The house building project has started
Discussion
A bit of back ground first,
About 3 years ago decided to escape from the rat race and move to the coast. Purchased a beach side cottage built in 1720 standing in 5 acres of grass land.
We completed in September and the day after we moved in I had a heart attack and have been very ill so we have just lived in the cottage as it `is`. I`ve done a bit of work out side and fenced in 2 proper paddocks and a field shelter for the horses and done up a 1 bed cottage thats atached to the property and made it into a self contained unit with kitchen, bathroom and a sitting room.
The cotttage currently consists of down stairs a sitting room 14x14 foot and dinning room 14x14 foot a utillity 14x6 and a stair case/hall 14x5. The kitchen and conservatory are going to be knocked down. Upstairs there is 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. The cottage has low ceilings and loads of old beams and brick work. The cottage has never been properly done up since it was built but the second family to own it exstended it 1870 and the 3rd owner tarted it up in the 90`s.
We have 2 ideas, number 1 knock the lot down and start again. We would then start with a blank canvas but I think all we would end up with is another new house. So far in the plot owes me £345k and it would make it a very costly building plot.
Idea number 2 is to build a big oak framed extenshion , gut the original cottage and put an oak frame inside to match the new build and join the 2 together with a modern glass and s/steel double storey hall.
We have now found a desighner and the first survey has been done and he will be coming up with some ideas in the next week or so. The spec with have given him is as follows, 4 beds 4 bathrooms, sitting room, dinning room, large kitchen , office, gallery type hall, 10 mtr x 5 mtr indoor swimming pool , gym, changing room, plant room. Out side, landscaped gardens surronding the whole plot in a screen of trees with 2 paddocks and a stable , a 2 acre fishing lake and garaging for 4 cars with a hobbies/den room above.
I havent set a budget, we are looking for quality rather than price and will be purchasing alot of the materials from India/china . The house has to be worth at least what it costs me when its done.
I will walk round tommorow with a camera and take some pics, has any body got any advise or do`s and dont`s ?
About 3 years ago decided to escape from the rat race and move to the coast. Purchased a beach side cottage built in 1720 standing in 5 acres of grass land.
We completed in September and the day after we moved in I had a heart attack and have been very ill so we have just lived in the cottage as it `is`. I`ve done a bit of work out side and fenced in 2 proper paddocks and a field shelter for the horses and done up a 1 bed cottage thats atached to the property and made it into a self contained unit with kitchen, bathroom and a sitting room.
The cotttage currently consists of down stairs a sitting room 14x14 foot and dinning room 14x14 foot a utillity 14x6 and a stair case/hall 14x5. The kitchen and conservatory are going to be knocked down. Upstairs there is 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. The cottage has low ceilings and loads of old beams and brick work. The cottage has never been properly done up since it was built but the second family to own it exstended it 1870 and the 3rd owner tarted it up in the 90`s.
We have 2 ideas, number 1 knock the lot down and start again. We would then start with a blank canvas but I think all we would end up with is another new house. So far in the plot owes me £345k and it would make it a very costly building plot.
Idea number 2 is to build a big oak framed extenshion , gut the original cottage and put an oak frame inside to match the new build and join the 2 together with a modern glass and s/steel double storey hall.
We have now found a desighner and the first survey has been done and he will be coming up with some ideas in the next week or so. The spec with have given him is as follows, 4 beds 4 bathrooms, sitting room, dinning room, large kitchen , office, gallery type hall, 10 mtr x 5 mtr indoor swimming pool , gym, changing room, plant room. Out side, landscaped gardens surronding the whole plot in a screen of trees with 2 paddocks and a stable , a 2 acre fishing lake and garaging for 4 cars with a hobbies/den room above.
I havent set a budget, we are looking for quality rather than price and will be purchasing alot of the materials from India/china . The house has to be worth at least what it costs me when its done.
I will walk round tommorow with a camera and take some pics, has any body got any advise or do`s and dont`s ?
