Redoctober

Hi @beeps1980 and welcome to the forum. Starting from such a low base as you seem to be doing, the best advice is to read through the relevant topics on this site, as much as you can. I was in a similar position to you - a complete novice. I found reading the various "house building magazines" a great starting point as they gave me access to shows / exhibitions and also topics / questions which formed my internet research. Overtime, you become a bit more informed. As for buying land, the best advice is not to buy a plot unless it has planing permission attached. Yes, some have purchased plots without it in place so it can be done but that route might depend upon your experience, acceptance of risk and depth of your pockets! That said, plots with planning permission need careful consideration as you really need to think about getting the services to the plot and the type of foundations you would need. Elephant traps everywhere but by joining this forum, you have given yourself a fighting chance! Good luck.

Yes our gates were marked on the plans submitted for planning and feature on the site location plans. A bit like our ASHP - we had to have the location approved and it too had to appear on the plans submitted for planning permission. That said, I did know about the ASHP [ Credit to @ProDave for that top tip] but the gates, I ad no idea they would require such permissions. I guess I just got lucky by putting them in at such an early stage.

Thanks, I think the look is called Yeoman Gates and you are right - the LHS gate has a curve to tie in with the RHS. Nothing more.

You will do well to get a wooden type gate on that budget unless of course you intend to fit them yourself, I would suggest. As mentioned above, try and source a local supplier. I paid £710 for both these gates to be supplied and fitted. [Jan 2019]. He supplies all the local farms in the area.

Just catching up with the various blogs and saw this. Wow, what a fantastic looking house. You must be well pleased.👍

After a couple of weeks of a bit here and a bit there, the turf has finally been finished. Such a difference.

We have a TF but with a stone exterior, not a render. But, we still needed movement joints. We managed to position ours behind the downpipes and / or in the corners which helped disguise them somewhat.

Hi @vivienz - great progress. Your setting appears to be fairly rural, just likes ours, so with that in mind, was there any conditions on the planning side asking for vehicles to be able to leave the plot in a forward gear? The only reason I ask is that your parking area / driveway is more or less straight off the lane. We and not doubt many others had to install a"hammer Head" type of driveway to allow vehicles to enter and leave the plot in a forward gear.

Welcome to the Forum @Nicked - As you say, such a shame you have only just found us - not only on your part but also on behalf of us forum members. That said, perhaps you could offer up your experiences thus far - Such as which TF company you elected to go with - why etc - any issues regarding Planning / foundations / services to site and intended external finish etc. All of which would assist the collective I'm sure. Good luck with progress.

Wonderful place - looks fantastic, well done. As for the turf, we too have ours laid this past week and it is due to be completed on Tuesday [2nd April] What has gone done really does make a difference.

Looking good - we have our turf going down this week. It arrives tomorrow [Tuesday] and then again on Thursday. All 600 sq metres of it!!

Hi - i'm not familiar with this stipulation but then what do I know? All I would say is take a walk around any new development by a mass builder and you will no doubt soon see that the "10 metre " requirement is just a fantasy, given the postage stamps they offer for back gardens!!

@Ralph forgot to mention. Your plot looks in a very similar state to ours when we started out - have a look at my blog and you well see how it transformed over the summer months. It starts here - https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/blogs/entry/127-base-camp-finally/

Lovely views @Ralph, where in the world is that. It looks like it could be North Northumberland / Scottish Borders? And @JSHarris, we too are just beginning to embark on a pheasant fueled diet!

All good suggestions above and for completeness, I thought I would include a loose chippings driveway. Thus far [4 months] no issues with it.