Ferdinand

Interesting. I have seen Gleeson boast albeit some time ago that they get their plots for 10k each. They have an arm called Gleeson Land, who seem to be quite good at what they do. They will have a development near here where prices are scheduled to start at 110k. Ferdinand

I disagreed on the levels changes. For me the demarcation of space is good, but the complete non-accessibility of it would make it a total no-no in most circumstances, I like that there are not many things that are completely out there, rather that things that are reasonably established in different places are used in a new setting. Examples of this are the slice taken out of the roof in ep 2 and done with a greenhouse like roof directly onto the rafters, and hidden bed in Ep3 ... that was seen in a lot of tiny flat designs a couple real ago. Another interesting thing in the series is that there is very little about upstairs ..it is all about the key downstairs places. F

How have you found having VR compared to eg a 3D walkthrough on a 3D package such as ArchiCAD on a large screen? Are you able to walk around with your client inside the model? I think one main reason the programme works is that we get to see serious struggles upfront whilst conceptualising the design. F

If somebody is going to call the poor thing ring-necked, then no wonder they are suicidal? Nominative determinism?

Welcome.

Your wish.... https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/factual-entertainment/your-home-made-perfect-bbc2/5135865.article Also they use Sian from Moregeous as a consultant iirc. It is like Millionaire with thier questions-first, they do the big reveal at the start, and the tension is in the family story and the choice between the Blue Pill and the Red Pill. https://moregeous.com/2019/01/28/new-trailer-your-home-made-perfect/

Mine is multiply-zip-tied to a knocker-post. Very maintainable, but still OK after 5 years. Delay the installation if you enjoy the nagging experience.

Welcome.

I have been catching up with this TV Prog (BBC2). The premise is to get 2 contrasting schemes from 2 contrasting architects. For the episodes I have seen one has usually been a "fat at the back" 2000s traditional modernisation, but the latest I saw had one "on the angle", and the other as an intelligent reconfiguration. I like that it uses entirely ordinary homes in ordinary places with ordinary people on ordinary budgets - the one I have last watched was a couple in a bog standard right-to-buy Council House on a corner plot - and I can find 20 exactly like that within a mile of my desk. In this case it works, and the projects are built-with-modifications. And for me it has the best engagement with the client, rather than with not-yet-famous experts on the make. There is just the presenter and 2 architects - following the BBC template of "sensible woman" and " male character". There is virtual reality tech-gimmickry which blows Sarah Beeny's LCD Floor into a cocked hat, but is in a mainly supporting role. My only annoyance beyond "talking up the tech" segments is a presenter with a slight need to diss rather than explain whatever went before. They are no the BBC2 iPlayer here. Be quick - Episode 1 has already dropped off the end. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m00048xh/your-home-made-perfect Ferdinand

I'd talk to your Council. They should have no interest in frustrating you.

Chuck you in the nearest duckpond with one hand, mate

I think it is @ProDave who’s house is known as “The house with X bathrooms”. Reputations can be earned ?.

If the writing is wrong, take up Crossfit and stand on your head. You know you want to.

I have about 5 of each and can never find any of them. They tend to be in buckets from a job done months ago. Or in an unknown location : ”Oh. It looked like an XXXX so I put it with the XXXXs”. For example, tin snips and gardening secateurs.

Hopefully various bods here can help you do your detective work in the most useful directions. I think that whilst you have the budget to do it well, to keep to budget it will need to be done carefully to avoid sacrificing quality. And I think you do not have the budget to throw an army at it except for specific small projects. As it is a long term house, I would not want to sacrifice practical quality. It is a significantly large renovation (2000-2500 sqft?), so I would probably suggest some sort of phasing, based around what you actually need to have by Christmas plus stuff which is basic (eg structure changes for spaces you are renovating now), and the overall strategic things you need to do now. Overall things might be roof-repair, sort floors, perhaps rewire and reheat in part, and reglaze. F

