Redoctober

Well that is interesting. Personally I don’t think that that is a bad price?. What sort of figure where you hoping for or do you think you could get it in for?

Teaser....................... Me and Mrs W just played a game with by not scrolling down until we had guessed!! Anyway - between £9.5 & £13k ?

Prompted by @daiking comment, I have read this thread as I seem to have missed it first time round. Probably up to my knees in self build stuff. Anyway, for what it is worth I too looked into pressure washers and felt that for the once a year usage it would get on the patio - [Not an advocate for using them on cars] I couldn't really justify the up front capital expenditure. Instead, I hired one from the local hire company - Unbelievable - it cost me £40 for the day and they provided what can only be described as an industrial one - it was petrol driven and arrived on a set of 4 wheels which made movement all that bit easier. I was so pleased I will be using them again this year and on top of that, I could probably use them again for the next couple of years before being out of pocket.

Hi @WWilts - Perhaps you do need to explore possible "turnkey" routes or as you say, employ a Builder who will take on that responsibility too. Your build doesn't sound as if it really needs a PM on board - It sounds as if your circumstances are making you feel you need one. The things you list such as drawings, quantity estimates / programme of works and even a contract can all be sorted / sourced individually by yourself. I'm sure if you asked for the collectives experiences on these matters, then you may find yourself emboldened to undertake them yourself. If that is all you are looking for from a PM, then I would suggest you don't need one. Take a look at my blog - you will see that although I was on site the majority of the time my duties amounted to no more than making decisions, sourcing materials and sweeping up. No PM employed - just me and I am no different to anyone else undertaking a self build of the nature you describe. Good luck.

mmm. The word "value" complicates your arguement I feel. How can you or indeed anyone, say that a TV [for example] couldn't be "most" valued thing in someones life and therefore justified? Making any decision to purchase any item has to be considered carefully. Such as house building - It depends what one is building for. Is it to sell on for profit in the very near future or indeed next few years? Is it a forever home? These are the sort of considerations one has to be mindful of when purchasing anything I would argue. So you are right to say that looking at it from a cost prospective alone, is wrong but in that equation one has to consider "value" and "justification"

Good for you - reading between the lines, it seems the back stories have there own issues but the main thing is you are now in a position to push forward and realise your dreams. I'm sure your Dad is proud of you. Enjoy the build and I will look forward to seeing this unfold over the coming year. Good luck. ?

Yes, this was certainly the case in Le Ger's region, albeit some 10 - 12 years ago when we were frequent visitors to the MIL's who had renovated an old watermill in the area.

Hi sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I'm unable to check my photo library at the moment but from memory, the studs went into the base then the insulation went down, followed by the UFH. The liquid screed eastern poured. ?

@Mrbehr - welcome to the forum. Sounds an interesting and exciting project. Be sure to ask any questions as the advice and guidance on here is usually awesome! Do you have any plans as yet which you could share ?

I suppose the correct thing to do would be not to fit carpet as to ensure you get the maximum benefit from the UFH - But, things like personal taste etc., come into the equation which makes decision making that bit more difficult. We too enjoy having carpet down and we have done so, in the sitting room and bedrooms - all of which have UFH heating fitted. We chose an underlay and carpet with fairly low TOG values in order for them to "work" with the UFH as opposed to working against it. I have to say we do not feel we have suffered as a result. The rooms are warm enough and I suppose it just underlines that such things as UFH, Floor coverings etc. need to be considered in the whole, together with a well insulated house, which is either air tight or fairly airtight.

Beautiful and the views aren't that bad either?. Cracking job - hope you feel proud of what you have achieved?

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting. Good luck with your project but maybe the following would be useful for other members to know about. Which TF company are you going with? How much of this work are hoping to do yourself etc? Have you experienced any issues getting to this point? Being in Scotland and the need for a Building warrant, did you do this yourself or did you employ some professional services? Enjoy.

Yes, no doubt lessons will be learnt regardless of the outcome of this current "issue" - I can't comment on whether or not it is a fair price but surely you would have had a discussion of some sort about "likely" costs involved. If so, how much difference is their final bill to that what was discussed? I can't believe you just "agreed" to get the job done and then he has handed you the bill without some sort of expectation.?

Yes, I agree with @Bozza although one other consideration to factor in would be your long term intentions. Are you looking to sell in the near future or making it a "forever" home. So many variables to consider.

