LSB

We have just levelled some ground in our barn conversion ready to dig a foundation trench for the 'not wall', the barn has walls on 3 sides, but the 4th side was open. We know the trench must be 1m deep and we are going to do this from the base of the old floor at one end, but that is far from level in its length, it looks about 20cm difference from one end to the other so we can't use that as our guide line. As the wall is 18m long we want to make sure that the top is flat and I thought that perhaps I could use an altimeter app on my phone, but there are 100's and the one's I've looked at have no decimal places just saying 2m which isn't accurate enough. I've tried my GPS, but that feature is not on this model, I've tried the laser level, but although I can shine a laser at a consistent level I really want something I can put on a tripod / pole / spirit level at various points in the trench. As this will be filled with concrete does it have to be super accurate as long as the top of the concrete is. Google suggested Google Earth, but I can't figure out how to get the decimal places. Can anyone suggest how we do this ourselves as I don't want to get a surveyor for one trench.

Hi Tim nothing, various circumstances stopped our build, just planning to get going again this year.

same for East Anglia, knock down counts as new building, in the country probably, big no no, so however much better a new build would be you convert or give up

You are in the same boat as me, our architect told us the same, like you many 1000's later and our LA said NO that would be a new house in the country so not allowed. To add insult to injury we then had to pay our architect 1000's more to do the building reg drawings for the plans already passed. I made the mistake when talking to the architect of saying that we liked our plans, but would like it to be in a slightly different place on site, but as a barn that can't be done. I'm not sure about your LA, but ours gave us 3 years from approval to finishing we will do it just, but no thanks to all the 'help' we've had from professionals.

a new Lidl has just been built right next door to my work factory which was built last year. Exactly the same construction as our factory, big sheets, like SIPS, but with metal. Unfortunately we are 200 miles from Swindon, but when I visit family in the SW I do go in, one of their shows this weekend, but couldn't do it.

This year would have been fantastic in the East. I do have a contact that does straw bales - small or large and despite where we are he will ship, he sends hay and potatoes to Somerset. hadn't read the whole post when I put this and now realise that this is sorted Good luck with the Design Review, look forward to hearing about it.

Hi Guys More questions I've been looking into ASHP v GSHP, the biggest advantage of the latter being it works all year in theory. We have the space, we have the digger to do the trenches so cost not as huge in comparison as it could be. But all our fields are on a slope, the barn is at the top. Can the slinky be installed on a slope, I don't seem to be able to find out anything about this. Also would the unit go at the top of the slope nearest the barn or at the bottom. Also is there any risk if we have the horses in the field once the trench is filled in and re-seeded or would it be more sensible to fence it off. Slope if about 15 - 20 degrees. TIA

Excuse my ignorance, but how do piles connect to the foundations, I've seen many installed, at work ours are 25m deep, but how does it work.

Anyone got any ideas where we could see some in the flesh, does the Swindon place have any

that gives me the heeby jeebies

Hi Peeps HID wants to build a wall using Clay Blocks which are glued, has anyone ever used these. He saw an article in a magazine and wasn't even sure that you could get them in this country This is a retaining wall to make a bank tidy so no concerns about a house. Any experience on here.

Thanks guys, nothing like opposing views to make me think 🙂

Hi Guys Just a basic question. When you've dug your trench, put some cement in the bottom can you start with your ICF straight away taking into account it will be under ground or do you need to build this part from blocks and then start the ICF above ground. Our SE drawings are for block build, but we are considering ICF and just wondered how it worked. Of course we are having a groundworker, but just wondered.

My architect is planning on using the gambit that a rebuild will be more environmentally friendly and efficient and of course that a house will be there anyway so a 'better' one will be preferable. We have had a direct neighbour, 2 fields away, who got class Q, then managed to get it changed to rebuild in a different footprint, his argument is that it will be a holiday let not a new house in the countryside. This is a 5 bedroom 320 sqm house which everyone is pretty sure will end up residential. But, that aside that build can be seen from my build so the architect says that precedent has been set. I know about the 3 year rule, and if necessary we know someone who will take it on and do the whole thing, but not as we would like it so we don't really want to do that unless really necessary. We would also need to sell our house to pay for it, which we were also hoping not to have to do at this stage. I will talk to my architect and send you a PM if he thinks that will help. Which LPA are you, I know ours is pretty strict.

