supports the law and helps LPAs and developers interpret the rules. It details how to claim a self-build exemption, what counts as custom housebuilding, and what evidence is required. 📚 Available on the GOV.UK site: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/biodiversity-net-gain Look under: “Exemptions from biodiversity net gain” “Small sites and self-build developments” 4. Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended) Defines what qualifies as self-build or custom housebuilding. You must meet this definition to claim the exemption under BNG regulations. ✅ Summary of Requirements for the Self-Build BNG Exemption: According to the Biodiversity Gain (Exemptions) Regulations 2024, you must show that: You’re building a home that qualifies as self-build or custom, The development is fewer than 10 dwellings on less than 1 hectare, It’s not part of a phased or larger scheme. Good luck!

So we're getting quotes in for a steel ring beam for our timber frame to sit on. The design structure is quite straight forward and it will sit on screw piles. I'm an engineer and familiar with designs that come with torque specifications on every nut and bolt; I'm not expecting this of the ring beam. The design and connections are straight forward, and we will be measuring prior to manufacture in order to get the fit correct. I'm looking at working with my builders to install the ring beam and the block and beam floor in order to save some serious money (quoted c.15k installation). Has anyone done this before? when steelwork is bolted to a concrete foundation, is there a torque setting expected, or is it as basic as I'm expecting on a building site? Is there something I should be considering? The task isn't technical - the technical bit is all in the design and measure before manufacture; the building control inspector is looking at the build matching the SE-specified design. TIA

@Jane W I did write one for the first submission, but what I’ve described above covers all the lessons and improvements made for our second application. For an appeal, you can’t really submit much more unless it directly addresses the reasons for refusal, so our appeal wasn’t a great deal more than the original submission. In our second (successful) application we had: Planning statement (by Planning Consultant) Design & Access Statement included sustainability statement (by Architect) Access strategy (by me - did my research and just made clear that it was produced ‘in good faith’, presenting all the facts and referencing all my sources at the end of the document) Landscape Context Assessment (by me - lots of references to the GVLIA ed3 which I found a copy of, and they publish tech notes online; one of the links above, may or may not be relevant for you).

@Jane W I did something similar, and I was no planning specialist when I started. I've since spent so much time poring over planning documents, policies, websites and watching planning committees I consider myself at least averagely proficient. Your post has reminded me that I need to write up and share my experience here at some point before I forget the details. Our situation: Pre-app suggested no chance. Set your expectations low (throughout! - We had a planning consultant and architect involved. Both were invaluable, but not without challenges and frustrations. Architect produced a D&A statement, and whilst ok (better than many tbf), it didn't address many of our specific challenges adequately in my view. Our specific challenge areas: Arboricultural (but we engaged an Arboriculturalist from the start as we knew this needed the documentation produced by a professional with the right qualifications and credibility. Landscape and character. Access. Apps and tools I used: iPad and Apple Pencil - I would download pdfs and scribble on them (described below). Procreate (I paid for the pro version and have made full use of it; most expensive app I've bought, but I saved well over the £80 or so in being able to produce images myself without having to pay for others to do them. MS Word MS Excel ChatGPT (came to this very late, well after submission - I caution it's use, it's only as good as the instruction it's given and definitely needs checking, plus it can be easy to spot AI-written material if it isn't tailored). What I did (and this may be relevant to your case): Read the NPPF and highlighted all the areas that may work for and against us. Really important to identify (and not shy away from) the areas that are against you. You need to shape your case to actively knock these issues down (directly/indirectly, eliminate/mitigate). Read the local plan. Identify the area you are within and focus on all the area-specific policies (as above). Search for your council's 'definitive map' - ours had an interactive version which was very useful for providing something to screenshot and use (be sure to cite / check copyright permissions - many will allow you to include providing the source is cited). Google Maps is useful, and I used a combination of the different mapping sources, imported to Procreate as different layers, made one slightly transparent and so I was able to highlight certain attributes that then aligned with the phrases from their own policies, to support my application. I then produced a Landscape Context Assessment (I'm not a qualified landscape architect or other professional, so I just made clear in the opening and closing paragraph what the document was doing and that I 'the author' was presenting the information in good faith etc.). And finally... Once I'd written it in total, it was detailed and long, and the reality is that even the planning officer is probably not going to read everything in the detail you want them to. So, this is where I found ChatGPT came into its own (excuse the noddy guide, you may be more experienced than me, but in case others need it spelling out, this is what I did): Open www.chatgpt.com Enter the following: "The following text is comprises a [Design & Access Statement?] document as part of a planning application. Summarise the document as a succinct bullet-point list to include at the start of the document, with an introductory paragraph stating that it summarises the document contents: [Copy/Paste in the full text context of your document]" Click the arrow to submit. Watch and marvel! Tailor and include this at the start of your document. The reason for this (for me) was that there were many aspects to local policy and we were policy compliant but likely to go to committee because that's just the way so many of our council's applications go. Committee members aren't planning experts and you need to 'land' your key points in the first couple of pages. Some will ready the detail, but not all (and they all have an equal vote). It's my opinion that the summaries I provided actually made the case to the officer so strongly that it was approved without the need for committee (and hence after 2.5yrs we could finally relax). Attachments: Couple of screenclippings showing how I used the mapping (local definitive map, policy map, google maps) and Procreate to layer the information together and draw on top of it. Some links: Magic Map (contains a detailed and accurate measuring tool - distance and area of any shape; more functionality than google measure and also has layers you can overlay): https://magic.defra.gov.uk Environment Agency Mapping tool: https://environment.data.gov.uk/explore/6fd0120f-d465-11e4-abee-f0def148f590?download=true Landscape Institute Technical Guidance Note 06/19 – Visualisation of Development Proposals https://landscapewpstorage01.blob.core.windows.net/www-landscapeinstitute-org/2019/09/LI_TGN-06-19_Visual_Representation.pdf HM Land Registry Mapping (Polygons) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/inspire-index-polygons-spatial-data Helpful blog describing how to make practical use of Land Registry polygons https://anna.ps/blog/how-to-use-land-registry-data-to-explore-land-ownership-near-you

