DownSouth

+1 to goats https://biogoats2rent.com

Are you after a custom build house? Usually a few houses on a plot, different styles, some variation between neighbouring houses and you can specify some changes and decor/kitchen/bathroom spec. They do services, planning, building regs, build. What area/s are you looking at?

Welcome. +1 What’s the rationale for having a 2 bed when you have the footprint for 3? Do you have loads of clothes? To future proof could you move the en-suite next to the bedroom and dressing room to where the en-suite is? Then you could have a door to the corridor that’s locked until it might be needed. Appreciate pipes/drainage will shift but it would give more flex later. Also imho en-suites are better if they are close if you need to get up in the night. It’s quite a walk as laid out. Could be an easy change - i think you can shift internal layout without reverting back to planning but might need amendments if you change externals/window positions. Someone please correct if that’s not the case.

Agree with @MrSniff buy good quality kit. I am one room away from rollering the whole house (with my sister’s help) and we have used the same 2 brushes and 2 rollers. @Lincolnshire Ian My top tips (which might be obvious to BH-ers): - when cutting in paint 10cm or two brush widths on each wall edge - so you can roller up to the edges and it blends better. - Wooster 4-8’ extension pole was worth the money - easy to do the 2.4m wall in one movement up and down, hardly ever needed scaffolding except for cutting in the top of the vaulted ceilings. - the related roller is a must as it clips in so can’t swivel round the pole like screw on pole attachments, meaning you get good pressure. - get a paint scuttle or two, we used pelicans with liners for brush work (has a magnetic side so your paint brush doesn’t fall in!) and Wooster 15litre scuttle for the roller. - paint kept for a week or more with lids on, great for self-builders like us when it was a week between site visits. - wrap brushes and sleeves in cling film, just wash brushes every so often when clogged. Wooster sleeves still not yet washed/replaced so were definitely worth the ~£9 each cost. - wipe the roller frame ends and frame down at the end of each session though, magic wipes good for this. - make sure the brushes are stood up in the pelican when not in use - bigger people might cope with big rollers, being little myself I went standard 9’’. - found paint drips came off our window frames with a soft cloth and water so just kept a bucket handy and wiped spots up when touch dry - might be worth seeing what your paint does on an inconspicuous area rather than trying to mask off. - on that note, don’t try and paint window reveals when hungover 😆 - get a couple of work lights if you don’t have natural light/ lights up yet, hard to see drips if there’s just one direction of light source. - drips can be gently sanded back with 240 sandpaper so don’t stress if you miss any, just make sure they’re totally dry first. - get friends/family in for a painting party if you can. our mist coat (60/40 paint/water) downstairs was done in one day! To go from dry plaster to a patchy white coat in a matter of hours was a huge boost. - if you do get help then give instructions- the mist coat shouldn’t be perfect but my experience is that people will try going over the same bit again and again, so you do have to explain what you need. - take before and after photos from the same angle, it is so satisfying to look back. Best of luck

@tanneja hope you are still on the forum as I have a few questions. Did you buy the buffer and do you have any tips on keeping the floor clean? Does it need an annual clean and reseal?

Hadn’t heard of the FMB until this post. Yet our house is up, building control happy and so are we. My one piece of advice would be ‘go local’ - people who have reputations to protect do good work in our experience. Most of the people we’ve worked with had no websites or brochures. But they did have insurance, good references and lots of local connections to make recommendations for others to work on our house which turned out to be invaluable when we needed support. Actually a second piece of advice - look every company up on Companies House, make sure they’re a viable business and not so stretched they’ll go under before they complete your job.

Make sure you have stable foundations before you start, because it’ll cost you sleepless nights, more money than you wanted to spend/have, more time than you thought possible and once you’ve finished you’ll wonder what’s the next challenge…

The leak is on the left hand side of this picture. I’ll go up and take some close up photos this week. The ‘pond’ is under an oak tree so we’re up each week to clear the leaves at the moment. The water was 1-2cm deep, so not coming up the sides. Hadn't considered the parapet panels but will have a good look there too, thanks.

Our fibreglass roof is leaking on the garage. In the morning light you can clearly see the joints and if we walk on it it makes a crinkly cracking noise. Getting the team back this week but they won’t be able to fix it in this weather. Does anyone have similar? Can you see the joints in yours? One opinion is they skimped on resin… would welcome others thoughts

Killed Henry this week by sucking water out of some ducting he was 16 years old and had a busy life 😁

How long do you plan on living there @CG100? If >7 years then as @Mr Punter says the warranty will have expired. BUT what if you need to sell it in the next 7 years? You’d have a more limited market.

@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?