Steady_eddie

Hi All, I was hoping that I would be able to get some friendly advice which would help us decide on a sensible solution for the foundation design on our self build. During the planning phase we had an investigative ground survey, The report which was very extensive involving 6 piles drilled to various depths of 4.6 to 6.9m over the site, the soil was then tested for quality and the holes then monitored and tested for subsidence and water content over a 12 month period. The results of the test were that construction could be permitted but it was highlighted that some ground movement to the top 3.5m of superficial soil had moved down the slope during the test (6mm during the year of this test). In regards to foundation design the report summary recommended re-enforced deep trench foundations or a re-enforced concrete raft with a lightweight timber frame structure. After getting our planning approved we approached a structural engineer who reviewed our plans and report and also spoke with the ground investigation company to discuss the report before visiting the site to assess the project. Their recommendation was to having a piling solution due to the area and the work involved. For reference the property is a 10m x 10m square, and we are intending to go brick and block now we are having a piled foundation. Our site is sloping around 14-20 degrees, but the build will be on level ground so we will be cutting into the slope and installing a king post retaining wall behind the house to hold back the soil. There is already a log retaining in place which we will replace with something much better. It has held without moving for 10 years but as it's softwood it's now rotting away. The plot is also in a world heritage site with a history of coal mining so the ground is generally poor in our county. Planners and engineers are very wary in this historic area due to many period properties subsiding due to the ground conditions, sloping sites and traditional construction methods used in the older buildings. On the recommendation of the SE we approached several piling contractors for advice and quotes. The first company recommended and quoted for 35x 150mm driven piles driven to a depth of 5m. We were very happy so we booked him, he then supplied us with his structural engineering design but last week called up to say he couldn't do the work as he had spoken to another contracter who had worked in the area and said we needed augured piles rather than driven which was something he didn't do. I then went back out looking for a new piling firm and spoke with another contracter who was familiar with the area, he had actually done the piling for a build in the same street 10 years prior. He recommended that augured piles would be needed due to the ground conditions but his quote never transpired which was a shame, likely due to being so busy. I then spoke with another company, this company seemed like a really good team, really helpful, loads of positive reviews and a great website with lots of videos and photos of previous work. After sending them all the information they quoted for roughly (35x 150mm driven piles driven to a depth of 4m) , the quote was really competitive and I called them to discuss it. I mentioned that another piling contractor had recommended augured piling and said driven was not an option for this site. His reply was that they felt that the project really didn't need it? They also said following a site visit their structural engineer would make another SE plan for us and before that they would send me an additional quote which included heave protection and augured piles so at least I had a cost for both. The revised quote showed pre-augured piles down 2m. But didn't mentioned fully augured? Just augured. I then approached another company, after looking at the ground report and plans they said that driven piles would not be suitable and that I was going to need a more substantial piling solution. They quoted for 18x 300m augured piles to a depth of 12m. This was around £10k more than the driven piles quotes I had received from others but it's also the most heavy duty solution for the job. It seems we are going for a piled solution for our self-build but with all the different information we have we are having a hard time deciding on the most sensible choice, it would be great if anyone with experience in this field could give us some advice on what way to go. The information we have summarised: 1. Quote for 5m 150mm driven piles - But then said he couldn't do the job 2. Said we needed augured piles, driven no good - Quote never received. 3. Quote for 4m 150mm driven piles, but did an additional quote for pre augered piles with driven should it be need once's SE calcs done. 4. Quote for 12m 300mm driven piles. Many thanks, Edd

Can I ask who your lender is? Thanks

@SuperJohnG Yes I currently work full time, I'm looking at the possibility of taking 6-12months of work to get it to the wind, watertight and heated stage so we can then camp when the upstairs is complete if need be. I intend to get as much info as I can which build hub will certainly help, and hopefully with some intricate planning it will work out well, we may have to make some sacrifices along the way but we will cross those bridges when we have to, our last property project has take 8 years so we are no strangers to living on site but I don't want it for my kids for too long so this build will have to be costed closely. Yes agree, keeping a simple shape will help, I'm hoping to add some flair by mixing external finishes and varying window size and positions

Hi Nod, That seems super low! Do you mind me asking what year you started and completed you build? What area are you in? What aspects you did yourself? What construction type did you use ?