This was what I was originally thinking but our builder suggested having an air gap under the breather membrane. I'm now thinking this wasn't needed; the reason for the battens was the same as running vertical cladding - to provide airflow up and down the roof. Given that the corrugation does allow for any condensation to run out the bottom (to a degree at least, as some will go to the lower edge of the curve, and then onto the purlin). I don't want to do any re-work to remove and re-install the membrane as this will take days and cost a lot of labour, so I'm thinking we just put a strip of membrane over the purlin to prevent it rotting and rely on the airflow such that there won't be that much condensation anyway (wishful?) (As much as I'd love to do more of this build myself, and I'm sure I'd enjoy it, I just don't have the time and it would be a 'forever build', rather than a 'forever home'...)

Photo I meant to attach (thanks @JohnMo)

@flanagaj Our planning condition submissions were also published on the council site, though this is inconsistent as they haven't always uploaded the condition documents. External Finishes_Planning Condition_Buildhub example.docxI've attached the document I wrote to submit my examples of external surfaces.

We’ve had our garage roof built and we’re just about to put the corrugated sheets on, but I've been thinking about the roofing and breather membrane and I'm concerned it's not in the right location. I hope I'm missing something and the group here can correct me and allay my concerns! (numbers relate to the attached photo). We have a ridge beam, rafters, OSB on the rafters (so we can add insulation internally later), and then battens followed by horizontal purlins. The photo that I’ve annotated matches many images I’ve seen of roofing being installed on horizontal battens and then breather membrane, but I’m concerned that if the roof condensates then the water won’t run out (yet this is the same with other roof images I’ve seen). The battens (A) are there for airflow (1) below the corrugated sheeting and (I thought) to allow the condensation drips to escape, but being below the breather membrane (2) this means that the water will drip onto the membrane and collect (3) against each horizontal purlin (B). Or is the fact that we have horizontal airflow directly under the corrugated sheet, and an air gap under the breather membrane enough to negate the issue of condensation? (We aren’t installing shaped foam at the ends of the corrugated sheets), to allow airflow and condensation to run down the sheet. Anyone with knowledge/experience of this?

@LiamJones yes - exactly that (all points)

@Oz07 thanks - I'll be sure to ask.

@JohnMo I too found that - unfortunately it didn't really help.

@garrymartin I must be being blind - I had read that, went to my profile and simply can't find anything that suggests 'create a blog'. I thought it would be under '+Create', but as you can see - I have no option there. Can you advise where it is please?

Title says it all really. I really was expecting the 'Blogs' page to have something about 'start a blog' or perhaps some guidance on what makes a good blog / tips etc.

I'd just like to see a list of blog titles, rather than the latest posts that happen to have been published. I'm not searching for anything in particular - just want to scan the blog types to see which ones I want to dip into.

Is there a way I can view a list of the blogs, rather than just see the latest entries (which then needs me to select one and then again to click the blog title above the entry to see the list of entries associated with that blog)? Additionally, can I view them as a list, so I can scan the titles quicker rather than the huge 'thumbnails' and having to slowly scroll through the pages? I really must find some time to publish some of our own journey on here, but I want to structure it in a way that is more useful to look back on. Thanks

@Oz07 can you please explain '+compo'? 20250527-Floor_Build-up_Layers_Client questions.pdfThe beam ends will be sat on a steel ring beam (with at least a 150mm air gap beneath), do I need DPC to be underneath the B&B (please see attached image that I sent to our architect. I was getting frustrated at the ambiguity of the dimensions being discussed, hence the sketch - could you please comment on the dashed lines and my question on the image?

@ETC Thanks - I've picked up on this and have submitted for some quotes, partly to see if different layout configurations come back, or if they all approach it the same way (which is what I hope)

We’re due to have a steel ring beam installed on screw piles (this is a separate challenge - one for another thread probably), and then a timber frame house (Larsen Truss) on top; the footprint of the house is c.135sqm and I’ve been quoted the following: Materials for B&B floor: £3.7k Labour to install the ring beam and B&B floor: £12-15k (tbf the ring beam is complicated - it does feel excessive, but I’m rather stuck as I’m not a structural engineer and I need it to be able to meet the warranty requirements). From what I’ve seen on this forum and various insta accounts of self-builders, the laying of B&B floor looks quite easy but jut a lot of manual labour. Should I be expecting our principal designer to design the B&B layout configuration, or our structural engineer? (I’ve seen combinations of blocks laid in each orientation, but it’s so far not been included in the SE drawings). Grateful for views from those who have done it and any advice. Thanks in advance.