ACEparts_com said:
Knock down and start again as this will probably work out much cheaper and easier. A friend is just nearing completion of an extension of about 1500sq ft on the side of a 500 sq ft cottage. The cottage ate up a big chunk of the budget.
Yeah that's what I'd do (sayint that it's not my money). You will need to factor in the costs for living elsewhere during the building work/buying a static mobile home. What about a Hoff (sp?) house?
Recommend you talk to Plotloss (or someone similar) at an early stage about your AV requirements. I think you should install a lot of CAT5/6!
Simpo Two said:
I knew it was wrong when I wrote it but it was along the right lines 
pmanson said:
ACEparts_com said:
Knock down and start again as this will probably work out much cheaper and easier. A friend is just nearing completion of an extension of about 1500sq ft on the side of a 500 sq ft cottage. The cottage ate up a big chunk of the budget.
Yeah that's what I'd do (sayint that it's not my money). You will need to factor in the costs for living elsewhere during the building work/buying a static mobile home. What about a Hoff (sp?) house?
Recommend you talk to Plotloss (or someone similar) at an early stage about your AV requirements. I think you should install a lot of CAT5/6!
You'd also get vat back if you do a new build - worth checking with the tax people to see exactly what constitutes a new build for vat reclaim purposes.
Edited by andy43 on Friday 30th October 13:58
marc.l said:
I havent set a budget, we are looking for quality rather than price and will be purchasing alot of the materials from India/china .
All that embodied energy...Have you no conscience 
What are the materials you will be looking to get from there? Can you definitely not get them in this country?
My first thought was, is the house listed? It's fairly old, maybe it is?
As has been said, would be a bit of a shame to knock it down, it sounds pretty nice.
I'd vote for option number two, but it will be quite costly. I don't think you'd necessarily have to put the oak frame up in the existing cottage. You could make the two areas work.
pmanson said:
Simpo Two said:
I knew it was wrong when I wrote it but it was along the right lines I would pull the cottage down and get an architect involved right from the start. For a cost of a Huf you could have a spectacular design.
Having just built my own, I'd be careful with a dodgy ticker, it's a very stressful place to be!
But for your info, I recommend this guy (who supplied mine) http://www.prologbuildings.co.uk/
But for your info, I recommend this guy (who supplied mine) http://www.prologbuildings.co.uk/
Hi,
few comments to prevent further health worries ;-)
New build is free of VAT. alterations and extensions are chargeable at prevailing rate and is not recoverable.
If the cottage has no protection, especially listed status, then knocking it over would be the preferred option, given your space aspirations.
Be careful, you need to approach the planning authority and demonstrate the building you are replacing the cottage with is an improvement over the existing. You can expect to increase the area of the existing by 50% ish in the new build, depending on the status of the plot in which is sits.
My advice is to avoid the prepackaged solutions Huffhouse and similar.
There are so many pitfalls and problems you will face that can potentially ruin the experience, You mention you have employed a designer. If they are not a qualified architect, I suggest you consider very seriously employing one.
Good luck with it, I am a Chartered Architect and have recently completed my own self build, I specialise in residential design and despite all this, it still amazes me how things insist on going wrong!!
cheers
Dan
few comments to prevent further health worries ;-)
New build is free of VAT. alterations and extensions are chargeable at prevailing rate and is not recoverable.
If the cottage has no protection, especially listed status, then knocking it over would be the preferred option, given your space aspirations.
Be careful, you need to approach the planning authority and demonstrate the building you are replacing the cottage with is an improvement over the existing. You can expect to increase the area of the existing by 50% ish in the new build, depending on the status of the plot in which is sits.
My advice is to avoid the prepackaged solutions Huffhouse and similar.
There are so many pitfalls and problems you will face that can potentially ruin the experience, You mention you have employed a designer. If they are not a qualified architect, I suggest you consider very seriously employing one.
