AliG Posted March 21, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 No you can set up an account for free. If you paid for a Prime account you do get access to a lot of TV and Music as well as reduced delivery costs for a pretty low price per year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 As above it's free to set up an Amazon account. You just go into their amazon.co.uk page and register. You will need to put in all your details, name, address and some method of payment,debit card. This is for if you want to buy anything from the actual Amazon store but it also links to your firestick so if there is a movie or TV series you can also buy these. If you never buy nothing you will never have to pay nothing. There are plenty of other apps you can install on it for watching movies and TV series and live sport but we will just keep it simple for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 Just a heads up. Amazon have the Firesticks on special offer just now for a limited time. I have just ordered one for £19.99 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Fire-TV-Stick-Streaming-Media-Player-Alexa/dp/B0791RGQW3/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=fire+stick&qid=1585684368&sr=8-1 I have been looking on ebay and you would struggle to get a second hand early version one for that. I don't know how long the offer will last. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 2 minutes ago, ProDave said: Just a heads up. Amazon have the Firesticks on special offer just now for a limited time. I have just ordered one for £19.99 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Fire-TV-Stick-Streaming-Media-Player-Alexa/dp/B0791RGQW3/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=fire+stick&qid=1585684368&sr=8-1 I have been looking on ebay and you would struggle to get a second hand early version one for that. I don't know how long the offer will last. One of the newer models as well. Couldn't beat that for a cheap streaming device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 On 21/03/2020 at 10:56, Declan52 said: As above it's free to set up an Amazon account. You just go into their amazon.co.uk page and register. You will need to put in all your details, name, address and some method of payment,debit card I don't think I had to put in any payment details when I registered my Kindle. (I already had an Amazon account since 1999, but keep that separate) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 My bargain basement firestick arrived today and i have just set it up. Setup wasn't too painful. All the iplayer etc apps had to be downloaded. The only one that gave grief was My5. It told me to go and register, When i entered the URL to register I got a 404. Eventually I figured you can use My5 without registering. It all seems to work okay even playing okay on our slow broadband. And just as i thought, the commercial channels disable the fast forward when the adverts are on. I might have mentioned that irritates me (my PVR lets me FF through the ads) I suspect I will be using it only for stuff I have missed or the PVR crashed. The web browser built in would be far too clumsy to use without a keyboard to use with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted April 8, 2020 Author Share Posted April 8, 2020 I just put today’s on before the family called me away from it. Once again I see a cavity wall with 100mm rock wool batts by the looks of things. I will be watching closely for more insulation inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted April 8, 2020 Author Share Posted April 8, 2020 Ok. Finished now. I’m just gobsmacked. My wife would have throttled me. Two years off work and hardly anything to show for it. Lovely looking house from the outside. They finished by counting up the massive profit they have made. Not if it’s never finished. Also two years lost work and living in a garage. That’s effectively a cost of a hundred grand right there that they are ignoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 (edited) Anyone see Building The Dream S9E05 in Devon, the revisit to Siddy Langley and her glass-blowing studio cum house? She mentioned getting volunteer labour in exchange for bed-and-board using a website. Does anyone know which website? Edited April 18, 2020 by Dreadnaught Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Walker Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 (edited) Was it https://embercombe.org/the-spirit-of-the-eco-build/ (http://thepoosh.org/) Edited April 18, 2020 by Adrian Walker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Just caught up with this one. A bit close to home with the house sale problems, sales falling though, house worth a lot less than she was originally advised etc. Then the tight budget meaning paying labour was not an option. I would have been interested in the furnace heat recovery heating system proposed but not yet fitted. Oh and did I spot a non BR compliant staircase? (open treads) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 Just watched that episode. Surprised that building control allowed her to live at the house for so long without the essentials. Fair play to her, lots of determination. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 (edited) Very nice house last night. Another absurd budget. Also I do wonder how honest people are when they say how much they have spent as it seems consistently low. I suspect the don’t include professional fees and the like. Another house built with a full filled cavity with 100mm of rockwool. You could see the plasterboard being put on the inside and that appeared to be all the insulation there was. I would like to see some of the heating bills for the houses being built. Looks like that gives a U-value of 0.3 for the walls which is the maximum allowed in England. I am not quite sure how the English regs work, can you only go that high if other areas are better than the maximum? Edited April 30, 2020 by AliG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Is that the 3 storey Yorkshire one? I feel sorry for them, her house had been on the market for some time, and the program ended at the start of 2019 with her still needing a buyer and hoping to have completed the sale and moved into the new house by the summer. I do hope it sold before March? