BartW

I attached my plans in the previous post. Hopefully, they show? As for the loo in the utility, I was keen not to have one there. Even if I have to sacrifice the Guest Bedroom size, and take it in a tad. The utility will house the water tank, my AV Hub, "HER Kingdom", and likes, so ideally not a toilet Bart

Hi, This is our own home (hence my design freedom). I have gone through five iterations of the design (when I mean iteration, I literally redesigned the whole house again, and again). The staircase has been one of the points which rather distorted the flow, or badly impacted room sizes and shapes upstairs. I would be keen to hear opinions on what might work best Bart

Ok, So below are attached plans of what has been approved by Planning. I read the Building Regs doc Part B, and implications may, indeed, be stipulated when it comes to meeting the "protected staircase" part. The top floor is just a gym, and one could stipulate that means of exiting could be through one of the three bedrooms on the first floor (escape window), or down the stairs. I wonder if an extensive sprinkler system would address all of the above effectively. Thanks! Bart GH PL250 First and Top Floor Plan.pdf GH PL250 Ground Floor Plan.pdf

I think sprinklers may have to be a necessity, right?

Hi, yes, it is actually three storeys with just Gym and open terrace on the top floor. I should have perhaps started with full plans and visuals of the building. I will upload those later. but essentially: - ground floor as shown - first floor 3 bedrooms (1 on which ensuite), and family bathroom - top floor gym + terrace

Hey, I have not got an architect, and doing everything by myself. Hence, the questions that might seem obvious As for the doors, they can be made wider. I am planning on them being full height, so they will be bespoke anyway. Also, the plan is to go shadow gap with no architraves all around. So I can get fairly close to the perpendicular wall junctions. Equally, I can still make the room wider, at the cost of the Guest Bedroom. Or move the toilet under the stairs and make it into an alcove. There are reasons I might not want to do that, though. I also note the door needing to swing onto the outside, which as much as not of preference might make it for an easier way of making it into a jib door. Overall, sounds like I might have to study Part M a bit more

Hi Peter, Thanks for the reply. So, the Part M Regs say it needs 750mm in front of the toilet: I can achieve this by thickening the staircase wall and having the cistern fully concealed: The question is, am I reading the correct part of the regs, and interpreting it as I should? Forgot to add, the site is in Graven Hill (Oxfordshire). Thanks Bart

Hi everyone, I am currently preparing drawings for Building Regs to approve, as well as the Timber Frame supplier to build off. When I was speaking to another TF supplier at the quoting stage it was mentioned that the GF WC / Shower Room will not conform to regs. I have looked at the Part M document, which makes clear references to toilets, but could not see a clear set of guidelines with it being a WC / Shower Room, or as in our case "Guest Bathroom". Please, see a snippet of a plan for comment. Many thanks! Bart

Wow! That is some technology to comprehend! Just in time before the weekend starts. Can’t wait to make some popcorn, and start diving into the world of unknown. Thank you very much so far Gentle-people! ? Bart

Hey guys, Apologies for the slack response, and many thanks for your answers. I will look into the alternatives, and various ways of tackling this. No doubt, there will be more questions soon! Bart

Hi, We are going to build at Graven Hill (not that it matters where), and have received planning, and signed up a TF supplier. It is time to start focusing on the infrastructure, and all M&E. I appreciate the Smart Home world is a vast field of knowledge, and opportunities. Whilst I am not looking to build a house that will shave my beard for me, being a fan of all things tech, I would like to make it a fairly smart home that will be up to date for years to come. My question is what fellow self-builders have considered / installed to date? What gadgets and features do your homes boast? My wish list goes as the below, but maybe I have not considered something: - smart lighting for LED / lighting schemes / ambient / likes of Lutron / Creston / Fibaro and likes - external CCTV - internal security (quite fixed and NOT open to integration, as it is Verisure, but comes with a handy app that allows a degree of controllability) - smart heating / like NEST - although quite limited as for the integration with other things smart - MVHR / ASHP? - audio in the house / I have done this on a couple of properties so far, but looking for an adaptable system. Been using ceiling speakers and central AV for Main Zone + Zone 2, e.g. Yamaha RX-V677. Whilst I appreciate Sonos gives the Multiroom option, perhaps there is something better? - Visual in the house. It will be a 4 bed family home, with one central location for TV in the open plan living room. I appreciate this is enough for the two of us (so far) for now, but it may change. I want flexibility NOT to be made to watch CBeebies all day, or in the evening. So, I would gather that all Bedrooms should at least be pre-wired for basic Freeview - smart blinds / I always loved the idea of them going up when the Sun rises, and going private in the evening. It may be a big ask (financially for sure), but happy to settle on just electric blinds, perhaps controlled via an app? - smoke and heat sensors from Nest? Just to give the added layer of peace of mind? Your thoughts as always most welcome! Bart

