mjward

Solid advice. Thanks

appreciate that Ferdinand. The issue I face at this stage is simply my own ignorance/learning curve on the matter. There is a risk and I suspect this has materialized with others that after a mound of research you end up becoming fixated on the "what" and perhaps need regular resetting to the "why". The why for me is essentially a desire to have the lowest possible costs to running the house whilst also maintaining a comfortable temperature in both the depths of winter and the heights of summer. So far it seems ASHP + MVHR + AC + PV is a solution (assuming the house is insulated to the effective levels). With PV paying for the AC in theory, the costs should be low for the whole system although with all things like this, the more there is the more that can go wrong which is why I'd prefer a simpler ASHP + MVHR (either if the cooling MVHR systems are effective or just with portable fans for those 2 weeks of the year). Again, plot will play a factor although with our desire for open fields/hills to look out on to I'm not anticipating a significant amount of tree cover at this stage.

Every house definitely needs the out of the way storage for "all that crap" we accumulate in life ???

Thank you all. I really can't envisage a scenario where we would use this space but with all things like this if the cost now is a fraction of the cost later then there is merit to catering for it like with the attic trusses you mention. Re the planning permission, I'm hoping this is something to thrash out in an informal chat with the planning dept to get a sense of whether this kind of development would be a red flag for them

I'm completely new and bewildered by the modern approach to heating and ventilation but you definitely seem to know what you're talking about. Once I find the plot and doing planning in earnest I hope I can ping some questions you're way as across all the various things to think about this is the furthest out of my comfort zone

Makes sense. Currently I'm thinking UFH ground floor room(s), heat pump and MVHR for the very reason you flag re overheating risks with well insulated new builds. I'm also exploring the Aircon aspect but that seems to be increasingly complex. Part of me thinks stick individual and independent AC unit's in the bedrooms which can be switched on when needed via remote. Then I read about the cooling MVHR, less effective but keeps in one unit. Then something about using the UFH to cool (although didn't get me head around that, think something about reverse heat pump). And then...I also think that I'm only even considering it because we have had a heat wave and should I bother doing anything intensive for just 2 weeks a year ! Will do more work on the stove. I think my desire stems from what you highlight doesn't work above ie be nice to have crackling fire in a small room. I suspect I might get my pyro desires fulfilled by part B which is an eventual outdoor kitchen/BBQ area once main house FULLY complete.

Sounds like I need to do more research. From what I've read thus far it strictly advises against when using MVHR systems

Sorry it's not clearly identified in the plan but would have a toilet in the wet room. I need to figure out how to give it privacy as currently 3 doors go to that room

Didn't take me long...just had my first ??‍♂️??‍♂️??‍♂️??‍♂️ moment on this site. Spent 20 mins writing out a full response, pressed enter by mistake and it just went to the first page and lost all my content. Doh! The summary version: 1) staircase/hallway needs big asterix next to it. Not married to any design at this stage but simply want some open front door wow factor. 2) basement I love that idea and certainly makes more plots work for us. I'm just coming from Victorian property ownership (both have basements that love to flood/or get damp despite a fairly recent shoddy tanking #longstory). If I can get confidence in the waterproofing it is very appealing. 3) above also covers another point re room sizes, thankfully but bizarrely we have managed to enjoy large Victorian detached room sizes but I find them too big for the most part 4) our catalyst for all this is actually closer to the personal stories you have shared. My wife's health has steadily deteriorated and we decided that we have done enough that I could quit the rat race and finally fulfil our long term dream to enjoy quality time together for as long as we have it. 5) the % cost of the watertight structural part sounds good to me. Ballpark I think we have enough cash for the full build + 50% buffer but I'm naturally risk averse so this brings me further comfort Hopefully with the updated floor plans below you can see how I've adjusted to your advice whilst also keeping a house design that we actually want. Couple of notes: 1) garage is mostly out of shot but I've made it 6.5m in depth..just checked and my car is 4.98m so good spot thanks! 2) toying with developing the roof space above the garage with dormers etc. If we did we turn the far right storage space into a hallway to this garage roof area 3) conscious design is very much plot dependent but what I'm hoping to achieve here is a better understanding of what is the dream house, what do I really want. From there I hope to have a better idea of a small plot and go with basement works or if I indeed need a large area to accommodate the current designs.

