Great_scot_selfbuild

I’ll try to dig out the tender doc I sent. I went through a bit of evolution in how tenders were written / structured. ChatGPT can be a great help, but in general I found less is more - if you send out to much then it may not even get a response (even if it does contain the detail they would need). Here’s one of the examples of what I sent: *********************** Hi [name - I always made a point of contacting them by phone first], We spoke the other week about our self-build project. Would you please quote for the attached design. [included the BR designs by our architectural technician; once we selected our TF supplier, then the detail of the construction drawings were developed, and any BR drawings were updated at the end] House: 0.6ACPH (to quote for assuring this value once windows installed - to be done by EcoHaus; UK based and experienced at meeting passive-level performance). U=0.11 walls & roof Roof insulated and built up to the point of roof finish (standing seam) to be installed. Internal service void of 50mm. Floor - not required, will be beam & block (by others). Wall insulation preferred = blown cellulose e.g. warmcell/steico. Include for steel as required for spans. Include structural calculations as required for the timber frame. Include for plant / lifting equipment as required, noting access constraints (attached doc). Include internal walls, with 100mm stud thickness to allow for sound insulation (by others). Kind regards, ******************* Hope this helps Sent from Outlook for iOS

I’m trying to make sense of the BR and what I can see of BS5396-6. We’re installing the electrical first fix and have a circuit for fire alarm covering the required areas shown in Approved doc B. What have people done here for their fire alarm design & installation? The BR guidance seems very straightforward and clear about what we install and where, but then Approved Document B, Volume 1: Dwellings, Section 1, under “Design and installation of systems” also states: “Fire detection and alarm systems must be properly designed, installed and maintained. A design, installation and commissioning certificate should be provided for fire detection and alarm systems.” Is the mention of fire alarm commissioning certificate (which has a section for ‘designed by’ required for self-build residential homes (I.e. not HMO, not especially large - no single floor over 200sqm etc)

We have a telegraph pole on our land. BT says that the rate they pay is what their rate card says at the time of a new owner registering with them, and that it never changes until the ownership changes. The current rate card is £10.50 per year(!). Has anyone tried challenging this? The previous owner was being paid £8.82 by cheque once a year (since early 1990s). This seems to be a very favourable inflation rate for BT. My simple ChatGPT-aided search has shown it to be a BT policy rather than law and the bit that annoys me is the reference to it being a fixed rate for the whole duration of ownership. A neighbour wasn’t aware of this at all until I mentioned it. The response they have had offered: £10.50pa or £315 one-off payment my personal concern with a one-off payment is any implied rights, whereas an annual payment is far more clearly a rent-like payment. I’m sure some of you have opinions on this. I’d love to hear them… 🫣

Not that it applies to us, but my interest is piqued - how 'heavy' for fire protection to not be required? (thanks for the other points - we pored over the fire protection discussions early on in the design stage with the PD, SE and TF company; I've since filled my head with MVHR, UFH.... and need to go back and re-read it all.)

I think this sounds sensible & practical. I did my UFH (16mm PERT-AL-PERT) install. It was easy enough, but the companies that produce the drawings don’t consider bend radius at all. I knocked up a simple bending tool, though I quickly got the hand of doing it and didn’t use the tool - though my test helped give me confidence in handling and bending it. Not sure if this video will upload - here’s my DIY tool and demo of bending the pipe (showing how much / little the cross section is affected). IMG_2232.mov

Was this aerogel spacetherm? (From what I’ve been able to ascertain it contains aerogel, but is a variation on the original aerogel product which started as a firm ‘flexible, not so flexible’ board). The spacetherm stuff definitely appears higher up the search results. And I thought getting the ground truth on waste treatment plants was difficult! 🤣 trying to work out what is sales BS atm…

Here are two companies I’ve spoken to: https://coreprosystems.co.uk/thermal-insulation/ https://www.thermablok.co.uk/our-products/ I’ve sent them details of what I need and am waiting to see what comes back. A lot of valuable detail came out I. The call that I hadn’t found on any website. The description ’flexible’ is a bit misleading g as the bare material (not fitted to another type of board) doesn’t actually sound very flexible at all! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

I plan to do this internally, where I have the space available - I don’t have this option externally.

