LSB

This is the span, the width of this phase is 13m, the total width will be 24m. There are 2 spans as the middle wall will be the end of one bit of roof joist and the start of the other one, but the roofing sheets will be continuous, if we have enough long ones left from the barn, if not then overlapped. Low and wide.

Thanks @saveasteading having looked again, put some string lines from bottom to top we can get 5 degrees maybe even 6 with some consideration on wall plate thickness. So, pretty flat, we look over fields and are pretty rural and the neighbours are only interested in how we are progressing, I suspect that we could put tilted solar and no one would comment. They know our planning includes the 'new stuff' as they call it. But, our planning also stipulates a metal roof so I need to understand the weight of solar on this as it's a large span. I've not yet even got a definitive answer as to how many panels I need. I've spoken to a couple of local supplies and they are not interested, I suspect too complicated for them and they all deal with retrofit and not new builds. Thanks for everyones assistance in this.

Better picture of the roof being replaced. Apart from it becoming one roof our planning only allows this height so we can't raise the higher side for angle or reduce the lower side as limited head room inside.

WE are vey slow building, think Pocster 🙂 So, although temp for storage realistically it needs to last probably 2 year. this shows how the roof was done previously when built in the 60's. We will be using the same roofing sheets, but the wood is pretty much knackered. We just want to replicate this as cheaply as possible for dry storage, the roof material is very light as just rain cover. This is all held together with joist hangers but we were hoping to do wall plates and joists. The issue is that roof one (not there in this picture) is 4.2m including the walls and roof 2 is 5.4m. For what we need we are happy to 'join' joists to make the spans from 3.6m sections, but that means for the phase we are doing we will need 64 joists plus wall plates which potentially might not survive being left for years. Phase 3, which is the bit you can see until the blue barrel behind the wheelbarrow will not have a temp roof. Once that is finished then the whole lot will be done properly with the posi-joists.

This is replacing the previous barn roof which was in situ since built in the 60's. That was metal and drained fine, albeit lots of water when it rains due to the size. Very much flat. It is being replaced with one roof covering both sections seen below. In this picture we have already removed gutters and part of the lower roof. It won't be this profile of sheets. It is facing south so I was hoping to put solar on top. the dead trees are long gone so nothing to stop light. Picture taken from other end, but this is what it looks like now.

It's probably me getting confused. I took what I was told by roofing bod, but maybe I misunderstood. Back to algebra to work it out properly.

I appreciate it's easier to mount, but I don't want to pay for a huge metal roof to promptly cover it up with panels. We are very limited to our planning, the difference in height between low and high is 2 blocks high so 430mm. Needless to say the planning and SE just specify solar without any details about mounting etc.

Our DIY new build has a flat roof (12 degrees). This is huge at 24m * 9m and will be metal. It's a barn conversion so we are limited to this design. I'm being told that you can't have in-roof solar on flat roofs, is that really the case or have I just not found the right supplier. Our planning does not allow us to go any higher than the top roof height, but also says we must have solar and we don't have space for ground mounted. The roof is pointing south with nothing stopping the sun so is an idea location. I don't want to cover the whole roof due to the size. Thanks

We are DIY Self building in 3 phases, over many years. Phase 1 walls are finished with a temp roof, made from the old barn roofing sheets with the final posi joists as this is a separate roof. We are now looking at doing the same for phase 2, but we don't want the final posi-joists as the whole roof needs to be done in one hit. Does anyone know a good place to get 4*2 timber for joists that will ultimately become firewood. they do need to be long long, one side is 4m and the other side 6m. I will need about 25 of each length. These are partly to brace the walls until we are ready for whole roof and partly to allow us to store equipment which is currently in another part of the barn. Any suggestions greatly received. TIA Jill

What is going on top of the pour, we had 3 at some points like you, but our pour is 200 with insulation and screed on top. So, if the concrete is a bit thin at points then it will be well covered.

Alan, can I come and see how your cladding is fitted for when we eventually get to that stage. J & D

building walls, but at least I can't see over them now. I would love to meet up. I nearly came to yours Geoff last week when I was in Woody, but ran out of time. I had a lovely visit to Alans, very envious of everyones progress

Well done G & J, you can come to our meet ups now 🙂

Our current council tax is band C because the house was a small farmers cottage when we purchased in 2000. That said we are rural so have zero facilities offered to townies But, we are converting a barn on the same site which will probably be worth less than the host house in selling value but it's unlikely to be in the same CT band. Does anyone know, do houses get revalued when they are sold.

