Ferdinand

I've been trying to codify such a concept, which I have called "Lifestyle Diary" - like a daily food diary but recording for a week who visits, how many people, what they bring, what you spend time doing - structured like a food diary. That, plus common variations, can then be reviewed against the design or with the designer. It won't fix everything, but it gives a top-slice through the heart of your life. Not mushroom in the mudroom, thenm @jack. (Runs and hides)

OK @Sue B, back with a few more comments. You speed of going for Full PP has caught me by surprise; I thought we were on a longer process ! However, a few thoughts 1 - I think it works, but there are a few things imo you may want to change - which gets a little harder if it is on a PP. However, you can adjust things during the process, or withdraw and resubmit, or use your "Free Go" to change some things. 2 - Watch out for things your architect just "likes" or adds for illustration that can suddenly become established and immovable aspects of your design. One example here is that offset-hinged front door - those are seriously expensive and tend to get leaky later on. But a front door design may be a relevant planning matter, and could get hard-wired in. Possible ditto your other windows. 3 - You need to make sure that those overhands will properly protect what you want protecting. Needs an ambient solar model, and fed back into solar gain at key times of year, and whether it is acceptable. 4 - Like the stairs, but perhaps an alternative place for the stair window. IMO that would be better aligned with the 1st half landing such that it forms a window seat, and such that each step up the middle stairs makes that bit a window seat for a progressively smaller child. That will also give you a partial vista view from front-door -> turn the corner -> wow. Make it tall enough to stand in to clean. The stair window as recommended will be a bastard to clean on the inside, if I am right - way up in the air above a flight of steps. You would have to stand on your horse like a circus. 5 - I think your other window positions may be improvable in relation to views outside etc, depending what you want. Perhaps reverse the positions of windows vs patio doors on the lounge, and make a smaller window to reduce solar heat from the S side? 6 - What is your chosen route into the house when you and the dogs are covered in horse-poo, such that the house stays clean? At the moment I can't see a back door through a utility or boot room, though something like a hot (or cold if you are hard) external shower may mitigate. 7 - I would look a little at upstairs layout and flow - eg the door to bed 2 could move nearer the bed to give a more practical sitting area on the landing (I would make that a study area with a desk). 8 - Detail - I would also arrange the downstairs shower and cloak, such that you can get an ensuite plus hall-loo in case anyone ever has to make that a permanent bedroom. 9 - You need easy access to the flat roof for maintenance. That is a large opening skylight somewhere which is safe and accessible. I would also fit a concealed loft ladder if possible. I would not put such an access where you fall down the stairs should you come down through it by slip or trip. Needs to be accessible to men carrying mucky materials with minimum traipsing. 10 - (Dons tin helmet). TBH it is likely to cost as much to adapt your design to Pocster's skylights as to install new ones. Make sure that they are what you want. 11 - Given your tight budget, you need a detailed financial model, projection, and optimisation before it is too late to change things easily. 12 - Given that it is a sugar cube, external finish needs careful thought. Are you a fan of painting, or do you want something else? Ferdinand

Aim for house sparrows.

Hi @Cheib Just been back and read your initial thread; it is good to see you taking the time. My comments: 1 6000ish sqft on 2+ acres. Yes it’s large :-). I can’t resist noting that the size is exactly the same as Southfork from Dallas! 2 I grew up in something on that scale, also 4/5 bedroom. Ours was old, with multiple extensions. What we found was that there were too many - 4 - 20ft reception rooms incl reception hall and landing, so two of them were very little used. So it is a good idea to combine them as you have. Though do you have enough separate spaces for 2 x arguing teens plus a refuge? 3 Have you done any of what I call ‘lifestyle testing’? What I mean is imagine how you would live in this house in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s etc, and make sure that it would fit each age. The aim is not to push you any way or imply you will be there until 2075, but to make sure that it is practical, or can be made practical easily, for each set of needs. That will help you should you stay, or give you a wider range of purchasers should you eventually move out. 4 A similar exercise can help plan for if eg you both end up working from home and need a live in nanny or carer as well. Eg where would two people work? I will add a bit more later. (Bonus comments: 5 To me the design has a slight feel of "normal house writ large" rather than "larger house". Everything is bigger, but should it actually be different - in terms of mix of rooms etc? Developing that, barn conversions tend to have a 'wow' double height space somewhere - do you want that (or have I missed it)? 6 Looking at that music space, are the acoustics OK at a 3m ceiling height? Have you considered making the space suitable for private performances? (Being mischievous, what about making that the double height space, switching that end room around for a full height space across the end, and big double doors to outside?) 7 I am unsure about that big study window looking onto a blank wall. What about moving the garage to align with the end, which would also give you a more open entrance court. 8 - Turning space on road side of main gate - to avoid Amazon and Tesco chewing up your verge. Could just be a grass area with grass-car-park type reinforcing. 9 - Personally I would want an annexe, for nanny or granny or semi-independent child. I would put it beyond the studio, but perhaps not build it yet - or identify on Plans as 'site for future annexe', so I do not have to build it for the Completion Cert for the VAT reclaim.) 10 - Where is your garden storage and workshop - for ride on mower etc? 11 - Are you planning a landscaping scheme? It is imo crying out for a treescape. Ferdinand

