Redoctober

@Iceverge not sure if this is a question to me specifically, but all I can say is - I was paying £18 per month for our internet via a mobile network - Although it worked, we found it to be sluggiish and very tempermental at best. These frustrations led me to research Starlink. I now pay £35 p m with Starlink and the performance is so much better.

Just an update to this thread since I asked about others experiences etc. I have now installed a Starlink system myself - I purchsaed the Standard Kit / Set up for £75 - it arrived within 10 days from the USA. Due to the high winds we experience here, I just felt the wall mounted brackets they provide, didn't seem strong enough - to few points of contact for my liking. So I purchased a more robust one for £65 and fitted it to the chimney. All set up and working and a much improved experience from the system which I had before - which was a SIM card relying on a mobile network coverage. Using their App, the system is performing very well with 100 mbs being recorded - whatever that means😁

I don't think the line of sight will be an issue alongside the gable wall of the house. The reason I'm considering it is because we are currently using this type of router with a SIM from Smarty for £18 pm - Unfortunately the signal has been dropping more often than not - hence the search for a more stable connection. TP-LINK Archer MR600 AC1200 4G+ Cat6 Mobile Wi-Fi Router Dual Band, 4G/3G Network SIM Slot Unlocked,

Guys, I am on the verge of investing in a Starlink system but attaching the thing to the house is something I would like to aviod if at all possible. Are your systems still at ground level and if so, do you suffer any issues as as a result. The "ground" set up would be ideal for me providing there is little or no impact on perfromance. I'd welcome your thoughts.

Something like the above would do the trick but if you have a free standing structure like we have - you may wish to consider housing in there. Ours is in the corner of an open fronted Oak Framed structure. see image.

wow - what a project this appears to be - Welcome to the forum. Advice and support always available, just ask / share and away you go. Good luck.

Hi @chilliMin welcome to the forum. The project sounds exciting and interesting. We will no doubt look forward to you sharing your experiences as well as offering support and guidance, mixed with some honesty on ocassions.

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 ..

welcome @Stratman you are certainly in the right place. It is interesting to read that you have designed your house along similar lines to one you have previously lived in. This is exactly what we did. We found that our exisiting house layout worked well for us and would do so in future years, so opted for a similar layout with additional bits. You may wish to read thriough my blog which charts our progress back in the day. Be mindful though some of the "figures" are no doubt well past their "best befre date" as we completed our project back in 2018. That said, the process remains pretty much the same I would argue. Anyway, good luck and keep us all posted.

I don't think there was any meaning in his suggestion, other than simply trying to offer me a way, that would re-assure me that the mositure in the slab had been dealt with. I did employ this method and it seemed to provide me with that re-assurance I needed prior to tiling etc. 👍

When we had ours put down, the UFH guy suggested a way of seeing whether or not the moisture had gone. He said tape down a large square bit of plastic sheeting to see if any "mositure" apperared on the bottom of it overnight. He also recommended using a particular progrmme on the UFH system which ran the heating for a period of time - warming the slab up nice and slowly - reaching a peak of around 40C - before coming back down.