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Thanks both - appreciated.

Everything I read says design in standard size windows but I'm not exactly sure what they are? Is there a guide anywhere?

Watched a couple and thought they were both excellent (and show the value of good design/designers) in making the most of tight spaces. And they both (almost) met the budget spec!

I'd be interested in anything that could be shared...

Any pictures for how that worked out (and costs for supply)?

Thanks - it's top of our list but will need to see if the kit manufacturer we go with will be able to work with it. I know that there's little tolerance with foundations for timber/SIPs frames and I'm wary of being out! If we could somehow marry an ICF shell (founds and walls) with timber partitions and all erected within 1-2 weeks I'd be all for it!

I'll enquire with them - at a show this weekend so will hopefully get round most of them. And we've not got structural engineers on board yet but it's likely to be piled foundations due to ground conditions.

We will be one of the latter (mostly likely timber frame) but I've not yet came across any of the companies offering SE services. Would be quite happy for someone to wrap it all up and do it all under a supply and erect contract and take some of the risk out even if I pay a wee premium.

Thanks. It strikes me that cost of procuring the service might not necessarily be a good guide either as the cheap guys might be more risk averse and spec more expensive solutions?

So the next question is how do you spot a good one?

Hi, should you instruct structural engineers at the outset (i.e. before agreeing a design) or after a design has been agreed and their job is then to spec founds etc. from there? And what information will they need to quote for the work?

Thanks both. AIG, why would the upper outside walls necessarily require lots of steel (they sit on the ground floor, not out from it which we had presumed would be fairly straightforward structurally). (And MVHR units seem to be about 600mm deep so had planned on siting this beside the washing machine and tumble dryer in the utility. Had planned on waiting for costs coming back and a design being agreed before appointing a structural engineer but may need to revisit!

Hi, we've worked our way through a few pads of tracing paper and settled on the attached floorplan (and have also included some elevations with indicative materials). Any thoughts on improving it? We're limited to 200m2 by planning conditions and want to have: Ground floor - open plan-ish kitchen/dining/living with a separate playroom which could be used flexibly as kids (2 and 4) get older, a study/spare room and a downstairs shower room/wc (for future proofing) and a mudroom of sorts (which is a bit of a compromise as we've only got one entrance door - though the bi-folds in the dining will give direct access from the rear) First floor - a good-sized master with en-suite and dressing room, two decent-sized kids rooms which they can grow into, a bathroom for them and a flexible space which will act as a second sitting room but can be used flexibly in future (for art, music, exercise etc.) and could be converted into a fourth bedroom if required; and a balcony which can be accessed from the master and the flexible space There's no door drawn into the master as we're still a bit unsure of placement yet. The front of our plot is due north (and the rear due south) so it has been designed to try and maximise the open plan living space to the rear with plenty of glazing. The balcony (and roof) overhangs by 1m to provide solar shading. We intend to crane in shipping container and convert it into a summer-house-cum-store where we'll put anything that would ordinarily go in the loft into but we may still be a wee bit light on storage. Your thoughts please... Proposed floorplan.pdf Materiality.pdf

Thanks. Settle from? My plan was to do some digging and get a roller in to level then seed once the structure is up - the lawn will be at the back and separated from the house by a patio which will wrap round the house so it won't or shouldn't be affected by construction.

A very interesting discussion. Picking up on one of the points made, there's about 2m of made ground on our plot - does that make getting a good lawn (even with good topsoil laid) much more difficult and would artificial then be a better option?

Thanks both - and Christine I'll need to get your Buildbase rep's details from you - will send you a wee message. We've not yet opened any accounts with merchants - are just at the design and costing stage so looking for approximate figures to consider whether we're going with brick or timber cladding. Relieved/hopeful the apparent prices can be negotiated significantly down though!

In Scotland. I've found it a bit difficult navigating the merchants' sites. And hoping brick isn't as expensive as it seems on those sites where I have been able to get a price!

Hi, not sure if this is the right section but does anyone have recommendations for where you're most likely to get a decent deal on facing bricks? From a bit of searching it's difficult to compare like for like/prices are only revealed once you plug your details in for a call back. Any help would be appreciated!

Great, thanks - I'll have a look after work!

We are considering wrapping zinc (or, more likely, a cheaper metal) around the roof and gable walls of our build with cedar shingles at the front and rear. I've read that cedar is acidic and can corrode metal which makes me question its suitability. It wouldn't be fixed to the metal but would but against it in places, and with aluminium clad windows. Thoughts?

How do those prices compare to buying in the UK?

Slightly off topic but has anyone been in any of the magazines, and are there any pros/cons with that? Notice some of the magazine-linked shows ask. My partner thinks it'd be a nice keepsake and might help cut some deals.

If you were to get passive slab foundations would that negate the (potential) cold bridging issues?

Indeed but my comments have nothing to do with marketability, and far more to do with the practicalities of family living. As it goes few accessible two and three bedrooms are developed by volume housebuilders principally because there's so little demand for it. Unfortunately older Britons only tend to move at the point of crisis. Which is why every new build estate is full of boxes which squeeze 4 bedrooms in and don't provide particularly good living spaces for their occupants (and will be redundant in two generations time). That said, if I was self building with an eye on resale and it worked for me then I'd consider a 3 bed bungalow as the undersupply means they come in at a huge premium to the market, in my area at least.

That's fair enough but in his shoes I would have done some work and/or borrowed a bit of cash to let someone else share the load and to see my family. They may have a house they want but they have more or less sacrificed a year of family life to get it - and I'm not sure the end product (or the financial saving, if any) merits that. For the additional 6 months rent and housing costs they were out he could have employed at least a labourer earlier in the process to get the build moving. And he did clearly recognise he needed support (employing a joiner early in who he then fell out with). For me watching from afar it seemed that he let his pig headedness get in the way of delivering a family home.