Yes, I admit the way that Jay held my enquiry was very reassuring, and refreshingly straightforward. Also, their company values resonated very well with me, and the way I run my businesses. I will try to provide a brief summary of my experiences so far in a new thread later, as I feel it could help many in their early evaluations. Bart

Ok, so I have completed this part of the quest, and... I went with English Brothers. A lot to share, but in a nutshell, the initial experience with the company and their attitude got me sold. Deposit paid

I happen to own a joinery company, but it could be counter productive, as taking resources from "where it's at" means you have to stop earning. And having a TF supplier do both was the deciding factor why I did not go wood crete ICF and got my refurbishment company lads to erect the structure.

I tried speaking to Solo after the super high quote, and enquired whether any information I had provided them with made them feel the project was more complicated than it really is. Got no response... Not great, but it's ok. I nearly signed up with Lakeland Timber, but decided to give English Brothers a chance. Had a chat today, and Jay comes across really positive and knowledgeable, and overall pleasure to deal with. Needless to say I have my hopes up, and fingers crossed the price might reflect that. Wish me luck! PS. Fleming Homes would initially not quote as allegedly drawings not to scale (although they were), so I got them planning drawing set, only to learn there were too many assumptions for them to give me the price. So they now insist I get the structural drawings by an engineer (something that a timber frame supplier would otherwise provide as part of the package). It does not sound like we will be getting anywhere. Shame, they were the top of the preference list. I wish I had saved six weeks of trying...

Most kits seem to be 140mm stud, as a basic shell, so that seems to be the common build method with most suppliers. Many of them seem to be achieving the target uValues with a combination of different materials.

Hi, Which one exactly have you got, Boris?

Quick update, Solo is out I am afraid... They quoted £100k supply and install for the frame without any wall, or roof upgrade, so 0.20u Value as part of the standard spec. That is the passive house territory as quoted by MBC... Let's hope Flight Timber come up with less of a shocker ?

Hi @Thorfun some valuable comments there, thanks! Don’t get me wrong, I would not have needed other quotes, if we were able to afford MBC. It was choice number one, but yes, money vs house size means we are choosing to downgrade, rather than downsize. Frame IT said they would not quote due to distance, so just waiting for a couple of more suppliers.

yes good idea! Our timing is May / June earliest, so well in time

Ok, so it seems the cost increase / decrease is more or less proportionate to square metres of the build. Do let me know once you have decided please Or maybe we could ask one company for a group discount

That's actually not bad at all. We are going to be 180m2 across two storeys + top floor attic and gym with terrace (which makes things more expensive). MBC quoted around £60k for the frame with install, then further £21k for wall and roof upgrade to 0.14. If I can somehow get to £40k + for the TF with insulation, I think I would be happy

@Buzz yes Fleming (fair dues to them) have warned they may outprice themselves due to travel and accommodation. Out of curiosity, how big is your build? This might help me guess what I could be expecting from the other suppliers I am yet to here back from.

Hi @Buzz thanks for the reply. I am still waiting to hear from Solo, Flight, Fleming, and Frametechnologies. Lakeland provided a quote, it's ok although more than expected. MBC was very comprehensive, but totally beyond our budget, as they were the favourite choice initially. Very prompt, friendly, and knowledgeable.

Yes, this is on the cards, hopefully won't kick the fuss about it knowing I would want to supply my own insulation. An early comparison for our build as priced by one of the suppliers resulted in savings of nearly £4k + VAT, and that is without shopping around, or optimising the product. Kit supplier price: £8,895 + VAT. Bought individually: