If you were to build (/have built) your perfect home...
Discussion
Tuna said:
We've already had Christmas dinner in it - 14 people, and a full three course meal. Bare plaster walls, no carpets or curtains, and if anyone needed the toilet, they had to go outside and use the one in the caravan! Since then, we've had to get back to finish it off. Looking forward to sitting still for a bit.
Excellent!!! I can imagine - it is incredibly tiring, both physically and mentally - I would often wake up at 3 a.m. with all the project planning whizzing around inside my head!Jonny671 said:
Thats stunning! Thanks for the pictures.
Good idea with the TV! And love that staircase.
Is that a garage on the right of the drive?
Many thanks!Good idea with the TV! And love that staircase.
Is that a garage on the right of the drive?
It is indeed - this was built first, so became a very useful (lockable) storage area and also somewhere dry for everyone to sit and drink coffee / eat their 'pieces' at lunchtime. If we ever do another build (and I'd love to at some point in the future) we'd do the same again!
About 8 x 7.5m so big enough to squeeze in a couple of toys!
Pothole said:
SwanJack said:
I like the idea of these http://www.huf-haus.com/gb/intro.html not sure on the day to day practicalities though.
I love these...was one of my favourite episodes of Grand Designs when they built one. The building team were mustard!Edited by SwanJack on Thursday 25th February 15:03
Certainly very open/different.
Streetrod said:
SwanJack said:
I like the idea of these http://www.huf-haus.com/gb/intro.html not sure on the day to day practicalities though.
When I started my self build project I was going to build a Huf-Haus and we got as far as confirming our design, but we ending up pulling out because the cost was getting silly and more and more were being built. They are a great concept and the technology is very good and easy to live with.Edited by SwanJack on Thursday 25th February 15:03
But we have now decided to go for a completely custom design. We have a three ache plot in Caterham on the Hill in Surrey and are currently thrashing out the details with the planners.
The basic spec is this:
Main house area 5400 sq ft
Garage and workshop 3500 sq ft
5 bedrooms each with an en-suite and balcony
1 bathroom downstairs
3 reception rooms
2 offices
1 boot room
Kitchen dinner
Sub terrainan cinema and play room
Plant room
Utility room
Inside/outside pool
The house will look a little like this and take its inspiration from aircraft design
Yes the house is going to be contempory but we have spent a great deal of time making sure it feels like a warm family home
Having seen pictures of your kitchen, I'm sure what ever you build will be fantastic.
Streetrod said:
When I started my self build project I was going to build a Huf-Haus and we got as far as confirming our design, but we ending up pulling out because the cost was getting silly and more and more were being built. They are a great concept and the technology is very good and easy to live with.
If you think the cost was getting silly for a Huf-Haus, wait till you tot up the bill for your custom design.Tuna said:
Streetrod said:
When I started my self build project I was going to build a Huf-Haus and we got as far as confirming our design, but we ending up pulling out because the cost was getting silly and more and more were being built. They are a great concept and the technology is very good and easy to live with.
If you think the cost was getting silly for a Huf-Haus, wait till you tot up the bill for your custom design.dugt said:
Streetrod said:
SwanJack said:
I like the idea of these http://www.huf-haus.com/gb/intro.html not sure on the day to day practicalities though.
When I started my self build project I was going to build a Huf-Haus and we got as far as confirming our design, but we ending up pulling out because the cost was getting silly and more and more were being built. They are a great concept and the technology is very good and easy to live with.Edited by SwanJack on Thursday 25th February 15:03
But we have now decided to go for a completely custom design. We have a three ache plot in Caterham on the Hill in Surrey and are currently thrashing out the details with the planners.
The basic spec is this:
Main house area 5400 sq ft
Garage and workshop 3500 sq ft
5 bedrooms each with an en-suite and balcony
1 bathroom downstairs
3 reception rooms
2 offices
1 boot room
Kitchen dinner
Sub terrainan cinema and play room
Plant room
Utility room
Inside/outside pool
The house will look a little like this and take its inspiration from aircraft design
Yes the house is going to be contempory but we have spent a great deal of time making sure it feels like a warm family home
Having seen pictures of your kitchen, I'm sure what ever you build will be fantastic.
