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Thanks for the replies! Gives me lots to think about. After seeing the open plan floor plan, that does make the whole space seem much larger and more versatile. I didn't really consider open plan before because years ago I lived in an open plan flat and the noise and smell from the kitchen would travel. The odour would be limited with the ventilation system I am looking to install, I assume. I could always get a good audio system for the living room :D. Newhome, honestly, quite often I think, after grocery shopping and often get home and either put the kettle on or start lunch dinner etc. Maybe it isnt much of a problem though.

That's a fair point, the double doors are so the kitchen and living room can be better connected however would it not be strange to have to walk all the way around to get to the kitchen without the single door? Maybe a bigger rework is needed.

The front of the house points west.

Hello, I have attached the floor plan for my house, space is at a premium so I want to make sure the space is used as best it can. There seems some dead area in the kitchen and I wonder if the hallway could be brought forward, which would add to the living room. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Hi, Haven’t begun building the house yet, but I am thinking of ufh, I like the warm floors, reduced clutter and radiators take up room. Okay, so the problem is the house will be in a flood risk area, personally I think the chances are low as it’s never flooded before. However, I still want to be cautious, is it only the insulation which could cause a problem if it were to flood? if so does anyone know if there are any flood resistant insulation I could use? thank you in advance

Thanks chaps. If people are happy to read, I’ll be delighted to post up all the info. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Ooh, I would like that! Thanks Ferdinand, there is certainly a lot to read.

Hi all I have a conditional offer on a small piece of land in a city centre, it’s subject to planning permission. A few few issues have been highlighted, I wasn’t totally naive if it seems I didn’t grasp the severity.(?) As part of the planning process I had to get several assessments done, including noise and odour, it seems because a local pub/restaurant I need a mitigating strategy. This will be a mechanism ventilation system as recommended by the consultants. There is is also a flood risk, as far as I believe the site has never flooded. It came close a few years ago when the city got hit by flooding in a few areas. Since then there have been flood defences put in place by the council, the consultant says the classification of FZ 3a takes these into account. I thought they would have reduced the risk further if I’m honest, but they are the pros. So im at the stage now where I am ready to put the application in to the council, the assessments have dampened (pun) my enthusiasm for the self build somewhat, not even sure if it is the right thing to do anymore. I have been trying to get that excitement back over the weekend with ideas how I could over come these problems in a good way. I guess most contemplate this through the build process.

Yes you do wonder sometimes..

Thanks all, sorry was going into a meeting so was rushed. The mortgage broker has asked for a copy of the plans and costs for the build. I assume to make sure that it's viable. So so I was wondering if it needs to be brief like rugg says or if they will be expecting it to the nearest screw.

Do you know what they expect? At the moment I have a spreadsheet based on average costs. Are they expecting a great level of detail? Thanks!

In the design stage at the moment, thinking of trying to go for a 3 storey townhouse. From research it's cheaper to go up than outwards. Begs the question other than stairs, is there a reason why 3 storey houses aren't more popular? are there additional planning issues?

Thanks again all. A major oil pipe, Jesus! Has anyone used the Build It estimating service? Maybe it's better to just use a quantity surveyor.

Do you have a rural plot? This is almost city centre with houses a couple of feet to the left, right and across the road. I guess I need to do some more research. I assume you looked at alternatives?

I've got plans which show where the services are, they are all within a few meters of the plot. So fingers crossed it wouldn't be too expensive although I'm ready to be shocked! The seller knows I need finance etc. Although it is a risk, I don't think the council are out to screw me in this way. They have sold off a few similar plots recently.

Due to location and the existing structure, as well the history of the plot, planning is pretty much a certainty. So the price agreed isn't that far off what it would be with planning. So the uplift wouldn't be huge.

Thanks all, I'm £65k short on the land, I could sell my car for £15k meaning I have £50k to find. Thanks for the heads up, I'll have another look at the contract and go from there. If they are not willing to be reasonable then I may as well pull out now. I'd hope they would be pretty reasonable as it's the local council. The area is hampshire.

I have an offer accepted on a plot, subject to planning permission. To complete the purchase of the land I need finance along with my deposit. The broker I have spoken to said I need planning permission and detailed costings before they will lend against it (standard I assume). Does this need to be by a qualified person? There seems to be a bit of a circle here, I have a budget which I need to stick to, so I need to get the planning through with a design I think will be on budget, then get it costed and hope it comes out on budget. I then have to hope the mortgage company will accept the expected build cost. There feels like there are so many hurdles (probably more that I don't know about) which could trip up the whole process. I really don't want to be in a situation where I've got planning permission, paid all the costs, then for something to mean I can't complete the transaction. The contract says I have to complete within 7 days of gaining planning permission. Surely there is an easy way to do this and I'm over thinking it? It's stressing me out a little, so any help will be much appreciated. Sadly I don't quite have enough to buy the land outright.