That is perhaps a quote for an architectural view, by my eye - and may not pay sufficient attention to services and fabric. Does it have, for example, a new heating system included? And what work on the fabric? The new glazing? In my view, your ensuite and bathroom together could well come in at 6-7k for a good standard of finish. I have comments to make on the project sequencing etc later on, so I will leave that there. But more on that later. For now - given that you have a full QS assessment, which I think you mentioned, I suggest a quick "top slice" on some of that data - so that you begin to build an understanding of where your prices may actually be. By top slice I mean select a sample of items - say a couple you think you understand and every 10th or 15th in the list, and check what prices you can easily find for those. Create a spreadsheet parallel to the QS, and just start to make some quick comparisons with the best you can easily find online or locally - this is not to do with dissing the QS, which is still useful information, but building understanding of what you can do in your particular circumstances. Ferdinand

I think mainly depends how extensive repairs are needed. Reroofing the whole thing is going to be well into 5 figures at the very least, and it may be worth you buying your own scaffolding. If you are going to take the roof off, then you will want to insulate it working from the outside for some of your necessary increased performance. The sort of thing that can really derail this sort of project is if you turn out to have dry rot in lots of your joists, or similar. Btw Qs. 1 What are your floors downstairs ..solid or suspended? 2 How high are your downstairs doors? Can they be sensibly trimmed by much? Do you plan to keep them? 3 Has tour architect talked you through how to stop it costing a fortune to run, and what your statutory obligations are wrt u-values of walls and floors etc? Personally I would consider a full structural survey .. probably intrusive .. just to establish where my baseline is. F

Serious = something big enough to disrupt your budget, or fundamental things you cannot go back and do later eg if you needed to insulate under the floor. If there is anything known to you, then knowing helps us comment. Ferdinand

Yes, it would .. surely. ? Somewhere in the mix there will have to be at least £15-20 of time, and probably £5-10 of vehicle expenses, for each visit. Assuming 10 miles to town. Unfortunate, but unavoidable. In London they may still add x parking tickets per year to the overheads! (Ooops. Thought I hadn’t posted that.)

Welcome. Reposted from the other thread. ----------------- Right, useful questions. I think there are still a couple that you have not covered. 1 - Where are you *roughly* (ie county) for weather and Regulations background? 2 - Is it listed or protected in any other way? 3 - Can you upload a site plan (square drawn on a Google sat-view would do)? 4 - Is there anything serious wrong with it - are we into major floor renovation, new roofs, new windows etc? 5 - Are you in a compulsory rush, or is there a reasonable amount of time? 6 - Is everything roughly level? 7 - Can you give us at least a couple of known dimensions, which would really help? A scale if there is one in the top plan would do, or a room size or two. 8 - How many decades (roughly) is your planning horizon? Say 10 years, 25 years etc. The more we know, the better we can help you think. The general approach that often finds favour here - subject to constraints - is "fabric first", which prioritises long term easy-to-run-ness / liveability. I'm sure I saw something not dissimilar on Escape to the Country, over my mum's shoulder. So you are not alone. We are in the throes of redoing bathrooms for accessibility ourselves, as it was one of just a few things the previous self-builder got wrong (bath downstairs, shower upstairs). (Update - I see you have already answered some of these in the intro forum - cheers. Trust me to choose the wrong one.) F "A ‘fabric first’ approach to building design involves maximising the performance of the components and materials that make up the building fabric itself, before considering the use of mechanical or electrical building services systems. This can help reduce capital and operational costs, improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. A fabric first method can also reduce the need for maintenance during the building’s life." https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Fabric_first "

Right, useful questions: 1 - Where are you *roughly* (ie county) for weather and Regulations background? 2 - Is it listed or protected in any other way? 3 - Can you upload a site plan (square drawn on a Google sat-view would do)? 4 - Is there anything serious wrong with it - are we into major floor renovation, new roofs, new windows etc? 5 - Are you in a compulsory rush, or is there a reasonable amount of time? 6 - Is everything level? 7 - Can you give us at least a couple of known dimensions, which would really help? A scale if there is one in the top plan would do, or a room size or two. The more we know, the better we can help you think. The general approach that often finds favour here - subject to constraints - is "fabric first", which prioritises long term easy-to-run-ness / liveability. I'm sure I saw something not dissimilar on Escape to the Country, over my mum's shoulder. So you are not alone. We are in the throes of redoing bathrooms for accessibility ourselves, as it was one of just a few things the previous self-builder got wrong (bath downstairs, shower upstairs). (Update - I see you have already answered some of these in the intro forum - cheers. Trust me to choose the wrong one.) F "A ‘fabric first’ approach to building design involves maximising the performance of the components and materials that make up the building fabric itself, before considering the use of mechanical or electrical building services systems. This can help reduce capital and operational costs, improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. A fabric first method can also reduce the need for maintenance during the building’s life." https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Fabric_first

