Redoctober

We registered a B84 without MVHR.

Exciting times - good luck with the build and I look forward to seeing unfold. ?

Take a look at a website called paving expert - http://www.pavingexpert.com/drainage.htm Well used by members on this forum and they provide sound advice. Good luck.

@Wagas - Like @ragg987 We put the screed down over the UFH first as to allow plenty of time for it to dry out prior to the tiles going down. Sometimes an image or two helps. The two images show how the manifold was fixed to a wall, in the under stairs cupboard, prior to the walls being plastered and how it ended up afterwards.

Yes, wishful thinking I believe. During our build, I found the stage where the TF and roof where going on to be the least stressful part! They were taken care of by a team of erectors employed via the TF company so I had a degree of confidence in them. After that, it was down to me and the sub contractors. What helped me I believe, was our level of decision making beforehand - such as electrical points / sockets and lights etc. and the materials to be used internally. Try to avoid last minute decision making !! Good luck.

+1 to the above and that is with a main contractor.

Hi @selfbuildaberdeen and welcome to the forum. As you have already experienced, there is a lot of well intended advice available and sometimes the ride can be a bit bumpy. Just hold on tight and you will be fine. Now, MVHR - I pause to adjust my tin hat - last year we built a well insulated house without an MVHR - The reason we chose not to install one was due to cost, ongoing maintenance, our desire for a wood burning stove [ WBS] [possible balancing issues] and because we like to have the windows open whenever possible. In helping us come to that decision we visited a show home, built by Border Oak in the Shropshire / Herefordshire area. They chose not to install one and we found ourselves agreeing with the reasons they cited. The members suggesting an MVHR have no doubt good reason to bang that drum but for balance, we are now 6 months in and do not feel that we have missed out on any of the benefits they can offer. We received a EPC rating of B and our annual fuel bills - electric only - are expected to be sub £1000. Yes there are many variables to consider, location being one of them, but I just wanted to let you know there is life without an MVHR! As suggested very kindly by @Thedreamer, have a look at my blog for further details. oh, and good luck!

@ProDave To you it may well seem expensive. To us it was value for money, given the net cost as you say will be £7600!! I posted these details in an attempt to provide some guidance rather than to generate a debate as to whether or not we paid too much for the system. As @joth said above, there will always be a discussion about price so perhaps it is sometimes better to just provide figures as opposed to judgments. Just a thought that's all.

@Jenni We had our UFH and ASHP / Tank etc supplied and fitted by the one company for the same reasons you have mentioned. He was MSC certified, allowing us to claim RHI which currently runs at £220 per quarter. For comparison purposes, our coverage was 160sq metres, with UFH upstairs and downstairs. The ASHP is a 5 KW Mitsubishi eco unit & our tank was 170 litre. - total cost as of last year - supplied and fitted - £13600 - No VAT payable

Welcome back!! Great to see you have finally got out of the ground and a structure is taking place. That said, there must be a story to tell given your last post was in March last year! If in the area, pop in as I know you are close by. Good luck. ?

Thanks @scottishjohn but sadly I knew very little about how to do or indeed how not to do things last year, when the house was built. All I would say though, is that the roofers were long term, well established professionals from the local area and to date, the slate roof hasn't blown off or leaked! ???

Hope this helps. Nothing like a photo to assist. It shows our roof having been fixed with Sarking and then a "loose" or floppy fitted membrane attached.

Ian - good on you for facing up to what has no doubt been your "elephant in the room" - I'm sure the collective will come good with suitable suggestions but perhaps more info is required. It might just be me but I can't see what it is you are trying / wanting to achieve. Just an observation that's all. ?

Thanks - yes nailed on and as for when the regs changed, I have no idea. Sorry.

@Triassic - We built with a TF and they supplied the fire battens which were really what as been described as above - we called them "socks". See the photos for where they were positioned. We used wooden battens to go around the window and door openings. I hope this helps.

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.