Evening, So we are hoping to start getting an architect on board soon to get some plans drawn up, size of build and budget is high on the agenda the moment as are the cost of the preliminaries. Ideally our house would be: 200m2 ICF construction two storey dwelling £200,000 build budget, ex fees etc Vaulted ceilings 4 Bedroom House Master Bedroom with en-suite, walk-through wardrobes etc 3 further bedrooms capable of growth. Family Bathroom Remote or attached storage area/plumbers workshop? Attached 2/3 berth garage Attached hair salon / utility Open plan kitchen dining and living space Separate lounge room Ground floor wc Pantry/utility space Dry store of the kitchen Additional storage on both ground and first floors In an ideal world the build work completed would be done by the following people: Who’s doing what??? (in theory) Ground work: Me + Labourer / Chargehands Underground Drainage: Me + Labourer Foundation: Me + Labourer ICF: Me + Labourer Roofing full: Sub-contractor Windows/Doors: Manufacture install UFH/Boiler : Me Plumbing : Me 1st Fix electrical : Me Above ground drainage: Me External brickwork: Sub contractor (friend) External cladding: Me Internal joinery : Sub-con (friend) 2nd fix plumbing : Me 2nd fix electrical : Sub-con (friend) Dry lineing : Sub-con (friend) Me Plastering: Friend Decoration: Me Snagging: Me Landscaping: Over time / me Speaking with several lenders, (Buildstore / ecology) once we line up all our ducks its looking like we will be able to borrow between £250-£350k, the maximum we want to borrow is £280k as after all this is a loan we have to pay off before we retire, 30 years on a repayment with a general bank remortgage once its built Im going to be looking about £800-900 a month which is at the top end of what I would want to spend on a mortgage. Out of the 280k we would need 40k to pay off our outstanding mortgage on the plot, 40k contingency budget & 200k for the actually build. I've been looking into the cost of getting this project off the ground and what sort of money we need to put in from the start. Attached is my schedule and its looking like most of it is going to be needed to be paid upfront out of our own hard earned cash before the build commences, I am sure that we have missed some unforeseen cost's such as lending / broker fee's so any advice would be greatly appreciated if their are any hidden fees that I may need to add it would be great to know? and I am yet to be given an estimate for building regs plans yet? Another concern I have is about the land itself, we are in a local high risk coal mining area and although there are no pits nearby and we are building replacement dwelling, the neighbouring self builds and private developments have all had to have invasive ground investigation reports done and some bore holes drilled to check the land quality. I have had this priced up and am of the thinking it maybe wise to have this done first to ensure that we would be able to continue our build knowing that we will be able to afford the foundation type (strip or raft) as I cannot see us being able or wanting to pay 40k + for pile footings? After all we are not millionaires and this is not grand designs so we want advert the expensive why! moments and hopefully have a fairly straightforward build. Financially our project plan is Move up to ou

Hi DP, It's not that its assisted living that is the problem, it's the way the development has been dealt with. Originally pub was bought and a change of use applied for, planning was then passed to erect three houses on the carpark, the pub was going to be renovated into a nice home and the green area at the back of the car park was to stay as green land. The green land is a good space between my plot and the car park and stops overlooking. Since then they have scrapped the idea of renovating the pub and have tried to get 8 flats built on its site. It's not built for that kind of property, parking is a huge issue and traffic management, so far 8 applications in 2 years and now they are trying to build a bungalow on the green land. The residents including myself do not want to overdevelop the street, the local committee agree and hope that the developer comes up with a solution that we are all happy with. And yes more customer would be great if we had the time!

