Ferdinand

Do those tiles not need to be randomised a little more? Or is that the planned effect eg dark ones along the near edge? Quality looks excellent.

+1 HI @oldkettle We have chatted quite extensively before, so I have little more to add, except: - Can you get comparative data for nearby houses on roof height relative to your proposal (thinking of some sort of skyline cross-section sketch showing that in fact yours is not much higher than theirs). If you need to you can rule of thumb their height by counting rows of bricks and roof angles, or visually. IT is interesting that the statement is 'as not been demonstrated' .. it is a lack of information not a rejection. - Probably important to emphasise variety in the street and locality. It is about showing that you fit in, and have a coherent scheme, not that your design is less horrible than some of the others. 6 eyesores already there will not justify a 7th, unless it is demonstrated that it fits in with the locality. ARgue the positive in relation to specific policy. - Ditto floor areas. There are measured floor areas in the EPCs (though some on BH are skeptical). THat may give you additional data that minimises the size differences. - What does the Planner actually want. Do they mean 1.5m, or would 0.8m be acceptable .. it could turn partly on where you think you could win an appeal. CAn you move some way towards that by changing your roofline a little and losing 200mm of ceiling height, or floor buildup depth, for example. I think I would have a conversation, and confirm after by email to document, about what their objections are .. just allow them to talk. THen have another one about possible ideas a few days later. - Or can you play with levels by sinking the whole thing 300mm into the ground on your sloping site? Can't remember how far down you are digging. - 'Incongruous' is a marvellously subjective planning word. Perhaps email the planner to explore how it can be made "congruous" or "harmonious" with the street scene'. IT may also be about finishes as well as scale. COuld you tile-hang the top half, or even use bricks or a blending-in paint or cladding? Cues would need to be local or vernacular. or could you articulate / break up the frontage visually a bit more, and split it vertically or band it by material. ONe idea would be brick on the RHS and render on the left, to reflect the materials of the two neighbour's, or have a column if windows or cladding up the middle. I suspect he thinks it feels big and white and stark. - When it comes to communication, you may be better communicating by ghost writing letters for your architect to send. - It may be worth asking a Local Councillor to take an interest with the planning officer. Again you need to give them enough source material to cut and paste and edit to make it easy for them. - Finally I am sure there are policies about encouraging family life. TIe that into a Planning Statement if you do one, Adequate bedrooms for my children to grow up in in the area where they have friends and schools etc. F

If you don't have downlighters your charge-by-points lecky will cost you less and you can put more insulation in the gap.

Your Council office or website might go back 15 or 20 years.

If you want something even more fun, then go with Tommy Dorsey and the Clambake 7 doing "Shoot the Sherbet to me Herbert". Bell with 8 uploadsble tunes: https://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Wireless-MP3-Doorbell/36-3998?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-Ii2msPN2AIVrp3tCh3FGwZdEAQYAyABEgKGLPD_BwE Can dance to that.

Isn't it @DeeJunFan who knows about Dormers? Or were hers too different.

OK @mike2016. Promised some more constructive thoughts. I am assuming you can get a self-build mortgage and looking at ways to smooth the process. 1. You are in Dublin where the rental market, should you need to rent out, shows signs of being tight for some years .... as the Irish Govt have only just started to withdraw the suppressive measures they brought in in the late 1990s which undermined new investment. 2. I think you want to (perhaps informally) risk assess your Planning Permission prospects given the plot space, entrance, policy etc. If you can do pics like that you may be able to do it all yourself for perhaps 2-3k (Euros?) rather than 12k. 3. If you want a lower risk process with some willingness to take your time I would think about keeping the build as 2-phase - initial build to regulatory / acceptable to you and girlf/boyf "move in" standard, then add your extra kit and finishes later. That is something like: a - Look at increasing current mortgage. That is probably the cheapest money you will get. 3-5 year fixed (with 2-3% cashback?) and flexibility to pay back after 3 years may be a good borrowing / risk reduction strategy. Probably the cheapest money you will get. b - Do *minimum* refurbs to your current house to make you not-uncomfortable, and make it saleable / lettable (regulations, minimum market requirements). This is usually a lot less than we think. When the House Doctor dresses things for sale, it is usually only hundreds of £££, not thousands. Focus your spend (and your *time*) on where you are going, not where you are leaving which will benefit somebody else. c - Do the build rapidly to what is acceptable to you (and no more). d - Move in, and rent out or sell the existing. Either pay back mortgage or get permission to rent out (criteria when choosing lender in 4a?) 4. Remember that if you have moved in there is nothing stopping you taking 10 years to finish it. This is how people used to renovate houses - apply to gold plating your newbuild. 5. Based on the plan above, suspect you need to spend on fabric (Irish Building Regs), but there is plenty you can delay on, for example: - Delay at least two bathrooms. Put a door through the utility into the Master 1 Ensuite and make it family bathroom, leave Ensuite 2 as storage, leave downstairs as a loo. - Use cheap 20 Euro doors and replace in 10 years. - Get a secondhand kitchen of ebay for <!000 Euro. Replace in 5-10 years. - Choose window spec carefully .. usually a big chunk of budget. - Turn that posh viewing window over the living area into a framed hole with a balustrade until later. - Simplify corner window? - Turn that fence into a post + 2 rails. - Forget the decking for now. If you must, get some concrete slabs for a patio and make paths with them later. - Finish your downstairs floor as painted concrete plus rugs or roll vinyl. - Similar upstairs. - Front drive gravel + kerbstones. And so on. So your 100% spend now might become 60-65% now then 35-40% over 5-10 years from income. Or the sale of the existing might let you blitz it. Ferdinand

Sorry ... thought it was an existing roof. My bad. Could you also or alternatively do a brise soleil like this to shade your windows, which would give you more solar panel area and perhaps fill an energy gap? Would give you 6-10 or so panels, perhaps 1.6-2 kWp or 3kWp+, depending on density of panels. It is at a Grand Design called Underhill House. Possibly the 1st certified ph in the country. More info. http://www.seymoursmith.co.uk/underhill-psv.php Just an idea. Attachment to the wall might skirt some Regs.