Welcome.

A+ for the staff work ? F

@Big Jimbo @recoveringacademic The way in which "relevant policies" in that 'presumption in favour of development' para are evaluated has been changed by Case Law since, and also by a famous "Ministerial Statemeny", following iirc a Supreme Court ruling. Here is a commentary: https://www.buckles-law.co.uk/site/library/planning-news/supreme-court-clarifies-paragraphs-14-and-49-of-the-nppf What I think that means practically here, is that you should look for examples of wording more recent than @recoveringacademic's which is an application from a few years ago. The commentary linked is turgid, but it does seem understandable (ish). Ferdinand

The initial option fee should be 1-2% of the potential purchase price if it is on the same range as ones I have been offered. F

Fits my model ? Though there's a slider where Planning Gain and other known quantified value-reducers come 1:1 off the land value. If the value-reducer is not quantified, a pro-buyer will make a range assessment and try for as high a value as can be justified. eg What is it going to cost to a) move that electrical wire that will use b) 20% of the land as a safety buffer if it stays there? The seller stands to gain (b-a) money if they can prove how to do it for £X . F

Cheers, but those are the sale price cost / m2, i was wondering what the build cost / m2 is for a big builder. Reverse engineer the number on the approx. ratios for a developer, using a more convincing model than 33:33:33. This is for a small-medium housing estate. 1 - Profit: 10-20%. 2 - Planning, Paperwork, Professionals, Fees: 10% 3 - Planning Gain Taxes: 10-15% 4 - Groundworks and Infrastructure: 10-15% 5 - Land: 10-40% 6 - Build Cost: 25-35% Obvs adds up to 100%, and all those numbers can move. So the naked build cost is a fraction of the above, depending on what you include. Happy to see others' estimates. 33:33:33 ignores things such as 2, 3, 4 - eg just putting in a sewage pumping station will add 250-500k for a medium sized estate. Ferdinand

Here is a dev at Burton on Trent - OK but not Worcester or Lichfield. https://cameronhomes.co.uk/developments/lawnswood?gclid=CjwKCAjw1KLkBRBZEiwARzyE72yLYNVKEoBsUzY4y6YBH_7hYyNj-1bIwWLvXNJLBDbDJfU7S2ak4hoCEz4QAvD_BwE 1st 2 houses - 5 bed £505k for 190 sqm = £2600 per sqm. and a 4 bed £340k for 125 sqm = £2720 per sqm. F

If you can prove the debt, you could get a CCJ (and you can probably serve it electronically), then enforce by requesting a Third Party Debt Order (may not be the exact name, but it is a normal if uncommon procedure) which will freeze his bank account, and make the bank pay you. There are some wrinkles in the process (eg serving the freeze when the account is full). To find him services such as Finder Monkey https://findermonkey.co.uk/ are commonly used. These cost more than pin money though. Ferdinand

Well, you have space for a sauna outside...

No, and hoping it survives alright. F

When evaluating viability for the purposes of calculating Section 106 contributions when there is a dispute, I believe the allowed profit element in the model is 15%. I think that industry bodies regretted not pushing for 20% years ago when it was agreed. And no ... the rule of thirds is IMO a dead duck. you can create a new rule, but it varies by area. Also, if you are coming into a S106 regime, that can swallow a fifth or more of the whole development value. Ferdinand

Thanks for all the comments.

