ETC

The beam and block design layout should come from the manufacturer.

I remember years ago as a student a class mate (a mature student with children) had just moved into his brand new house around Easter. Just after the Easter holidays my class mate told us that there was a terrible smell coming from the utility room. For three or four weeks plumbers, builders and all sorts took the drainage system apart, opened manholes and washed out the drains. Nobody had any idea where the smell was coming from. About a few days after his children returned to school his six-year-old son asked him if he could take the (real) egg he had decorated for Easter to school. The egg was proudly displayed in - yes you guessed it - the window cill in the utility room. The egg hadn’t been cleaned out properly and every time the sun shone through the utility room window a terrible smell was emitted from the egg. So - after all the plumbers and builders coming through the house looking at the drains it turns out that the smell was coming from a real egg that hadn’t been cleaned out propane the smell was only apparent when the sun shone through the window and heated the egg up.

I agree. Costs for many things including services are or can be less expensive abroad. However you you should consider what value your current architect will bring to the project including speed of preparing the WDs (Working Drawings), the knowledge of local legislation and being able to be on the end of a phone if you need advice as you build. I cannot comment on the extent of the fee since I don’t know how complex you project is but having said that if you are a repeat client I suspect the fee is modest and a “mucking around” levy may not have been applied.

If the plans have been stamped approved I would be surprised if there isn’t a note somewhere in the drawings to describe where an EEW is to be located and the size it needs to be irrespective of what the elevations show.

I think you might be taking too much of a risk. If what you are getting is cheap ask yourself why. As for asking your architect I think he’d be a bit pissed that you are thinking of going on-line. Why not ask your current architect for a discount since you are a repeat business. It’s more important to your architect to have business coming in - and repeat business is always very important. However in relation to what you have mentioned your architect will farm those parts out - he or she will manage and co-ordinate the works into his or her working drawings. At the end of the day drawings for submission to BC do not need the detail that tender drawings do and since you are handling the build yourself I think the WDs will or could be straight forward.

Just like a timber framed house.

Because it’s the simplest thing to do!

Not getting ratty - just annoying when people who don’t know what they’re talking about post rubbish! The only thing wrong with the single block wall between the garage and house is heat loss - FR is not an issue through a solid block wall.

No you didn’t - you said “Fyi wall needs to be thicker for fire reasons around the garage” which is rubbish - fyi!

A much better response to the site - however you’d need to see how your accommodation fits in. Put the bins to the back - have a couple of parking spaces to the front and be able to turn on the site.

FF. No need for a cavity wall to run front to back through the house. Need a bigger hot press. Look at the section in relation to the roof and how it works over the front bay window - should be ok. Cavity walls look a wee bit narrow - looking at 170mm cavity nowadays for good thermal efficiency. Other than the above it looks ok.

GF. Need to thermally separate the garage - the cavity wall needs to completely enclose the garage including the door access. You don’t need a step at the door - ideally yes - but other options are available. Need at least the width of the staircase at the bottom of the staircase. Garage front piers are too short. Steel work across the back is a bit of a design flaw. GF WC is not wide enough. Other than the above it should work.

Sometime I despair at the sh*t written on this forum!

Yep…..the wall around the garage needs to be at least oh I’d say about 10 feet thick……FFS!

Good idea….I think you might need one for each bedroom plus another couple just in case there are any visitors to the house…..oh and don’t forget a space or two for disabled drivers and electric vehicles……FFS!

Why have you shown a cavity wall through the FF plan?

Maybe not both doors on either side wide open, but you'd be able to manoeuvre a car in that space and get the driver's door open for exit. It will be as tight as a gnat’s chuff - so tight that it becomes almost unusable.

You won’t get a car (with open doors) into that garage.

Kitchen/Dining/Living

Get rid of the garage. Flat roof over the back bit. K/D/L along RHS front to back.

Then why have you employed an “architect” to design your house and then asked a bunch of strangers to help you re-design the windows. It’s like having a dog and barking yourself.

Why on earth would you go to the expense of providing a protected staircase where the simplicity of an EEW exists.

I’m presuming your SE has two things on his or her mind: 1. The foundation is asymmetrically loaded. 2. He doesn’t want to get sued if shit hits the fan.

I think you don’t like the way the cladding interacts with the brick - and I agree. It needs rationalising. Also you’re using too many different materials-it’s becoming too fussy for want of a better word. Plus the garage looks tacked on the end-it’s needs to be more integrated into the overall design. Watch this space!