The thermal property of tilebacker boards is nowhere near comparable with aerotherm though.

Is this aerogel or spacetherm? From the suppliers I’ve approached, aerogel is like a stiff board/sheet (these pictures look like a loose fabric). It appears that the term ’aerogel’ is used across a variety of products, but not all with the same thermal value.

Thanks - was this internal or external? Do you mind sharing where you got it from?

I am planning to fit a layer of 10mm aerogel to the outside of a steel column. Any recommendations on glue / other methods? (Please state if you’ve managed to do this before - my experience of contact adhesive is that it can behave very differently based on the material type and I’m not sure how well aerogel will take to it. https://www.buyinsulationonline.co.uk/product/spacetherm-aerogel-insulation?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22363171127&gbraid=0AAAAAolHs10y0c_FTCj4HYGnIHug1AoAk&gclid=CjwKCAjw6rfSBhAqEiwA_yocplauhT7e_l1Z4u49lcBwb0LQX6mldg5QaCV0ZC2lrjISc1cW3JRo5hoCFTQQAvD_BwE

Well timed - I’m just looking around at this myself. Following with interest!…

Ah - I should have been clearer, they mask the window frames (ironically, this is where we had found the small leaks); pleased to hear they're that good.

Sort of... looks like google has yet to catch up - Frame Technologies sold their yard to Broadaxe very recently who were literally (by coincidence) just down the road. As far as I understood, I thought Frame Technologies had stopped operating, but I've just checked companies house and that's unchanged. Afraid I can't comment on Frame Technologies, but here's my experience of Broadaxe. We've used Broadaxe and have been very pleased with the experience. Our build (very non-standard, complete with a curved stairwell - all in the Larsen-truss system) has just achieved 0.64, though as mentioned in another thread - I'm putting the 0.04 down to non-TF reasons. Broadaxe summary: Lewers Firth is the MD and his carpentry background and focus on quality and customer satisfaction really stood out to us. I visited their factory mid-build of our frame and was impressed with the setup and the installation didn't disappoint. Our design was done by an architect for planning, we then used an Architectural Technician / CAD designer for building regs drawings and around this time we (finally) selected our Broadaxe as our TF supplier. Broadaxe costs included all the structural engineering and design of the TF (some of the TF companies, not all, wanted us to pay for the SE separately which would have brought in the VAT costs as a professional service rather than being part of the TF provision). I arranged joint teams calls with all our design team (Broadaxe, Window supplier, Foundation Structural Engineer - my SE for everything up to the wall plate for the TF to sit on, and our Architectural technician who was still contracted to formally produce the 'construction drawings', but the frame itself was done by the designer contracted by Broadaxe). These joint calls were exceptionally valuable and enabled me to spot issues such as the window supplier and architectural technician showing the window schedule from the opposite sides (one looking in, one looking out!). The windows were ordered off design 4 months out and the apertures made by Broadaxe were basically mm perfect, including where we had two huge steel columns and lintel. My TF search: I did extensive searching and tendering for TF company - I would strongly support the mention of checking companies house; I now do this for all trades / phases of the build. It doesn't mean I only use huge companies, but it means I know what I'm going in to and to manage my risk. I look for (in particular) when companies were started, how many directors they have and then (probably most important) how many companies the directors have been linked to and whether they are set up and closed quite readily. TF suppliers I got quotes from: Broadaxe (selected) Arfon Blokbuild Flitcraft MBC Solo Timber Frame Stickbuild UK Structures Ltd Based on the same tender document being sent out, the quotes ranged from £74k to £263k(!!). I spent a lot of time poring over the fine print and looking at how much detail they had considered and excluded (stated or implied). Broadaxe was somewhere in the middle and for the specification and quality I believe they've been good value and (almost more importantly) easy to work with. @garrymartin Good luck in your research.