As ever, the one thing you do not want is wood in contact with either the ground or concrete. If you are doing that, then use Postsavers. My usual way for more durable fences is to use concrete fence repair spurs, which come with bolt holes to attach posts, set into the ground. Then attach vertical posts, and horizantals to that, and then your facing verticals. Here that would give tryouts something structurally separate from your wall, which may or may not be beneficial. On occasion I have bolted posts to the back of the wall; I would not do that in this situation. I would also make it permeable to some extent. I note that your total height is over the the normal 2m limit. Ferdinand

If this is a big problem, as it seems, I would expect Velux to have a list. Ferdinand

I think the Aldi one is £289 vs £529 for the Screwfix version. Quite a difference.

interesting .. in Currys yesterrday looking at a range of Bosch 8kg 1400rpm machines in the £300-£400 range, and only one was described as having a self-timer. A little more digging required, perhaps. Cheers (Update: digging, all of the machines have timers claimed in the documentation ) F

I am about to replace our washing machine - I think for mum this is only about the 4th one since 1961 so it will be with us for some time. The question is .. for potential use with overnight cheap tariffs, is there any reason to go for an integrated delay timer in the machine itself, or to go for one which plugs into the wall socket? As I can see, the reasons for wanting a delay timer in the machine are: - machine has to be removed to access plug. - insufficient space behind machine. (Obvs. A well designed kitchen will have the plug in the next cupboard, but that is still tricky to access). And the reasons to have a separate timer include the extra cost. At a previous house we had E7 but the plug socket was at the front of a cupboard so access was fine, What do Buildhubbers do? Ferdinand

Any comments on the laser level at £15? https://www.aldi.co.uk/workzone-laser-level-with-tripod/p/011880272896201 F

They would either refuse a mortgage, or reduce the value to that which excludes potentially unlawful operations not covered by indemnity. Eg I have one where the parking space is potentially inaccessible due to exactly this vehicular access issue , so I would only get a mortgage for valuation without a parking space. Of course the valuer might not notice ... ?.

If there is already ped/cycle access then they are probably allowed to improve the surface, as the dominant user can on Rights Of Way. He would not object to residential OP, he would need to stop unlawful vehicular use of the lane, such as cars or diggers to your plot. He would send you a letter, potentially take up an injunction (not *that* expensive if he could potentially make 10 or 20k) or he could just install something to allow permitted uses and stop vehicles reaching your site. So keep digging and researching until you have enough info so you can make a yea or nay decision that you are confident is for the right call. Then at least you have the satisfaction of getting it right. You will know that you can have your house or have avoided an elephant trap. F

Before you meet anyone or talk to anyone you need to check with your solicitor that so doing will not poleaxe your opportunity to get an Indemnity Policy. The principle of a Policy is that you are insuring against an unknown but calculated risk, and as it becomes more known and therefore predictable the risk of the event occurring decreases or increases, and then if increasing becomes uninsurable at a reasonable premium. Practically, your anonymous letter may already have killed the opportunity. Not my specific expertise, but be aware - others may have more precise knowledge. IMO it would probably reduce the value of the land, either by the amount you need to pay to persuade the person who owns the ransom strip to let you have access (which would technically be up to a third of your increased value by having the access), or by an amount to reflect the risk of such circumstances materialising, plus costs. Of course your anonymous letter could be some failed objector chancing their arm, in an effort to stop the development ... after all, the outline permission will expire in 3 years from the approval date, and if it has been stopped once, the owner may back off permanently, muttering into their beard . Cui Bono? If you do get your policy, then should the owner emerge you will have the problem of negotiating access. If they own it and you cannot demonstrate a Right of Access or find an alternative, then you cannot proceed without permission, which could just be withheld; you cannot compel x to make a contract with you, even an offer of ££££ may not be accepted; they may just want peace and quiet. But all of that depends on the risk of the event - lane owner reappearing and demanding something - occurring. Any way, I agree with the others .. you need to throw this back to the seller to resolve, or take the risk yourself. The second course of action is one for a speculator to take, which may not be you. Ferdinand