Ferdinand

What is the aspect of that slope, and how long are you planning to stay there? If it is a sun trap then I am wondering about eg figs.

Excellent.

You could have some blueberry bushes near those pines, assuming they get a modicum of sun. They may not need an acid top dressing there. Unlike mine ☹️.

There are ways of doing things, but you need appropriate advice from your solicitor and tax accountant on how to work in your circs. Land registry practice booklets can be helpful background.

Hoping it may help, I would summarise the differences over say 10-20 years ago as: 1 - A well insulated house gets isolated from the outside environment more, as both heat (insulation up) and air (leakage down). The house itself becomes more stable. A tell tale was insights from quite some time ago (15-25 years?) when people started superinsulating that eg "the temperature in the lounge only goes down half a degree in 24 hours when I turn all the heating off". The overheating in summer thing is the flipside of that that took some time to be appreciated. 2 - That introduces big changes behaviour and management - heating and cooling interventions are relatively smaller (and bills are less), but that also means that there is less scope to fix overshoot and environmental factors with big interventions - when they happen (which is hopefully less frequently). 3 - That in turns mean that control has to be almost designed in, which is why we have all these simulations, PHPP, solar projection models and all the rest. 4 - Two of the differences that we have noticed here over the last several years are a) that low autumn / spring sun is one area of concern, and b) summer overheating in really hot spells above 30C is another. Which is why we have all these wooden lattices around windows, and are thinking about evolving heating systems - either with cooling built in or extra eg split aircon units - to also do cooling or overheating mitigation. 5 - Things like local microclimate and externals such as trees can become relevant. 6 - In my house which was done to perhaps some what better than regs at the time I have some of these issues that I am currently thinking about. 7 - My view is that these factors gradually become more important as spec moves from current building regs towards PH levels. 8 - I find that some of the approaches and tricks used by my-dad-the-architect or my attempts to renovate rentals to higher standards help to address this is my own (somewhat less analytical) manner seem useful, so I talk about those - even though a lot of it has been a combination of gut feel and conviction. Other people have looked at it through a lens of numbers and calculations. 9 - One of your needs is to reflect on this as far as you find necessary for your new house. Then over the next decade you get to test how right you were in your assessment. Action learning ?. Hope that helps to try and express a summary in plain English. Ferdinand

The back garden has a bush in it. ?

One of our brethren from Bristol will be along in a minute to say that you need higher quality glass, and to offer to sell you some...

One question probably for @Mr Punter - does @pocster ultimately have the absolute right to refuse use of the Party Wall - or can his property right be overruled ultimately by the adjudicating third surveyor if the surveyors appointed by each party disagree? I might be inclined to insist on a party wall surveyor and (if possible) enough payment to defray the previous cost. Ferdinand

I think you have some excellent feedback above. I would add: 1 - I think you have too many small rooms. The library / study combo idea is excellent. 2 - I think there is too much circulation space - esp. the hall. See how the Edwardians or the Jacobeans did feature halls in their villa type houses - aiui normally they would get a dramatic staircase and some sort of reception or banquet space into something that size. If you want it dramatic I would move the bottom back from the door by some distance, and make it a Y staircase with 2 branches at the top. I would also make the staircase appreciably wider than a normal one -s ay 1.1-1.2m. The rake of the staircase also matters. You should be able to get a blow-em-away hall without quite such a sacrifice. 3 - Are you being conditioned by compressed London houseplan forms and small rooms? I had a delightful BH London-based visitor this week who commented that my 'orribly tight single bedroom was "medium sized". Different perceptions. Up until now I have thought of it as almost a box - room, with space for a bed, a bookshelf, a chest of drawers and a chair. Educational. Guess where London people who are used to smaller rooms will be sleeping now ?. 4 - Had some trouble with the font. I read them as "caveman's sports bar" and "petroom". ? 5 - When you revisit this the context in the plot - sun etc - will be the thing to take care adjusting. 6 - Cautionary. Make sure that you have the rest of your life too. The purpose of a self-build is ultimately to spend your time living in it not building it. We lost my dad at 72 to a condition where the seeds were sown when he was in his 30s, whereas mum had been hoping for another decade together - did not happen. There is a lot to be said for the 'Sacrament of the Present Moment" idea (that version is from a Jesuit idea) - time gone does not come back. That's something I'm coming to reflect on having had months of my otherwise-plans lost in lockdown. (I love the piccie of the dalmation - get a red setter on a floor like that and it will skating around like bambi on ice.) Ferdinand

I think that is interesting - what @Bozza has been able to do is the extensive learning process that all self-builders need to develop a (limited - architects have 7 years) subset / appreciation of certain parts of the architect skillset, and then to generalise it to a different plot. Spending open-minded time up front can help a lot of self-builders get a better, less 'play school' house for the same or less money. A lot do that, but some don't. The same applies to living in it as life changes. Ferdinand

I now wear a pair of these "Wilko Rigger Gardening Gloves", which are inexpensive and high quality for £3. Review well - better than the "gauntlets". https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-rigger-garden-glove-medium/p/0486975