We cover the cavities because we put the insulation sheets in every 4 rows and don't want them to get soaked.

I seem to use this blog to complain all the time about what goes wrong. And yet, it happened again. The weather was improving so it should have been full steam ahead, but as DIY builders life gets in the way. This time I became ill, my gall bladder exploded, started on a Saturday afternoon an by the following Thursday nothing had been improved. Turns out ambulances only come out for heart attacks so we had to make our own way to the hospital. Then the queue was 7 hours, albeit was a morphine drip. It took weeks to get tests and each time we had the 50 mile trip home as I wasn't unwell enough to stay in, not that I wanted to. 4 weeks this carried out, doctors, hospitals, tests and no building. Pain unbearable, acid from throat to bladder burning its way through. Thankfully the pain has subsided, but not because of any treatment which I still haven't had. I'm on waiting lists, whatever that means, and a very limited diet. The diet, fish, chicken breast and rice does work, but I'm stuck with NO sugar, NO fat, NO diary, NO salt so pretty bland. If you ever wish to lose a lot of weight very quickly then this is the diet for you. Anyway, back to the build. Progress is steady with some real milestones. From this To this, complete with lintels Internal temporary door frames The North wall from to So, compare with most of the builds on here not much progress. But, considering everything that's happened then we are pleased. Maybe by next time we will finish with these walls and can think about a temporary roof.

The one in Benhall Aldeburgh are metal Brothers who don't get on 🙂

Peggs can do this, they have cut lots for us, assuming that you can move it.

thinking about this, won't that damage the DPC ?

Hello Please can you advise what we can do about this without knocking down the bit of wall to redo. HID forgot to put in the DPM skirt on this bit of wall (DPC is there) and we are wondering if any of you lovely peeps have any suggestions. For context FFL will be at the block level below the red bricks which will be coming out, they are just there to hold the door frame. There is another layer of insulation and concrete to go in. Thanks

The final roof is still a couple of years away. We broke the conversion down into 3 phases. The big stables done first, then this end of the build which was pig housing. The final phase is still standing and is on clay, a case of leave the worse until we have more experience. We live at the site in the host house, this was a barn that we have converted.

As a literal self builder everything delays us, but we continue to slog away. There is a field where the footpath is going past our build as the farmer won't clear the proper one. But, you know you are progressing when the church people on the palm Sunday walk all commented on how much we've done. Since my last update last summer (remember that - heat) when it looked like this. It now looks like this We had a pretty major disaster last Autumn when a 70 mph storm came right over the field and a wall came tumbling down. For context that's the wall by HID and dog. To say that was a low point is a huge understatement. Comments over the dinner table included knocking everything down and reinstating the stables. The corner was left but we just knocked that down as well and when it was rebuilt then we've only gone up to 5 blocks so it's not such a wind target. Obviously, in hindsight we shouldn't have built one wall so high with no support and we are now going up one layer at a time all round. This disaster also cost us lots in money as the 'wall' is now on the rubbish heap along with the lintels. I've not got any photos after it fell as I was just too peed off. We also lost another month because the BCO wanted some technical details of the slab confirmed by the SE as he was concerned that we didn't have the right grade of mesh and it turns out that this was a verbal discussion and I couldn't find anything written down. It turned out fine, but it took weeks for the SE to get around to confirming this. It was only when I threatened to go to his office to discuss that they suddenly arrived. One corner of the site (not yet touched) is clay, everything else is sand and the SE had originally specced for all clay when the BCO said not necessary. The SE came to site and met with the BCO, but it was all a conversation with no official documentation. To replace the look of the barn we have a sloping flat roof and this middle wall is going to hold the joists for each side. These are 140 wide rather than 100. We are looking forward to having the temp window and internal door frames in place soon as that will really start to look like a house. We reckon that at our usual rate of progress that the walls will be up by end Sept. As we want to put the whole roof on at the same time we are going to put up temp joists to ensure that all walls are held together. Then we have a lot more concrete to break and the clay area to consider. Being a hands on builder can be satisfying, but it can also be very stressful and slow. Back again at some point in the future with another update.

definitely,

well done Geoff, not that far from the finish line, just as it warms up for the rental.

where shall we do this.