Jump to content

War and self-building : the possible effects on self-builders


Recommended Posts

Now here's a post I never thought I'd write. What's the effect of the current war going to be on self-building  in the UK?

 

What's manufactured in The Ukraine but exported here?

How will fluctuation in the money  markets affect us?

Fuel prices are on the rise: anyone like an evidence-based guess about how much?

Will anything be cheaper because of the war?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see dark days ahead.

 

Double digit inflation, but without the double digit interest rates we need so your savings stand a little bit of a chance keeping up.

Energy crisis (as if we don't have one already)

FOOD shortage. Yes seriously. Ukraine is a major food exporter.

 

Nobody likes uncertainty, it would not surprise me if the housing market in the UK tanked now. (and we still haven't sold our old house yet)

 

The move to green energy and CO2 reduction will take a back seat. ANY energy will do even if it is not green.

 

From a personal point of view my main worries now are I don't think i am yet above the age for conscription if it all really goes bad, and my comfortable planned retirement soon is looking less comfortable and less certain.

 

I am more worried now than at any point in the cold war.  Sorry to sound a sombre tone, I don't see much to give me optimism.

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

this  war is surely the sign to unblock planning applications for wind farms   and tidal dams like the swansea bay  project 

 ,so we will not as reliant on gas  sooner and accelerate towards a zero emissions 

 

we have to go there anyway -

 and yes prices will go up -- making me even more worried  about my project costs and If will be able to afford to do it.

 anybody know an oligark who wants to fund my hpuse and can have  it when I die .LOL

 I don,t  see housing prices going  up at all for a long time ,

maybe could make plots cheaper ?

Edited by scottishjohn
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, scottishjohn said:

this  war is surely the sign to unblock planning applications for wind farms   and tidal dams like the swansea bay  project 

 ,so we will not as reliant on gas  sooner and accelerate towards a zero emissions 

AND to start drilling CAMBO.

 

Yes we need to move away from fossil fuel, but to not drill our own and instead buy from "abroad" is not proving to be such a good idea is it?

 

I note many of the mothballed drilling rigs that have been in storage in the Cromarty Firth for years have departed.  Have they actually gone out to do some drilling?

 

Nothing would give me more pleasure right now than if we (the whole of Europe) were able to say no we don't need Russian oil or gas any more.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, ProDave said:

FOOD shortage. Yes seriously. Ukraine is a major food exporter.

 19% of world's grain exports. 

 

Don't forget the embargoes on Russia produce too. Before this the price of nitrogen fertilizer was already 3 times higher than last year. It supports about half of the world's food production. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Real problem for me Ian

Ive two Ukrainian brothers that do my taping 

Both are going back to fight 

Fiercely patriotic and get really upset when people refer to them as Russians 

Its a very bad situation 

Boris and Joe at the helm doesn’t inspire confidence 

Where is Donald 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The news just in that France has intercepted a Russian cargo ship at sea under new powers moves this matter up many notches. We could be at a Cuban Missile type stand off within a week it this keeps escalating.

 

The Russians could view this as state sponsored piracy which is awfully close to an act of war.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@nod : Our foundations wiring team (4 of them) were Ukrainian ; my God they worked like - well Ukrainians. Frankly, they are just the sort of lads you need in a tight spot - fantastic work rate.  And the Italian team are still having their siesta ......  ?

 

@scottishjohn As to energy independence: is now the time to start thinking about wind?  What price would electricity have to be to make domestic-level  wind power  worth while?

Hold on, won't the price of batteries go up ........  arghhhh!

 

@epsilonGreedy : in retaliation, please God the Russians don't stop a ship-load of plasterboard leaving St Petersburg for Hull.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

Will anything be cheaper because of the war?

Life.

 

36 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

As to energy independence: is now the time to start thinking about wind?  What price would electricity have to be to make domestic-level  wind power  worth while?

Wind and solar have been the cheapest new generation source for a few years now.

Just a case of deploying it.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

@epsilonGreedy : in retaliation, please God the Russians don't stop a ship-load of plasterboard leaving St Petersburg for Hull.

 

 

I am watching the price of lead sheet. Could we temp @Jeremy Harrisback to the forum, he must have a blueprint for the construction of a nuclear bunker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just notice diesel and petrol prices have gone up about 8p litre over the last week.

