Ferdinand

If you have a statement from a professional stating that (ideally) repair is impossible, or (Plan B) that it is impractical and that replacement is best, that will give weiht to yur application.

That's rather a disingenuous comparison. Characterising "traditional build" by building regs minimum is a little naughty. But yes they have shown that it can meet the values.

I think a post of the original drawings would be useful. And welcome. Ferdinand

Welcome.

My suggestion for a removable floor system is to use adjustable support pads of some sort to raise it high enough for all services, including drainage, to go underneath without a problem. A cassette system as described by @PeterW here could be put directly on such pads, or a beam system as used under timber decks could be used. These can include insulation, soundproofing etc. I might be inclined to superinsulate to take a bit of pressure of other insulating elements such as walls and the 15C roof (insulating that is a far trickier problem). Then whatever is needed can be done with the levels. There area adjustable support pads available (eg Eterno) which allow height adjustment from above afterwards, which would allow compensation for anything which moves in the existing floor. Any maintenance can be done by lifting the cassettes. There are other items to be resolved - service access, airtightness, support for any walls etc. Ferdinand

Following up on this thread, I paid a visit and lunch. I want to start a few threads to engage the hive mind. I will do further threads about the roof etc. The challenge on this is that it is a very special building. We were trying to find ways to do a conversion which would provide a suitable lifestyle for 2020, but allowing the building - and especially all the parts of the building mentioned in the listing - to be preserved intact and undamaged. The concept being thrown around is a conversion which could be entirely removed in the future, leaving no or minimal traces. Almost as if the owner can "camp" in the church building for 10 or 50 years. Minimising archaeology is important, as that can get horribly expensive. The "interior" part of the Listing says: The floor is not especially special - Chancel is stone and (Minton or Minton-style) tiled floor; nave is parquet floor. The Conservation officer wishes to retain the whole main interior as an undivided open space. Personally I am not sure if this is entirely necessary as in a private space it delivers little amenity to the public, and if the whole thing can be reversed to restore the single interior (ie the entire conversion is basically 'furniture') I am not sure that it is a relevant Planning concern - that could be controlled via a condition anyway, and I think that is aimed at permanent new divisions. One for a different thread. All comments, including off the wall, are welcome. Ferdinand

I do not know what celotex could be used for ... short of grinding it up and using it to fill walls like cellulose. My mum used to use EPS in plant pots instead or crocks, and to save some on the depth of compost and weight - 'cos she was a tiddler by the time she was 70.

Made to make your eyes water ...

Just the first time...

You can grow the straw on the plot before you build ? . * F (* - large plot)

That's an interesting one. The original 1967 plan did not have a conservatory and there are alternative circulation routes (perhaps I mischaracterised it as circulation), and that is basically a courtyard with a lightweight roof, with house on three sides and a tree on the 4th, so the only sunlight really comes through the roof. If you look at the Google piccie I think it will be OK. Virtually all the rooms have large sliding doors. It's a superb plan - would be good now 50 years later. And demonstrates what can be done on a tight (built to both side boundaries) site by not being square. The entire interior is a response to the plot orientation and limitations, and it is only 150 sqm. There is hardly any single purpose circulation space, and he has achieved an FLW style modest approach route which damps down, then tantalises, then surprises. Have attached the modern-house.net brochure with more detail. F peter-aldington-besacarr-plan-modern-house-net.pdf

Worth noting that the PP was 2006 and build perhaps 2008, so our "2020 100k" would be about 70-75k then. F

There are excellent precedents for separating functions eg cooking, living, bathing, sleeping. Think Scout Camps And Stalag Luft 3. But also some posh holiday homes separating guest sleeping quarters. Necker Island? ? More seriously I am sure some dwellings in huge barns will have done some things like this, with the barn as rainscreen / shelter.

It's actually assessed as a new sort of charge called iirc "Building Safety Charge" or "Building Fire Charge" or something, with more demanding arrangements for requiring payments.

Incidentally, just to completely Ferdinandize this thread, I was essentially declared clear of the Hairy Cell Leukemia this afternoon.

