mads

Thank you all for the warm welcome Yes, planning permission already granted. Took a year to get to but done so now on to the more exciting, and nervous, phase of more detailed design. Yep, ours is a 1960s bungalow which has been extended a couple of times and done with varying quality and thought. Our neighbours when we moved in had done the same and said similar to you so decided to go for it. Yep, absolutely made it clear to the architect that we are not aiming for a passivhaus but want to adhere to the principles so making sure we are covering those elements and not compensating with technology. We are going with traditional block and brick. Decided against SIP as not convinced on its longevity personally. We are also incorporating some metal cladding into the design. Oooo... will have to follow your build closely and take notes. Planning is all done and tbh other than some minor alterations, and a to-and-throw with highways, it went through as we had designed. We made sure we got support from local parish, which I think helped. Plus there was some precedence from our neighbour who did the same 2 years ago. I hear what you are saying and to be honest, if I had the opportunity I am quite certain I could PM it myself. I grew up helping my parents do up properties so learned a lot. The challenge I have is that with a young family, we do not want to be in a caravan on-site for longer than needed. And I think I can bring more value by earning money to fund the build rather than do the PM. Perhaps once this one is done, I can convince my OH to do another one

Fantastic - thanks for finding and sharing. And agree, they look good. Good shout on the sliding vs bi-folding. Looking at juliet sliding doors on ground and first floor

lintels that can incorporate the cassette is what I am after so if you do find the supplier, that would be helpful. re wired vs wireless, I was planning to go with wired but have them connected to Home Assistant so I can control from my phone. thanks for sharing the benefits of Venetian blinds. Makes sense. I think it’s my aversion to them from an aesthetic perspective is something that could be overcome if can find some that don’t remind me of the internal ones I had in my first home.

I was looking at blinds that still let you see through them rather than create any visual impairment of the views

Hello all, The south and west sides of our self-build will have fairly large triple glazing, which is great to let light in and enjoy the sunshine. However, it does create the issues of solar gain. I want to derisk this as part of the build, rather than afterwards by installing motorised external solar blinds. I’m not a fan of the Venetian blind style and prefer the fabric roller blind type on wire or guides. I have been looking around and they all seem to be bulky and not “hidden”. It is a traditional brick and block build. Has anyone fitted blinds like the above and part of the fabric as it were? I saw someone one here had done it for a wooden cladded structure but not found anything for brickwork. The walls will be 350mm so I can set the windows back if necessary. Thank you.

Hello all, Been lurking a little while and more recently joined to be part of the community. We moved into our property in late 2023 with the initial intention of going up and making it a two storey bungalow. However, we quickly realised that given the amount of work that needs to be done (full rewire, new heating, lack of insulation, poor layout and flow, poor plot siting, majority of internal walls and some external to be knocked down, new roof), the compromises we are likely to have to make, the unknowns as we start to strip it back etc, we have decided to knock it down completely and do a rebuild of a two storey house (first timers with this). The architect has taken a fabric first approach and we are also going with the full technology spectrum i.e. PV + storage, EV charging, ASHP + UFH, MVHR, as well as ensuring it is fit for the future e.g. conduits for internal fibre runs. Not being in any of the trades required to do a house build (I work in data and AI), will be getting a main building contractor to do the majority of it (we are hands-on so will likely be doing some things ourselves). Also, I like to get involved so increasing my knowledge in various aspects to be able to make as many of the right decisions that we can, hence joining this forum and benefitting from the collective wisdom (and hopefully contribute where I can to others' journey :)) Thank you in advance and apologies for any less-informed questions

Now known as 21 degrees. They only do design and supply.