Thorfun

for completeness it was supply only. We fitted all our balustrades ourselves.

We used these guys https://www.wpshandrails.com who were very good.

We had a sample of this stuff and it was very impressive. But for some of the sizes of our windows we would’ve needed 2 panels per window and so would’ve had a line down the middle

Ducted upstairs with the units in the loft and wall units downstairs. In hindsight I think ducted everywhere would’ve been better if possible and affordable.

One year in and no issues with this so far.

No wind flapping that we’ve noticed. Maybe the triple glazing helps with that? and I don’t generally go out after dark in stormy weather to listen! 😂

Sure. Cost is important. But so are aesthetics! I think there are so many factors to consider. it’s one of the reasons self-building is so stressful. All the decisions that need to be made from loads of various data points.

We went with Venetian so you can still see out while shading. https://www.hallmarkblinds.co.uk/external-blinds-and-shutters-uk the Trojan ones.

external blinds will mean you won't need internal curtains so the total cost is reduced when you consider that speak to an AC company about costs for getting them to do first fix and then you can second fix at a later date when funds allow there are ways to reduce the initial outlay of costs and some costs can be offset by mitigating the need for other things later. e.g. adding solar PV now will reduce the running costs of the house as you live in it. so you're, in essence, buying your electricity up-front until you get to the point that you've paid off the install and then you're getting free electricity!

we have an ASHP for hot water and ufh (downstairs). the AC can do heating for the bedrooms but we didn't need that last winter at all so it's primary job is cooling.

my 2 cents..... 1. external blinds are a must. plan them now so they can be built hidden in to the fabric of the house. we use ours to shade from the sun but also as curtains at night so don't have internal curtains for privacy. 2. just install AC when i was researching i read a lot on here about fan coils and underfloor cooling etc and, in the end, it was just too complicated for me. not being able to heat water and cool the house at the same time just seemed a pain. so we planned for and installed ducted AC in the bedrooms and wall mounted units downstairs in a few rooms that we thought would need it. it is fabulous. the external blinds help and we have them automated to shade and follow the sun around but sometimes you just want to open them up fully and enjoy the view! so the AC takes care of the overheating and it's powered by the sun via our solar pv so i don't worry about running costs at all. our south facing bedroom has been a steady 21°C since April regardless of the outside weather. keep it simple, install AC.

Does it still look like an office ceiling?

We had to get an extension as the council tax department still (7 months later) hasn’t got around to the valuation yet. 🤦‍♂️

Ask for interest only