Hi - newbie self builder

[vk108]

Hi Every One,

We are in the process of our first self build project and currently looking for an architect. We are planning, a 2 storey, 4 bedroom, timber frame house of around 150 sqm. Just creating myself some sample plans to play around with. We are planning to project manage our selves once shell is completed with weather and water tight. We don't want to spend too much and Just wanted a energy efficient house to live in for my family by sticking to a tight budget. Could you please provide us any tips, advice on timber frames, windows, things to avoid, design ideas

 

Please feel free to provide honest feedback (good and bad) so I can avoid costly mistakes during build stage

[MikeSharp01]

Welcome to THE forum for self builders. Plans look like a great starting point but if you are appointing an architect you don't want to tie them down too much although you can insist on things like Timber frame, triple glazed windows, not too much glazing facing south and even less facing north if you are going passive. We were very clear with our architect about such things and they went away and started feeding back ideas which I then checked against the passive house criteria and eventually we ended up with a design. In choosing your rchitect you need to be clear about the budget while remembering that, in the main architects don't do money, and make sure you meet more than 1 so you can be sure you will 'get on'.

[ToughButterCup]

Hello,  welcome.

Do you have Outline Planning Permission yet? I ask because of horses and carts.....?

[Redoctober]

Hi and welcome to the forum. It is certainly the place to be - We too went down a TF route and have project managed from thereafter. Some TF companies offer plan drawing options so it might be worthwhile looking into that - Fleming Homes are just one - 

As for your plans I would make the following observations -

The front door looks odd being off centre - I appreciate why you have done this, to accommodate the stairs but from an external view it might be niggling.

The Boot room, utility and upstairs DHW room appear a touch tight - are you planing on having a cylinder? If so where is that going. I'm not sure there would be sufficient room on the spaces mentioned if indeed it was going to go in one of them.

A Snug and Lounge appear to be an extravagance and perhaps a large all en-compassing utility room / boot room /plant room and cloakroom could be accommodated.

We have a 165 sq metre house, albeit 3 bedrooms but conscious of costs etc,. we built / building a fairly rectangle house - see my blog for details. It might help. 

 

https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/blogs/entry/127-base-camp-finally/

 

Good luck.

[vk108]

Hello,  welcome.

Do you have Outline Planning Permission yet? I ask because of horses and carts.....?

 

Yes, It has got Outline planning

[ProDave]

Hi and welcome

 

A few comments meant to be constructive.

 

Bathroom / en-suite won't work like that with shower next to bath, or it will work with a boxed in awkward to use bath.

 

Plant an utility FAR too small. Snug lounge far too snug.  Make the kitchen end of the familly room smaller to give more room for snug utility etc.  A snug is essential. Once you have tried watching tv in the "family room" of an evening, competing with the noise of the fridge and dishwasher, you will be craving a quiet haven away from that.  Anyone that s happy with just a family room must be a LOT more tolerant of noise than me.

 

If space is tight, consider downstairs WC and utility all in one room.  It may seem an odd concept at first but it is what we are dong.

 

Address the offset front door, or if not possible forget the porch over it that emphasises the fact it is offset.

[le-cerveau]

Agree with @ProDave bathrooms won't work like that.

 

Consider putting the kitchen at the West side to keep all the plumbing in the same location, reduce length of hot water runs.

 

Storage, where is the general junk storage (do you have attic space)?

 

The windows, long gives you more light (summer overheating), but robs you of usable wall space, especially in bedrooms where a chest of drawers/desk fits neatly under a window.

 

Airing cupboard/hot press, nowhere enough space in with DHW tank/SunAmp.

 

Does the Master en-suite need a bath (mine does but I have 5 1/2 bath rooms).

 

You may have fire regs problems with  kitchen open to stairs.

 

Front porch, enclose to isolate the whole house from the elements in winter with the front door open, also hides offset door then.

 

Not sure how the stairs will work.

[vk108]

On 22/10/2018 at 17:03, ProDave said:

Hi and welcome

 

A few comments meant to be constructive.

 

Bathroom / en-suite won't work like that with shower next to bath, or it will work with a boxed in awkward to use bath.

 

Plant an utility FAR too small. Snug lounge far too snug.  Make the kitchen end of the familly room smaller to give more room for snug utility etc.  A snug is essential. Once you have tried watching tv in the "family room" of an evening, competing with the noise of the fridge and dishwasher, you will be craving a quiet haven away from that.  Anyone that s happy with just a family room must be a LOT more tolerant of noise than me.

 

If space is tight, consider downstairs WC and utility all in one room.  It may seem an odd concept at first but it is what we are dong.

 

Address the offset front door, or if not possible forget the porch over it that emphasises the fact it is offset.

 

[vk108]

Hi All, Thanks for your valuable comments. I will leave technical details to Architect. I am just looking for a functional point of view that meets my brief and requirements with a modest budget.

 

with regards to storage, I am planning to have storage on attic space

 

Please let me know if this layout has got any problems

 

 

Edited November 6, 2018 by vk108

[Ferdinand]

My comments.

 

1 - Echoing @recoveringacademic, the main thing that could mislead you here is that you are looking at detailed things, before the more contextual questions about orientation on the plot, responding to nearby features, direction of sun etc have been considered. On this thread we cannot comment on the more fundamental things as eg we do not know which way is South.

 

2 - If you brief your architect with too much detail, then you stifle their possibly brilliant suggestions that you have not thought of. Give them space, and use what you have learnt on this thread as knowledge to resource the questions you ask about details and practicalities. See what happens if you keep your brief down to one page.

 

3 - I would deal with the offset door vs offset porch thing by adjusting the relative sizes of the two front rooms ie study vs lounge, and the ancillary rooms around them, so in effect it is your hallway and staircase which are offset internally, not the porch and front door. Though there's nothing wrong with an offset porch - it just means that 4 year olds will not get drawings of your house quite right.

 

4 - I think the downstairs loo needs to be off a communal area not a study or bedroom, though there could be an argument for 2 doors. I think a shower would be good in there for frail visitors or guests.

 

Two things worth reading that are examples of the optimisation process:

 

This thread

 

This blog (all of it) - a well done, modest project

Ferdinand

[the_r_sole]

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Edited September 26, 2019 by the_r_sole