(I'll also drop this post on the other thread) I think two key points amongst others for you are: 1 - If you go for a treatment plant, avoid one where any mechanics are in the goo. When it breaks you will be in deep sh*t, literally. Some bubble air through instead. 2 - Decide whether you want something powered or not, which will help refine your options. We used to have an unusual thing called an Aquatron for our last 15 years at the former house - which was also used in the famous Grand Design in the Cotswolds with the barn supported in mid-air, which was iirc the first Certified PH in the UK. These are easier if you have a bit of height difference (ours was installed using a Ha-Ha, GD one had it in the basement). There are other possibilities. These are threads you may find as useful background, though a couple of years old: Ferdinand

(I'll also drop this post on the other thread) I think two key points amongst others for you are: 1 - If you go for a treatment plant, avoid one where any mechanics are in the goo. When it breaks you will be in deep sh*t, literally. Some bubble air through instead. 2 - Decide whether you want something powered or not, which will help refine your options. We used to have an unusual thing called an Aquatron for our last 15 years at the former house - which was also used in the famous Grand Design in the Cotswolds with the barn supported in mid-air, which was iirc the first Certified PH in the UK. These are easier if you have a bit of height difference (ours was installed usinng a Ha-Ha, GD one had it in the basement). This worked fine for a family house with no odours and clearing out compost like substance once a year - worth a look, There are other possibilities. These are threads you may find as useful background, though a couple of years old: Hope your title hasn't got you propositioned by any coprophiliacs. Ferdinand

Further thought. How well is your distribution set up between rooms? Will it make your trickle fans more effective if you had eg 8mm gaps under your internal doors?

Can you lower the ground level outside by say 300mm to help the walls be a little dryer? My standard strategy in restoring period rentals is to use heat recovery or DMEV fans with a trickle setting - as you outline, and then have a PIV fan in the roof to help out. In my own warm roof dormer bungalow house I have the PIV installed in the leftover toblerone roofspace on the landing where the low wall blends into the ceiling. Alternatively can you have a powered or manual rooflight that opens for 10-15 minutes in the morning? F

Going double off topic this reminds me of a famous family story from my niece (who is just going into final year at uni). (You need to know that in North Nottinghamshire 'aitches 'ardly ever 'appen.) Announcement from darling sister to family: "We are going to have an arbour for the garden." Niece: "With ships?" (Gets coat and exits, pursued by a bear.)

I think this is mainly meaningful once you have a list of what you want the rooms for and how you intend to live. Though I find that adding half a metre to once dimension adds more perceived space that might be expected, but that is in the context of contrasting to a normal practice. So eg a 4m x 4.5m lounge feels substantially spacious even compared to 4m x 4m, and you have something that is still a practical room once you have shelves or a desk at one side. Ditto 3 x 3.5m over 3m x 3m. Placig the door on the short side in that dimension may give a perceived extra size in a normal room as you are looking along something which you expect to be square rather than across it and your brain may assume a larger width too. Or it could work the other way ? . Also think about using circulation routes as dual purpose eg have a breakfast bar backing onto it if you know that in general you will not be sitting at the bar and wanting to walk past it at the same time. Particularly if you want a room of 2 halves the Golden Radio may be a bit short and fat. Remember that it has been used in design mainly for visual appeal when observed rather than utility for spaces to be experienced - which suggests more in proportions of your facade or garden rather than spaced to live in. F

Everest Hinge sounds like a likely name for a journalist from the Telegraph.

That looks like the type of dog that makes sure you stay fit and trim by eating everything. I can see the smirk.

True. But you, the wife, the mistress and the dog also each put out a couple of litres a day. Plus cooking. Plus drying washing if you do. etc. It's about keeping that moving to the outside. Also if you have all that water suspended in the air, you are paying to keep it all warm, which will add to your heating bills. I am sure that there are the calculations somewhere as it is a question asked occasionally. Pulling a punt out of my backside, I would say 10s of £££ per year. F

it’s about changing the background dynamic by give a constant slow flow of air. I had a property - 40s bungalow with single glazing - where it was not worth doing anything like 2G as it was about to be turned into a road. One cause was that T had 4 Golden Retrievers which gave more moisture load than before, They were having to mop the sills from pools of condensation every day and a PIV just stopped nearly all of that within days. F

isn't it more about clear decision making and compliance. Cynthia Whiplash and her current toyboy would be fine. ?

Two items there .. damp / waterproofing and ventilation. i would be having coughing fits with either of those levels. Short term inexpensive likely fix on that is to put in a PIV loft fan, probably from Nuaire, which will cost about £300 plus installation and should give you a step change in comfort. It will cover a multitude of sins whilst you work out the rest. https://xpress.nuaire.co.uk The sort of things they achieve is instant solution of condensation on singe glazed houses. If your house is in a swamp with external humidity the same as internal it may not help but often the impact can be nearly miraculous. Ferdinand

Back from blackberries after a diversion. Probably half of the first wave, and I have just under 2kg. Jam and vinegar making evening I think.

I had three cycles from some and more from eg lettuce. But very much learning. Just getting the armour on to go and get some blackberries.