Thanks guys, Yes appreciate that it will need to called a utility of some sort, we had the same debacle with our current home when we got planning to build a self contained annex. The pub is no longer in use and for good reason as it wasn’t the best, currently a development is taking place of 3 3 beds on the old car park and I’ve been to the local committee meeting tonight to object their application to turn the pub into assisted living flats something myself and the residents do not want. But let’s not get into that ha-ha

Evening all, Finally! A decent forum I can enjoy... Before the time of social media I was an avid forum goer, big on my underground electronic music. Rave scene jungliest movement forums were the only way I could network outside of the nightclubs. Photos from events would be posted up, pirate radios would hunt for talent and promoters would post up their flyers to try and gain momentum to get as many tickets sold before the night.... All seems a generational back in my day thing now but those were the best days, back then... Instagram, facebook and twitter changed the game and when we look back it was really only in the last decade that such trends have happened and what a change there has been! For the better.. imho no not really, negative feedback rather than positive criticism floats around freely... forums always felt more of a community to me, people sharing knowledge, wisdom and experiences to help learn and influence for the greater good, and from reading through the threads on the weekend it gave me a sense of those good old days before I had a career, before I had bills, kids & not enough time in the day! Gas engineer by trade (15 years), and now working as a supervisor for a housing association. I bought my first house when I was 20 and spent 8 years knocking it about thinking I would be a millionaire by the time It was done. It was pretty much done but we got bored of spending all our money at builder merchants so when the kids came along a few years back we bought a VW transporter, kitted it out and off we went, now we have Finley (1 and 3/4) & Penny (3 going on 30), an old dog named max, Lenny the tortoise. We just got married 2 weeks ago after being together for 14 years and now my new wife is telling me we need a bigger house.... She's right by the way! Great thing Is I've always wanted to build my own house I spent my childhood watching Grand Designs, bad thing is we may have to live in a caravan for awhile, lets hope the kids are buckled up because its going to be a bumpy ride but hey, what's life without a few challenges. And everybody who knows me knows I'm not the type to sit around watching Tv, always on the go like many of you are I sure. My brains constantly ticking over about the next 'big project' I'm working on, or at least working towards. To have our own self build we can all call home would be amazing and if we can make some memories building it well that's even better. Our plan is to snag the house we are living in and sell up by the end of the year, whilst this is happening we will be designing and obtaining planning for our plot, a bungalow that we bought last January for 170k at auction which is currently being rented out. It sits on some nice land about 1000 m2, a triangle shaped plot that is slightly sloping, its north facing with some potential views and is in prime close to centre of town position. It sits next to some green land giving a nice secluded feel about it and hop over the fence and you in some dense woodland. We hope to gain planning for a replacement dwelling by xmas and then move up their January ready to put a spade in the ground in April. Our hopes are to borrow £280k, that's £200k for the build, £40k to pay of the mortgage on the plot and £35k contingency. Ideally we want to build as big as possible but will be limited by budget. We need a 4 bed property with open plan living space, evening living room, multifunction room, bathroom, ensuite, d/s w.c, garage, workshop and a room to fit a small hair salon in. Using my skills I will be project managing, and carrying out as much as possible. I am seriously considering building in ICF with Nudura being the front runner, The fact I will be able to build the structure myself is a huge plus to me and potentially a great cost saver, the energy efficiency it will bring along with the soundproofing and sturdiness all sit well with us as a family. I am loving the way that the 1st fix and dry lineing can be installed and think it will make ease of a laborious job so I am looking forward to enrolling on a few courses in the next month of so, I also have a mate who started a concrete company last year and has the only pump and boom in the local area so I'm expecting some mates rates on the pour! Our wish list also includes a smart home using Loxone or Niko, high quality aluminium windows & some solar panels with an electrical battery pack system and a zinc looking roof or similar style, again it depends on cost but it would be great if it will all squeeze into 200k. One things for sure, I know we have our work cut out for 2 years but I know it will be worth every late evening, every cut and ache. Hopefully with some expert guidance from this forum we can make this dream come true and my kids can learn from their mum and dad how you build a future for your family. Thanks in advance Edd & Phillipa.