In full agreement. At this stage the design stage is more to get an idea of what I would want in the house so I can determine property size and therefore minimum plot size. On the plot front I will continue looking but I'm hoping the govt change in October that forces councils to tag areas as growth will be a game changer for plot potential.

Think you're hitting nail on the head here, ensuites we have/had have all been installed later in life ie are small box rooms. Suspect if made large enough for full suite it would be a game changer.

Firstly, I truly appreciate the time you've taken for such an extensive response. Genuinely that means a lot. Will try and address the points made but apologies if I miss any. 1) the per SQM costs are fantastic. I'm definitely not looking for high end. Have done that twice for renovation and all it means is high end maintenance ??‍♂️??‍♂️??‍♂️ 2) from a time perspective I am budgeting 2 years for it to be "done". Which is ambiguous I know. I suspect from planning permission it's around 1yr for me to be on site. 3) agree on basement. No idea what plot we will get at this stage so potentially unavoidable but if I get enough land and planning permission works, I'm definitely erring towards larger ground/1st floor footage to lower costs 4) I definitely need to work on room allocation. You are right in that we wanted a full height/grand staircase but also wanted space underneath it for movement so I suspect I will need to find a compromise there. 5) 100% spot on re snug usage, I live in my current cinema room and my wife on the open plan kitchen diner for her TV viewing. The small snug I don't anticipate getting much usage but want room optionality down the line 6) I've catered for separate utility and pantry. Just off from the kitchen is a pantry which will house dry goods, kitchen appliances and a secondary fridge or freezer. Intend to keep most kitchen items in the kitchen itself. 7) agree on sofa/table space in kitchen area. Need to find at least an extra 1m of walkway ?? my gym needs for many years have been a bike and a rower but you're right in that I need to be conscious about a potential resale and find room for a treadmill and maybe something else 9) snug/library combo is an excellent idea 10) the ensuite will be something I need to give further thought to. It's one of those "am I building for me" or to sell issues that warrants proper thought

The design intersect is something I need to work on for sure. The main purpose of the house design is a forever house (don't we all) but should selling be favourable that's a secondary consideration. We own two and have lived in three properties over the past decade and both my wife and I always found ourselves defaulting to the family bathroom (Vs ensuite) to relax. As per the floor plans, both of these are within a short walk of any bedroom so it's convenient but perhaps I need to address the size issue. My driving thought was that a smaller bedroom equates to "cosy" whereas a small bathroom becomes "cramped". A trade off that needs some further tinkering I believe.

It's for a build in England. I've just learnt from experience. In a family home it's rare that just one person wants the family bathroom for that 30 mins window. People don't bath in the middle of the day or at 10pm. Bathroom (not WC) use occurs in a very narrow window of time and thus it makes incredible logical sense for a house of that size to accommodate more than one utilisation. Compared to an ensuite which can only be used by the inhabitants of that particular bedroom.

What a phenomenal saving. Not stress free I bet but when the money saved gets to that magnitude...well worth it

Nowt wrong with an early bird... Despite being retired I can't break the bad habit of waking between 5-6 myself.. sadly means I'm fast asleep by 9pm most nights ??

Good tip thank you! And on that note, that's stage 2 of my research... standard sizes. A potential unobtainable fantasy but I was thinking if I could design a house with dimensions that's reflected standard plasterboard, floor tiles, kitchen cabinets... Would save a lot of time!

Hi Christine I totally hear you. I should have lead with the fact I've done renovations before but not self builds. However, once you've taken a Victorian back to brick I don't think you're a million miles away from the work of a new build ??‍♂️ With regards to your current place, when you say incidentals what do you mean as £1k per SQM is a great price ???

