Ferdinand

Just found @Vijay‘s new car. (*) My previous detached cottage would fire across that, at 6m by 4m outside dimensions (ish). On the door, I do not see the point of one next to the main door .. unless you plan to block up the garage doors with Classic cars being rebuilt etc, and you also have two other entrances for if the doors are stuck shut. I think I can see a strong argument.. if you still able to do so ... for making the garage/house door wider, as that may be a route in for carrying bulky goods or furniture, and the extra cost would be minimal. Ferdinand (*) I can talk ... a friend has got his Skoda Estate a bit earlier than me having had small people carriers for years. Wife remarked that it was sticking out at the front in the Tesco car park, and it turned out to be be sticking out at the back too.

All those people insisting on finishing the House so quickly. Totally scandalous ?? Given that DIY are round the corner, you have maximum flexibility.

I have not watched it (yet), but doesn’t working through the night imply inadequate Project Management, or a search for drama for the programme?

IMO 25k is a bit much for a secondhand one which is 11 years old, even it it was 250k originally ?. Suspect that some of those appliances would need replacing soon ... especially the Sub-Zero walk in fridge-freezer if that is what it is, as fridge efficiency science has moved on a long way since then. Offer 12k And let them keep the fridge ?. Ferdinand

What happens if it is structured as say a 25 year lease? Does the house just turn into a theoretical pumpkin in 25 years and revert to the landowner at zero value? There are all sorts of assignments of benefit and 1%:99% ownership arrangements that can be made, but I am not au fait with them enough to comment reliably. Ferdinand

That is roughly what my students have had for the last few years, ensuites excepted. Seems to work. Trust they get double beds too. Ferdinand

Quite often the numbers will be off a little. In these circs it can pay to phone around and have them count. Do Wickes have a location where their odds and ends get sent? I think for B&Q it is somewhere like Scunthorpe. If thee are 5 in Dartford it might be good for @Onoff. F

I think you are confusing "threads" (or conversations) with "posts" (contributions to the conversation). 507 is the number of posts across the threads, for which the titles are listed in 2 pages. If you go down and add up the posts in each thread, it will compute. Ferdinand

Since this is at he back, why not find a secondhand sectional door? There must be some around with people converting their former garages into accommodation or offices. If you go French, then check very carefully that your hinges are strong enough. I have a pair of I think 1m French Doors from my lounge -> conservatory and they feel distinctly on the limit. Would a pair of bifold doors be a good compromise ie ones with two flaps in each door? Ferdinand

Digging a little, I think it needs a means of egress for each room in addition to the protected stairway under B1 Section 2.4 of Approved Document B. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/485420/BR_PDF_AD_B1_2013.pdf

How many rads etc? The last time I looked at a powerflush (admittedly paying someone to do it) the extra to replace the pipes and rads was small enough that I just had the whole thing redone. But that was only a 6 rad system. Ferdinand

I think house or bungalow is relevant here.

I think an alternative MOE is only required above 1st Floor Level in a loft room. IMO it would be sensible to have one, however.

Further thought - shared ownership? What are the implications? The landowner could keep say 15-20% of the house, plus a pre-emptive right to First Option to buy the 80% at unencumbered market valuation should the builder choose to sell - written so as to be in perpetuity. Would that need to be applied both ways under Scottish Law? Ferdinand

Get a cook so it is an S.E.P. ?

Good result.

In the little brown bungalow I used a black 600x600 black porcelain floor tile as my splash back behind the hob. All the sheds demanded that their tiles be sealed, but I eventually found one place that did not mandate that. But it was from a smaller trade supplier so they could just be less hot on the guidance. Any chance of finding a glazed version? Ferdinand

Here be dragons imo. Regardless of good intentions, IMO they need some good and experienced legal advice. Long residential leaseholds in Scotland (iirc more than 175 years with 100 left to run) were converted to freehold, with the previous LL having certain compensation rights based on capitalisation of rent. This was about 3-4 years ago. Back in 2004 leases had been limited to 175 years. Now I believe a commercial lease is limited to 175 years, and a residential lease to 20 years, under legislation from 1974 or so. https://www.out-law.com/topics/property/investment-/conversion-of-long-leases-to-outright-ownership-in-scotland/ They need to know how their proposed agreement would work out under these new laws, and what terms would be imputed into the agreement .. I am not even sure whether such a lease is legally possible.Or it could come crashing down if their agreement is unenforcible. A buyback or pay later agreement on the freehold may be the way, but I have no idea how that relates to land and rental law etc. The laws are new enough that the outfall may not be clear yet - I think they have common law, do they not, so it could evolve. In English property law it can take decades to knock the rough corners off whatever Parliament serves up in the higher courts.; sometimes they serve up a Dog’s Breakfast. The intention of the Scottish government aiui was to abolish and make impossible long residential leases due to history of feudal tenure, political baggage etc. I have my concerns about the inflexibility of that, but it may just not be possible to do what you want. Can they manage it like whatever the arrangements are for Tenements in Scottish cities? Take advice. Ferdinand

Welcome. It may be a good plan to pause when watertight and evaluate what you have spent / was too expensive, and what you have left to spend on fit / floor / finishes. Then you are in a position to know what you have left to do and can aim to trim the actual budget you need. There are usually ways to reduce costs quite substantially. Ferdinand

I would ask them about cleaning, and also about whether the surface will absorb things like grease - though that is presumably well away. I guess that if necessary you could coat them with something really robust; someone will know what if necessary.

My previous experience with a long drive in the country says you have 3 or 4 years to build it before that all vanishes into or under a layer of mud. Long enough, I hope !

@lizzie, is this a good point to introduce that well known bird Anas fulvigula, the Mottled Duck, as a suitable mood and texture board for this putative fence painted in Ducks Back? Its back has an undertone of greyish, and a dominant colour of brown and a patch of bright, inky blue. Really quite fetching. Credit: Macaulay Library. If the top coat flakes, you will get an attractive, naturalistic, pattern. Ferdinand

Early to bed, Early to rise, Makes a man .... oops. (Did not work for me, either)

Welcome to the forum, Johnny. Lots of good thoughts above. I assume you are self-managing the build. I take it that is an estimating service rather than an online calculator? Mine are - 1 - On finance, I would be attracted by either avoiding a self-build mortgage all together, or getting it in place relatively soon (though not necessarily drawn down, unless just a small amount to lock it in) bearing in mind where interest rates may going. Also timing and sequencing is critical to cost-effectiveness, especially early on - eg what you put in the planning application affects what you can put in your VAT reclaim later, and if you arrange the site 'water supply' to be a hose from your parents' outside tap then you can probably control when Council Tax starts on the new build. 2 - Take your time and pay attention to building your infrastructure for the project, including Physical - eg Secure Storage and Site Office. Where will it be? One option is to build a double garage as storage and site office at your parents' before you start under Permitted Development. That takes it out of your PP but also takes it out of potential VAT reclaim. Financial - Things like Trade Accounts. Support - you need some sort of "sanity space" for you and your partner/family. eg are you happy staying with your family for 4 years if the project takes that long? Could be an argument for keeping the flat for now, or perhaps building an extra reception room on your parents' place first so that there is space there to retire for peace and quiet. Lots of detaill to sweat ? . Ferdinand

I think that is the wrong answer ?, particularly as your 2 years in the howling Scottish salt-laden eviscerating gales is equivalent to about 10 in the gentle Shires of the South. In a minute you'll tell us you used the same paint !