Don't be nervous - it's a constant theme, here. What will we all do in our dotage? My favourite response was Baron Morris of Castle Morris: "I have bought a small manor house in Derbyshire to decline and die in". It was in the village of Foolow. I heard about 8 years ago that his widow was still there, and was the official Duck Warden. My informant was a GP who was the Deputy Duck Warden, who was required - under the instruction of Lady Morris - to let the ducks out from the Duck House onto the village pond in the morning, and return them safely at night. Apparently Lady M is a character; hope she gets a memorial with a duck on it. (Matthew Parris has done something similar more recently.) I believe that the Duck House was bought legitimately, and not paid for out of Parliamentary Expenses. On the positive side, and before I make a serious response, if you *do* kill each other it will solve the budget AND the space problems . Welcome. Ferdinand

I doubt whether you will get the full responses. I would expect a confidentiality clause.

But sale prices could be nearly retail.

@Mrs S Some plan comments. Being provocative. To me that whole area around the garage / utility / entranceway / stairs is a bit of a mess. A rabbit warren that should deliver far more value for the floorspace. IMO: 1 - That garage is partly 5.1m long. May not count as a parking space. 2 - Why 2 loos downstairs, and that strange Jack and Jill upstairs? 3 - As discussed before, the insulated envelope is complex, as are the walls. 4 - That staircase looks tight for such a relaxed house. 5 - Balcony? Hmm - why? There is another bigger one within about 10ft on the other side if someone wants to use it. Personally I like the over-dining one. Suggestions: 1 - Upstairs, Drop the end balcony. Unnecesessary. Make it Juliets and get a bigger lounge, then you can sit on your inside balcony in the warmth with a cocktail in December with the same view. I would rearrange that window (offset or x2) so the room could potentially be split into 2 doubles / study(s) later. 2- I don't understand a shower-loo straight off a lounge. Feels like a bodge forced because the store is in the wrong place, @AnonymousBosch has one of these that will open up secretly like a James Bond spy complex, but with a specific reason. Split it into 2 - one for the bedroom, and a family loo off the hallway (rearrange plant room?). If you absorb the balcony into the lounge, you can nick a bit of lounge for the entrance if needed. Given that you are all ensuite, I would consider squaring that off with the lunge alcove and putting the *bath* in there, rather than in the master ensuite. 3 - Those stairs are too steep. Making them say 36-38 degrees will make the house feel far more luxurious. It just does. 42 degrees is for estate houses and developer boxes and if it cannot be avoided. 4 - Make the garage a real double - minimum size to count as parking spaces perhaps 6m wide x 5.6m long (ish). That will mean revising your attractive entrance route, but that will also help simplify and save. 5 - Put the obtangular insulated envelope around all of it, including the garage. 6 - Then fit the rest around that, which should be easier and a lot less expensive. 7 - Personally, put the garage-house door in the utility, and get rid of the second loo in the utility (if necessary put a door from utility - accessible loo). 8 - I like the Mackintosh-esque double gables of similar height, varying width on the top side of the plan, but having the eaves line lower seems to complicate everything with that roof. However, to change that would imo be very fundamental. I have now abolished your very nice drama-generating but somewhat crippling-for-everything-else entranceway - though I think a front door next to a garage door is rather too modest. I would deal with that by having a pointed or segmented arch entranceway (*) to the RHS of the garage, which would signal "front door here", either with a wrought iron or solid gate, and an entrance in the corner of the dining room / garage wing. If necessary add 600 or 900 to the dining room single storey bit to make it fit. If you wanted a covered walkway or arcade over the path there it would be possible now or later. I might apply a similar or echoing treatment to the heads of the garage doors, or the doors themselves. * I would have considered a round brick arch but that is more Surrey than Scottish. Though a round arch in a pointy-topped wall might work ... as I have sometimes (I think) seen on small clan burial sites. You have a lot on this thread - don't try to absorb, accept or reject in quick time - allow a couple of weeks and run some numbers. Look up Visti's cost reduction thread here: Ferdinand PS Have you provisioned for a lift / stair lift?