Newt-Induced delay and prices

[ToughButterCup]

Great Crested Newts. Bless them, and bless the planners one and all. Here we all are a year -closer to two- years  later than planned and winter's on its way.

The question is simple: buy the expensive stuff now and store, or wait until Spring?

Key things to source:

• Durisol building blocks (a form of ICF)
• Windows 
• German (yeah, yeah, right) plumbing bits and bobs

Here's the RICS on the subject for September

 

Storage is a bit of an issue, and with windows it is an issue - maybe I'll be able to buy now for delivery next year..... I feel an OUCH! coming on.

I'm really scratching my head over this one.

 

I'd appreciate a non-political focus on this one please.

[Barney12]

Interesting thread and I was only thinking exactly the same at 5am this morning after a bladder induced early wake up . (Getting older sucks!)

I'm fortunate in that I do have storage space on the plot.

 

Blocks I think could be a no brainer. (accepting of course that the decision is an educated guess!)

Windows - Hmm would want to be darn sure they're going to fit. Thats an expensive thing to get wrong.

Plumbing/Kitchens etc - My worry is that once you've seen the space as the build progresses then plans might change and you are left with a load of parts that no long fit your need.

[PeterW]

If you buy blocks then ensure they are properly wrapped or covered as if they soak up water then they can freeze and crack.

 

 

[ProDave]

Windows, you meed to be SURE you have the sizes right.  Three of our windows, we changed the size as the frame was bing built (before ordering the windows that all fitted like a glove)

 

Buy a container to store everything dry (or an old static caravan )

 

It's the Brexit effect and devaluing of the £ that is likely to make the biggest change. Are you already to late to avoid that?

 

[jamiehamy]

Just off the phone to International TImber and when I did my usual and asked if they could knock any more off, he very confidently came right back and said that the price has not changed since we placed our first order. We had a chat and he said as they import most of their timber, they are expecting prices to start rising in the New Year. 

 

Will run it past my other half but I'll be bulk ordering the internal timber pretty soon I think. 

[ToughButterCup]

Thanks...............

 

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

Windows, you meed to be SURE you have the sizes right. 
 

ah damn.... I'd forgotten that....

 

4 hours ago, Barney12 said:

Interesting thread and I was only thinking exactly the same at 5am this morning after a bladder induced early wake up . (Getting older sucks!)

I'm fortunate in that I do have storage space on the plot.

[...]

Plumbing/Kitchens etc - My worry is that once you've seen the space as the build progresses then plans might change and you are left with a load of parts that no long fit your need.

 

ah damn forgot that.... (sorry darling )

 

10 minutes ago, jamiehamy said:

Will run it past my other half but I'll be bulk ordering the internal timber pretty soon I think. 

 

Ok.... so how about well-ventilated, but dry storage?

I'm wondering if out-in-the-open, but shielded from direct rain with lots of circulation will be OK. I'll price some large tarpaulins up....

 

4 hours ago, Barney12 said:

[...]  I was only thinking exactly the same at 5am this morning after a bladder induced early wake up . (Getting older sucks!) [...]

 

 

Ditto. I've tricked myself into trying to enjoy that time as 'my time' -no phone calls no emails, no interruptions.

And it works ---- occasionally.

 

Ian 

[jamiehamy]

We can store everything inside now, however if it had to go outside, I'd get some cheap OSB, stack the timber neatly on battens to keep it celar of the ground and make a rough 'roof' for it that will let rain run off the side. Lapped OSB will keep most of the rain off - and with a tarp or heavy duty polythene sheeting (we used this a few times for various things and it worked well) stapled over that and down the sides, it 'll be pretty dry . If you get it delivered during a dry period and stack it, it should be just fine. I wouldn't try rope anything - nail your temporary roof and staple the sheeting - that way it'll not get carried off with the first gale!

 

Making a temporary roof sounds OTT, but in the grand scheme of it, esp if you can get old ply/OSB or even insulation boards, it's easy to do but will last the winter. 

 

As per another thread just make sure a) it doesn't look like a big pile of timber and b) it's kept a good distance from anything else. 

 

I wouldn't put in in a shipping container tbh - ours is ventilated but in winter you'd still get condensation dripping off the roof inside some mornings. 

 

 

[jamiehamy]

oh - and for what it's worth - if I was to do this again, I still wouldn't order windows until the walls are poured. We built using ICF and a number of things did change slightly during the build - some by design (because it was easier to build to a slightly different dimension or when the walls went up we decided a different opening would be better - and in fact, we added two in) but some, like our biggest window - the opening ended up smaller. Despite Willie from ebuilds clear guidance I some how didn't put enough props on the 3.2 metre span and it bowed slightly, losing 20mm in height at the middle - on a 3.2x2.3 window, that would have been a real pain(pardon the pun!). 

 

I'm maybe a bit cautious tho.