@flanagaj hope you're doing ok? I've been finding the 'lows' recently and needing a lot of resolve to find the resilience to keep moving forwards even if it's slower than desired or, in our case backwards on some aspects which still aren't moving forwards yet! Looks like there's some good advice coming through in response to your query. Good luck!

UPDATE: I've already cancelled the AB visit - onwards! Few responses below - thanks for the input. @Andeh I like this summary - thanks. @JohnMo yes, pre-plasterboard. Chasing the number was more just a reflection of my 'completer/finisher and desire to get the figure we aimed for (for myself really). Please to say I agree it isn't worth the cost. @saveasteading All excellent points - I'd been overlooking the potential for the AB substance to degrade over time. @Nickfromwales The AB process involves masking off the windows to avoid it getting anywhere you don't want a residue on, which is also why they very much prefer doing it at the pre-plasterboard / MVHR stage (which we're at). I don't know if they do houses at a later stage, but they certainly prefer not to. @torre The TF contract only relates to the TF, not the windows/doors etc. When I was searching round for the TF supplier I was pleased with Broadaxe's approach which proactively does the test once the build has windows and doors in, and if they're particularly leaky then they tape an airtight membrane (Intello) over them to isolate them from the test (of the TF). I did discuss with them deducting the split amount off the final bill, but understandably they'd outlay it if it meant that we were totally happy from a customer experience, and it would contribute to a high performance result, but not if it was just to accept the 0.64 (which is quite realistically able to fix the 0.04 by isolating the many windows we have. All-round, I'm very happy with the build result. By way of context, their other builds have been comfortably below 0.6 (in the 0.2-0.3 range, so I was just hoping ours may be there - it's not a very standard shape though). I've not had anyone comment on this - no idea if it's actually the case that the calculated volumes differ or not. Thanks Oh my word. Just taken a look at the post - @Captain Scally has done a great job. We are looking at some slightly upmarket gutters, but I think even these are budget compared to the beauties on that bungalow (I'm looking at black aluminium from https://clearambershop.com/collections/aluflow-aluminium-guttering coming in around £1500; ouch... 🫣).

Beautiful. Great job. Would love to see more pics / details. Excellent guttering.

These are all the responses I was hoping for. Now I can afford some guttering 😆

Hi All, I'm just about to cancel getting Aerobarrier done and this is just a final check to make sure we're not missing something, as the figures involved are tiny. Situation: Current test result: 0.64 Contracted arrangement with timber frame = 0.6, however there are tiny leaks out of the window frames, sliding doors and velux (velux are by far the worst areas of leaks). The TF company has been brilliant and would be willing to go halves on Aerobarrier to both make sure we're as happy as possible, and helping achieve a well-below 0.6 result (even though it's rather unlikely to be solely down to the TF airtightness). The current performance will get worse(?) 1. There are ducts in the floor that are fully taped and sealed and in reality at the end of the build there are likely to be small leaks in these areas. 2. The air tester stated that at completion, the way the volume is calculated differs from this stage - they will measure each room individually rather than using the outside envelope of the house, therefore the volume of the wall thicknesses and intermediate floor depth will be deducted from the current volume - hence 0.64 of a larger volume will equate to a higher ACH of a smaller volume. 3. I've not yet found any documentation to confirm this - can anyone point me to detail as to how ACH and volume is calculated at initial and final stage of build? Cost: Aerobarrier have quoted c.£4,300 for 304sqm footprint (we'd split the cost with the TF company). Summary: Our thinking is that the £2k+ would go a long way for more benefit elsewhere in our build. Will we notice the performance? Is there a financial benefit to being able to state 'Passivehaus performance level' (without rounding down - 🤣!); we plan to live in the house for 40+yrs so I figure today's passivehaus reference may not be very relevant.

