Kelvin

The issue is that they are leaving it on 24/7. Had they only switched it on when they were using the facilities it’d be a third of that cost. Therefore I’d raise it with their boss. You might need to swallow this bill but not 100% of the next one if they just leave it on.

I needed 300mm trench blocks 7.3N. I ought to have added that to my post. However smaller sizes also seem difficult to source.

Just a heads up on sourcing these in Scotland. It’s been almost impossible to source insulated blocks from any manufacturer locally in Scotland. I tried 8 different building supplies companies. They all appear to be on short supply or they’d only deliver a full artic load whereas I only needed 8 pallets. I also struggled to get any company south of the border to supply them without me organising the haulage which was going to cost a fortune. In the end I managed to find a company in Scotland who agreed to bring them in from Ireland as part of their regular delivery as a favour. If your build requires insulated blocks get ahead of the sourcing problem by sorting it out early. It’s delayed finishing our foundation wall by a week.

It’s why I won’t have anything like this that’s subscription based ever again.

Well that’s nice and clear

What’s your specific experience of both?

Yep. I thought it was a typo at first. 😂 In fact the kitchen has cost us much more then we planned. Consequently we’ve compromised a bit on some of the finishing materials which has brought the kitchen cost back to our original budget.

Void is far too big. Noise, kitchen smells will travel to the upstairs and it will echo. Make it smaller and above the hallway (or remove it completely) Fixes your open kitchen and reduces the problem of the stair being in the wrong place. We have very few windows on the North elevation and those we do have aren’t large. We also have far too much glazing on the south elevation though.

I was chatting to the groundswork guy today. I mentioned that we briefly considered a subterranean build for our sloping plot. He’s built a few over the years. The last one he did was deep at three floors but only one above ground. The cheapest warranty quote the guy could get was £37,000 plus site insurance on top which was also dear. He reckoned it will cost £2500/m2 based on his experience.

We’re In Scotland. While there is a copper telephone cable nearby it’s overhead and barely usable for telephone calls let alone anything else. We’ll put in an extra duct to future proof us. For now our internet access is via Starlink with LTE as a backup and wifi calling for phone use. I’ll probably put in a VOIP phone.

It’s saying crack on. If you find contamination then stop all work and points 1 and 2 apply. Beers all round. Congratulations!

Good stuff. Big weight off your shoulders.

If I could have built a subterranean basement house on our slope for that money I’d have been all in. It would have looked stunning although I doubt it would have achieved planning.

One of the nicest kitchens I saw on Grand Designs was the re-purposed science lab wooden desks. When they described it, it sounded like a daft idea but when finished it looked brilliant. Also cost buttons. This was in the house that was a concrete bunker. I was less keen on the house. A lot of little things massively up the cost of kitchens. My other half wanted a shadow gap all the way around the island. I was rather taken aback by the amount this added!

Yes it’s what often happens. Kitchens and bathrooms get ripped out. I walked by a skip in a dear part of Edinburgh (well it’s all dear) and it was full of very expensive tiles and a large broken up stone worktop. I got chatting to the builder and he said they regularly rip out perfectly good kitchens. More often than not they are told to smash everything up too. As my old mum used to say toff’s are careless. We also have some close friends who have put a brand new Aga into every house they buy and they are serial house buyers. Four in the time we’ve known them.

What are you putting inside the tall cabinets? Is it just going to be cupboards and shelves? They are very impractical in my experience of previous kitchens. This time all our tall cabinets are either larder units that pull out or have drawer units in them. In fact we don’t have a single cupboard in the kitchen as we have loads in the utility room. Larder units and drawers up the cost significantly. Large worktops are dear of course. Ours is 3.1m x 1.2m Cliveden quartz.

Petrol leaked from a car and traveled 300m to the extraction point in less than 24 hours?

You also might find that the cost reduction isn’t as much as you think it might be by making it smaller. Post up your plans as there’s a lot of experience on here to help you understand what could be done to reduce the cost without having to re-design and re-submit the planning application.

I used a local farmer who popped up to the field with his tractor and a bowser of water for the percolation holes. He dug the holes where the engineer wanted them and I filled them all in again. £80. The challenge our sloping site presented was how to meet the fall conditions for the driveway. We then spent a while trying to optimise the house position to meet the planning condition and minimise the amount of cutting and filling to level the site.

I’d contact CMLC and get a quote as at least you’ll know what you’re dealing with cost wise.

Yes, and any other contract you signed and every email you exchanged about it. If you find anything send it to him. But if you find CMLC can offer you a retrospective warranty for a price you feel is ok I’d probably go with that for speed. You can then follow the RIAS complaint procedure if you think you are in a strong position.

It’s CMLC. Very good price for us. https://www.cmlcltd.uk What does your contract with the architect say? Did you sign a copy of the RIAS Scottish Conditions of the appointment of an architect form?

@AliG I agree with your point about making compromises with the build. I’d imagine most self-builders have to do it. However this wasn’t really the original point you made which was ‘people expect to find fittings on a house somewhat commensurate with its value…’ That’s fine if you’re building it to sell or show off to your friends. But if you’re building it for you none of that matters. Personally I couldn’t give two stuffs what people think or expect. I’m not a brand person. I fit things based on performance and value rather than the badge on the front of it. If I had my way I’d have all the names removed from the appliances anyway. The OPs house will look and feel stunning whether he fits Miele ovens or some lesser brand.

It says the budget was £1.5 million and it’s 300m2 so given you recognise some of the finishes aren’t ultra expensive it still makes it a very expensive build.

If you’re not building the house to sell which people are you talking about?