It always happens in various ways. There was a shortlisted one of exactly this setup on the Stirling Prize shortlist (longlist?) a couple of years ago ... built in a former yard in London. The last 2 decades vogue for open plan is similar - you reconfigure your furniture and partitions as required. Of course, if you go passive your energy bills tend to zero so the overheads on the bits you don't use become less important. Or consider the 450 sqm barn conversion we have been discussing - one suggestion was to treat a large part of the inside as "indoor sheltered external space", or as the Building Regs might call it a "covered yard". Really that is no different from a palm court, winter garden, or loggia-with-infill (which would be an orangery). I had a friend in France who pointed out that in rural France if they don't need say the second floor they just close off the door and ignore it until the next generational lot of childen or grandparents move in. My own chalet bungalow was sold as Kitchen, Lounge, 2 bathrooms and 5 bedrooms. It is now Kitchen-Conservatory-Lounge, Study, 2nd reception and 3 bedrooms. There's even a Peter Aldington 1970s house we discussed on BH where the central circulation space is the conservatory, and everything is built to join onto that. https://www.themodernhouse.com/past-sales/bessacarr/ (Pic from there) It's a continuum and design language, and where you put the various bits of hardware. I would characterise @the_r_sole's scheme as the house fabric being split by function into an insulated rainscreen and room dividers. He could take it further and make the room dividers dismountable, which essentially turns them into furniture. Which is the same as the way modern offices are built. In one of my favourite quotes: "There is nothing new under the sun." Ferdinand

Did any more of your buildings fall down than usual last year ? ?

Grenfell has also done interesting things to the rates charged for eg PI insurance. https://www.locktoninternational.com/gb/articles/after-grenfell-how-fire-safety-changing-face-insurance

This is presumably England only? Charges to leaseholders will be significant - I would say several hundred a year.

At the moment it feels a little raw - like a whisky still needing a bit longer in the barrel to become vintage, as if you need to think about how you live your life now and in the future eg do some scenario plans (eg "two people working from home", "after retirement with one person in a wheelchair".). I would also suggest exploring houses you find attractive with a tape measure or carry a laser measure. A common thing that we self-builders do is incorporate extra space without really making it work for the money it cost us. I think you may want a larger bathroom / ensuite if you want to spend time there socially with partner - and in a house that size imo you need at least one bath. Double doors can be awkward if you find yourself opening both more than is convenient - eg need to put down a tray. Each half needs really to be normal door width. I would consider having the landing done to incorporate a workspace somewhere, and the stairs less central. And I'm not really sure about that quantity of bifolds. Suspect that at least some of them will never be opened. There's lots of detailed stuff but which will change later anyway - kids will turn that utility into an archery range or skittle ally. Which may be fine ?. You also need to consider the sun and views. If you don't have them on the plan we cannot comment. Overall I like the concepts, but I think you are at about 70% if potential. Let it steep for a bit. 40 sqm is a huge house. Do you need it? Build cost will be 450k to 900k. HTH F

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@PeterStarck That number for thermal conductivity of Wood Fibre board looks to be too high. I thought it was about 0.04 rather than 0.11. eg https://www.ecomerchant.co.uk/walls/insulation/wood-fibre-rigid.html I noticed it because I need to start a thread about insulating medieval timber roofs after a fascinating visit this week to @dance621's Grade II* listed church. The current recommendation from either the architect or the CO for their insulation is sheep's wool encased in Oak boxes between rafters, and I was wondering about fibreboard with a veneer or a Trompe L'oeil as an alternative. The issue is the cost of the oak boxes, of which they will need up to (estimate) 60-100 at about 3.5m long each, but also the need to guarantee preservation of a 15C oak roof with carved angels, when the angels only have a space of a very few inches behind them. And that the cost of removing a church roof to counterbatten and insulate would be a hell of a lot, swallowing a huge chunk of money. Please wait for the other thread before detailed chatter. F

Love the typo. ? All year round personal Christmas Tree.

That's interesting. Every day is a school day. Looking on the Lambeth site it actually looks like a minimum of 5m, (divide by 5 and round down to the integer) which would be interesting in my 4.83m car. Have to spin it in like a stunt driver ? . But the 5.5m is presumably the 'average' size, assuming an even distribution across the remainder that is rounded. https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/pl-PARKING_SURVEY_GUIDANCE_NOTE_Nov_2012_Update.pdf Ferdinand

There's probably a detailed post of Jeremy's blog somewhere about his in roof solar. Home page: http://www.mayfly.eu/ F