Amazing quality of finish - excellent job 👏

@Square Feet Excellent work. We bought our plot without planning permission (had been within the family for 30+ yrs) and although we knew a lot about it by word of mouth, we knew there would be a challenge getting planning and so I also did the same as you. Couple of things I learned along the way during a lengthy planning journey were: (Although we’re in England, the principle of these will still apply) 1. Read the building regulations early - ‘You can get planning permission for something that you can’t build’; a passing comment by one of the architects we spoke to mentioned this in relation to fire access and it made a big difference to how we approached the planning and design. I was repeatedly disappointed in the consideration of ‘buildability’ by the architect (and I’m seeing the same being experienced by a neighbour with a different architect). 2. We got all the services drawings in advance (for free from the utilities company where we are - took a lot of effort not to be steered towards all the companies that charge for this). 3. We got the land deeds for all the surrounding plots - this was so we could see their covenants and understand the comparison against our own. 4. We carefully planned how we would engage the neighbours - doing this proactively before even submitting planning was key to us now having a very positive support from them all. It’s not been a perfectly smooth journey, but it gave us a starting point where they know we’ll keep them informed early and transparently. If I was buying in an unfamiliar location then it would very much depend on the specific circumstances as to whether it would be good to approach them before making an offer - especially if any permission would depend on agreements in place. In terms of de-risking, it could make sense, but would also depend on whether you’re building for yourself or as a development - their response may be very different. It’s all a risk, but just needs scrutinising. Perhaps find someone who would check your logic and offer you a different opinion. The stage you’re at (and pre-planning approval) was the most frustrating for me, as so much of it is out of your control. Set your expectations low, but maintain your optimism and keep working the problem. Every piece of land once started with no permission. Good luck.

We had an experience like this with a PM early on. Didn’t last long and we chalked it up to experience and was so relieved when I told them we were going to draw a line there. Reading this thread fells strangely familiar and I really hope it starts to improve for you. Our architect also proposed zinc standing seam at the design stage. We ended up going for corrugated steel (galvanised, plasticol-coated) sourced from an agricultural supplier - really pleased with the product. When it came to the flat roof detail from the architectural technician (single ply membrane) I’m so pleased I was checking everything - spotted some significant issues that were thankfully caught early enough. I thought that would be it - the flat roof build would be simple. How wrong I was. The small flat roof took longer to install than the timber frame company took to put the whole house, roof and internal walls up. I had an insight into this one day when I happened to be on site doing some design checking / thinking for service runs inside. Weather was due to turn at midday; they hung around in the van most of the morning, started moving material up around 11 and then. When a few drops of rain started (as forecast) at 12 they were gone in a flash! Thankfully The ply seemed to have been installed to a good standard, but because of the time taken, there was a period of trapped water that briefly gave concern before we could get access and clear the issue. Quality of workmanship, and attention to detail has been a frequent area we’ve battled. We’ve had issues with our SE and piling company, and as frustrated as I get sometimes, I always try to have a conversation before sending emails and pair down how I get across my concerns (even though on more than one occasion I’ve been proven to have been right and could have been more blunt - I can tell from your posts that you’ve tried doing it exactly the same and have been let down). Some of the best advice I had from a friend was that, unfortunately, you have to ‘be that guy’ and really micro-manage these projects. This is the opposite of what I experience in my day job where we actively seek to empower and set the conditions for people to know what they’re doing.

One of those simple /mundane questions that doesn’t normally generate a post… I’m mixing up cementitious grout in manageable batches as it has a short working time. When I’m left with a small-ish amount starting to congeal in the tub, where are you disposing of it/cleaning out the tub before starting the next batch?

It is double - just hard to see with the shadow under the sill. Yes - unfortunately the battens are the wrong spacing so this needs correcting first 😭… I have the same concern but hadn’t thought about it in this way - really appreciate the nudge. How did you do your fire stop above windows in this case.? I have always expected to need intumescent strips in some areas for the fire stopping, such as the line around ground floor ceiling, but timber for the vertical sides of windows for instance. Thanks 👍🏻