We have very similar tastes! Our current properties have the quooker hot taps and geberits but my big regret was not getting Grohe, will eventually replace everything with it. Wet UFH was also a win in kitchen and bathrooms although I regret the electric UFH in ensuite, isn't the same. Would love a wood burner but in new build I'm going for ultra energy saving to keep utility bills down and that means no heat escaping where it shouldn't ??‍♂️ Also totally agree on kitchen. Across the intoto units, silestone worktops, quartz crystal flooring, Miele and liebherr appliances we spent £70k on one kitchen. Yet every time I walk around IKEA I see the doppelganger for £4k!!

All very fair points. With regards to accomodation we are fortunate to have two properties in London where the family can stay so this would be me solo in a caravan Monday to Friday for a year until it's in a livable as opposed to finished state. I've just finished a 5yr expat stint so we have become accustomed to times apart and we make it work. We are a very social family and so even when the kids are out it wouldn't be uncommon for us to have guess staying at least once a fortnight so hopefully it's not an empty cave we call our home ? With regards to your kitchen work, I'm intrigued as I proclaimed to my wife only this week that I could do it. I mean I've watched 3 hours of YouTube videos so believe I'm qualified! Are you installing pre made carcasses or doing whole thing yourself?

At the design stage of new build. Currently everything we want can fit on the 400 SQM of ground and first floor space... But... Just curious... I figure developing a loft space during a new build process is significantly cheaper than a later conversion. So, would I be foolish not to put proper stairs/dormer windows up there now and just leave it empty?

Interesting to read this thread as we are the opposite. Had an ensuite for 10 years and massively preferred using the larger family bathroom. In fact I'm currently in early doodle mode of our own self build and will incorporate 2 full size family bathrooms to cater for 3 primary/inhabited bedrooms plus 2 guest rooms

Gorgeous house and great build cost as well! Hate to sit on the fence but it's a bit of both, I love keeping busy and learn new things so I want to get involved for that aspect but also as I think carpentry might be a business I'd enjoy (from a furniture aspect) so think doing loads of bits in the house would be a great learning environment. But there is also the cost part, the more I can save the more I have as a retirement cash buffer. Wife still works but from home and although retired from my main career I wouldn't rule out me finding a work from home job down the line. Kids have few years between them, son is 16 ie will be 18 when build complete so whether he lives with us depends if we get plot within commute of whatever uni he goes to. Daughter is 10 so we can count on her for foreseeable future. A final aspect (on the keeping busy front)... If on the off chance the whole experience is borderline enjoyable and we actually create a thing of value (commensurate with the stress), I also wouldn't rule out selling the final article and going again! (If my wife doesn't kill me first)

That's a phenomenal cost and brings me a bit more confidence/relief. Any features you look back on and think so glad you did that? And importantly any regrets/things you would avoid?

Hello lovely helpful people! Quick intro: my name is Martin and we are a family of 4 finally attempting to realise a long term dream of escaping to the country (from London). I retired this year so have all the time in the world to fantasize and research and then eventually get my hands dirty. Plan is for builders to turnover a shell build and I will do as much of the rest as I can (will leave boiler and fusebox to the professionals!) The last few weeks I've ramped up the research and even drawn up a few different floor plans. Roughly speaking I'm looking to build a classic red brick rectangular property of approximately 400 SQM. Grand designs this won't be? Now for some early questions if I may? 1) I've seen a range of £1500-3000/SQM mentioned for a self build guide. Approximately what % of that range is the structure itself? 2) For those taking on the labour of electrics, carpentry, plastering, plumbing etc where did you end up on a per SQM cost for your build? 3) another one for those that did various trades, were they any obvious ones you regret starting and wish you had paid labour for? 4) is my assumption that it's harder to get planning permission for larger houses correct? I had originally designed the house over 4 storeys (Inc basement and loft) as thought smaller footprint would help but after scaring myself with basement damp/leak stories I've managed to redesign it across standard 2 storeys. Please find floor plan below Thanks in advance and look forward to being a fully engaged member of this forum moving forward ?