What I can say is that the houses main feature is its unique floating roof. We have taken inspiration from the art deco movement and speed record aircraft from the 30's. The roof will have an aerofoil profile and will feature exposed aluminium spars
.The other main feature will be that that the house will appear to float on water. If any of you have been to the RHS gardens at Wisley in Surrey you will have seen the amazing glasshouse. See a pic below, sorry but I could not find a better one:
We have stolen this idea for our house. The house will sit in the middle of a very shallow pond which is about 4 - 6 inches deep which will surround it on three sides like a moat. The theory is that the pond will be lined with black tiles so that it will look like a huge mirror. The pond will also feed into the heating system as it will act like a huge heat sink. The house will also be under lit so it will appear to float like a UFO at night. It should in theory be very theatrical
Edited by Streetrod on Tuesday 2nd March 11:20
Edited by Streetrod on Tuesday 2nd March 19:28
Tuna said:
Streetrod said:
When I started my self build project I was going to build a Huf-Haus and we got as far as confirming our design, but we ending up pulling out because the cost was getting silly and more and more were being built. They are a great concept and the technology is very good and easy to live with.
If you think the cost was getting silly for a Huf-Haus, wait till you tot up the bill for your custom design.Streetrod said:
Hey Tuna , I hear you. But hear is the thing. For the cost of the Huf-Hause we were going to build I am going to get a totally unique house. Our design does look radical but it will be built in a resonably conventional way. Yes will will be using all the latest high tech building materials but we are not being experimental as we have to bring it in on budget.
The two things that killed us were specialised items needed for detailing, and labour. When you specify something like a funky airfoil roof, you can get the quotes that make it as an element seem quite cost effective. The problem is that it will likely take longer than you planned to get in place and fully watertight, may involve building delays whilst custom components are prepared (delay = cost), and almost certainly will leave you with a host of little "how do we join this to that" problems around the edges as you integrate it with the rest of your home. The big elements can be surprisingly cheap - then you find yourself paying hundreds of pounds for a small bracket (and you need a dozen of them), and the costs mount up.We experienced the same with our place - SIPs is a long way from being experimental, but inevitably there are bits where people start scratching their heads and saying "I've never seen that done before". We've not gone so far over budget, but I would say that running over budget on your own house is inevitable. The more unconventional, the bigger the overrun.
The best we heard, when following up references was from one (rather marvellous) woman, who couldn't praise her architect enough, going on to say "OK, so the house did run over three times over budget, but these things happen".
I wouldn't want to sound too negative - if you've got a team of people who've built this kind of thing before, and have a 'can do' approach, it's not going to be a problem. Your home sounds fantastic and should truly be a grand design. But you will look back on it and be able to list a bunch of things you wish you knew before you started - no amount of reading up and talking to experts and other self builders will change that.
Streetrod said:
We have stolen this idea for our house. The house will sit in the middle of a very shallow pond which is about 4 - 6 inches deep which will surround it on three sides like a moat. The theory is that the pond will be lined with black tiles so that it will look like a huge mirror. The pond will also feed into the heating system as it will act like a huge heat sink. The house will also be under lit so it will appear to float like a UFO at night. It should in theory it should all be very theatrical
That sounds bloody cool!Edited by Streetrod on Tuesday 2nd March 11:20
Whens the Esimated Date of completion? I want to see it already
Tuna said:
Streetrod said:
Hey Tuna , I hear you. But hear is the thing. For the cost of the Huf-Hause we were going to build I am going to get a totally unique house. Our design does look radical but it will be built in a resonably conventional way. Yes will will be using all the latest high tech building materials but we are not being experimental as we have to bring it in on budget.
