Kelvin

I assume a full G99/G100 application rather than fast track? I have some options on adding a ground mounted array. I could add 20 panels on top of a cliff at the bottom of the garden. It has some complication being 80m from where the equipment is and has to cross a burn. Alternatively I have another couple of areas where I could add around 10 panels in two different groups which is beside the garage. Just need to do the sums on all the options. Alternatively I do nothing and just use what I have.

What did you do to get the limit removed?

We’ve got a 6kW export limit. The max generation I’ve seen is 7.5kW In theory in might go a touch higher than that but with an East/West array there’s only a small window where both sides of the roof are at their maximum output. The inverter can take four strings and I plan on adding an array on some ground in front of the garage and possibly another string behind the garage (both would be South facing) so we will then reach a point where we are generating more than the export limit unless I can get it raised. We did a fast track G99 application so I might have another go next year.

I just applied for outgoing so a few weeks away before I can start getting paid. At the moment I’ve mostly been self-consuming since 14 July when it was installed. It’s generated 1.01MWh and of that 227kWh has been exported. I could have reduced that a bit by having the EV connected all the time to consume some of the excess. I did put the system into AI mode for a while to see what it did. Starting from 100% SoC it exported the majority of the solar production. Then a few hours out from the cheap tariff period (Intelligent Octopus Go) it discharged whatever was left in the battery to the grid and charged it back up during the cheap period and the house load was grid supplied. It varied the times it did all of this depending on SoC of the battery and it seemed to learn our consumption pattern. One of the problems I see with this is it will cycle the battery much more so not sure I’ll use it.

Most plots are sold with utilities nearby so up to the buyer to investigate how to get them to site and the cost. Some plots might come with utilities already brought to site. Some plots are just a bit of land with outline planning in the middle of nowhere and it’s entirely down to the buyer to investigate the feasibility. All of this is negotiable between the buyer and the seller. For example our plot was just a field with outline planning permission with no mains water or sewer connection. I made it a condition of the sale that the farmer had to find a source of potable water and I took responsibility for determining how to provide foul waste disposal and how to get electricity to the site. I had this written into the legals as a condition for buying the plot. If you can get the utilities to site for a reasonable cost then it makes the plot more valuable as less for the buyer to worry about.

Just keep in mind that if you have a detached garage as part of your build and the right orientation you can fit your panels East/West to avoid putting them on the roof of the house. It’s what I did after ditching the plan to ground mount them for a few reasons I listed above. My 19 x 445W array (10 on East elevation and 9 on the West) is working quite well and on a good day can generate over 40kWh.

Danwood can also build to your design apparently.

There’s a Dan Wood bungalow near us. Went up quickly and it looks terrific from the outside. I’ve heard other good things about them. I also know someone considering using them.

Our softener is quite industrial but it’s in the garage but you can get relatively compact softener. If your water is that hard I’d definitely look into getting a softener installed. It’ll save a lot of grief down the road.

Worth thinking about a wholehome water softener too. Limescale can cause all sorts of other plumbing issues long term. We have a Quooker and have had no issues with it. However I know of two people that both have had a lot of problems and they also live in hard water areas. Not a big dataset to draw any conclusions of course.

Welcome. It’s doable but depends on a few things like what the ground is like, what’s the plot like (access, size, is it level or sloping) how easy (as in cheap) will the utilities be to get in, how complicated is the design, what type of build are you looking at, how much will you be doing yourself etc.

Ours ticks all the wrong boxes and haven’t any problems insuring it for a reasonable rate. I’m not suggesting that it isn’t a problem just that it hasn’t been for us so far. But yes the more non-standard the smaller the pool of insurers and lenders there’s going to be.

The would certainly give you the upper end of the price scale to give you an idea how dear it could be. Dan Wood seem quite cost effective but still too dear for this budget. Here’s a 90m2 2 bed bungalow turnkey. https://www.dan-wood.co.uk/house-designs/bungalows/perfect-86e

80% of house in Scotland are timber framed although most are block and rendered outer skin. You also see loads of timber clad houses especially in the Highlands and Islands. They can’t all be cash buyers or tiny mortgages. It’s not something for us to worry about for 15 years+ and even then we’ll give it to the kids and they can not worry about it either.