Plus 1 on this.

???

Very much agree with the above but I have also read that Oak doors should not be subjected to the elements. They should be protected by a porch of some description or recessed somewhat to provide that protection.

No one wants to spend more money than they have to but as you say, there are somethings that are worth investing in over others. For us, the whole UFH and DHW system was an area we wanted to "invest" in, in order to minimise the risks of things going wrong or being installed incorrectly etc and to have peace of mind. That comes at a price sadly. As for the size of your cylinder, you make a good point and one to be mindful off. That said, how many people will be occupying the property on a regular basis? We have a 170 litre tank and for the two of us that is more than adequate. When quests arrive, we just "manage" shower times and have never been without hot water.

Nail. Head

@pdf27 in answer to your questions - I honestly don't know why we did do liquid screed downstairs and biscuit mix upstairs as the rationale was never explained and I never asked. With most things on our build, I was happy to go with those who knew what they were doing. That said, I can only guess it was down to ease and possibly the structure of the base the coverings were going onto. I've never heard of a liquid screed being poured in an upstairs environment but that doesn't mean to say it can't. The upstairs floor is as solid as anything. To explain better, I have attached a PDF showing the make up of our floor, which incorporates the UFH. We followed this and as I say, its solid and we suffer no creaking at all. For "Stirling boards" we used "eggerboards." As for sound transmission, that too is non existent as the ceiling downstairs has double plaster boards fitted and the gaps between the joists were stuffed with insulation. Now the technical question! I do very little with the system - The main "unit" is set at 21 degrees. I have then set all the individual rooms at various temps, using their stand alone thermostats. The spare bedrooms upstairs are guest rooms so are not used very much during the colder months when the heating would be on. Their temps are adjusted accordingly. For a more detailed explanation of temp flows etc, we might have to seek guidance from the collective as I don't fully understand it myself, I just know it works!! Suspended timber - BUF.pdf

@pdf27 have a look at this thread from my blog - may answer some of your questions.

Exciting ! We "pinched" Border Oaks design too and made it our own. Our porch was made by a local Oak frame yard and they managed to match the price for us. Good luck and hopefully once up, you can post a picture.

@dance621 try not to be so downbeat. It seems to me that the barrier to moving on with this project is the fear that your budget isn't sufficient enough. OK, you haven't managed to gain a degree of reassurance from the forum which would have perhaps give you the confidence you are seeking. That unfortunately is understandable, given the lack of personal knowledge known about the actual project. That said though, can you not take confidence that your budget is achievable by what you have researched or received from those who do know the project? What costs do the architects put on the project? Have you priced up the plans yourself or via various trades? Or are these budget figures simply arrived at to suit your budget? If it is the latter, then who knows, you may have over budgeted!!! Or is it the case you have been given "ball park" figures and they are too far North of your available budget? If that is the case then again, that might not be so much of a deal breaker if you willing to adapt you expectations, along the lines suggested by @Ferdinand

@dance621 - First of all I think @Ferdinand should be applauded for his efforts in assisting with this thread. Clearly a lot of effort has gone into it and this should be commended as it not only reflects well on him but the forum as well. Top job. Anyway, the costs you have budgeted for above - you say they are fantasy figures. Are any actually based on researched costings? Do they include labour? VAT? My thoughts are as follows - The plumbing budget appears high - that said the UFH budget appears on the low side - Are you intending to have an ASHP - If so which budget is that in? Oak floor materials? How much square footage do you need? - seems on the low side to me what with all the sundry items you would need. How long to envisage this work to take? If I have read this correctly, it seems the work is to be carried out by you and your Hungarian chap - A 26 week build with a budget of £25k for his services amounts to less than £200 a day. All said and done, I wish you luck and look forward to seeing it progress.

This is exactly what we did. We arranged for SW to connect us from the Mains supply across the single track lane, into the Boundary box and then through our hedge into the plot, whereby the plumber fixed up a standpipe arrangement for the builders. [We had to pay for the road to be dug up and the trench to be dug through the hedge mind]. Eventually, when we were ready to move indoors so to speak, SW came out and connected us up completely, burying the connection at the standpipe junction. I can't recall whether or not I paid up front or at the conclusion of the job but nonetheless, the total costs back in 2018 was £976 of which I reclaimed £19.68 in VAT.