Redoctober

Ask yourself what has given you the confidence to get to this stage of the project? If you have just "jumped in" and are going to take the "lets hope it works out" approach, then yes, you are justified in feeling the way you are. In which case, have a serious chat with yourself and perhaps re-consider before you get into real trouble and get to a stage whereby you can't keep your head above water, so to speak. However, if you have done the background work and believed what you are planning, can be done, then take that confindence forward and use that "approach" to overcome all the hurdles which will come your way before you reach the finish line. In addidtion to that "research" and the re-assurances that brings, utilise this forum to assist you further. If you haven't "costed" out the project in a sensible manner, then perhaps the time has come to do so and if it results in a re-avaluation, then so be it. You won't be the first person to come to that decision. Either way good luck but be aware of self-fulfilling prophecies.

Like this I guess.

Hi @Jothetaxi - I take it you will be doing the decorating - From my experience I had our walls and ceilings painted prior to any second fix carpentry being done. Simply because I couldn't trust myself not to get any paint on the oak finishes. It was all about keeping ahead of the trades as I didn't want to impede on their progress. I painted the upper floors whilst the dwnstairs was unfinished and in order to keep ahead of them, I worked into the nght and at weekends.

Hi @Torboro We too are in the Borders and finished our build in 2018 - I have a blog that may be off use to you, albeit the prices etc are dated. Depending upon whereabouts you are in the Borders will determine whether or not any of my recommendations of trades people, will be of benefit.

@Danielhowden Good luck - especailly with regards to securing a plot, that can sometimes be the biggest hurdle.

Looking good - fingers crossed all goes well for you.

We have a fairly large driveway area covered with 20mm chippings. No membrane was used on the advice of the landscaper. He said it was a waste of money as the stones would tear into the membrane and allow the weeds to flourish regardless. We don't suffer from weeds and I think that is due to the preparation of the sub base. Yes, the odd one will appear but they are quickly and easily dealt with. As for existing growth, weedkiller would do the trick but I think the answer lies in the sub base preparation. Get that right and save yourself the cost of a membrane.

Blimey, good luck with that! I completly agree with you and sympatise too, as we all know the female species can be a true force of nature at times😁 This dilemma you have - or build up of pressure before you yield - has beed discussed here at home, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Mrs W favours wallpaper in a cloakroom too! That said, we don't have it in ours thankfully. So how did I win the day? Time is a great healer and I'm not entirely sure how the discussion ended in my favour but the points you raised were certainly at the forefront of my case.

Sadly no idea - The stone mason owned it and brought it along on the day it was needed. But I think @Redbeard has found a similar thing. Not sure if it has the "scoop" on it mind. Try this - https://www.google.com/search?q=Mini+Dumper+Power+Barrow+Lumag+Germany+MD500HPROS+500KG+Self+loading+shovel&oq=Mini+Dumper+Power+Barrow+Lumag+Germany+MD500HPROS+500KG+Self+loading+shovel&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg8MgYIAhBFGDwyBggDEEUYPdIBCTEyMjlqMGoxNagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

sorry late to this thread and probably too late to save your back - but maybe look to hire one of these😁

Yes, we too watched the programme and I couldn't quite ubderstand what it was purporting to be. It certainly didn't feel like a permanant residence, for many reasons, including the list you have mentioned. It just felt like either a holiday place or at worst, a "posh bothy".

This is a key element too - all in the preparation. As for a woven geotextile membrane, we were advised against having it by the landscaper. His thoughts were it would only get torn over time - the sub base we had down with the 20mm on top would be good enough and I have to say he was right. No weed growth as such, just what gets blown in. Easy maintance all round.

We have a fair expanse of lawn too - It was never "accurately levelled" at the onset of the turf going down, just raked and pulled by the landscapers to a level, which seemed about right ! Given our location, we were happy for this to be the case, as it didn't need any accuracy as such . Yes, since mowing it, I do notice a very slight gradient but nothing that causes us an issue or is obvious to the naked eye. We didn't have to worry about drainage as such. Since the lawns have been down, we have never experienced any standing water, due to the decent soil it sits on I suppose. As for any slope, I suppose it depends upon your situation, how level you want it to be and how obvious a slope would be / sit, in the overall scheme of the garden? Another photo to hopefully help and put things into context.

We have quite an area of "driveway" and opted for 20mm granite chips. In my view they work much better than any smaller stone, as they do stay in place better. Anything smaller would be too easily distributed I feel - see photo for our set up - Occasionally, / rarely, I will rake them over but other than that, job done.

Hi @BHACHA16 We moved from MK to our current location some 7 years ago. From what I can recall of MK, land / plots are scarce and come at a premium. Your introduction raises many questions, which if answered, may assist you and other members, to provide you will more informed details. Have you secured a plot? What size house or you planning? How much of the work are you intending to do yourself? What is your preferred construction method? etc ..