Well 6 months on and once again the only progress is paid work. After all the disappointment over the issues we have been pretending that it's not happening. We came up with a list of options. Give up totally and clear the site Return the barn to stables Sell as it is Sell barn and our house so we don't have to watch someone else do what we wanted to do. Hand over to a building company even though we can't really afford to. Try and progress slowly. We tried this, but none of the groundworkers who visited would even give us a quote and just stopped responding to us, so obviously just too much hassle. So, final option seemed to be start again and try for planning for a knock down and rebuild. In the end this option is the direction that we are trying to go in. I had some very long conversations with the architect, same company, but different person who is much more experienced in Class Q. Slight issue, he is based in Exeter and we are East coast. But, discussing the situation, taking into account the increase in materials, the lack of builders and the general issues he said he would send us through some ideas. I also sent him some drawings that I did using some software explaining to him what we would really like. He sent back his costs based on his ideas, but I explained to him that I have been thinking about this for many years and I am very happy with the curtilage, the location of the build and that I don't want a bigger garden or house come to that. All these things would make planning more tricky, as I said to him, I want to start from scratch, but in exactly the same spot, with the same size garden and the same outlook. So of the reasons for this were to hopefully make potential planning easier as it will be replaced a barn rather than building a new build in a different spot in the countryside. I also pointed out to him that his company had already done drawings similar to what I want so that should make their job easier. So, after our 'talks' he came back with a preliminary cost schedule, reduced by £500 and excluding full building drawings until after he has planning on the slightly modified current drawings. So, now more waiting whilst they prepare the first draft. Hopefully, it would be too long before we can actually get going on this build.

how disappointing, nothing that we were interested in had any stock anywhere within 100 miles of us ?

my current house is 180 years old, but I couldn't find it. but, I've found my plot as 'former agricultural building'

no particular concerns, I'm just a bit OCD about understanding things, just a bit Although Gus wasn't convinced that these beams were big enough, or I think that's what he said. I will post the other calcs as well when I can, but that's more complicated as the roof is split in different ways.

the whole report is 16 pages long, I just wanted to know what the different symbols meant so I could look at the whole report. The build has 3 different roofs, all technically flat, this one 4m the next one 5+ and the final one 6.3, although that may be tiles as it was previously different from the rest of the barn. The SE has barely spoken to me and when I ask him questions he doesn't answer them, he doesn't have a good client facing attitude, newly qualified. One of the possible ground workers came yesterday, although this isn't for him, but I discounted him when he said not to worry about the SE calcs and just suck it an see !!!! I do have another 3 coming to quote. We haven't finalised on builders or roofers yet, none of the ones we have spoken to have seen the drawings yet, they only arrived just before Xmas and everyone seems to have been closed for 10 days.

do you have any idea what EW = ZYYREG = stand for The 2nd roof is quite a lot bigger than the first at 5.5m long, for that one he is recommending larger joists.

Hello Can someone out there translate the below to 'english' for me, as in explain what the acronyms. The roof is split so I assume that this is discussing the first roof which is 4m. Sorry about the quality, but it was sent to me like this, drawn on graph paper by hand I have a ground worker coming next week to discuss my foundations and I just want to understand what this means. I've tried speaking to the SE, but he's not particularly helpful. I realise this page is about the roof, but I like to know a bit of what I'm talking about when discussing the build with experts. Thanks

We are considering ICF for our build, but one of the first considerations is future mortgages. Although we don't intend to sell as this is our forever home we are getting older so forever may not be that long. If we do need to sell, will buyers be able to get a mortgage easily on an ICF home or does this come under non traditional construction. I guess that they may be able to go to specific lenders, but this may put buyers off. Of course as this is unlikely to happen for 10 years I'm potentially worrying about nothing. Thanks

we are doing a class q barn conversion. the back wall had 6 windows, one for each pig sty, but because of a low roof height our architect removed the windows and submitted planning without them. even taking into account the low roof we still want the windows, the rooms are all bedrooms, bathrooms and utility room and we will put furniture the opposite end. Not so different from an eaves room. The architect also put the front door directly into the family room with no hall some way from the driveway. I wondered what I need to go to get the planning for the windows and door moving. we are also changing some of the internal rooms, but not much when the SE came to do calcs he wouldn't do any for the back windows because there weren't on the plan, it was the same for the door, although that doesn't make much difference as the door will be the same size, just in a different place.

Hello, I have planning, but I want to change the internal layout and the position of some of the windows and the front door. What sort of application do I need to submit to planning for this. TIA