Omnibuswoman

I was just looking at this company's website a couple of days ago as we are very keen to have external shutters, both for reducing solar gain, and for sensitive him indoors who needs total blackout to be able to sleep soundly. I started looking first of all at European companies for exactly the reason you mentioned - way more common in mainland Europe than over here. I'd be delighted to hear about positive experiences of purchasing these from any buildhubbers. I started looking at a Hungarian company (partly because I speak some Hungarian and have contacts there) called Anlux (www.anlux.hu). I'm planning to email them to find out if they sell over here, or have any partners to sell through.

Thanks, I do appreciate your thoughts. The generosity of buildhubbers’ contributions is something I never cease to be touched by. It really does make all the difference when embarking on a project like this. We have an unusual preference for upstairs living, probably generated by having lived in upstairs flats for upwards of 25 years. I’ve amended the design to add in a back door into the utility/laundry room for wet dog entry, and potentially to a tea-making point so that when we’re gardening we can pop in to make a cuppa and have a wee without having to take off our muddy boots. The downstairs has been in part designed so that it could function as a semi self-contained living space, should my parents need a bit of TLC (we are moving 250 miles to be nearby as they approach old age). We plan to put a wooden balcony on the first floor outside of the French windows by the dining table, for a small table and two chairs. Just an outside space to sit and have a coffee in the morning, or a glass of something cold in the evening should the sun be shining. The planning application for that will be done a bit later on as we’re trying to get the plan thorough as a minor material amendment to the existing consent (which is free of CIL due to its age).

There is existing planning consent on the plot for the house on the plan, but we haven’t submitted our planning application as yet. i’d love to hear your ideas!

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The plan is to acquire it later on, quietly, and eventually put some raised beds and fruit bushes on it. We have a very nosy neighbour unfortunately who seems to be on to the council complaining every 5 minutes, so we shall need to tread very carefully!

We have views towards Dartmoor to the East, and what will be a lovely garden on the south side of the house.

The western boundary is with a field - grass pasture. I agree with you it is very ordinary - we have a tight budget and have tried to keep the plan as simple as it is possible to make it affordable. But I like the idea of having a back door in the laundry/utility area for doggy ablutions, and an uninterrupted front hallway.

Yes it is... we haven’t acquired it yet, but we are calling it ‘the paddock’ for that reason. It used to be a market garden. It seems rather odd that our plan to grow fruit and veg in this area would constitute a change of use!

Our garden will incorporate the eastern paddock eventually, so will be the full width of the image above.

this is the original plan which obtained planning consent. Our house will be the same location and same primary footprint, but without the external sunroom on the south side. The garage to the rear (north) will be a large shed/workshop.

North is to the left of my sketches - the wall of the wetroom and en-suite faces north. So the juliet balcony will face south, overlooking the garden. Dan told us that we may face overheating issues from the East and West facing windows (it will be a passivhaus) so we must factor that in alongside capturing the distant view of Dartmoor to the East.

It’s for the Hounds of the Baskervilles ? It literally is an enclosure for us to wipe off muddy paws before they come into the house. We planned an outside porch originally but have abandoned that in favour of a modest entrance hall.

It’s my tv room! The only room in the house with a telly, so that’s my space. HWMBO May join me by invitation for selected viewing such as Grand Designs or Make My House Perfect ?

Spot on! I’ve just received an email from the designer to say that we’ll be obliged to install a sprinkler system due to the length and narrow width of the driveway, so the attic stairs will now just be an extension of the main staircase, continuing up.

Like greyhounds out of a gate we were straight down to Cornwall at the weekend, desperate to visit the plot which is now ours. We spent a very rewarding few days strimming and removing debris (photos to follow), and met with our designer/preferred builder Dan to look at the drawing he has come up with (attached). Following on from that, I have tinkered around with the layout a tiny bit and have come up with what may be the final design (hahahaha!!). Posted below for comments. The porch has been done away with, and the entrance is now on the east side of the building where the car parking area is (the top of the picture is East which is where the distant views are to be found). Dan has suggested putting in a juliet balcony to the south wall next to the dining space, and then making a separate planning application later on for a wooden balcony suitable for a small table and a couple of chairs. This is to try to assist us in getting these plans through as a minor material amendment rather than having to submit a full planning application (and invoke the CIL). We've decided that we will go up into the loft to make the most of the space, and will put the office up there with a large roof window to capture the view. I've squeezed a small staircase for that next to the ensuite and sacrificed the walk-in wardrobe that the builder had drawn in. I will find out what the fire regs are in relation to the need for fire doors/escape route. We still don't have an upstairs visitors' loo, but decided that we were happy to let people use our ensuite if they were disinclined to go downstairs to the second bathroom. Any and all comments will be most welcome! (The two pictures may appear different sizes but in fact are both the same external dimensions - 11.3m by 8.7m with a 450mm thick outside wall)

Good advice @ProDave. I'm in WPD area so will be taking tips from @BotusBuild for when the time comes. How far in advance did you contact WPD Botus?

Thanks @timsk. I hadn’t even considered that possibility! I will mention it to the designer we are working with as he is presently generating some proposals based on my ‘starter for 10’.

This might sound daft but what is it useful for other than compacting hardcore?

thank you @puntloos!! I showed your layout to my other half and we both thought there was real merit in having a sitting area that we could close off from the kitchen/dining area. Great idea!

Thanks @BotusBuild! That makes perfect sense.

Hi Dinwood, We are in a very similar position - likely reverse living house on the Devon/Cornwall border, aiming for PH or close to it, and will have UFH on ground floor only. I was wondering whether we would need anything further on the first floor too, so am glad of your question and the answers above. @A_L, I didn’t quite understand what you said about ‘where a post heater in the ducting of the MVHR to the first floor could easily cope with first floor heat demand’. Would you mind unpacking that a bit for me please?? Cheers M

I’m interested in this, but can’t quite picture what you mean. Do you mean put the stairs in the dining table corner?

I’ve just learned that the field to the north of us has had a planning application put in by a developer for five large houses. On the plus side, the plan involves the property next door being half knocked down and extended backwards into the plot. That would really open up the view, albeit with a price of huge building works and a new cul-de-sac next door!!

No, ours are all grown up now, so those two spare rooms will be for the visiting adult offspring (there are four of these) and grandchildren (two of these, so far) plus my local ageing parents who may one day need some live-in care for periods of time. I can see the attraction of single storey living, but I really enjoy the light/ vista aspect of living upstairs. We live upstairs now in a flat, as I have done for 25 years. I love seeing over the chimney pots into the distance.

That sounds like an absolute nightmare to be stuck with. I wonder if anyone has successfully sought judicial review of a harsh decision such as this. The law requires authorities to make decisions that are fair, and not perverse.