Big Jimbo

That's the thing. None of us know, or are able to really find out what the true carbon costs of our properties are. Also, we all have to work to a budget, so the £20 jumber made in England, or the £6 jumper made in Bangladesh. When we have already paid tax 20 times on our income we have to make a choice. I'm defo going to consider the Hippie idea.

Ed Davies. I like the idea of Concrete pads. I did find some things online which are basically steel plates, with basically steel poles through them at angles, like spider legs. They hold up all sorts of things, and i think they could replace concrete pads. you could then join them with a timber ring beam, and build off them. No digging, and no concrete in the ground.

Big Neil. I am going to struggle to get you that job of housing minister.?

peter. I don't believe you. You pretty much flogged off all your old house for re-cycling, and you left bits of OSB just lying around !!!! That can't be you.

Thank you all for your comments and help guys n girls.....The system stinks.... I'm have been invited by my daughter to lunch with the PM in a couple of weeks. I will see if i get a chance to bend her ear. Who is up for being the Housing Minister. ?????

So true.

That is exactly the sort of thing we should have, to give us an incentive to build better.

Thats brill Mr Harris. You know that about your house, but the planners, politicions, decision makers etc don't. There should be some sort of recognition for your building. Perhaps i could knock you up a plaque when i get a workshop. Out of re-cycled wood of course. Certainly you will get the benefit of that, but it is still too easy to build rubbish in this country.

Pro Dave. I love timber frame, and cladding. My point is i have no real incentive to build it like that if you see what i mean.

Mr Harris. I hoped you would pop up. I understand the cheats way, and it is better than doing nothing, but it is still a cheat. Huge, huge, huge prob 30000sqft property near me. Fella prob planted a forest in Scotland to offset, and get his slap on the back. I just don't see that there is any incentive for me to try and do better, as nobody seems to give a toss. shame in my opinion.

Is that a slap on the back for me, for trying to think about the bigger picture Mr Punter ?

Anybody, who is doing either a self build, or a renovation, and getting hands on, want's to do the best that they can. I get that. But, i have a few issues. At the moment, a self builder, or a small developer, can slap on a few solar panels. Beef up his insulation, get his air tightness to a reasonable level, and claim to be super energy efficient, and expect lots of slaps on the back. Nothing wrong with that i hear you all say. The problem i have with that is that Two houses have just been passed near me. They are going to have, ASHP, solar panels. 10% better than building reg requirement for wall, floor, and roof "U" values. They made a big deal of this on there planning application, with planning officers, local councillors etc, saying "Jolly good show" etc My issue is that, Yes the houses are going to use less energy to run on a daily basis. Hence reduce carbon emmissions in use. Good for the planet, and all of us....... However, they are going to be constructed primarily from concrete.... footings, floors, walls, roofs, etc. So i personally think that whatever they are going to save on carbon emmissions in use, they are going to build houses that are very carbon heavy in there construction. Hugely so.... Tutt Tutt. I doubt very much that the carbon savings will outweigh the carbon cost........so i would put these down as bad buildings, which could be worse, but consider that the energy saving efforts that have got them a slap on the back, have been used just so they can say. "Look at us, we are so eco" Am I wrong, and just a sad old git ? Say i wanted to build a zero carbon house.... Nobody seems to give a toss about how much carbon i put into building the house, If i can say, "oh yah, I'm so planet aware. I've got a fabio carbon zero house" Nobody seems to care that my solar panels came all the way from china, Along with my ASHP. My bricks from belgium, My windows from germany. etc. Equally, nobody seems to care what the carbon cost of manufacturing or transportation my goods were. I have read several articals that say that for instance.... The carbon cost of producing my solar panels, and shipping them half way around the world, will never be got back by the energy that they will generate during there lifetime... Passive houses can say, Yah, i use 80% less energy for my heating" Sod what the carbon cost of the super duper materials were to build the Passive house... What would be better, my mud hut made from clay from my garden, with single glazed widows made of wood by my next door neighbour who cuts down his own trees from his back garden forest. My heating would be from a Combi boiler, because the gas board kindly at some time in the past put gas on my plot, Or my passive or carbon Zero house imported from Germany ???? Is the term Eco banded around too easily??? Would anybody know of anywhere that i could go to find out the true carbon cost of my proposed building ? If so i would give you a pat on the back.... I have been searching online for three days and i can only find institutions, and people that will provide me with slat on the back calcs..... I would like to see the bigger picture. Thanks for your help..... (shall i just bugger off and become a hippie ?)

They don't like anything. (Tossers) Crown roofs, flat roofs, not in keeping...

Thank-you. One fishing over the edge would look great. If i get a flat roof, i'm having one.

I have worked on houses for over 20 years. These houses have been going on sale for between 2 and 15 million. Even they are full of faults, and some of the standards are shocking. Most young guys on site don't have a scooby doo. Any old boys you meet can't wait to get out of the game.

Thanks Dreadnaught. I'll find it. I bet he ain't building in the middle of the Town Centre with his wallet.

Thank you Dreadnaught for your promp response. Green half the roof, Solar panels, on the other half.

Good afternoon Ladies and gents. I want a flat roof.....1. I like them (The modern look) 2 I would like to put a shed load of salar panels on the roof, and with a flat roof, you would not be able to see them. (Which i prefer) Problem.....................I am in the Greenbelt, and the planners won't like a flat roof. Anybody have any bright ideas, as to how i might justify a flat roof ????? Any help gratefully received.

It will obviously help with wind getting under the static, but i doubt it will make the area underneath much warmer. What about hay bales around the edge instead ?

The guys i know who do the fancy polished plaster use this underneath to stop cracks showing up on the expensive finished work.

I have used the elastomeric paints in the past. if you let it go off a bit on the brush or the roller it goes a bit rubbery. I think there is defo some stretchability to it, so small hairline cracks would not show through. I can't remember if it has silicon or something in it, but it repells water, and is kind of self cleaning with the rain. It still looked good after about 8 years.

If you make a planning application, and you either withdraw it, or it is refused. You are entitled to what is called a "Free Go" Does anybody know if this is limited to either one free go for each application, or limited to one free go per site ? For example.... Application to extend..... Withdrawn Application to extend..... Entered as free go..... Passed Application to knock and build Two...........Refused..... Any idea if i can re-submit with a new scheme for Two, as a free go ? Or have i used up my one free go per site. I can't find out anywhere on Gov sites, and don't want to ask planning yet. Many thanks.

I really dont mind if you all call me daft, but lets say you had say 150mm pir on top of the roof, which would prob satisfy B.R. outside the rafters, but you wanted to improve further ? The natural thought might be you stick some additional insulation between the rafters, say rockwool, beads, or whatever. On the underside you stick a vcl, some battens, plasterboard and skim. What makes this different to say a timber framed wall, where i believe that you should work on the basis of least permiable on the inside, to most permiable on the outside, so that any water vapour that gets into the wall will be able to dry to the outside. Is this not the same on a roof, either flat or tiled. am i making any sense. I am aware that quite often i don't.

Looks great, and how refreshing, Your planners like flat roofs ! One day all houses will be built with flat roofs.

Thanks for that. Give me a bit of hope.