Big Jimbo

Yep, if i carry on it will be concrete foundations, blockwork rendered, with hardi plank on the top half. loads of trickle vents. No MVHR. Gas central heating. minimum building regs. As the developer i know said. Cheap as i can build it.

If i was willing to be stuck with it, then perhaps brave. If i was willing to live in it for the rest of my days, then very brave. But, having a view that i will not have a need, or want to keep, then not brave i'm afraid.

Because i wanted to try and do something better for the enviroment etc. If i do build i will just do trad. Tons of concrete, minimum building regs etc. One of the points is where will that leave our major house builders ?

The trouble is Onoff, i've got a projected 18 month build time. I doubt anything will change in that time, so i could end up with a very expensive house that i can't sell. I can't afford that risk unfortunately. I think it's going to have to be either a trad build, or i just don't bother. Spoke to a developer i know who builds about 150 houses a year. "don't bother trying to be smart. Just build to minimum standards, cheap as you can. Nobody gives a $hite" That is the future of our housing i'm afraid.

So. Got my plans drawn, and my build method, and costings sorted. Keen to move forward from trad methods, so i have got a foundation system which is screw piles, and metal frame on top, metal floor, insulated well 0.1 ready for underfloor heating pipes, and 55mm liquid screed. Walls constructed on site by me from 300mm wood i beams. Clad on the outside with a combination of hardi-plank cladding, and renderboard. 300mm walls filled with warmcell. U value of walls 0.13 . Truss roof U value 0.9. So all good so far. Covid has defo changed me. I've got three lockdown grandchildren, and i am just not going to need a 4 bed, 4 bath house to live in when it is just me and the better half left. So basically if i build, i expect to sell when completed. Although i have tried to be good by putting no concrete in the ground, walls etc, i feel i have hit a stumbling block. To be on the safe side, i rang 4 different mortgage brokers....... 1. Don't do it, non standard construction, you will struggle to sell.....2. Stick a block skin on the outside, and you will be fine !.....3. Timber frame ? out of the 68 mortgage providers i have on my books, you have just knocked off 64 of them.....4.Nobody who currently has a mortgage, and would want port it onto your property will be able to do so, so you have just taken it out of the market to 9 out of 10 potential buyers. When is England going to move forward. ?????? They seem to be as bad as planners. lets just build using old methods and, (planners) make it look like all the other houses from the 1930's. So i either have to go back to costing, with blockwork, and tons,of concrete, or just give up on the idea, sell up and bugger off. Sick of it frankly. We talk about climate change, but it seems we don't actually care. A couple of years ago i spent a day down at the building research establishment. About 50 houses, and i don'r remember a single one being brick or block. You wonder why they bother if all of the mainstream mortgage providers are not interested.

No idea about the second method, but i like the idea of the first one. That has got to have a serious low u value. best of luck in your retirement. My old dad always spoke very highly of the polish who fought in the second world war.

Looks fab. Well done you. Now time to enjoy.

It's a shed, and while i am not saying the above is not right, 20 years ago a mate asked me about something very similar. He had no money, so basically i tapped them from inside and ouside to level them up as best i could. gave them a bit of a clean with a bit of sandpaper. squirted a tube of silicone around and through the holes from inside. Went outside, and smeared them almost to the profile of the old tin, but left the silicone a bit proud. Bought a small tin of that ruberised type roof repair, and daubed it over the outside. I have just rang him. Over 20 years later, he tells me it is still good, and has never leaked.

The ground was prob lower back in Roman Times .

To be fair, i have found Thompsons waterseal does a good job, and is also breathable i believe.

I do like a bit of Roger. That gear looks good.

I don't know but be careful. If you do by any chance ring the council cil dept to check. Make sure that you get them to put in writing whatever they say to give you some protection.

If it was raised 20 years ago, i would be taking the level from the ground as it is now.

I had to pay the 5% on a conversion from commercial to residential.

As Bitpipe said, worth a conversation with building control. I had 4 soil pipes and they all terminated in the loft space with an AAV. The recently qualified BC officer said One of them had to be to open air. I argued that as i together with 9 other houses were all on the same adopted waste service, that i didn't need to vent to air. She insisted i did. The chief BC officer got involved and said he saw my point, but insisted that as i could not control those properties, i had to have One of my soil pipes vented to air.

Dacorum are difficult. It's where i live. Can i ask, was it a straight refusal from the planning officer ? did you have the support of the Parish Council ? I had a very hard time with Dacorum for a replacement dwelling in the Green Belt. In the end my final application made it to the Council planning committee. My thought was, here we go, a bunch of old crusties. I was surprised that the councillors were relatively youngish. It went through with only 2 councillors abstaining from voting (my local councillors) All the others voted Yes. Dacorum have been farming out applications to a private firm recently. I spoke to that firm of planning consultants before my application went in, (One of my friends is friends with that planning consultant.) He told me that after looking at my plans briefly, he would refuse it. A neighbours 100m from me, did similar to me. Lawful dev certs for extending on both sides, and a neighbourhood consultation 8m rear extension. He then went back in to knock and build, and got an outright refusal. His was farmed out to the private firm. (the One i mentioned) May i ask, is your land Greenbelt ?

I cant help, but i want to know how big. Two people, Four people ?......Hope the floor is strong enough to take the weight. Sounds like fun.

The very light shade needs to be way more Prince. Other than that, looking good.

Under the ridge tiles, unless you are very short of upstand height. Over will look like a right bodge.

Permitted devl rights are removed in my case when the new house is built .

No the external finish would be the same as the planning permission, just the extra insulation would make the house slightly bigger.

I've got some posh Harmen Karden thing that is freestanding (Bit like a Late 70's boom box) My son in Law got it for me before he left the R and D dept. The retail cost is about £600 quid. I have not used it yet, but heard his. I doubt a combined ceiling light, cum speaker could match it. If a freestanding job fails, it can go in a bin and be easily replaced. One of those failing in a ceiling would be a right pain to swap out. (Trying to find something to fit the same size hole etc)

Unless they want me to rip it all off cause me house is bigger than me permission

Finishes would be the same, just the extra insulation would make it that bit bigger than permission. So thats 2 votes for just kin do it. Cheers Peter.

So that's One vote from Conor to just do it. Cheers fella.