ToughButterCup

So bang go many contingency funds then. God, its sh1t at the moment isn't it.

Just a quick thought ... have you considered boxes for swifts? I ask because that species appears to be suffering a bit more than most.

When did you last check your odometer @SteamyTea? Long- term averages, or current trip only?

That @Marvin is the reason for people like me teaching (having taught for a good few years) the art of respectful scepticism. Respectful Scepticism is a process, hopefully developing into into a habit, it matters. A lot. Its the respectful bit which tends to get me. I so easily ditch respect for those who reject well-founded and closely argued, peer reviewed evidence. Thats why I think the role of Professors of the Public Understanding of Science is so important. In this context (the cost of energy), we might usefully ask whether - for example - energy companies should be subject to a windfall tax?

To an enquiring mind, fake evidences teaches.

Anywhere is the answer. No matter your start point, don't stop. Because in this sector, anything is related to everything else. Set yourself a task that you might enjoy like - the choice is accidental - Planning Permission. Look at who is being allowed to do what in your neighbourhood. And work out why. And work out how much its likely to cost. And who is being refused - and why. File that information away in your head so that when the opportunity arises, you'll have a head start. Good luck

The ecological enhancements condition caught my eye ... do you know what they are - and 'why' they are needed? I ask, because if that condition is simply boiler plate , (lighting levels, bird boxes, TPOs) then they aren't too onerous. But if you've had a full-on ecological assessment (as we had), then those enhancements can be quite substantial. All of ours involved work at the edges of the site - no impact on the house build process at all. In which case, crack on and get them done.

We installed two loos (Toulose?) at different heights: one a good bit higher than the other. SWMBO and the grandchildren prefer the lower of the two. Then, in triumph she comes to me and shows me an authoritative article about the best level for a human to read the sports news. The lower the better apparently. Squatting is best .... I'll try and find the reference. I seem to remember that the article took no account of those of us who have knees that are shot .....

Welcome. Just in case - excuse me if you've sorted this out - are you sure you can extend the house that you are buying? Certain sure? I ask because I wouldn't want you to buy and then find out the hard way that because of [... ] you can't extend. Ian

Quite @dpmiller . Which leaves the term 'competent person ' open to interpretation. It seems to me to be laziness on SunAmp's part not to define what they think competence is. It is merely implicit, then, that SunAmp may regard an installer having completed SunAmp's training as competent. SunAmp appears to me to trade within the law and the terms that they set themselves. SunAmp may or may not produce good products. But their inability to use language carefully doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of their products. More likely a hastily, unchecked set of terms and conditions : copied and pasted perhaps? Or an under-resourced legal department ?

Correct. (For us) SunAmp didn't offer a minimum warranty. The warranty they offer can be accessed here The warranty they give is 2 years, (i.e. 1 year) and 10 years for components, that refers to the phase change material and other bits (from memory) provided its installed by what they call a 'competent person'. Since the relevant competence isn't defined by SunAmp, in doing Due Diligence, it'd be unwise not at least to consider employing someone who - in the eyes of the company - is a qualified and competent person.

In your opinion .... And in mine, any supplier can trade on rules that they choose. If an installer chooses to step outside those rules, then that's up to the installer. Hence the added need for the buyer to go through Due Diligence. One question any buyer should ask , "Are you on the list of Approved Installers?" And then, perhaps, to ask of the installer - if relevant - why not. It is for the buyer to weigh the evidence.

More testament to the need to go through a thorough and detailed Due Diligence process for every single recommendation no matter who recommends an installer.

In our case, one installer behaved atrociously. We talked to SunAmp about the problem. To show good faith on their part, SunAmp agreed to provide a higher specification installation more cheaply than the original installer was going to charge for a smaller system. That installer was dropped from the official installer list. And looking at the list linked to above, is still not allowed to install.

The initial passion will always fade : thats normal. Seeing other builds go up, owners move in - and in one case (for us) sell up and move while we're still building was hard- at the time. But slowly, the hiccups and disasters have faded into the background. More and more I'm starting to enjoy the process; I now know that feeling of almost controlled terror about doing something for the first time , will fade if I just-bloody-do-it. And if we cannot afford it, there's always a way round the problem. It just needs research. There must have been 20 or 30 instances of that process. To address the OP, I now don't really care when it will end. The only thing that matters is having the guts to put my Head-Down-Arse-Up-Go no matter how I feel 5 days a week. 6 years in, I think I've just about got the T shirt.

We used Ecowin. Everyone who comes to our place looks at our acres (it feels like) of glass. And asks '....how much was that... ' and then winces. Followed swiftly by a conversation about the design of the house and how, with any company, that much glass would be expensive anyway. The windows were the single biggest item we bought (land bought in 1985) The key issue is accuracy of specification: and then the quality of the fit. My post should be seen as a mere indication of our experience, everyone should do their own Due Diligence.

We have a water garden for each side of the roof (same area as yours) - each the maximum size of cattle trough (no idea what size that is) , the overflow of which goes into a sand bed filter, and then into a pond. That pond spills over into a bank of trees and a thirsty fence line : Alder, holly, blackthorn, privet, very old oak trees. Anything else trickles away into Great Crested Newt Central. The BCO took one look at it, sucked his teeth, grinned and put a tick in a box.

Yes. Problem free, fitted by a reputable company . Warranty only valid if fitted by a qualified company . I cannot stress enough that everyone should do a full and thorough Due Diligence before making any decisions , especially so on recommendation from any online source. Even Buildhub.

I can hear @Russell griffithslaughing from all the way up here.

Unfortunate it isn't. It certainly isn't. Thanks be for someone who is prepared to recognise that their own perspective needs - over time - to change in the light of evidence. And thus demonstrates a willingness to learn. And we could all do with a bit more of that.

All nation states force people to do all sorts of things. Maybe things that people don't like: going to school, pay taxes, enlist in military service, carry a passport, , require basic literacy. The list is large. How does forcing (someone) in this context differ from the myriad requirements the state imposes on everyone - almost without remark?

My apologies everyone for lowering the tone of this thread.

How much do you spend on toilet paper then? I timed our blower last night : 4 seconds - 1p ? Multiplied by 365 = £3.65 1 Pack of toilet roll cost (say) £5:00

And you have Geberit AquaClean toilets (from memory) so you don't need toilet paper .... bet you've got the warm air bum-drier version 🙂

Welcome. Gorgeous house. Time for leg-work. And Net-work: with the emphasis on work. Look at your local authority planning website. Look for planning applications which are close physically and close in character to your prospective house. There's a huge mine of information there: look especially within the sub-group mentioned above at those applications which were refused. Note why they were refused. And do the same for those houses in the same subgroup who were accepted - and why. Talk to estate agents and listen between the lines. Good luck, Ian