Gone West

Perhaps it was just bonfire night.

Good idea to gain as much experience as you can before you start the 'big one'. Good luck with the project, I look forward to reading the updates.

I like pocket doors.

In our naivety we used a budgeting estimate sheet at the back of a self building magazine. We altered it to reflect our build and amazingly we are still within budget with little else to buy. We have spent more in some areas and cut back in others but overall we're pleased. As they say ignorance is bliss.

Do you get that many flying insects in the winter? The MHRV is unlikely to be on in the summer so it's only going to be a problem for a couple of months a year. MHRV is worth it.

My daughter used X Tex to remove the worst Artex on the ceilings of their last house before having the house skimmed. Where the Artex wasn't too lumpy they just had it skimmed. I think the plasterer painted SBR on before skimming.

Very enlightening.

You are knowledgeable about Durisol, one of very few builders in the country who are. You'll soon be an expert and advising people about Durisol. Don't underestimate what you know.

Any forum member is welcome to visit our build if it would help them. Anything to help stop some of the stories told on here.

I've used the Floplast double branch soil pipe you suggested for back to back connection of two toilets without any problem. I was told it wouldn't work but the BCO was happy because it was manufactured for that purpose.

You use the word haulage. Do you know if any of these words can be used instead of 'delivery' when reclaiming VAT? transport haulage carriage freight We have receipts with these words in place of delivery.

I've always wondered why inflammable and flammable mean the same thing. Non-flammable makes sense. We don't need inflammable.

Depends what business you're in. Their Creoseal smells the same as Creosote. https://www.creosotesales.co.uk/product-category/traditional-creosote/

Does much grow more that 3' up there?

I planted a cherry laurel hedge at our last house. It's fast growing but unlike Lleylandii runs out of steam at about 4 or 5m. We kept ours at around 2.5 to 3m.

From the Sterling/Norboard literature, these are the sizes manufactured:- OSB2 SE 2440 x 1220 OSB3 SE 2400 x 1200 OSB3 SE 2440 x 1220 OSB3 SE 2700 x 1200 OSB3 T&G 2440 x 1200 Doesn't mean they're all available though and in the past I've bought a mixture of imperial and metric at different times, very annoying.

I thought the VAT refund form allows the names of more than one claimant.

I quite like chatting to people who are curious about the house. Over the years we've had:- Around 20 AECB members visiting a PH Eight middle aged people from Sweden (EU) looking at over 50s rural living in UK Dozen or so lady ramblers stop by twice a year to monitor progress Locals always curious about a house without heating and the dustmen once a fortnight for an update and giving me tips such as when turf laying 'it's green side up'.

I have a low level, around 500mm high, vent two metres from my sewage treatment plant and around seven metres from my house located in the flower bed. I have AAVs in the house and all of this was accepted by the BCO without question.

Perhaps for the best of both worlds a self builder could design the house that they want themselves and then ask an architect to look at it and suggest improvements. We did this and incorporated some of his suggestions.

What about plumbing and wiring. In order to be safe does it have to have a Part P certificate and a G3 certificate if needed?

Ours was granite fines maximum size 4 to 5mm and was not compacted but just raked level. It was held in place by the geotextile.

We have a Self Build Zone warranty and the only problem has been that they are getting twitchy because the build has taken a long time. A two year build wouldn't be a problem.

@Alex Tidy looking build, well done. How about starting a blog.

Our I-beam frame has an I-beam as the sole plate. The web is strengthened with OSB3 both sides where it is bolted to the concrete slab. Holes were drilled in the web between the mounting points and the area underneath was filled with foam.