Redoctober

The company you purchased them from should address your issue surely? If not, then look at companies such as this one for replacement "units" - https://www.cloudy2clearwindows.co.uk/

Just want to say that I found this post from @Iceverge to be a very reassuring post 👍 Clearly @Gaf is concerned with the final product and at such times a balanced view, with real life experiences can often help to keep one grounded. It is human nature to comment in the negative the majority of the time, so it is important to recognise more worthy posts.

On the face of it, the cost of scaffolding does seem steep but it is a necessary evil unfortunately - Yes shop around as prices will vary - that said, the industry is full of H&S requirements which is often reflected in the price. Cheaper operators may be out there but does that come at a cost? The price I paid for scaffolding irked me but I put it down to just one of those costs - a bit like pouring money into the ground for foundations ! Welcome to the world of self building😁

Hi and welcome - Your list is a good starting point and as @G and J has mentioned, keep reading stuff. That said you may wish to view my blog - link below - it may assist you as we undertook this process some 6 years ago. Bear that in mind though, when you come across costs etc.🤣

Not encountered this problem at all - ours is a house name and in fact the "postie" at the time said that they prefer house names rather than numbers in rural areas! On the subject of house insurance though, we have had a renewal through and it has increased by over 30% !! I did my checks and research and found that the insurer I'm with, and who are wanting me to renew with, are in fact the cheapest still, depsite the sharp increase.

Looks great - must be such a relief knowing that the "pour" went without any of the dramas, usually associated with such an option. What do you put that down to - good prep work?

I enjoy the programme but you are right in what you say - Back in the day, we were inspired to do what we did by "Building the dream" [ Charlie Luxton] - We found it to be more relevant to people setting out on a self build project and it did highlight the elements to look out for etc. It gave us the confidence to believe we could achieve a modest house on our budget. And that is exactly what we did. [recent members may wish to see my blog ]

Well this sounds like some positive progress. Good luck, as I know from your previous posts during the past couple of years or so, building a family home as been at the fore front of your mind.

Exactly this - a friend, local to us currently building had a very similar issue these past few months. The neighbour complained that he believed the standalone garage ridge height was higher than it should have been given the plans. Planning came out and were satisfied it wasn't BUT found the garage footprint was actually 1 metre further to the Left / Right than it should have been. There was a genuine possibiilty that the garage had to be taken down and "shifted" back a metre - Thankfully, for them, the matter was resolved by a further "amendment" to the plans and a much reduced cost - it caused 3 months of delays mind So, as @Nod says, you should be OK providing your neighbour is either on board or unaware!

Hi @Benpointer if you are considering a TF have you looked at the likes of Fleming Homes? Although based in the Scottish Borders, they do cater for the whole of the UK. The reason I mention them is becasue they do offer an in house Plan drawing service and that will get you through the planning stages as well as BC - My experience with them has been a positive one and they will adapt to your designs, it's not just from a catalogue so to speak.

@WalshieI have just sent you a PM with a spreadsheet I used when at this particular stage👍

@DC5 Take a look at https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/ - Very knowledgable and offer many varities to suit all needs.

Try and get a "puncture proof" one - may save you a lot of hassle in the long run.

Hi @Lincolnshire Ian - If I am reading this correctly, you are looking to discharge your "foul" water into a storm drain. My understanding is that storm drains cater for "surface" water - rain fall - not sewage, albeit treated foul water. What have the Local Authortity said about dealing with such discharge?

I don't know if this sort of thing would assist you and the "new" posts you put in, as and when - but I used one of these on my 8 inch gate post, and it hasn't moved a bit since. 👍 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182580911495?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338749393&toolid=20006&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1aDK-AX40QOqEDDaZfsCHMg1&_ul=GB&customid=GB_159912_182580911495.142099703759~1869130664616-g_CjwKCAjw34qzBhBmEiwAOUQcFyoLMd8BYcXx9-kbIOgidMKkumfbkkJr0d25iWK2Ua7TCxkBReLfaxoCnHAQAvD_BwE

This is an interesting thread - one question though? How does it deal with the clippings?

We too have a mature Oak on our plot and the Planning consent mentioned that we had to "ring fence" the tree at 3 metres as to protect it and the building had to be 10 metres away at least.

Fair play, we have all been there🤣👍

I find this comment a touch patronising to be honest. You are fortunate enough to be able to build a house for yourselves. I don't know your ages but look around you on your estate, and ask yourselves are you the "target audience" for this type of residential living? I would suggest you are not - we lived on such an estate for 30 years before embarking on our self build and I have to say, the location, convenience, price and a certain degree of "maintenance free" work, were very appealling to us as we were a young family. Obvioulsy no one "wants" to live in the type of house you have described but unforunately the choices can be limited - Just for the record, "Residential living" worked extremely well for us, until we found ourselves in a position to move on.

Obviously not everyones "cup of tea" but it is all about lifestyle and short termism. A perfect abode for those working in London - I would imagine a lot of these "apartments" will be for the buy to let market - catering for the City types on a short term basis. Never intended to be a "forever home" - just servicing a need.

I have no experience on this matter but a quick internet search will give you a very rough expectation I'm sure. That said, I have to say, 180 metres down! Is that correct? Surley you would expect to hit water long before then? Is this your only option regarding a heating supply? If not, then you would have to weigh up the capital outlay against any gains long term.

Hi @mjc55 When we embarked on our project 6 years ago I too came aross the dilemma you are currently pondering. I have never experienced life within a house that has such a system installed so I suppose at the time, it was a case of what you haven't had you won't miss. But for us, it came down to "budget" restraints and I suppose that was the over riding reason we chose not to have one installed. Something[s] had to give. Everyone undertaking their own project I suspect, comes across this issue. Anyway, six years on - do I regret it - no - we are comfortable living in our air tightish house - 4.90 - achieved on our air tightness test - We have our windows open at night other than when the rain is coming in horizontally and the wind is trying to remove our roof🤣 If I was to go again, and that is never going to be the case, I would consider installing an MVHR if funds allowed, given the experience of others on this site alone. Hope this helps.

You do need to go through the entire quote and actually ask the builder to explain / justify the prices he is prepared to charge - example - install only WC on ground floor (all sanitaryware suite and tiling supplied by client) - £2750 - Jeez - really!? This project appears to be a massive undertaking with some sreious numbers involved and sadly time doesn't allow me to trawl through all the associated threads but have you considered a QS ? Failing that I suggest you really do find a way of "assessing" this quote as some of the figures are just out there!

wow yes, there are certainly some crazy figures in the quote but - as @BotusBuild has mentioned, we really do need more info before commenting with any authority. What is the size of the house - how many bathrooms etc etc. Location. What is the scheduled build time too.

Yes, this is a diffcult one - we have UFH throughout [upsatirs and downstairs] - That said there is only carpets in the bedrooms and sitting room. All other rooms have stone flooring. We went for UFH "freindly" low tog underlay and carpets for the above mentioned rooms. In truth, when the carpet was laid, I was a tad disappointed with it. I suppose it was because were so used to lovely wool based carpets from JL in our previous "developer built" house, the lack of / feel of this carpet, came to us a bit of a shock. However, it works great on the stairs and landing - no UFH there and also in the bedrooms which are guest bedrooms - so they don't get seen / used that often. We will be looking to replace the carpets though, in the next 2 years [ laid in 2018] for no other reason than the feel / look in the sitting room. When we do, we are minded to forgo the "low tog" carpet if the spec hasn't improved in the years gone by. I'm not sure if it will have that much of an impact upon the effectivenss of the UFH in the sitting room. If it does, we always have the log burner to "boost" the heating if needed. I hope this helps.