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If you can afford the additional initial outlay it's a no brainer really - ageing and increasingly affluent population, living far more 'unhealthy' years with a few quid to spend on holidays and the rightful expectation that their needs will be met. If you can provide for the family member(s) needing accessibility then you're also on for another couple of rentals for the extended family too. If I had cash it's what I'd be doing (or buying up cheap accessible ground floor flats/bungalows in peripheral towns where you've got high yields, growing demand and the only void periods will be on death every 5/10/15/20 years).

Clays advise you to add add insulation yourself using the 142mm system to improve performance. There's a calculator on the Kingspan website that allows you to work out your u-values. SIPs Eco, SIPs Industries, JML and, I think, Sipco all make their own panels in various widths.

Who did your erection? I was fairly impressed with the communication from Clays but put off by them not providing erection services up here (and the knock on impact on zero rating).

Edit: Just looked and found the answer myself, sorry.

I don't know your circumstances but might you plan on having children in future? If so, you'd definitely want to be on the same level, for the first 5 years anyway. And if not, those two extra bedrooms look like a bit of a waste of space (and links with Russell's comments about single floor living - which is arguably going to be increasingly attractive, particularly to the growing numbers of small households). Also, you'd soon get really scunnered having to go through the kitchen to the fridge.

Odd name for a girl.

In Scotland, but thanks. Has anyone installed themselves or is it definitely worth paying for professional installation?

For those who have artificial grass and are happy with their experience, any particular brands/types you'd recommend? I've just dipped into it and there appears to be very wide choices. Looking for something durable, child and dog friendly and that looks the part. All of the above look decent.

Yes, worked out the supply as £8.26 a board. And the rest are what I've got to tot up. We're going with SIPs so will need battens to board onto and create service voids. From what I'm told you struggle to find any partitioning contractors with plasterers on board, if you pardon the pun, at least in Scotland where a good plasterer is a sought after commodity. Back to the drawing board!

Cheers. I was told it'd definitely be mates rates with the odd board taken off a pallet on other jobs but just wanted the sense check.

Had my first quote in for boarding rates from a firm my mate works with and just wondering how it stacks up compared to others. Average of £8.26/board for mix of 2700x1200x12.5 (for downstairs walls), 2400x1200x12.5 (upstairs walls) and 2400x1200x15 (all ceilings) including moisture resistant boards for all wet areas, then £7.25/m2 for labour, £1/m2 for fixings and £7.25/lineal metre for timber strappings (which I presume are battens). I've not yet worked out what that all means but is it good/ballpark/should I shop about?

It looks fantastic - and inspiration for those of us just starting out.

Are those requirements any more onerous than putting in fire doors and ensuring means of escape from the habitable space? Asking as I'd like the option of converting loft space later (with space for stairs already designed in) and if I could allow for a relatively small initial outlay then I'd want to do that.

Have you considered direct access from their rooms/built in wardrobes up fireman's poles or climbing walls, which would be more fun and less restrictive in terms of space?

I am going to piggyback on this thread and ask about the windows position within the windows (i.e. where it sits within the void). In an ideal world I'd like to maximise ledge space (for window seats and allowing wee bits of art and the like to be displayed) so would prefer the windows to sit on the external wall if it all possible but presumably that means it's not part of the airtightish envelope? Is there any way to mitigate against that? Also, if the kit manufacturer (like Scotframe do) can install windows off-site presumably that will include any lintels of structural considerations? I hadn't got that far in considering this option with them before the shutdown and am curious.

The system in England (privatised) is different to Scotland (local authority) so you don't get any additional benefit here from the warranty (i.e. wrapping it up with building control) as you still need to pay your building warrant fees and get sign off from the council.

Econekt are based in Clydebank and in my dealings with them (didn't go with them) they seemed knowledgeable and professional. Towards the higher end cost wise though, from memory.

Thanks, signed up there so shall keep a wee eye out for them.

I don't know a lot about the north of Scotland but the rest of the market is very localised in Scotland - the south and most of the west has struggled to recover (with the exception of your Easts - Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire) to peak activity and prices while the east (Edinburgh through to Fife and Perthshire) has recovered and then some. Aberdeen is a market of its own given how it tracks the boom and bust of the oil industry. Long term that trend looks set to contribute with population growth almost exclusively in the east and decline in large parts of the west (except for Glasgow). Given Covid (and Brexit, remember that?) I would definitely think twice before spending lots of money on a house in peripheral locations.

I've never used it but have read in various threads that savings may be had on eBay. Are there any particular items that it is best for?

Sorry. Going on my consultation with Home Energy Scotland ours more or less would, though I think the model underestimated how energy efficient a modern self-build home is - haven't progressed it beyond that.

You get a 10 year interest free loan with Home Energy Scotland for the capital and installation costs of an air source heat pump. And if it's in before April next year your RHI will pay for the loan.

Fleming Homes and Scotframe have a range of standard designs that will give you a good start for conventional but a bit different from volume housebuilder type houses. A quick look on Rightmove will find you the floorplans of upmarket developers too - up here in Scotland that's the likes of Charles Church and McTaggart and Mickel.

Going to have a very similar vaulted ceiling and challenge with heights. How did you find boarding in general, and how much additional time do you think it has taken you compared to the professionals (and are you happy that the additional time, any wastage etc was worth the saving)?

Thanks AB - I can't find the quote now (on my laptop which is tucked away for the day but the static load test was something like 4k). Our SE has just come back to say static testing is overkill and dynamic testing of a sample is all that's required - which is a relief.