The two things that killed us were specialised items needed for detailing, and labour. When you specify something like a funky airfoil roof, you can get the quotes that make it as an element seem quite cost effective. The problem is that it will likely take longer than you planned to get in place and fully watertight, may involve building delays whilst custom components are prepared (delay = cost), and almost certainly will leave you with a host of little "how do we join this to that" problems around the edges as you integrate it with the rest of your home. The big elements can be surprisingly cheap - then you find yourself paying hundreds of pounds for a small bracket (and you need a dozen of them), and the costs mount up.We experienced the same with our place - SIPs is a long way from being experimental, but inevitably there are bits where people start scratching their heads and saying "I've never seen that done before". We've not gone so far over budget, but I would say that running over budget on your own house is inevitable. The more unconventional, the bigger the overrun.
The best we heard, when following up references was from one (rather marvellous) woman, who couldn't praise her architect enough, going on to say "OK, so the house did run over three times over budget, but these things happen".
I wouldn't want to sound too negative - if you've got a team of people who've built this kind of thing before, and have a 'can do' approach, it's not going to be a problem. Your home sounds fantastic and should truly be a grand design. But you will look back on it and be able to list a bunch of things you wish you knew before you started - no amount of reading up and talking to experts and other self builders will change that.
The other thing I think will help us is that we are going to be using a lot of techniques that are unique to commercial rather than domestic building and we are hoping to use builders that are commercial rather than domestic therefore they will be used to building a high tech/high concept building like ours. The hardest part will be to make sure it does not end up looking like a flash office block but like a home. This is where the detail work will come into its own.
Many of our suppliers are also coming from the commercial world and have embraced our ideas and our project as a way of breaking into the domestic market as we will use our project to advertise their skills and abilities. Therefore hopefully we will have a win win situation
ahhh the danger of pistonheads - turning a ponder into a plan 
how much would it cost to have one of these built?
http://www.welshoakframe.com/inc/family1.htm
I appreciate that these things usually split 1/3 Labour/Land/Materials - but i'd just like to start getting some ideas together before i dismiss the self build dream out of hand...
already looking here: http://www.buildstore.co.uk/finance/?B=3&A=99
anyone got experience of financing a self build?
please put me off before this gets to be a plan......
how much would it cost to have one of these built?
http://www.welshoakframe.com/inc/family1.htm
I appreciate that these things usually split 1/3 Labour/Land/Materials - but i'd just like to start getting some ideas together before i dismiss the self build dream out of hand...
already looking here: http://www.buildstore.co.uk/finance/?B=3&A=99
anyone got experience of financing a self build?
please put me off before this gets to be a plan......
BERGS2 said:
ahhh the danger of pistonheads - turning a ponder into a plan
how much would it cost to have one of these built?
http://www.welshoakframe.com/inc/family1.htm
I appreciate that these things usually split 1/3 Labour/Land/Materials - but i'd just like to start getting some ideas together before i dismiss the self build dream out of hand...
already looking here: http://www.buildstore.co.uk/finance/?B=3&A=99
anyone got experience of financing a self build?
please put me off before this gets to be a plan......
For the house - I'd guess somewhere around the £170K - £200K mark (168m x £1000 - £1200/sqm - assuming oak frame is a bit more expensive). Don't forget there's no garage there.how much would it cost to have one of these built?
http://www.welshoakframe.com/inc/family1.htm
I appreciate that these things usually split 1/3 Labour/Land/Materials - but i'd just like to start getting some ideas together before i dismiss the self build dream out of hand...
already looking here: http://www.buildstore.co.uk/finance/?B=3&A=99
anyone got experience of financing a self build?
please put me off before this gets to be a plan......
For the land - well that depends on where the land is, what size, whether it's serviced, whether it has planning permission etc. Given you're in London, I doubt you'd get anything much below £100K, but to be honest I haven't a clue as I last looked at land prices about six years ago. Check out the plot listings in the back of the housebuild magazines.
Edited by Tuna on Tuesday 2nd March 13:58
Tuna said:
For the house - I'd guess somewhere around the £170K - £200K mark (168m x £1000 - £1200/sqm - assuming oak frame is a bit more expensive). Don't forget there's no garage there.
Sorry for my ignorance Tuna, but is that £1000-1200/sqm guidline 'all in' ?Its the plot of land in Elmbridge that'll f*ck up my plans on this one...
