davelank

Following a very long gap, I've come back to to seek the wisdom of BuildHub members. After a very protracted process we gained planning permission to demolish a barn and replace with a 4 bed house on the outskirts of a village. We are now in the process of applying for PP again with a revised design including an outbuilding and a revision of the house to reduce the size to 225sq m given building cost increases and the need to rearrange the room layout. We were originally looking to have an independent entrance & car parking to the east (between the house and outbuilding) but this was not possible so now have shared parking with neighbouring property to the west (ours currently). You will see on the site plan the location of the road (1m drop from road to house ground level) to the north and a small stream to the south which constrain the site and impact on the space available and location of rooms, windows etc. The views are to the south and west and there are tall trees not far away on the south side reducing the likelihood of overheating in the spring & autumn. We are looking to create a kitchen / dining / living area where we expect to spend the bulk of the day but have downstairs space for separate living room (evening room mainly) & playroom / office. We were looking to have a big enough downstairs room for a double bed and ensuite for later life but we don’t have room for this so are looking to put a lift in. We have plenty of space upstairs and would certainly aim to put a hot water cylinder up there and MVHR in the loft space. Downstairs we are reasonably happy with the room sizes but it would be nice to have a slightly bigger utility room and we don’t currently have a space allocated for plant which is a problem. A concern is overheating and an option is to have some sort of brise soleil on ground floor windows and overhang for the master bedroom with the gable roof. We will look to have openable windows that allow cross flow of breeze where possible. We’re not aiming for passive, but are looking to create a house with good air-tightness, well insulated, air source HP, MVHR, solar PV (probably battery storage) etc. This is the first stab at a room layout with the revised plan but currently flexible within the constraints of the site plan, view etc. Would welcome any thoughts, comments, ideas you have. Plans for BH 20Mar24.pdf

Our wait for the council to progress planning goes on. I am shocked to see that it was 2 years ago that I posted, however there is light at the end of the tunnel and we should know sometime soon. So I thought I would investigate design software having had a pretty mediocre experience with architects. I have had a look at a few Sketchup tutorials and it looks very flexible but will take time to master to a level where I can get a basic design. Anybody used Build It 3D Home Designer or Visual Building, both UK? These are more specifically created for house designs and cost around £100 to £150 one off cost.

Hi @jamiehamy, very useful. I'm looking at a glazed S facing gable end & overheating will be an issue so really useful to have this.

Hi @Stones when I went to the Somerset show I was interested to see & learn about ICF but had subsequently discounted it as likely to be significantly more expensive given level site & more limited builders available who are familiar with the system. Once I have some drawings I can investigate.

Many thanks @JSHarris appreciated.

Hi @JSHarris good to hear that it is an option worth considering & seems very effective - a few questions: Which products is it that you have? Does it change the appearance i.e. does the window look any different with the film fitted? Does it make any difference with cleaning the windows? How hard wearing is the film - does it get damaged?

Hi @Bitpipe & thanks for your msg, you are asking all the right questions, and I am on the case of trying to answer them. TF - I have had a brief chat with Sylva, a long chat with English Bros, a short chat with MBC but been to see a house recently finished with MBC frame & seen lots of good things about them on this forum. So no decision yet but if you asked me today I would say MBC, but of course no design yet & no quotes. Not much on buildhub re Sylva / EngBros. From what I understand it will be easier to achieve good airtightness with MBC. One think is that I would like to have some timber features in our main living space so will be interesting to see what options the TF co. offers - with EngBros should be relatively easy from conversation. Windows / doors - I have chatted with a couple of companies at shows but not got into any detail yet. But clearly this will be a key decision. No cats (any more) and will certainly have to plan in openings through the airtight envelope - should be easy to plan in if thought about early enough. Modelling - Certainly going to be important. PHPP obviously the best, but may start with @JSHarris spreadsheet http://www.mayfly.eu/2017/02/downloads-from-the-top-menu/ Obviously need a fair bit of info to drive these so will have to get a bit further down the line - plans & elevations etc. Heat requirement - my current thoughts are a setup like yours. Overheating - as I have said, a key concern. We would really like to have the views & South is where this is so no options there. Looking at an overhang to help, but I am pretty sure this will not be enough. We are thinking about relatively traditional at the mo & not keen on brise soleil, but may need to change views depending on options available. Being gable end, blinds not that easy on the triangular part, but will nee to look at options. I am thinking about velux or similar windows in the roof - not sure whether these can be electronically controlled & linked to temp sensor to let the heat out if required. They have rain sensors, should be possible. One thought but not investigated yet is letting less heat in through the windows. 3M http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All-3M-Products/Films/Window-Films/Residential-Window-Film/?N=5002385+8710654+8710938+8711017+8721691+8730565+3294857497&rt=r3 Solargard http://www.solargard.com/uk/product-category/architectural-uk/solar-control-uk/ So lots to learn yet before making decision. Architect - yes, decision still to be made. Some have some knowledge, some more willing to work with other specialists for a reasonable fee. One top of the list at the mo but the decision still to be made.

Thanks Mike & Nick, its a great resource, all down to the likes of you

Hi @Nick, I've just joined and had a read of this older topic. I'm currently thinking of a 1.5 story gable end with glass so may well be in contact with you at some point. One of the challenges with it will be overheating as it is south facing so will need to look at the options.

Hi all, Many thanks for the warm welcome. North Wilts in a village @jack, been here for over 20 years and love the village so extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to get the plot next door. Sitting here today @Tennentslager the plan is to build a 225ish sq m 2 story 4/5 bed house, timber frame, pretty air tight (1.5 air changes/hr), MVHR, south facing gable end with glass (worrying about over heating), UFH on ground floor in the slab, rads upstairs heated with gas (mains), solar PV, barn appearance from the road, more contemporary from the (private) back, vaulted kitchen / dining / day living room with some timber features, snug, downstairs room with ensuite to turn into a bedroom when we are decrepit and can't manage the stairs. I thought I would get this down so that I can look back on it and see what I end up with vs this. Current position is having seen 5 architects, 1 more on Friday then make a decision. Get some drawings done and then do a pre app to see how the land lies. Shame England couldn't win the grand slam, you have to give it to the Irish for their performance.

Hi everyone. I am embarking on a self build, for the first time. Although I managed to acquire a plot of land (right next to our existing property) 4 years ago I am having to bide my time due to planning permission issues which will hopefully be resolved before tooooo long! I started to really investigate 'self build' at the home build and renovation show in Somerset last November and since then have learned a lot from many different sources including this forum (as. a guest), house planning help, magazines, home build & renovation centre at Swindon etc. etc. Although I have learned a lot, there is clearly a huge amount still to learn. An advantage I have is time in that it is going to take a while to get planning permission and one thing that keeps coming through is that the more time to plan the better. However I clearly should not take this task lightly, especially having today listened to House Planning Help podcast 155 where @jsharris told us about the mental strife he went through. I think I will face a few reality checks!! So I look forward to the interaction and support on Buildhub, and hopefully I will be able to offer something to others along the way as well. David