New-build timber frame in East Suffolk

[Alan Ambrose]

Hi,

 

I've been lurking for a while here as I didn't want to jinx my purchase, but now we've exchanged on a plot. Completion is sometime in Dec or Jan.

 

First off, the content here on BuildHub is fantastic and full of information. I've learnt a lot already, thanks for all the effort describing and debating everything.

 

The plot is 0.3 acre of pasture in a hamlet in East Suffolk. It has planning already, but I'm applying for a change in design to a more traditional 'Suffolk barn' style - think single-storey rectangular barn, lowish pitch roof with pantiles, black horizontal cladding. The plan is to use an oak frame structure, reinforced concrete slab/basement, probably block and beam floor, passive house-standard insulation.

 

Next steps are to try and agree the design with the planning authority (they've already raised a few points) and get a soil investigation for foundations and basement structural design. The soil is apparently 'Soilscape 18 - Slowly permeable seasonally wet slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soils'. BGS seems to think Lowestoft Formation Diamicton over Crag Group Sand.

 

Alan

[nod]

1 hour ago, Alan Ambrose said:

Hi,

 

I've been lurking for a while here as I didn't want to jinx my purchase, but now we've exchanged on a plot. Completion is sometime in Dec or Jan.

 

First off, the content here on BuildHub is fantastic and full of information. I've learnt a lot already, thanks for all the effort describing and debating everything.

 

The plot is 0.3 acre of pasture in a hamlet in East Suffolk. It has planning already, but I'm applying for a change in design to a more traditional 'Suffolk barn' style - think single-storey rectangular barn, lowish pitch roof with pantiles, black horizontal cladding. The plan is to use an oak frame structure, reinforced concrete slab/basement, probably block and beam floor, passive house-standard insulation.

 

Next steps are to try and agree the design with the planning authority (they've already raised a few points) and get a soil investigation for foundations and basement structural design. The soil is apparently 'Soilscape 18 - Slowly permeable seasonally wet slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soils'. BGS seems to think Lowestoft Formation Diamicton over Crag Group Sand.

 

Alan

It’s sounds an exciting project 

I wouldn’t worry to much about planners asking for soil samples 

If you were on bedrock They would still ask for soil samples 

I’m sure they just use tick boxes 

They asked us to have our plots agricultural graded 

[Alan Ambrose]

Well half-pints all round....

 

We completed on the plot yesterday.

 

That only took a year and about 100 hours of my time.

[Thorfun]

congratulations!

[Alan Ambrose]

And ... we just submitted two alternative designs to the LPA ... 14 months from our initial offer on the plot and counting.

[Phil Sacre]

Hi Alan.

 

The soil investigation is your eyes into the ground before you commit to digging it out. If there was a problem that you couldn't afford to overcome, the soil investigation reduces your risk considerably.

 

Beam and block over a basement is never the best idea because the beam and block sits on the retaining wall and that means that during a storm water will find its way under your beams and trickle down the inside of your basement walls.

In addition, BS8102:2022 (basement waterproofing) requires you to keep water out and requires you to have one form of waterproofing from the base of your floor slab to at least 150mm above outside ground level or DPC.

 

Much simpler to build with waterproof concrete and to narrow your retaining wall just beneath outside ground level to create an outside ledge for brickwork and continue that upstand up as if it was your first concrete block. Engineered timber joists fixed against that upstand get over all the waterproofing issues.

 

Phil

[Alan Ambrose]

Thanks Phil,

 

Interesting re B&B and basements - to be honest, we've just done the 'look and feel' so far for the planning application together with the overall oak frame sketch, and I've yet to get into the detailed build stack-up. I'll look into that.

 

Alan