Can you fit an in roof system which is flush without pd? Would that retrofit? Or you could apply for PP.

Good counterpoint .

STOP GOLD PLATING !!! If it is as tight as you say you should be stripping stuff out, not putting it in. Pretending that we must have WIBNIs (wouldn't it be nice if...) is the worst enemy of all of the enemies of the formerly cost conscious self-builder who is soon going to be broke. There are lots of ways of making this possible and less onerous, but you are going to need self-discipline as the foundation. GO and enjoy window shopping in posh shops, and look at all the things that are only bought by people with too much money that you do not need to buy to enjoy your modest new house . (Outburst over) Will return tomorrow with some ideas. For a start you perhaps only need one bathroom not three, and a downstairs loo, for the first 5 years. Probably a 6k saving right there. I will comment from an English perspective, but the principles will transfer to Dublin.

Stairway to Heaven. or Dancng Queen if that is refused. Or make the other half agree to make the sign, then choose something with 43 letters.

There are standards which apply (see the Building Regs docs or your council website) if you do more than a certain amount of work on a "thermal element". I trust you have looked at the possibility of renovating *both* as dormer bungalows and selling the other one on. That way you will bet savings by ordering double the amounts. Ferdinand

DIY EWI is quite possible - you can buy kits. Or plan it for later. I have now looked at EWI on three different houses over the last several years, and in each case doing the basics properly (insulation, 2G, appliances) has at least halved bills, and destroyed the justification for EWI unless 50-70% reductions eg grants were available over commercial quotes. Ferdinand

As ever with selfbuild ... do the homework and map out the elephant traps, with professional advice where necessary. Of course, you may end up selling for reasons you do not know about, or dispose to kids if you need to end up living somewhere else, or a CGT liability may attach to a future sale depending on what happens, so keep the records anyway. Best of luck. F

Read this thread to help you develop the necessary scepticism muscles and sense of guesstimating reality:

See eg 2nd last para here https://www.primelocation.com/discover/buying/guide-to-the-3-stamp-duty-surcharge/#7KgouIrTHFQLRVp4.97. and here Check with your accountant or the HMRC, but that is what they say. As we know it is *freaking* complicated. F

Were it to end up outside the reclaim period you could offset the expenses of purchasing the second house against the cgt you pay on the huge price increase you will make because you chose it so skilfully . Expenses of purchasing includes stamp duty. I think.

Then marzipan, icing and a chocolate Christmas Tree on top ! I have a Tenant with a buildup of inside to out cladding, membrane, 100mm rock wool, 4 ply polycarb (do not ask - conservatory conversion), ventilation, metal cladding ... on a sun lounge. She does get noise through the roof in the rain / hail but says it is acceptable. That suggests that you do need something more towards the type of thing @JSHarris is suggesting if you want to be much quieter. My only comment would be that acoustic plasterboard may be a possible shortcut should you need to simplify; It can be effective. F

I would say get the self-build one first if you worried. But also talk to a broker to run your numbers on Btl first ... due diligence is much more than it was. Also if You are the higher tax rate bracket your mortgage payments over the basic rate threshold will be treated as if they were income not expenses within a few years. So talk to your accountant to make sure that you will actually make an income. And think about the management and the mountain of regulations too, attending an appropriate suite of courses. If you are in a landlord registration area in England it will add £10-20 per month. Cheaper in Scotland. You may find this appraisal calculator helpful, as a calculator or checklist. I think it will do the calculations without requiring your email address. https://www.property118.com/calculating-rental-yields-and-returns/ Ferdinand

Maplin have a £4.99 one that seems networked. https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/foxx-project-water-sensor-a76wa

Yep. Modern and complicated ;-). For the substantive point, what about the normal aluminium sealing tape - though it may be a sod to get off again, or cannibalise ribbon connector or 2 or 4-core phone wire? F

You seem to be buying excessively new or excessively complicated cars .

@HerbJ What is the low walled area on the right, please. A pond? Ventilation for a basement swimming pool? Looks interesting.

Dad used to argue that the space was always more useful inside the house for British weather reasons, and say to fit French doors with a 'fence' aka Juliet balcony. There may be exceptions eg south coast or other coast or views or rivers or town-centres. or perhaps for outdoorsy people or for dog space. I have argued for something more like the two level + canopy boardwalk on a Deep South house which is more useable and really nearly part of the garden not the house; perhaps even to be structurally separate from the house in these times of wall penetrations being bad. Were I to go for a cup-of-tea-and-newspaper balcony, I think I would want a combined one across rooms or more for the kitchen or living room to get wider potential use. Think of the tendency in Eg Grand Designs to have French Doors in Ground Floor bedrooms eg Underhill House in the Cotswolds. http://www.seymoursmith.co.uk/underhill-psv.php F