R2021 Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Hi all. Pleased to have joined this forum having read several topics on it in recent months. I'm building a three story flat roofed house. The ground floor will be functional, non-habitable space and will be constructed in block work. Due to the site sloping upwards gently, the ground floor will be constructed as a partial basement - the front door is on ground level from the street but the rear door is up half a flight of steps. The ground floor is nearly complete by a local main contractor who was recommended by Potton. The first and second floors will be a timber frame by Potton who is the Self Build division of Kingspan Timber Solutions. I used Pottons for the architectural side of things including designing the entire building, get planning permission and creating the detailed drawings needed for building regulations including the structural engineering and design of the foundations and ground floor retaining walls. Potton don't provide ground works / masonry work, hence using the local main contractor, but they will erect the timber frame (starting Jan 2023). I've also gone with their weather tight package which includes the flat roof and Rationel windows/doors, and their MVHR package, which is by Rega Vent. Once that's done, I will be project managing the fit out myself and maybe taking on some of the work too, which I'm sure this forum will be a great help with. In return, please feel free to ask about my experiences Potton, Rationel, and Rega Vent or anything in general about my experiences project managing the build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twice round the block Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Welcome. Sounds like your quite advanced now. Did they have any problems with the planning and building regulations side of things for the site. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Hi and welcome @R2021 Sounds a good project. I will open the conversation with what air tightness and insulation levels are you aiming for. As you are having MVHR one assumes good? I am a happy user of Rationel 3G aluminium clad doors and windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshine Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 2 hours ago, R2021 said: i'm building a three story flat roofed house. The ground floor will be functional, non-habitable space and will be constructed in block work. Due to the site sloping upwards gently, the ground floor will be constructed as a partial basement - the front door is on ground level from the street but the rear door is up half a flight of steps. sounds a bit similar to mine, its effectively a 2-storey with a partial basement, which has a garage and entrance hall. Is your groundworks contractor doing waterproofing? you will want to make sure who ever is doing the warranty is happy with what the waterproof provision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Welcome @R2021. 3 hours ago, R2021 said: ... The ground floor will be functional, non-habitable space and will be constructed in block work. Due to the site sloping upwards gently, the ground floor will be constructed as ... Our build is on a gentle slope too. I had no idea how valuable a slope is on a house build - from microclimate to foul drainage, making the view from the windows 'better' and an improved potential ability for tucking stuff out-of-sight. And as for having a utility-ground floor : perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 14 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said: Welcome @R2021. Our build is on a gentle slope too. I had no idea how valuable a slope is on a house build - from microclimate to foul drainage, making the view from the windows 'better' and an improved potential ability for tucking stuff out-of-sight. And as for having a utility-ground floor : perfect. And another advantage of a sloping site can be no much away charges. Just use all the excavated soil to build up the lower part of the site to make it a bit less of a slope. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvin Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 (edited) We have a sloping site too. Slopes North to south and east to west. We are simplifying it by minimal cutting and filling to create a level base to build on. Part of me wishes we’d been a bit more brave and gone down the whole cut into the hillside and bury the ground floor in the hill. It would have been spectacular I think but also very dear. Edited December 21, 2022 by Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 28 minutes ago, ProDave said: And another advantage of a sloping site can be no much away charges. Just use all the excavated soil to build up the lower part of the site to make it a bit less of a slope. Forgot that. Saved several hundred quid, I seem to remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2021 Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 7 hours ago, twice round the block said: Welcome. Sounds like your quite advanced now. Did they have any problems with the planning and building regulations side of things for the site. ? A flood risk assessment was needed before the planning application could be submitted and it influenced the ground floor building reg side of things. but getting permission went through relatively smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2021 Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 7 hours ago, ProDave said: Hi and welcome @R2021 Sounds a good project. I will open the conversation with what air tightness and insulation levels are you aiming for. As you are having MVHR one assumes good? I am a happy user of Rationel 3G aluminium clad doors and windows. I went for the Kingspan Ultima 13, which should give a U value of 0.14. The ground floor, being a masonry construction with internal PIR is looking to U value of 0.3 with 50mm PIR. The as designed SAP (by Potton) suggests 3 air changes per hour. I'm planning though to coat the ground floor masonry in liquid DPM and throw extra air tightness tape anywhere that might need it to acheive the best values I can. Glad to hear your happy with the Rationel Alu-clad windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2021 Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 5 hours ago, Moonshine said: sounds a bit similar to mine, its effectively a 2-storey with a partial basement, which has a garage and entrance hall. Is your groundworks contractor doing waterproofing? you will want to make sure who ever is doing the warranty is happy with what the waterproof provision Yes Pottons appointed structural engineer came up with the water proofing solution. which was to fill the masonry cavity with water proof concrete (although this means I need internal insulation so will lose some room space) and paint the outside of the walls with two coats of liquid DPM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2021 Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 4 hours ago, Kelvin said: We have a sloping site too. Slopes North to south and east to west. We are simplifying it by minimal cutting and filling to create a level base to build on. Part of me wishes we’d been a bit more brave and gone down the whole cut into the hillside and bury the ground floor in the hill. It would have been spectacular I think but also very dear. That's what I had to do to get the levels right. And yes it was expensive with more muck away than I had originally been quoted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvin Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Fortunately I have the space (1.4 acres) to lose everything so not expecting any muck away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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