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 It was, there have been some quite tough stories this year. Very sad that she also lost her son. I couldn't really understand why she couldn't sell her house, I guessed it was sold as they had already had a sale fall through and had quite a bit of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 8 minutes ago, AliG said: I couldn't really understand why she couldn't sell her house, I guessed it was sold as they had already had a sale fall through and had quite a bit of time. You have obviously never tried selling a house in a dead market then? I have the tee shirt for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Why build such a big house though. Lovely views from the back but did they really need 3 storey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaedrus Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Due to the overwhelming response to my Series 10 summaries, I've decided to provide a bonus edition for Series 9 Episode 9. Enjoy! Series 9 Episode 9 Norfolk (East Harling) The Self-builders: Tony (a builder who now hates building) & Ness (online marketing business owner). Two children. Setting the Scene: July 2016 – Charlie visits to meet the self-builders & review site and plans Secured planning permission for four bedroom house with 7m high round tower and curved zinc/sedum roof in garden of bungalow purchased in 2004. Nominal value of plot £250k. £300k build budget (Charlie says he’ll quit architecture if they build it for that!). £750k expected value for completed house. Targeting completion in 6-7 months (Charlie thinks 1-2 years) Charlie suggests not fitting out one wing of the house to save money. Also to eliminate a section of glazed roof and to reconfigure the master suite. The Build April 2018 – Don’t start for two years as unable to sell bungalow/money problems and new baby. Foundations in and lower sections of ICF walls (in shocking purple) being concreted. Multiple blowouts at corners require remedial work. June 2018 – Services connected. ICF walls progressing. Suddenly Tony is enjoying this building lark ? Aug 2018 – Self-builders lift 50kg posi-joists into position. Nov 2018 – Flint cladding to tower. Final ICF concrete pour – no blowouts Jan 2019 – Charlie returns. Self-builders need £150k to finish the build but don’t have it. They are still targeting to move in in 3-4 months! The Visit to Another Self-build: Five bed industrial look home in Leicestershire which the visitors found to be absolutely stunning with ooohs & aaahs at every turn. Brick piers with dark timber cladding and metal roof. Wraparound glazing. Polished concrete floor. Steel cantilevered staircase. Double aspect feature fireplace. Yes, I loved it too. Self-builder was Naomi Page if interested in looking it up. The Build contd Feb 2019 – Confirmed that they will not get a self-build mortgage. Weepy scenes but the self-builders cheer themselves up by fitting a section of rubber roof (having both gone on a training course beforehand). March 2019 – First fix electrics underway. Installing below screed floor insulation – more shocking purple stuff. Apr 2019 – Self-builders secure £25k personal loan having refused a bridging loan option (presumably on a punitive interest rate). Bi-fold doors (from Norwich based IDSystems) installed. Stoneworker doing more flint cladding. May 2019 – Charlie visits again. House not nearly finished. £190k spent to date and self-builders believe they are on track to complete for £300k. Charlie doesn’t quit architecture due to a delayed schedule get out clause. The “final” figures: Projected build costs £300k giving total nominal cost of £550k. Revised expected valuation of £1.0M (2019 prices). Fair play Ness (& Tony), fair play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ness Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Thanks for the mention.... just found this whilst looking for something online. A little update.... We moved into the house in May 2021 (about 3 days before BTD aired) and we did build it for just under £300k (after the VAT reclaim) and we have spent about another 30K on top after finishing off bits and pieces, garden etc... The journey was crazy (and over dramatised) by channel 4, but by doing most of the work ourselves, we saved a fortune. For insurance, they advised the re-build cost would be £650k - so a huge saving - Plus we have a very efficient, warm family home! We've had a few valuations since and because the house is so unusual,, they have struggled to value it. They range from £950k to 1.2M - Not bad for a couple fo years of work and yes..... we would do it all again. We over spent in areas and massively clawed back in others!! Wishing anyone who is on their self build journey to keep going, if you dont give up.... you will get there 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ness Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 On 15/05/2021 at 10:28, Phaedrus said: Due to the overwhelming response to my Series 10 summaries, I've decided to provide a bonus edition for Series 9 Episode 9. Enjoy! Series 9 Episode 9 Norfolk (East Harling) The Self-builders: Tony (a builder who now hates building) & Ness (online marketing business owner). Two children. Setting the Scene: July 2016 – Charlie visits to meet the self-builders & review site and plans Secured planning permission for four bedroom house with 7m high round tower and curved zinc/sedum roof in garden of bungalow purchased in 2004. Nominal value of plot £250k. £300k build budget (Charlie says he’ll quit architecture if they build it for that!). £750k expected value for completed house. Targeting completion in 6-7 months (Charlie thinks 1-2 years) Charlie suggests not fitting out one wing of the house to save money. Also to eliminate a section of glazed roof and to reconfigure the master suite. The Build April 2018 – Don’t start for two years as unable to sell bungalow/money problems and new baby. Foundations in and lower sections of ICF walls (in shocking purple) being concreted. Multiple blowouts at corners require remedial work. June 2018 – Services connected. ICF walls progressing. Suddenly Tony is enjoying this building lark ? Aug 2018 – Self-builders lift 50kg posi-joists into position. Nov 2018 – Flint cladding to tower. Final ICF concrete pour – no blowouts Jan 2019 – Charlie returns. Self-builders need £150k to finish the build but don’t have it. They are still targeting to move in in 3-4 months! The Visit to Another Self-build: Five bed industrial look home in Leicestershire which the visitors found to be absolutely stunning with ooohs & aaahs at every turn. Brick piers with dark timber cladding and metal roof. Wraparound glazing. Polished concrete floor. Steel cantilevered staircase. Double aspect feature fireplace. Yes, I loved it too. Self-builder was Naomi Page if interested in looking it up. The Build contd Feb 2019 – Confirmed that they will not get a self-build mortgage. Weepy scenes but the self-builders cheer themselves up by fitting a section of rubber roof (having both gone on a training course beforehand). March 2019 – First fix electrics underway. Installing below screed floor insulation – more shocking purple stuff. Apr 2019 – Self-builders secure £25k personal loan having refused a bridging loan option (presumably on a punitive interest rate). Bi-fold doors (from Norwich based IDSystems) installed. Stoneworker doing more flint cladding. May 2019 – Charlie visits again. House not nearly finished. £190k spent to date and self-builders believe they are on track to complete for £300k. Charlie doesn’t quit architecture due to a delayed schedule get out clause. The “final” figures: Projected build costs £300k giving total nominal cost of £550k. Revised expected valuation of £1.0M (2019 prices). Fair play Ness (& Tony), fair play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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