Redoctober

Have to agree with this. I know I paid a premium for our UFH etc. and roofing but felt peace of mind was worth the extra,

What an excellent suggestion this is. I wish I had someone like that whom I could have turned too. Not that I would be doing this ever again, but if I were, or were to advise someone, I would suggest trying to latch onto someone locally, who is going through the self build process and " work" alongside them perhaps.

As for free labour - Mine, I spent my time doing general fetching and carrying and all the decorating. I am not useful for anything else but even so, I figured I have saved myself £1,000's by doing just these types of jobs. I would rather spend my time [hours] moving tiles etc into position than someone I'm paying £25 an hour etc.

Exactly what happened to us! Include in that list soffitts and fascias and I was faced with an extra £2k - An oversight on my part yes, but the way the quote was written didn't help as I assumed it was included as it featured on their list!

@Thedreamer hopefully with the amount of insulation we have invested in, our bills will be no where near that and we will be warm! No I can't say I was influenced by a Highland Croft House but I can certainly see the similarities. Our inspiration came from an Oak frame company called Border Oak.

This was our quote for our carport/ shed - see image - measures 7m x 6m deep. Supply and erect scaffolding to front and back of car-port to gutter level. Supply and fit new plastic deep-flow black gutters and fittings including downpipes. Supply and lay new tyvek breather membrane to sarking. [Scottish thing] Supply and grade new Cupa H3 slates Slate roof (Using Copper Nails) Supply and fit new ridges to match house. £4182.00 (Zero Rated).

Thanks @Russell Griffiths - there is what I believe is a weep hole in the second image down on the second course of stone up from the bottom. These are located throughout the stone so I happy with that, if indeed they are weep holes! ?

Many thanks. I will mention this tomorrow - it's the old adage " if something doesn't look right, it probably isn't" Cheers.

Hi - As you can see from the attached photos, the builders are currently finishing off the stone work above the single storey roof. Is the lead finishing acceptable? The only reason I ask is in my naive thinking, I am concerned that the rain may get in between the stone work and lead, which in turn may cause long term issues. Am I worrying unnecessarily? There is an overhang similar to that on the gable end of the single storey roof.

A timely thread as ours is going in this week - a bio-pure treatment plant. Installation instructions are [or seem to be] builder friendly and SEPA [Scotland] have insisted on an additional soak away pit before we tap into a field drain leading into a local water course. High level overflow drawing SEPA.pdf Bio-Pure 1 Tech Drawing PDF.pdf

Thanks @Tennentslager we have had a few issues but nothing major thankfully and hopefully there will be no elephant traps as we approach the final stretch. As for the blog, I have tried to tell it as it is from our perspective, mindful that the build approach is one whereby I have employed a main contractor and subbies, as opposed to undertaking any aspect of the work myself, beyond general labouring work and decorating.

Yes @Stones is it and yes the Electrician is due Tuesday so we can fire it up and get the UFH working. Thanks.

Yes it seems the main phrase for our build currently, is "nearly done" - As much as September seemed to be a frustratingly slow month progress wise, I am optimistic that we shall see things all come together during October allowing us to move in for November !! Having said that when I look back on the photos that I had taken, quite a bit of progress had indeed been achieved. It is easy to lose sight of such things when you are in the thick of it on a daily basis. The upstairs is now complete – in as much as we are still awaiting the sanitary ware to be fitted – but the rooms have been decorated, the bathroom and en suite, paneled and tiled. The paneling is moisture resistant MDF, which came in long panels, making it a lot easier to fit and also better than individual T&G panels. The floor tiles, laid in an OPUS design, went down on anti fracture matting. The oak staircase arrived and has also been installed. We have gone for a predominantly oak staircase. The main stair treads are redwood as they will be carpeted. We decided to go against a full oak staircase as we were concerned about the noise, safety element when coming down them and also due to the financial costs. The cupboard under the stairs is yet to be completed. Once done this will prove to be a very useful storage area. Downstairs, the cylinder and associated items are being installed together with the ASHP. The cylinder itself is a 170 litre tank which will have a recharge time of 37 minutes to 40 degrees. This will allow the UFH to be fired up and thereby ensuring the screed floor would have dried out completely, prior to any tiles being laid downstairs. The sitting room is now being plastered and will be painted in due course. The delay in getting this room finished was due to the fact that the chimney hadn’t been completed. Thankfully, it has now been done, which in turn, has allowed the WBS fitters to come and install the oak beam and register plate. The WBS won’t be fired up and formally commissioned until early Dec, due to the delays cause by the chimney not being done in time. Outside, the stone work is almost complete. The chimney end will be finished this coming week and then work can turn to the awkward gable end above the single storey roof. We are now in discussions with a landscaper, so things must be heading in the right direction. Over the coming weeks, the drainage system and treatment plant will be installed, allowing the roofer to return and fix the downpipes. So by contrast, October should be the month when it all comes together - we can look forward to the kitchen being fitted, electrics and sanitary ware being installed and the floor tiles being laid. Fingers crossed for a good month! Thanks for reading.

