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Thought that too. Crazy given they had the space (it's a three storey detached house so they must have). I'd actually say any self-built family homes should have four (or three with flexible space to use as a fourth) to allow for grandparents/cousins/pals to stay over. Pity the boys as young adults stuck at home in their 20s due to crazy Oxford house prices and having to share a bedroom. I also didn't get why a barrister and lawyer couldn't just borrow a few quid (or go to work and use their salaries for far more efficient labour) to fit out the house. It took about 6 months for the final fixes and finishings while the wife and kids stayed with family. And they still spent nearly 200 grand on the build, to be left with a scabby looking kitchen.

I enjoyed both episodes but was very surprised at how expensive a build the older couple in week one had given it was relatively small (2 beds, I think) and the guy did much of the work himself (he estimated £100k worth of labour) yet they still spent the best part of a few hundred thousand on the build. Shame to hear from Visti that the original model (which at 100k a plot is only just about affordable to a two professional wage household unless they have family wealth - though I guess there's plenty of housing equity floating about that part of England) is no more. Out of interest, how much does the average family home go for in that part of the world?

Thanks both. We are/were waiting to get a design sorted before contacting a structural engineer but will get onto it asap. The ducting/cabling is one I'll need to get my head round - are there any straightforward guides about? I watched a few videos of passive slabs last night and they looked to be completely without anything bar EPS and concrete!

And can you do a passive slab when ground conditions are generally unfavourable (e.g. a couple of metres of made ground) or does reducing the amount of concrete poured reduce its stability?

In Scotland - will have a look on eBay and Gumtree and see what's doing!

What did people do and do they think are the best options - buy and re-sell, hire, anything else? Are there any other options for site security (and to prevent fly-tipping)?

I shall do my best!

Okay thanks, we'll maybe give you a shout at some point! Hoping to get moving and get quotes from a few kit manufacturers asap so we can get plans in for compliance. I see MBC do passive slab and timber frame with erection, which is all presumably zero-rated for VAT? Do they also do building regs drawings? And are your windows, doors (and some insulation - I see they do an open panel system) factory fitted?

Hi all We will be project managing our own build with a fairly tight budget c.£1,100/sq. metre, and being a canny Scot I'm also very keen to ensure that we get value for money. (We will or can do some of the work ourselves too, if required - like sheeting, decorating, flooring, perhaps even fitting kitchens and bathrooms). Looking for any tips people have on where savings can be made without compromising (much) on quality, substitute products and the like (e.g. is there an alternative to porcelain for inside-outside flooring?). I've read elsewhere from the likes of @Christine Walker that they achieved around £1,000/sq. metre (and presumably without doing too much of the labour yourself) - how did you manage it? Thanks

Thanks, whereabouts are you?

Thanks for the responses. Any recommendations for contractors?

Thanks, will have a look.

That's a fair saving on insulation! I've insulated an extension before (with a local joiner doing the frame) but wouldn't have the time to do it on a full new build. Does anyone have any idea much you'd be paying labour (and the additional time on site)? I was thinking that I'd get labourers to do the inside insulation and sheet plasterboard so it's maybe not a great deal of extra work to bundle onto that.

And through to every room they're needed? Would you expect your slab contractor to specify what's required or do you need to specify it for them?

Hi, no doubt a very basic question here. We have a serviced plot; how do we bring the services in above the slab?

Appreciated - will make sure we keep an eye on it!

Thanks both - does the frame company typically take care of the structural issues (adding steel etc) or do you need to get someone else to do that? And how much additional cost might you expect (looking at a 12.5m run of 0.5/1m overhang)?

We are at the design stage and considering having our first floor cantilever out 0.5-1m beyond our ground floor (mostly due to the space/use we want but also to provide shading to downstairs living space). Is this possible with timber frame and will it be particularly expensive?

Am I correct that if you're just going with a basic sedum then it's a case of getting a bog standard flat roof (sarnafil etc.) installed and then you can diy install the sedum on top? Or is it a lot more complicated than that?

Do Ecology consider advance (or part-advance) stage mortgages? With a bit of luck we'd be on the cusp of being able to swing an arrears-based product but it'll be very tight so it might require a bit of flexibility on the lender's part to be able to swing it.

Are your quotes from national providers and are the same companies laying ufh and the slab? I have a groundworker friend who we intended on using for all excavation and to lay strip foundations but it now appears that a raft will be required and if so, we'd be happier paying a bit of a premium for a passive slab in which case we will procure from elsewhere and use him to get the plot slab-ready. Is there any DIY options that an experienced groundworker could do themselves?

Thanks @Christine Walker and @dpmiller.

Looking for a bit of info on passive slab foundations - how much of a premium do they come in at compared to a normal raft? Any issues/concerns/recommended suppliers (in Scotland)?

Thanks for the replies so far. Christine, Claymore's website isn't great - are they factory fitted, do they liaise with building control, what u-values can they achieve etc? Dpmiller, who are the Irish companies that travel?

We are looking for a kit manufacturer who'll supply a timber superstructure (with factory fitted insulation, windows and doors), in Scotland. Fleming Homes and Scotframe appear to be the two obvious ones. If you've had experience with either could you share your thoughts please? I'm particularly interested in the differences in cost and service as well as the benefits or otherwise of Scotframe's closed panel versus Fleming Homes' open one. Thanks!