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Hi everyone, First time self builder and under the age of 30, with little experience or knowledge of construction...learning on the job type thing atm. I bought some land in North London back in 2018 and finally started the build (basement excavation and construction) back in June 2022. I have come up against a whole host of problems (Structural Engineer going into administration during the works, party wall agreement issue that lasted over a year, angry & gossiping neighbours - I live in the house opposite the site... & insurance claims against me, etc...) but have also overcome most of them now! The new build is roughy 110m2 internal space consisting of a basement with lightwell, ground floor and partial first floor, all within a tight space. I have a really great civil and groundworks guy who has helped me so much a long the way. Current stage is the finishing bits of the basement - drainage and pouring of slabs. Next stage, get the steels in and also the hollowcore planks! I will definitely be a regular poster for help! Thanks in advanced guys and can't wait to be part of the community!

Hi all - I'm hoping to get some advice on the below! We are currently in the process of renovating our 1 bed basement flat in London (zone 2). We have received planning approval to remove the old conservatory at the back of the house and replace it with a flat roof structure which will house the kitchen. This involves altering the internal layout of the flat as shown in the floorplans. The footprint of the house is staying exactly the same, it is 600sqft for reference. To complicate matters, our flat flooded during the flash flooding in London last summer so it has currently been stripped back to brick as part of the insurance repair works and drying out process. The flat is now completely dried out and we have put the job out to tender. We have just received quotes from builders to put the flat back together as per the proposed plans. When we received the quotes, I literally fell off my chair. The three quotes were: £270k, £353k and £403k. I am honestly in a state of shock. I'm fully aware that London building costs are unlike anywhere else in the country and that the cost of raw materials has shot up this year, however, these are on another level. I could buy another flat for that last quote! All 3 builders that quoted were aware of the fact that part of this work will be covered by our insurance claim. However, the majority of it won't be i.e. the removal of the conservatory, the change of layout etc. Am I being totally ripped off because they are aware it's an insurance job? I can't understand how someone can physically spend that much money on a 600sqft flat when the footprint of the house isn't changing and we aren't building any new walls! Unless I was coating every ceiling in gold leaf! Any advice would be much appreciated!

In conversation in another place about heat pumps this has been asked: Thoughts? I would say insulate to approx current newbuild building regs probably with internal Wall Insulation, floor and loft, work out heat demand, and then look around. But I can't see many viable alternative to ASHP, unless something like Sunamp and off-peak electricity is now realistic (ie used as a storage heater).

Hi all, My name is Bruno. I just joined on the recommendation of a friend as I am in the middle of a renovation project on the French windows at the back of the house that open onto the garden and would appreciate advice. The house was built in 1934 and the windows may be as old as the house. It is a wooden frame with 2 opening panes in the centre and 2 fixed panes on the sides. I noticed the paint was flaking off so decided it would be a good job for a bank holiday weekend to strip the paint and give it a new coat. I then realised that it has at least 5 layers of paint of different ages and the sealant around the glass units is flaking suggesting I should renew it. As I'm in for a more complex project than initially planned, I wondered if I could take this opportunity to replace the single panes of glass with double glazed sealed units. I am aware that double glazed sealed units would be a fair bit thicker than the current single units. So my questions are: Can it be done? Where can I get double glazed units? How can I size the thickness of the glass + spacer? Do I need to fit the new units differently than the old ones? Will the weight on the frame increase and is that a problem? I attached some photos of the windows. Thanks! Bruno

Hi everyone, Not so short introduction. Builder by trade, self-builder by family nature and Passive House and Off-grid maniac just because i hate paying bills. I was lucky enough to work and learn with some of the best and biggest names in german building technology, that kind of sorts out the design and build part. The problem is the land. For various reasons, I am limited to North London area. After one year i still was not able to find a decent piece of land that would not require me to rob a bank to pay for it So ... If anyone has any ideas about how and where to find a plot i would be grateful for the advice. In exchange I promise to answer any questions in regards to: design, build, passive house or off grid.

If anyone can spare 2 minutes to complete this questionnaire (for my MSc) regarding self-building for first time buyers in London it would be much appreciated. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/R5SMWSC Thanks in advance. Matt