Alan

Hi Guys, Have been told that it's far cheaper to source this ourselves rather than purchase from UK Power Networks. Any recommendations? Alan

Thanks guys, think i can use a combination of those suggestions

Hi everyone, Currently in the process of planning our MVHR and have come across an issue i hope you can help me with. Where/how do you place the supply vents in bedrooms that have vaulted ceilings? The other aspect to consider is that the Timber Frame Company will be supplying/installing a Closed Panel System for the roof and external walls. Initially i thought i could use the partition walls but now don't think they're deep enough to accommodate the unit and ducting. Alan

They have recommended someone but we're looking to change as we're not happy with him. I'm forever chasing him......more often than not he doesn't reply to emails or return calls. I put him in touch with the Architect and Timber Frame Co weeks ago......no contact. Sounds like a nice guy when i do eventually talk to him but i need to move things on.

Hi guys, Any Structural Engineer recommendations for my ICF Basement?

I think Westcoast Windows are the preferred choice for English Brothers

Hi Ian, I think i was on the same training course and also found it very useful. Owing to the social distancing we didn't really get a chance to chat with the other attendees! Good luck with your build and i hope you keep us posted with your progress Alan

Hi guys, Our Architect is proposing a Schedule of Works and looking to charge a fee of £550 plus VAT per package as there will be no main contractor. Is this something i really need? Cheaper alternative or do myself? I have no idea what this entails so hoping you can help me out. Background - Planning permission granted. 2 Build systems - ICF Basement with Timber Frame above. Cheers Al

Welcome and good luck. Where in Spain have you bought?

Cheers guys. What type of drawings do the Timber Frame Companies require? We haven't got to the Building Regs stage yet. Although we initially obtained planning permission we had to make changes so the drawings have been resubmitted to planning. We await their decision ? Will our drawings suffice or do we need more detail for quotes?

Hi guys, am now at the stage of researching Timber Frame Co 's with a view to obtaining quotes for our new build. It seems that a lot of these firms will offer anything from stick build to Turnkey with lots of flexibility in between. To cut costs we are prepared to do some of the work ourselves but are apprehensive as to what we should take on. We are complete novices and putting up a shelf can be challenging! What i would like to know is what jobs i should leave to the timber frame company and what jobs could we do ourselves? My initial thoughts are that as an example anything to do with the roof or ceilings i should leave well alone but should consider doing say the internal wall insulation. The other factor is time. We will be renting during the build so cannot afford for this to drag on. Any help much appreciated...

Forgot to say.....Timber Frame

This isn't the latest design but should give you enough of an idea. We're awaiting the new plans but we've reduced the width of the gable end by a metre and the windows reduced from 6 to 4.

Hi guys, Although we have planning permission for a New Build with an off white render, we're now exploring other options to add a bit more interest to the front of the house. The house will be 13m wide and we would like to clad the Gable end in something else. The windows are dark grey. We like the look of a light grey composite laid vertically. Would welcome your thoughts and suggestions. Al

Does it make any difference if the nearest part of your neighbours house is their garage? In this case my neighbour's garage is connected to their house.

Cheers John..........looking at Woodcrete. We aim to do the ICF ourselves so my thoughts are to carry on with the walls outside so as to save on labour.

Hi guys, we now have planning approval for our demolition/new build. We will be having an ICF basement with a sunken garden. Are there any reasons for not using the ICF for the sunken garden walls? Appreciate they might be a different type of block depending on the provider.

Hi Chris, Welcome to this great forum and good luck with your build. I am also a newbie going down the ICF route for my basement and was on the verge of attending some courses with some of the providers before the Coronavirus struck. Hopefully when we get back to some sort of normality you'll be able to do the same and get a feel for which product you'd like to use. The build shows are also very useful as they often have demo's from some of the ICF providers. Best of luck Alan

This is an all too familiar story. Keep persevering you'll get there! As already posted I would suggest you become a pita....you ring them up and find out: What specifically is outstanding? When is it being done? Why can't we do this today? I'll be ringing again later to confirm that this has happened etc etc Sounds basic I know but it is effective. In the past I've even contacted the other party's solicitor's as it's all too easy for them to be ambiguous on what they are waiting for from the other solicitor. Good luck

We haven't done the Ground Investigation Survey yet. My focus at the moment is choosing the ICF so as to finalise our drawings. I'm going to try and 'size' the build around the block sizes of the ICF so as to cut down on wastage and cutting. Do you think that the GIS should be done before choosing my ICF as the results might have an impact on what type of ICF to use?

Hi guys, although I've been a member for a while now there's been no need for me to have any input....until now! First of all...what a fantastic forum! Although I can't pretend to understand a lot of it, I feel I've learned a huge amount which has definitely helped give me the confidence to continue and build our dream house. Someone famous once said 'I know enough to know I know nothing' or some variation of that....I guess that's where I am currently! We've been planning this for many years and doing all the niceties, going to the build shows, reading the glossy mags, drawing up our plans and then re-drawing and re-drawing....over the years we must have made at least 20 versions before getting the Architect involved. We have no previous experience but plan to demolish our existing property and erect a new build. New build will have an ICF Basement with Ground and First floors Timber Frame. We've had our Topo and Eco Survey done although we are awaiting a further Bat Survey in May (money for old rope). I will be attending some ICF courses in the coming months before making a final decision on provider with a view to going to planning in the summer. I've read on here that there's no such thing as a 'stupid question'....I will certainly be putting that theory to the test so apologies in advance!

Thanks Peter. Just out of interest...is there anything you wouldn't recommend putting in a Plant Room located in a basement? Due to this forum I've already got rid of the CVU!

I've designed my plant room to be in the basement. Can the MVHR be located there or does it need an exterior wall?