LDNRennovation

Can anyone translate what that means? I keep reading it and it just deeply annoys me for some reason! I think it’s the incorrect grammar and tone. It’s like someone pretentious trying to sound clever after a few glasses of wine??? Potton was never a pretentious company. I don’t understand what potton is anymore, do they have designers or timber frame anymore? What even is the company now… what a shame, I really liked Potton.

Oh wow, nice congrats and how exciting. Look forward to seeing that.

Haha! I guess it’s me but he knows what he likes, and has some pretty solid design rules. Lots! Mainly films and so was thinking of a cinema room. Rather than a pull down tv, maybe a projector or something? Maybe that would work. Or maybe it swings from here? (I did an AI version) I really love all these ideas.

Hi! I’m also converting a bungalow, looking forward to seeing what you plan and do!

Yes I could shuffle it all down there, maybe get another sofa so it doesn’t make the room look unbalanced? I thought it was an ok room but once you think about furniture it’s a daft room with too many doors.

It’s not explicitly banned, but you’re talking a very expensive and different approach to it than those on the continent. It’s basically a legal nightmare, for everyone involved, forever. It probably wouldn’t pass your gateway 2 submission and raise a lot of red flags with the BSR and all the golden thread. At the moment we have materials like pipes and conduits that aren’t tested for certain applications, so you can imagine where plants and their watering systems, waterproof membranes etc are. Proving that can’t go wrong and the plants won’t die and burst into flames in the summer, impossible. It might be easier to get it on commercial buildings, so nice facades aren’t out the window yet, pun not totally intended.

Hi all, we are renovating and can’t seem to agree on this room. It has a fireplace which we would like to keep, and doors on three sides. Obviously the tv does not go above the fireplace… right? I don’t want to watch tv with my head at an angle, so what else can you do? Is it just impossible? Partner says he just wants a tv room, then what’s the point of the living room? Any ideas?

No worries, it’s been the bane of my life for some time now. NN is basically when you have an area where the powers that be have deemed the rivers are at risk of being overloaded with nutrients, and so they have effectively banned new housing in those areas. They are quite significant areas of the country. The same powers are working to a solution, which is to have housebuilders give money to the government to give to farmers. Nominally to buy ‘credits’ much like the ecological credits for biodiversity. So my main problem with this, is the excess nutrients in the river are caused mostly by the runoff from fields, *caused by farmers.* I don’t think one off self-builders especially should be punished for what is happening, when they only contribute minimal wastewater which is treated by sewage treatment plants anyway. The whole thing is a scam.

So we can build more houses. I think it’s a con and it’s punishing the wrong people and not solving the problems.

I’m so happy to see the end of Biodiversity Net Gains, now just need to get rid of Nutrient Neutrality. Has that even been mentioned?

Well then why are you telling them to put a cavity wall around the garage if you don’t need one. You are getting ratty and I don’t appreciate your tone. Lots of things you post aren’t correct, and out of date. Maybe update your building regs knowledge.

not thicker than the cavity wall shown, thicker where the walls are too thin, where the door is. You just misunderstood what I was saying, no need to get ratty because you misunderstood me.

if you have 4 bedrooms the standard parking space requirement is 3 parking spaces. I was just pointing out you should show these on the site plan, are you ok?

I meant it needs to be thicker around a garage, to insulate it from a house. I was pointing out the thin walls where the door is are too thin. “Need to thermally separate the garage - the cavity wall needs to completely enclose the garage including the door access.“ that’s what I said ugh.

Seconding the upstairs double skin wall. Why… The massive span on the back so you can support the ff wall over the kitchen is just so silly. Fyi wall needs to be thicker for fire reasons around the garage, but then the door to the garage is set in walls that are not thick enough. You also need a step down into a garage. The WC door is not to visitable standard. You should move the door down. your window openings are also pretty random, go to brick dim sizes? And make your front door wider so people in wheelchairs can access. https://www.wienerberger.co.uk/content/dam/wienerberger/united-kingdom/marketing/documents-magazines/technical/brick-technical-guidance-sheets/UK_MKT_DOC_Brickwork Dimension Tables.pdf

Look at your local councils design standards for how many parking spaces you need, find out the sizes and draw them on the site plan. I think you might need to prove there’s enough spaces for so many bedrooms.

You can have a protected escape route instead of escape windows, contact your local building regulations officer to check. Op could post their layout so we know and also what the rooms are so they can have the right sized windows. I think the first design was nicer. I like using the same scale of windows only in different configurations. The only one that looks off is the one over the 4 doors. Where they stuck the planter seems like a cheat to hide a big blank wall. the garage parapet needs to be higher for the structure. That will help the weak intersection between the garage and house. might be an idea to get your solar gains checked out from the glazing.

No that’s amazing thank you so much. I’ve helped a lot of self builders, they haven’t always been perfect but I’ve got the experience and the passion. I love doing the 3Ds and it does help. People don’t know what they are getting sometimes because seeing in 3d is not instinct for everyone. You always get strange things on your first design you haven’t anticipated if you don’t go 3d. I’ve no problem with price upfront but it’s a worry because some people are time wasters.

I hate this, and I am a skeptic all the way. I have studied physics. but I have seen dowsing work, by my relative, who’s a farmer who uses it to find drains. He found a drain in France for my family when I was building a villa. I’ve seen a guy working for Anglian water secretly use them to find a culvert, then he got embarassed and pretended he didn’t have them. Is it micro suggestions? The way the ground slopes? No clue at all. I don’t know how or why, but I’ve seen it.

I don’t really like the flow of your kitchen, it’s being treated as another utility area and not the star of your house. You spend a lot of money and time there, it should feel more open and less boxy. How about you take some space of your furnace, and open that area up? I also think your dining are is in the way and will always annoy you there - it doesn’t look spacious to me. Also, it’s nicer to have something at the end of a corridor rather than a blank wall.

That’s excellent. Good luck! if they vote against it then I’m guessing it’s political.

Usually you have the key ones, and escape are these:

I guess a good website is going to be key. Not a lot of repeat customers since it’s such a big one time (usually) investment!

Ok well, moving on.

Most self builders I’ve met don’t want passive-houses, and I think a limitation that’s not required. I’ll offer it certainly and I’ve designed several. I don’t really agree that designing houses isn’t special, it’s a skill I’ve trained hard for and I’m proud of it.