I like our Blanco kitchen one. It’s in two parts. A plastic but you twist to seal (or remove) and a stainless steel ‘pretty’ cap that you use turn the plastic bit. Not likely available for a bathroom sink but I like it because it’s just a plug so won’t fail and is easy to clean. The utility room is a more traditional push in plug which also works fine. Both bathrooms are pop ups for the sink and a lever for the bath. The bath one will inevitably fail eventually and I can’t get to the other end of the mechanism so will be replaced with a plug.

One thing to consider that can be overlooked is furniture and furnishings. Obviously that has nothing to do with building the house and it’s something you can deal with when funds recover over a period of time. We intended just to use as much of the furnishings and furniture we already had to save money. However a lot of it just wasn’t suitable (our large L shaped sofa was too big for the open plan living room for example) or we didn’t like it in the new house. Consequently we’ve pretty much got rid of 90% of what we had and replaced it. Not a consideration for the house build but is potentially an extra cost down the line a bit.

You sound like you’ve made up your mind so good luck with the choice.

Welcome. Perfect house to stick build on-site rather than a timber kit which would likely be a bit dearer. The budget is very tight though so will need careful thought and no surprises in the ground or with utilities. There are people who have spent close to your budget just getting utilities to their site so the first thing I’d do is look into that if you haven’t already. That said most of us have a tight budget even if the absolute number is higher.

I have a whole thread on it a search will find it (search for Heb Homes) My experience isn’t necessarily typical (although not untypical for Heb Homes as I am now aware of others) but then you see similar stories appear on here. Suffice to say be very familiar with your drawings, structural engineering, detailing and check the work as it goes. If you can’t do that make sure someone else is. Be prepared to challenge the people you’ve entrusted the work to if necessary. Be prepared to stop everything and get rid of people if you also have to.

We’re ‘only’ in our late 50s but one of the things we thought about was access to both showers 10 years from now. 20 years from now and it’s someone else’s problem. That meant easy access. No step ups. Easy to add grab bars if necessary. No doors.

You are as wide as you can go. I’d go a bit longer to 1700mm and move the loo over a bit although that might mess with loo central to the sink plan. I wouldn’t leave the end open though. Then fit a 1200mm glass panel. I prefer simple glass screens to doors as they are much easier to keep clean with no nooks crannies. We dry the showers after use and glass screens make that easy.

I’d likely take that out and get a larger box. It’s far easier to make good connections when you have more room.

I made the same decision for the same reasons and got none of those benefits in reality and a World of pain trying to sort out the mess. The company I used isn’t a big company but aren’t that small either and everything was certified which isn’t worth that much as it turns out.

No but £14,000 for a 5m section of pipe and connection. Sheesh! If that’s typical and you have the room then a treatment plant and drainage field (or somewhere else you’re allowed to drain to) must be surely tempting. No wastewater charge either. Our treatment plant and drainage field cost just under £5k installed.

When the warrant is approved it gets uploaded to a portal for you (or your architect) to download them. There are two documents, the warrant approval document which explains what you have to do with links to guidance notes. The other document is a pdf of everything you (or the architect) sent to the council’s building standards department with each page stamped with a building warrant approved watermark. My approved warrant contains the following: 1. SE design for drainage layout for rainwater and sewerage on a block diagram. It also includes build details of what to do including drainage field design and everything connected with it. 2. An existing location plan with boundary line 3. Land survey showing existing boreholes, trial pits, location of drainage, any significant features (burns etc) 4. Detailed SAP analysis and predicted EPC 5. Topographical survey 6. Architect warrant drawings showing: existing block plan and site section, proposed site plan and section, GF/FF house layout and dimensions, drainage, electrical layout, roof plan, various sections through the house, proposed elevations, garage, build up details for floors, walls, roofs, window schedule, then a more detailed specification document for the build, all the detailed structural engineering drawings, the SER certificate. We also had some supplemental drawings sent separately the council asked for to do with drainage.