MR10

There was an programme on Channel 4 recently, still available on demand, called 'The Jury: Murder Trial'. I didn't watch it all but seeing what went on in the jury rooms was disturbing. Decisions were being made based on personal opinion, preconceptions, prejudices and experiences, stronger characters bent others to their will basically regardless of the evidence presented.

We used Glenalmond contracts, https://glenalmondcontracts.co.uk, they're based in Perth but cover the whole of Scotland. Worth a call to see if they cover your area, could save yourself a lot of money to put towards some other part of the build.

He's pulling your pants down. Get another quote. Have you considered liquid screed like Cemfloor? Mine worked out at ~£28/sqm (65mm thick, 165m2).

Clearing the plot should be fine but you may want to get planning permission for whatever it is you want to build before removing any of the existing structures.

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+1 to this

If you're worried about getting planning permission, first speak to or get your Architect to consider working with Aurora Planning https://auroraplanning.co.uk when putting in your planning application. One of the consultants was head of Aberdeen city planning dept. for 10 years before leaving to set up Aurora planning.

Mine was in the design u value calculation, see image below. I just took the figure next to the %DER<TER and included it in my energy statement.

I use www.archive.ph to get past paywalls. Copy the link of the restricted article and paste into the search bar in archive.ph. If archive.ph is taking time to open try turning off your wifi and use mobile data only (assuming you're using your phone).

Looks to me like your improvement is better (65%) than the minimum 40% required. Just submit the report/figures as provided and move on to other things.

I think a lot of the pricing is way out and by the time you tote up costings for the excluded items, you could easily add another £150k + VAT. This could easily turn out to be a money pit because once you start you just have to follow through and I suspect the builder may hit you with a premium for any unexpected surprises and any 'extras' such as fitting standard height (2.4m) insulated plasterboards ! You should get more quotes and a QS on board. Also, echoing what others have said, you may want to consider a demolish and rebuild.

For me it was roughly 3 weeks from application to receiving the grant approval and I made a claim once the ASHP etc. were installed which was 7 months after the grant approval. Funds paid out within a week of putting in the claim. Timing is key as you don't want to apply too early and have the clock run out and then have to reapply.

Extract from the Home Energy Scotland website (https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/funding/grants-loans/detail/) You cannot start work on any installations until you’ve received the funding offer in writing. If you receive a funding offer this financial year you have up to nine months to carry the work out and claim your funding.

Can you install your UFH manifold in a more central location to optimise the loops and routings?

Does the layout work for your family? Will you want to put in a downstairs loo, maybe an en-suite or two? New kitchen, full re-wire, etc.? Costs could easily spiral once you start. Definitely need a bit more homework on this one.