peteypops

Thanks all, I never imagined getting rid of soil would be such a complex item.....

I'm blocking out our build budget and am really struggling to get even vaguely consistent information on some subjects. Can anyone give me an rough estimate of how much per cubic meter it costs to remove normal uncontaminated clay soil from site. We are in the middle of the countryside in Caithness if that helps. Cheers Pete

I use a 17dbi dish router from Mikrotik to get my internet service from the 3 Network even though I'm technically not in coverage. https://mikrotik.com/product/lhg_lte_kit You need to pole mount it and line it up, but the signal you get is vastly superior to anything you'd get on an omnidirectional phone antenna. If you're a non techy you may need a bit of help getting it running

To most manufacturers BIM means Autodesk REVIT, which you can buy if you've got a spare few grand. Sadly if you are using other 3D software your problem will be the highly proprietary file formats. One of my pet peeves! Some provide models in proper file exchange formats such as Autodesk DXF, FBX or OBJ, but most do not. There is a vast array of information available in BIM format, you just can't access it without REVIT. There are a few cheaper 3D programs that will import it but your still talking hundreds of pounds. There also many online sites that claim to convert all 3D formats, but don't. Blender, the open source 3D package I use has a paid add-on for BIM in alpha, no idea how good it is. Basically unless you want to pay for proprietary software you are going to struggle.

Have a look at this. http://www.sweethome3d.com/ It's a 3D program so has a learning curve but it's building design specific so far less complex than generic 3D programs.

For quick and dirty room layout planing you can't beat this - http://www.sweethome3d.com/ It also create 3D views, but there is a learning curve to any 3D software, so take a bit of time to learn how it works. I use Blender for doing 3D visualisations but for rapid production of basic floorplans this is quicker so I still use it for initial mucking about.

Thanks Dave, I'm getting that impression, however from what I'm learning taping is not the unskilled job people seem to think and I've seen a few dodgy examples up here already. It's all part of the fun of planning a build

Evening all, My wife and I and my three children moved to Caithness a year ago from Cambridgeshire and are hoping to build a Passive(ish) House in the are. We have a design we want to build and are in the process of tying down the budget and built system while simultaneously negotiating the purchase of a plot. We are going to manage the project ourselves and will be doing almost the entirety of the second fix ourselves (barring the plastering which I CANNOT do. Man's gotta know his imitations right? We are currently look at MBC Insulation, ECOSips, Eden Insulation and a local carpentry outfit of some repute. We are also working with Es Tresidder, a passive house consultant www.HighlandPassive.com who has been outstandingly helpful. This is a little visualisation I whipped up -