What's the biggest thing you'd differently if building again?

[miike]

Getting towards the end of my build and I've been reflecting on what I would have done differently if I started again. 

 

For me, the biggest obstacle during building was the weather. The rain was incessant - there was barely a full day without at least some rain. This caused big delays as the constant stopping of brickwork caused knock-on effects of other scheduled work. As an example, we had a window production slot booked but they wanted the 'as-built' measurements of the openings, but the brickwork couldn't be finished in time so we missed the slot and got put to the back of the queue. I would say an extra 6 months got added onto the build because of the weather. 

 

If I was building again, the number 1 thing I'd do differently is fork out for the cost of a temporary scaffolding roof right at the start. I didn't even consider it originally due to the cost (c£15k) but if it could have allowed us to ignore the rain then it would have paid for itself several times over. 

 

I'm curious what others would do differently after they've got the experience of their first house build under them? 

[Pocster]

For me I would have ( seriously ) gone another level underground. Oh ; I can imagine planning shitting even more bricks at that .

Maybe a bit more care on things ; like , um , let me think 🤔…. Walk on glazing . There said it !

Probably should have consumed more wine and steak .

[miike]

24 minutes ago, Pocster said:

For me I would have ( seriously ) gone another level underground. Oh ; I can imagine planning shitting even more bricks at that .

Maybe a bit more care on things ; like , um , let me think 🤔…. Walk on glazing . There said it !

Probably should have consumed more wine and steak .

 

I feel like going underground is always easier with planning as no one can see it, so people care a lot less. 

 

I recently had a look at walk on glazing as there's a few areas I thought it would work really well - I then looked at the pricing and decided actually I could do without! 

[Pocster]

Just now, miike said:

 

I feel like going underground is always easier with planning as no one can see it, so people care a lot less. 

 

I recently had a look at walk on glazing as there's a few areas I thought it would work really well - I then looked at the pricing and decided actually I could do without! 

Yeah I went underground for a variety of reasons. Indeed I then increased the space underground ; as you say - difficult to object to something you can't see.

 

Walk on glazing is MUCH more expensive now. I would say the price has quadrupled since 10 yrs ago. I do know a company that seem pretty price competitive on this though. Used them a few times for those bits of glazing I 'missed'. PM me if you want their details.

[Conor]

Build a smaller house. 315m2 gross (250m2 habitable space) is too big for a family of 4. 

I'm currently working from home in one of our basement rooms.... 50m2 with a desk and some shelves 🙄

[Kelvin]

We’re happy enough with the finished house. It’s the right size for two of us. I should have put more thought into cooling the house than I did but it’s mostly addressable. 
 

Where I missed an opportunity was despite getting planning for the detached garage to be built like the house with an open plan living space above it we elected not to do it and built a metal garage with the same dimensions. 
 

Part of me also wonders what if we’d gone into the side of the hill instead as my wife’s architect father was keen for us to do. Next time. 

[twice round the block]

Go smaller / sub divide

 

Did I really need to convert most of the barns and end up with 7 large bedrooms all with ensuite bathrooms, and a lounge that measured 44ft x 22ft and 14ft high.

There we're only 3 of us rattling around in it.

 

Should have gone for smaller units and a recording studio in the lounge area

[Jilly]

Rather than converting the building, I probably should have applied to demolish and build something better, but the planning process was so painful, with all the conflicting advice I was given, I couldn’t face it: I wanted to see my money turn into something.
I found it all very stressful, I’m not sure if it would/will be if I ever do it again but hopefully it would/will be easier with the benefit of experience. 

[Tony L]

I'm only a few weeks in to my build, but it would have been far better to start digging during the first week in August, rather than the first week in October.  It rained for the whole of September.

 

[nod]

Not much for us this time round 

But I slipped up badly with the plant room While we fitted everything in It was far to small We’ve doubled the size this time and it’s jus about adequate 

Garage also We’ve used attic trusses this time Probably the cost last time But we should still have done it 

I’m sure there’s more 

[Omnibuswoman]

I would have checked the window cil heights and window sizes more carefully. There are several where I can’t easily reach the handle to open them as they are set too high in the wall. 

I would also have spent more time on site making sure the workers felt accountable. Looking back, they took the piss quite a bit (late starts and early finishes most days), and as neither I nor the building company owner/site manager were on site much this behaviour continued for too long. I’m now resentful of all of the things they didn’t do which there was plenty of time for them to have done, that I’m having to do myself. 

[Kelvin]

1 hour ago, Omnibuswoman said:

I would have checked the window cil heights and window sizes more carefully. There are several where I can’t easily reach the handle to open them as they are set too high in the wall. 

 

Our previous house was a barn conversion. Huge thing with the lowest ceiling at 3m. The conservation officer absolutely insisted that the windows could only go where the holes in the walls were. Consequently most of the window cills, other than the living room, were all above head height 😂 The windows were enormous and gave you a good view of the sky. I bought my wife a step up ladder (as a joke)  for her birthday so she could see out of them. 😂 I also fitted a camera on the external south elevation attached to a screen in the kitchen so we could see out into the paddock to keep an eye on our really old horses and chickens! 

