Alexphd1

You could build a 600mm thick eps raft "super insulated raft"....... Joking apart I have seen EPS used on commercial sites to build up the ground levels.

Need to find a connection box for locating in pantry for between CU and light switches/electric blinds. All the light switches and blind switches run back to pantry then running a power cables to the CU. If I can find a box and just pull all the cables in the sparkie can sort it out later. Any ideas?

Bump. Need to decide on hinges as think we have found a door from Todd (lisbon @ 36kg). Was looking at the CEAM. They do look good but is £70 per door worth it? Any problems to look out for?

Personally I would start searching for ground and get the finance up to £400k in place to move quick if you come across something. Some people spend years looking for ground. I would try and refinance existing house for this and stay away from selfbuild mortgages.

6 bed is not a odd target but everybody has different priorities. It would be pretty boring if we had all the same aspirations!

Yeah, the top bit will rotate a quarter turn which will close the valve.

It sounds like you have the perfect credentials for the project managers job.

Bozza, Issue with renting you are creating more hassle and work. Your house has to be up to (cosmetic amd safety) standard which will cost and i would imagine the OP is in a high tax bracket aswell for the extra income. To buy a house with enough ground is a option, again its down to finding the right ground! As Russel says above, do not give up the day job but I would do your homework and know exactly what you want inc knowing a decent price. You have found a good place to start here!

Many ways to go about this but here's my 2p worth.... Yes you can afford to build but its a long path. Your biggest issue is finding suitable land. If you where 100% on this project (not just some talk after watching a episode on grand designs) i would start looking for land now and work from this. PeterW gives realistic figures on this above. I would approach lenders on remortgage your existing property for funds for the land. If you can find land with a neighbours house in the style you like thats a big help for planning (if you find land you like in area of small thatched cottages just forget it)! You have a healthy income so I would plan a slow build (5 years start to finish) and clear the bills as you go creating no more debt while living in your existing property you may have to cut lifestyle to achieve this. Build in steps ie contractor in to do site work and foundations then stop for 6 months then move on to the next stage. If you can remove funding issues associated with selfbuld ie stage payments from lenders etc then you remove a lot of hassle/tears. Get a tape measure out and measure your existing home, sit down list out what do i want rooms size quantity etc. Go and visit a few showroom newbuild on developments for room size (dont be taken in with furnishings yet) look at kitchen size come away with a floor plan schedule with a m2 on each room. Everybodys ideas are different for 6 bedrooms I would be looking for at least 400m2 over two floors which would give you a foot print of 200m2, add in another 60m2 for a double garage. We are building 480m2 for 4 bedrooms but everything is nice sized (in my opinon). Next build is 650m2 for 5 bedrooms with 150m2 garage/workspace. If you get this right you may end up in your dream home 6-7 years time with no or little mortgage.

i went on the principle bigger ducts = less resistance = lower fan speed so less noise.

Thanks for the heads up on the company. I am currently searching for x18 doors.

I would spec bigger pipe and connections at distribution box.

No big issue drilling holes in 200mm concrete (with the right tool) . I would be installing individual conduit to each point, I dont like the idea of running conduit in the external eps.

The nudara inserts are a PITA. Think they do a wider external eps block but think it's just a standard block with eps bonded on in the factory bit of a half ass atempt. That's why I like the idea of adding eps on site after the concrete has been poured. I thought the quadlock icf was a cracking system for thick eps but after a lot of research on American build chats, the general opinon was nudara and amvic where the best.

Excellent thread for people considering icf. I didnt realise there was so big a difference in concrete quantity between different suppliers. Personally I am a big fan of nudara (only other icf I would have seriously considered was amvic) but I did feel nudara played the card that the extra u value was not worth it to make them more cost competitive in comparison to other suppliers as they where shipping the icf from the west coast of Canada which gave them a big disadvantage. We bite the bullet and added the extra insulation to nudara, I am happy with result. Will do homework on build 2 but hopefully be either nudara or amvic with 200mm extra EWI on the block (as @stones build in orkney).

@Triassic can you confirm the Italian doors are oriduc3 as nothing comes back on Google search.

Dont be pressurised into ordering anything until you are happy.

i am with PeterW on this, 2x2m is more than big enough for all your stuff. Also if you need to replace cylinder its a lot simpler with a cylinder only. Has your plumber got experience of piping up UFH/ASHP/UVC ?

I always thought preplumbed cyclinders where a bit of a rip-off.

Are you diy or contracting out the build?

Unfortunately I wasnt willing to cut my glazing to meet PH so we have big external overhangs, high internal ceilings. The house is almost finished and we haven't had a overheating problem this Summer maybe this is due to being in NE Scotland.

What ever build method you choose, the devil is in the detail to hit PH or better. I dont want to knock PH but it is just a certificate that your house has met a certain level. One of the big reasons that put us of PH was the small details of PH certified equipment ie mvhr windows etc which costs a premium. I wouldn't choose to build a basement by choice but we are building a 3 sided basement in the next build as it fits in better with the site. It is easier & cheap to build above ground. It's pretty easy & cheap to add insulation to hit decent u values, usually just make the wall/floors and roof thicker. Again it's easy to spec up windows for better performance. All this is pointless if your house leaks air out so now you are looking at sealing everything.... now your house NEEDs a mvhr system.... this is the fabric first approach that's mentioned a lot on here. Before you know it your house it preforming better than PH house certified house without all the red tape. There is a few other things to pay attention to ie overheating etc but it's not rocket science. High levels of soundproof from internal and external noises can be spec'd on any method of build. It's all in the detail.

Quick question, how many cold joints are there in a normal 150mm concrete block (block layed on side) wall??

Cant comment on Milbank but travis perkins usually expensive!

Is there a service void at the back of standard floor units, if so what size?