Ha - good luck with the site toilet. I found ours on its back that day after the strong winds - Muck and bullets everywhere but the Hire Company were great. A replacement unit on site within 90 minutes. ?

Wow, what are you going to do / did you do with all that stone?

Not sure about insulation being nailed / screwed to the joists but like @Declan52 has said, insulation usually goes in between the joists - that is certainly the way we did ours. See image - Nothing required to keep it in place as the width of the insulation came in at the same width of the gap between the joists.

Hi @PeterW - I appreciate that. Thanks. The holes for the pipe work are already in the wall and the builder just wanted to ensure that when the ASHP sits on the base, they line up.

Hi - just a quick one please - the concrete base for the ASHP goes down tomorrow ahead of it installation. Can't seem to get hold of teh installer at the moment but the following question has been asked - What should be the distance between the top of the base and the bottom of my ASHP be? [Mitsubishi 5 kW Ecodan]. I have tried researching via the internet but can't find any answers. Any thoughts?

Thanks @Tennentslager yes a lot of sockets - both sets are outside the en-suite and bathroom, so the sockets are servicing a light switch, towel radiator, UFH sensor & extractor fan above the showers.

Hi - yes things are getting messy but in a positive manner! I have been very busy these last few weeks, working a full 8 hours or so and a full weekend. The house has now been plastered except for the sitting room. The reason being the chimney still hasn't been completed. Should be done this week I am told! Once it has been done, the plaster boards can be finished off and the room plastered. Allowing for the rooms which have been plastered to dry thoroughly, I have followed on with my paint roller and whitewashed to walls and ceilings. I am using Johnstone's Trade Contract white emulsion which in turn has been diluted. The first coat I applied was more diluted than the second coat. Having asked a question on the main forum, I am comfortable with painting the walls in a weeks time or so with our favoured colours. I have been giving it my all simply to keep ahead of the joiner, who has started the second fix joinery. The upstairs has been finished but the downstairs will wait until the floor tiles have gone down. Outside I have also been painting the exterior wood. We are using the Dulux range - Weather shield - Firstly, I applied two coats of preservative primer. Then, on went two coats of dark grey undercoat, before finishing off with a top coat of Bowler Hat. Having followed their procedures, I am hopeful this will be good for at least 10 years. The stone work is nigh on complete. It is basically the gable ends that need finishing of together with the chimney. Unfortunately I am struggling to upload some photos - these are the ones I did manage to do. Perhaps I will have better luck when the next post is due. Thanks for reading.

? Love it.

Welcome - I'm sure your experiences will be very useful to the members. Having just had our new build plastered throughout, I have seen at first hand what a skill it is.

Thanks @PeterW, that is reassuring as the plaster has been going on since about two weeks ago and I have been following on with the "mist" coats, once the walls and ceilings have dried naturally. I had heard various things ranging from six months to a year before actually decorating.

Evening all ! I have started and completed white washing most walls and ceilings with a diluted mixture of Johnstones Contract white emulsion . Two coats applied. What do you recommend doing with the walls thereafter? Should I leave them now for a period of time to allow the plaster to continue to breathe? Is it OK to apply the top coat of paint of our chosen colour? If so, should it be Matt or Silk? As ever, I welcome your thoughts.

We drew up a design ourselves and worked with a TF manufacturer to get it through Building Warrants etc - have a look at my Blog for full details.