DownSouth

@Kelvin I can’t get over that view! I would never leave that sofa, it looks beautiful.

It will feel overwhelming and you’ll have to pace yourself because everything takes so long. Money flows out at a rate - but at least you won’t have rent to pay with the static. We’ve friends who are self building from a caravan. They put a yurt up May-October every year (4years and counting!) and that doubles their living space for half the year. Might be an idea? On a tight budget you’ll need to do tons yourself - almost every job is doable but work out where you need skills and look for those people early (that was groundworks, plasterers and tilers for us). The pad by the bed is an excellent tip - so many nights waking 3am when there’s something forgotten or needs answering. It is a scary ride but also amazingly fulfilling. But you do have to pace yourself - I’d say it’s really difficult because you’ll want to move it forward all the time but try and schedule normal stuff in every so often. I’m having my first day off work/off site for many weeks today (catching up on build hub 😆) and the mental break being away from site feels amazing. And it’s only 9am! Keep a diary and you might even want to blog here. Realising how far we’ve come is more important to me than what’s still left to be done. I often flick back to pictures from a year before (founds in, timber frame was going up) when I’m feeling fed up - just to remind myself we’re getting there (on painting, 2nd fix and floor laying now). Good luck!

@MortarThePoint (love the name!) I’m afraid it’s not yet commissioned, so can’t comment on how it’s working yet. Just realised my post was from way back in May - so now feeling that’s very slow going on our part. Hopefully another 2-3 months we’ll have it up and running and a toilet or two to flush.

Prefer the black one. I have built a fully black clad house though so am biased towards it. I’d worry that wood will weather differently under those eaves so might end up looking patchy.

+1 cut it slightly smaller and then use a couple of nails to hold it in place. It definitely doesn’t squash in. we found the Spear & Jackson predator insulation saw was great for cutting slithers off where there were brackets.

I’m after some top tips for products which will protect windows when the plasterers come in please - but also any detail of how to actually do it so it can be removed once they’ve gone. Woke up thinking about it at 4am 😳 - I’m looking forward to sleeping through once we’ve finished, something to look forward to for 2026/7…. 🥱

Fleming Homes have been a good choice for us, even if they’re a long way away. It all depends on what stage you want to get your build to with support. We used their design service and it was useful to tweak and add to what we knew we wanted - they had some good ideas and the house design and layout has benefitted from their experience and expertise. We did foundations (piled) and got the block work in, then FH guys came and erected and installed windows leaving us wind & watertight with a boarded roof 12 days later. They provided a Building Regs service in the months leading up to us breaking ground which meant we could get on with other prep (surveys, building control, site prep, insurance and warranties and utilities). We went for an enhanced insulation package which meant we’ve fitted another PIR layer internally, the airtight membrane, battens (feels like 1000s of them) and are currently doing all the sound insulation in stud walls. They provided the self-fit insulation and membranes, sourcing the PIR insulation for us locally when we were ready for it (which we paid for at time of ordering). It’s been more competitive than us sourcing PIR ourselves - guess their buying power is a bit bigger than ours! Also meant we didn’t have a price hike when everything went up in February as they honoured the price paid. So think about how much you’re going to do and how much you need others to. If you have the time then it’s fine to go with a lower factory spec and sort it yourself, if you’re pushed for time you might want a company that can get you to airtight or even turnkey? FH have been good at sorting (not massive) issues out. Ultimately went with them because we felt (still feel) they’re invested in making their product and therefore our home a success. We didn’t get that vibe from others.

Have you tried Appliances Online ao.com? They do end of range sometimes and you’ll be able to filter by size. We used them for previous kitchen and they delivered safely and on time.

@Hoops we had some remedial issues with doors/windows. The installers sent ASD Servicing for an independent inspection, to fix where possible and write a report for outstanding issues (almost sorted…). The ASD team were good - friendly, very thorough and informed. Might be worth contacting them? Looks like you’re in W Sussex, we’re midKent and so they might cover your patch. And really sorry to hear all the issues you’ve had. The self builder’s road is a bumpy one - so keep going, ask for help and it’ll be worth it in the end. Good luck!