Good luck with it, I am a Chartered Architect and have recently completed my own self build, I specialise in residential design and despite all this, it still amazes me how things insist on going wrong!!
cheers
Dan
Thanks for all the tips so far, I have made the following decishions so far. I`m going to keep the original cottage and exstend with a mixture of modern and traditional designs. Its going to be as green as possible, going for a wind turbine and heat recovery pumps and also a grain or straw fueld boiler.
Design wise we have a on site meeting with the architect/designer on monday who has drawn up 3 ideas for us to pick over.
Health wise I tend to be ok as long as I`m not stressed. It takes alot to get me stressed these days , In fact im that laid back im almost horizontal.
It should be a nice little project to keep me from going mad with boredom...
Design wise we have a on site meeting with the architect/designer on monday who has drawn up 3 ideas for us to pick over.
Health wise I tend to be ok as long as I`m not stressed. It takes alot to get me stressed these days , In fact im that laid back im almost horizontal.
It should be a nice little project to keep me from going mad with boredom...
What's the budget? I know you kind of suggested you don't have one but you've also said that the plot, should you knock the house down would owe you £345K so you've obviously got some kind of financial boundries?
It does sound expensive - all this talk of green and keeping the original house!
Also, how green are products once they've been shipped from India as opposed to up the road?
Best of luck though!
It does sound expensive - all this talk of green and keeping the original house!
Also, how green are products once they've been shipped from India as opposed to up the road?
Best of luck though!
marc.l said:
Thanks for all the tips so far, I have made the following decishions so far. I`m going to keep the original cottage and exstend with a mixture of modern and traditional designs. Its going to be as green as possible, going for a wind turbine and heat recovery pumps and also a grain or straw fueld boiler.
Design wise we have a on site meeting with the architect/designer on monday who has drawn up 3 ideas for us to pick over.
Health wise I tend to be ok as long as I`m not stressed. It takes alot to get me stressed these days , In fact im that laid back im almost horizontal.
It should be a nice little project to keep me from going mad with boredom...
Just a very quick response:Design wise we have a on site meeting with the architect/designer on monday who has drawn up 3 ideas for us to pick over.
Health wise I tend to be ok as long as I`m not stressed. It takes alot to get me stressed these days , In fact im that laid back im almost horizontal.
It should be a nice little project to keep me from going mad with boredom...
1. Wind turbines are only cost effective in genuinely windy sites, and if they're big (ie. at least 6Kw, 15 metre tower, not a roof mounted job).
2. Biomass boilers take up a lot of room and cost a lot. They also tend to produce far too much heat for an average house. If you have a house that is suitable, a centrally placed log burning stove can be just as effective and costs a whole lot less to install, maintain and run.
3. Why not solar thermal - choose the right supplier and you can get a very cost effective system that delivers the goods.
4. Heat recovery pumps are great if your only source of power is electricity. If you're on mains gas or heating with biomass, they're not as cost effective.
5. The first trick is insulating. No point in spending thousands on high tech stuff if all that wonderful heat is leaking out through your walls. Insulation is cheap and if your architect designs it right, very effective.
Thanks for all the tips, the first lot of drawings are in and it looks like we will be going for a mix of the 3 ideas but in out line, Keep old cottage,and knock down later single story exstenshions, oak framed house with a double story open hall joining the new and old bit together, stainless and glass front to the whole front down stairs of the house that all folds back to leave the whole of the down stairs open so the hall , court yard, kichen and family room can become almost `out side` in the summer. In total around 1000 sq mtrs all but using all the latest energy saving stuff. I will scan the designs and any help is much needed.......
marc.l said:
In total around 1000 sq mtrs all but using all the latest energy saving stuff. I will scan the designs and any help is much needed.......
Love to see the designs. You don't need mad technology to save energy, just good insulation and airtightness. If you've got big glass, I trust your architect has done the calculations for performance in winter and summer overheating?1000sqm is big - your average 4 bed new build these days is 200sqm, so you're aiming for something five times the size. Have you got any hints from the planners as to whether that's going to be acceptable? Around here, you wouldn't have a chance unless the existing building was a similar size.
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