Spainy86

The kitchen manufacturer is Nolte

Ours is 600m deep, 300mm wide Photos attached

No sorry, that’s not what I meant, I meant the style. I can measure though if you like, what dimensions do you want?

Yes, that is exactly what we have

Why not have a slide out pantry unit rather than a door that swings open? We have a full length one sat next to our fridge and it works perfectly

Exactly, I figured no harm in getting some ideas down in writing. The WC and utility became a bit of a headache to fit in to be honest. At the moment, still some options for exact angle of house but definitely something to bear in mind. At the moment, windows have been placed pretty generically for aesthetic purpose more than anything else.

Thanks, definitely agree with the sentiment of getting value out of the architect but also heard some stories on here of people getting pushed into the architects design rather than their own Bifolds are simply due to wanting the combination of plenty of glazing across the back of the house but with the flexibility of opening the whole house up into the back garden, we regularly have friends and family round so think they would get plenty of use, perhaps a slightly bigger central one at the back would be better than two separate ones. I was completely unaware of the regulations regarding kitchen/loft room, thanks, definitely something for me to look into. Also, fair point with the utility/WC - again, something to give some thought to

I came across a free CAD programme over the weekend so decided I would have a go at putting some of the ideas I have for our self build down on paper Managed to come up with a front and back house design and a first draft floor plan I figured this would be a better starting point rather than giving the architect a blank canvas to put his own ideas in our head Few things to note: The square things on the roofs are supposed to represent skylights (dimensions obviously TBC) The staircase/landing/staircase up to loft has proven quite difficult to try and configure so any ideas would really help The master bedroom up in the loft will not be to everyones taste but was just a concept that I liked the idea of The plan was have bi-folds/glass covering the entire back of the house but I struggled fitting the WC and utility room anywhere else Any feedback/comments and ideas/recommended alterations would be gratefully received House design CAD.pdf Floor Plan.pdf

That is exactly the type of feedback I was after, thanks My building cost calculation is solely based on external wall area so I don't have ceilings, joists and internal walls costed, well spotted Is the £400 per sq metre of house something to be added onto the build cost then to account for ceilings, joists and internal walls (subject to insulation)?

That's really good to hear that it is at least a decent starting point In terms of the actual building, where do you think it is light? I took the figure of £250sqm for the highest range here https://www.self-build.co.uk/cost-guide-walls-and-insulation/ which is supposed to include builder’s profit margin, labour, materials, finishes, insulation and internal plastering but does not include windows and doors. The groundwork has been included elsewhere on the spreadsheet but obviously, that figure is the biggest unknown at the moment. Windows and doors have also been accounted for elsewhere. It would be useful to hear peoples thoughts on what the build sqm £ should be if £250 is on the low side? Also, any feedback for any other elements that seem too low would also be gratefully received. I have not picked the £1,050, that is just what it has come out at based on all the estimates that I have put in the for various aspects so if that figure is low, I must have either missed some aspects of the build or underpriced them. Also, I have got the price per sqm build cost from the total external dimensions on the build. If that isn't correct and it should be taken from the internal measurements, that will obviously bump up the cost per sqm build cost.

Thanks, I had £1,500 per sqm in my head which is why I think that my own costings must be either missing something or be very low in certain areas, that is the feedback I am looking for

Following on from my previous thread about whether or not to use online estimates and/or a QS, a fellow user suggested trying to start out by costing the project myself so that is what I have done by undertaking plenty of online research, reading guides on here and finding online estimates (not yet at the point of putting out for tenders so a lot is based on generic online guides) - this is what I have come up with (spreadsheet attached).Build cost spreadsheet.xlsx For completeness, I plan to build a 4 bed detached cottage (approx. 9m x 9m externally) with detached single garage (approx. 4m x 5m externally). The construction method will be brick and block. Obviously, the below is just to give me an indication, I appreciate that people cannot comment generally on groundworks because that is site specific but I would appreciate input on the other items that are perhaps more generic and whether any of them seem way too low or way too high, also anything glaringly obvious that has been missed completely. Some things (like heating system) are undecided but I am concerned because that my calculation brings me out at about £1,050 per square metre (excluding plot) which seems very low based on reading this forum and bearing in mind that whilst I plan to project manage, my actual hands on involvement will be limited to "helping out" and "digging in" rather than saving significant labour on particular skills. Any input would be gratefully received.

The likely value will be circa £300k which in East Lancashire is considered to be relatively expensive so probably aimed at working professionals or more likely, those with small families (a couple of kids, perhaps). One of the thoughts I had was to maybe put the master bedroom in the loft with an en-suite and walk in wardrobe to allow the other 3 bedrooms on the first floor to be expanded out somewhat and a more generous sized family bathroom. I presume my converting the loft at the initial build stage is less costly that leaving it with the ability to be converted at a later date? In terms of ground floor layout, something that accommodates open plan living will probably attract the biggest target market around here. When I say “cottage” I use that term because the site is slightly out of town, in the countryside and surrounded by 4 or 5 cottage style farmhouses so will need to follow a similar style, but on a slightly smaller scale.

As above really, would anyone be willing to share any interesting floor plans that they have come across that have been used on a conventional 4 bed detached house with an integral garage? It will be my first self build, approximately 150sqm in total across 1.5 or 2 floors, but won’t be a “forever” home, so hoping to come up with a floor plan design that stands out a little bit when we put it on the market, perhaps a clever use of space or slightly unconventional layout? I appreciate that there is only so much you can do to a conventional 4 bed detached house across 150sqm but any inspiration or examples would be gratefully received.

Going through the designing stage of my self build at the moment. From a personal perspective, I am using this build as a “trial” for a bigger build in the future so have to consider build costs vs resale values when making the design decisions. On that basis, what are people’s thoughts on garages and the build cost v resale values? It seems that very few people actually use garages anymore to store cars so I am wondering whether from a value perspective, my build would be better off with no garage at all, an additional room on the ground floor and two parking spaces out front or whether that would reduce the target market significantly because people still want houses with garages? If that is still the case, could anyone give an indication of the additional cost that a standard single detached garage would add to a self build (against an integrated garage) in the event that I decide to go for the best of both worlds with extra internal space and a garage?