Doing it for sound reduction in walls, heat insulation in the ceiling between ground and first floor. Internal new stud walls in a new build timber frame which has factory fitted PIR with an additional 50mm PIR which we fitted to all exterior walls, followed by membrane and battens. We can’t board one side first because we are doing rockwool ourselves and it has to be done first because of our timings.

We’re getting a plasterer to board out the internal walls while we get on with other jobs. After some advice please on what’s the best way of fitting it within a stud wall so that it’s still in place when the plasterer comes to board out? Any top tips?

We’re getting a plasterer to board out the internal walls while we get on with other jobs. After some advice please on what’s the best way of fitting it within a stud wall so that it’s still in place when the plasterer comes to board out? Any top tips?

Curious to know why if it is a turnkey option you need an architect? Don’t Dan Wood offer planning permission support and adaptation of their designs as part of their service?

Design is similar to ours. We don’t notice the cill but ours isn’t as deep. Could you just get them reprofiled? Having little strips of the cladding looks more fussy to my eye - sharing pic of ours, you can see this where the balcony is. Also agree with @Mr Punter it’s worth considering having them as escape windows (if costs not impacted too much).

It’s already in, so moving it isn’t an option. Dalek here we come….

This thing has been put in just 2m from the sewage treatment plant. It’s at the back of the garden ;about 10m from the patio) but is bright green and very visible. How have other people hidden theirs?

What space does the proposed bungalow have outside for off road parking and garden? Planners will consider parking, ability for cars to turn round safely, etc. Our LA requires all new residential buildings to install electric vehicle charging points as per Building Regs. Have you looked up your LPA’s guidance on parking and provision of garden space?

+1 for Power Sheds, put this potting shed up last year and very happy with it.

We just printed off the block plan and then drew on it. Wrote on a legend, using different symbols or just added notes on different areas ‘wildlife lawn’ ‘fruit trees’. Took a photo of the plan, uploaded it, wrote up a short landscaping plan in Word and submitted that too. When we looked on our local planning portal for landscaping schemes we saw lots that had been done ‘by hand’. If you haven’t searched your portal it might be worth a look.

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.tigersheds.com?page=4 Have you looked at the Trust Pilot reviews?

Only recommendation from personal experience is to try and find someone local, even if that means driving around other sites and asking. We had quotes for piling from national companies who all had significant add on costs. The local team we went with knew how to work with our heavy clay, gave a realistic assessment of the depths that would be needed, could recommend someone to do the bore hole test (worked out cheaper than the quotes we’d been getting) and had a reputation to protect locally which does make a difference. Piled foundations definitely adds to muck away costs, so I’d also be putting out feelers for farmers who have dips to fill. You can save £££s if you’ve got somewhere to spread it.

Can I hijack this post? Our garage ceiling spec (habitable room/workshop bit) was 140mm PIR - but as the joists are deep and we have rock wool left over we’re wondering whether to use wool instead. I can’t find a calculator which shows how much we’d need compared to PIR. Any thoughts on how to work this out? And does it matter if it’s a mix of PIR/wool next to each other in the same ceiling?

We’ve getting 2 Nardi Net chairs, keeping inside the door with a little table and then planning to move outside onto the balcony whenever it’s nice enough. I think they look good enough to have in the house - we used to have the Nardi bistro set with armchairs as our dining table in our old place. Debating whether to get a washable outdoor rug to go under them when they’re inside to protect the wood floor from grit bits.

Have you looked at the Cladco decking? It changed our minds about composite. I reckon the reverse side (slim line side not fake wood pattern side) would look stunning against your cladding. We used it in the last house. Easy maintenance, no slipping and sliding issues like we’d had with the wood decking, looked good as new when we left a few years later.

@Nick A were any if your issues related to the internal pane edges? One of ours has failed just 4 months in, but we don’t know the cause. Two other Rationel aluclad windows have leaked around the seals since installation. Another issue has been the paint on the interior (wood) which has been badly affected by low tack tape. When I called Rationel to ask how to protect them they said they can’t advise on this.