[LSB]

Like @Jilly I would have pushed more for knock down and rebuild, all this bloody underpinning and rebar etc. etc. is getting me down.

 

I totted up the other day and so far I've spent  circa 30k on 'preliminaries', I could have got a good consultant and better architect for that and pushed for rebuild for that money.

Instead we've paid out multiple times to 'fix' issues which have needed SE / planning / architect multiple times.

 

And I don't think it's over yet.

 

 

[Omnibuswoman]

The value of this thread is a legacy for future buildhubbers. I relied on previous such threads, and as a result we now have heating mats going under the bathroom tiles for nice cosy toes in the mornings, which was not in our original plan. 

[Super_Paulie]

Would have 100% been more demanding to the builder to do what I had on the plans. I ended up with a lot missed off, things slightly out of place that had massive knock-ons, and just generally it was a bit shit. At the end of the day I was paying them to do a job, and it went on for that long I just wanted them gone but it's cost me months (years?) to work around the issues I was left with or rectify them.

[Pocster]

20 hours ago, twice round the block said:

recording studio in the lounge area

Aka sex dungeon 

[Iceverge]

UFH mats just under the bathrooms tiles/lino for a quick boost to toe temperature. 

 

Probably TF it. Timber is much nicer than concrete to work with. 

 

Avoid the design temptation to keep making everything bigger. 186m², 150m² would have been fine. 

 

PM it myself the next time with the knowledge of hindsight. 

 

 

[Crofter]

I don't think I'd bother with a wood burner next time. 

I'm also not convinced that the extra cost of aluclad timber windows was really worth it. They look pretty nice but they've not been trouble free. The uPVC I fitted to the other house have been much easier to work and live with, and a third of the cost.

[Great_scot_selfbuild]

On 29/10/2024 at 18:44, nod said:

Not much for us this time round 

But I slipped up badly with the plant room While we fitted everything in It was far to small We’ve doubled the size this time and it’s jus about adequate 

Garage also We’ve used attic trusses this time Probably the cost last time But we should still have done it 

I’m sure there’s more 

I'm just about to start sizing up the plant room space and trying to keep it as small as practicable - would you mind sharing any details of yours? (please DM if not wishing to share too much publicly). Many thanks, Dave

[ToughButterCup]

On 29/10/2024 at 15:16, Pocster said:

Yeah I went underground for a variety of reasons. ...

 

Very trendy in Germany. 😑

[Mr Blobby]

Moved the house 5 metres back.  We have a massive garden now, way too big, but hardly any turning circle at the front onto a main road.  I was so focused on the interesting stuff that I overlooked the basics 🙄

 

I would have said no to full height windows.  Terrible to get the thresholds thermally broken, leak lots of heat in winter, too much solar gain in summer, and don't increase light much.  But architects love big windows.  Be warned!

 

No bay window type rooms poking out. Nightmare.

 

I would have thought about room sizes and solar panels earlier.  I thought I did but we should have made  the rear return wider to accommodate more south facing panels.  

 

If doing it again I would do things simpler.  

Edited Wednesday at 21:57 by Mr Blobby

[ProDave]

Similar to above, I wish I had moved the house about 3 metres to the east.  Initially we positioned the house to leave enough land to the side to accommodate an on site drainage field.  During building warrant that became impossible and we eventually got permission for discharge to the burn instead.

 

At that point we did not need such a large side garden so I would have loved to move the house over which would have given more parking on the other side, but that would have meant going back and re submitting planning and starting building warrant again which would have been delay and extra cost, so we left it as it was.

[Iceverge]

3 hours ago, Crofter said:

The uPVC I fitted to the other house have been much easier to work and live with, and a third of the cost.

 

Every single time. They're like quartz watches. Superior products but people don't like them because they're cheaper.

 

1 hour ago, Mr Blobby said:

would have said no to full height windows.  Terrible to get the thresholds thermally broken, leak lots of heat in winter, too much solar gain in summer, and don't increase light much

 

Agreed. Would do the same with our sliders and make them 500mm high window sill tilt and turn instead. They'd cost about 1/3 as much. 

[SimonD]

Should have done a smaller project first!

 

On 29/10/2024 at 17:24, Jilly said:

Rather than converting the building, I probably should have applied to demolish and build something better, but the planning process was so painful, with all the conflicting advice I was given, I couldn’t face it: I wanted to see my money turn into something.

 

This too.

On 29/10/2024 at 15:16, Pocster said:

underground

 

That would have been ideal for where we are.

 

I would also have appreciated finding BH a bit earlier, as that could have saved me a whole load of headaches. It didn't find this place until I was ordering my windows!

 

[Russdl]

On 29/10/2024 at 14:25, miike said:

I'm curious what others would do differently

No zinc roof.
 

The pigeons are making a right mess of it, it’s black so probably nice and cosy for them but the rain doesn’t wash their output off very well. 

Edited Thursday at 00:07 by Russdl