 

Gas and electric prices are sure to go up, even more than they have.

 

Things to do

Insulation get it ordered and put in as much as possible.  Add a deep basement to your build, install your own water supply, and pre wire for your own generator.

 

"Anything be cheaper because of war" - unfortunately people's lives will be, for cheap political motivation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been tile shopping today, one retailer warned of imminent shortages and price rises. Gas prices hit the factories hard, also much of the clay for Italian tiles comes from Ukraine?! I thought the latter sounded like BS but it seems to be some truth in it.

 

Old article ... https://blog.biokeram.com/how-to-replace-ukrainian-clay-in-decorative-tile-production

 

With its vast reserves of high-quality clay, the Donetsk area in the east of Ukraine soon became the largest supplier of raw material for the European market. After the Russian aggression and occupation of Crimea in 2014, the export has choked, and prices are now five times higher than when the Ukrainian Clay entered the market. Now tile manufacturers turn to local variants for help. Unfortunately, it is hard to find decent replacements that can comply with the production standards of large tile production. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

@scottishjohn As to energy independence: is now the time to start thinking about wind?  What price would electricity have to be to make domestic-level  wind power  worth while?

not a chance with current planning rules  -even if it were feasable --thats why i say planning blockage for wind need be binned but that would also need alot of upgrades in the grid inplaces where the wind is 

my plan to have 30 acres of solar panels on the jetty plot was going fine and I had a company who would give me a 25 year  deal on renting the ground --but after checking the grid transformers +power lines it was found it could not take it without upgrading -and no one wanted to pay for it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, scottishjohn said:

and no one wanted to pay for it

I think that is short sited by the gov, i would imagine your jetty to be perfect fir solar and a step towards the future!. A better use of money than £5K grants towards ASHP installs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, scottishjohn said:

not a chance with current planning rules  -even if it were feasable --thats why i say planning blockage for wind need be binned but that would also need alot of upgrades in the grid inplaces where the wind is 

my plan to have 30 acres of solar panels on the jetty plot was going fine and I had a company who would give me a 25 year  deal on renting the ground --but after checking the grid transformers +power lines it was found it could not take it without upgrading -and no one wanted to pay for it

 

Down here they "developed" the Hoo Peninsula a few years ago by first upgrading the road network and considerably so. I presume at the same time upgrading the utilities, water, power etc.

 

Only then did the housing estates come. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

...

Only then did the housing estates come. 

 

Lancashire  County Councillors tell me (informally)  that  '... infrastructure follows development ...'   I asked for policy evidence  of that statement.  None: well, there's the A6 Development Area  (The West of A6 Master Plan 2019).

 

Infrastructure recently built before the the housing? None.   Chickens come before eggs up here ...

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Lancashire  County Councillors tell me (informally)  that  '... infrastructure follows development ...'   I asked for policy evidence  of that statement.  None: well, there's the A6 Development Area  (The West of A6 Master Plan 2019).

 

Infrastructure recently built before the the housing? None.   Chickens come before eggs up here ...

 

 

 

Hoo is a fair distance from me. Where I live in the valley over development is imo putting unnecessary strain on infrastructure & utilities. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

Lancashire  County Councillors tell me (informally)  that  '... infrastructure follows development ...'   I asked for policy evidence  of that statement.  None: well, there's the A6 Development Area  (The West of A6 Master Plan 2019).

 

Infrastructure recently built before the the housing? None.   Chickens come before eggs up here ...

 

 

I spent the first 40 years of my life in Oxfordshire watching all the towns grow with new housing estates (but no self build plots) and watched the steadily increasing traffic on the same roads with no major new roads or rail and everything get slower and slower and more congested.  Finally the penny dropped, it was NEVER going to improve.  Cue time to move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, ProDave said:

I spent the first 40 years of my life in Oxfordshire watching all the towns grow with new housing estates (but no self build plots) and watched the steadily increasing traffic on the same roads with no major new roads or rail and everything get slower and slower and more congested.  Finally the penny dropped, it was NEVER going to improve.  Cue time to move.

Odd that, in 1984 I moved to Buckinghamshire. I watched the roads around London become the M25.

Things vastly improved in 1986 when it was completed.

What used to be a 3 hour journey to Gatwick became an hour and a half.

It is still an hour and a half.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...