Streetrod said:
dugt said:
Streetrod said:
SwanJack said:
I like the idea of these http://www.huf-haus.com/gb/intro.html not sure on the day to day practicalities though.
When I started my self build project I was going to build a Huf-Haus and we got as far as confirming our design, but we ending up pulling out because the cost was getting silly and more and more were being built. They are a great concept and the technology is very good and easy to live with.Edited by SwanJack on Thursday 25th February 15:03
But we have now decided to go for a completely custom design. We have a three ache plot in Caterham on the Hill in Surrey and are currently thrashing out the details with the planners.
The basic spec is this:
Main house area 5400 sq ft
Garage and workshop 3500 sq ft
5 bedrooms each with an en-suite and balcony
1 bathroom downstairs
3 reception rooms
2 offices
1 boot room
Kitchen dinner
Sub terrainan cinema and play room
Plant room
Utility room
Inside/outside pool
The house will look a little like this and take its inspiration from aircraft design
Yes the house is going to be contempory but we have spent a great deal of time making sure it feels like a warm family home
Having seen pictures of your kitchen, I'm sure what ever you build will be fantastic.
What I can say is that the houses main feature is its unique floating roof. We have taken inspiration from the art deco movement and speed record aircraft from the 30's. The roof will have an aerofoil profile and will feature exposed aluminium spars
.The other main feature will be that that the house will appear to float on water. If any of you have been to the RHS gardens at Wisley in Surrey you will have seen the amazing glasshouse. See a pic below, sorry but I could not find a better one:
We have stolen this idea for our house. The house will sit in the middle of a very shallow pond which is about 4 - 6 inches deep which will surround it on three sides like a moat. The theory is that the pond will be lined with black tiles so that it will look like a huge mirror. The pond will also feed into the heating system as it will act like a huge heat sink. The house will also be under lit so it will appear to float like a UFO at night. It should in theory it should all be very theatrical
Hi Dugt. Sorry about the plans, but they are evolving on an ongoing basis. This project of ours has been going on for a number of years now. We have owned the land for about 10 years and have been slowly try to break down the council to allow us to build what we want. We have had a number of problems because we are in the green belt and an area of outstanding natural beauty. Also the local housing stock is either Tudor or large Victorian mansions.
The thing is the whole Green issue has actually played into our hands as our house will produce no carbon due to our heating and electrical systems. The council have to be seen to encourage this type of building nowadays so we are putting pressure on them to approve our plans.
But as anyone will know who has gone through this process where you are trying to do something different, it takes a lot of time, but we will get there in the end.
The thing is the whole Green issue has actually played into our hands as our house will produce no carbon due to our heating and electrical systems. The council have to be seen to encourage this type of building nowadays so we are putting pressure on them to approve our plans.
But as anyone will know who has gone through this process where you are trying to do something different, it takes a lot of time, but we will get there in the end.
Jonny671 said:
Streetrod said:
We have stolen this idea for our house. The house will sit in the middle of a very shallow pond which is about 4 - 6 inches deep which will surround it on three sides like a moat. The theory is that the pond will be lined with black tiles so that it will look like a huge mirror. The pond will also feed into the heating system as it will act like a huge heat sink. The house will also be under lit so it will appear to float like a UFO at night. It should in theory it should all be very theatrical
That sounds bloody cool!Edited by Streetrod on Tuesday 2nd March 11:20
Whens the Esimated Date of completion? I want to see it already
Streetrod said:
The thing is the whole Green issue has actually played into our hands as our house will produce no carbon due to our heating and electrical systems. The council have to be seen to encourage this type of building nowadays so we are putting pressure on them to approve our plans.
But as anyone will know who has gone through this process where you are trying to do something different, it takes a lot of time, but we will get there in the end.
This is why I decided to buy a plot in another EU country. It's a hectare with mountain views but only 15 mins from an airport (quite small) or 45 mins to a larger one. No real restrictions and encouraged to build low energy designs. It's on a steep slope facing south and surrounded by trees. Nearest infrastructure (DIY/shops/cinema/restaurants etc is a 10 min drive and yet in a totally quite position. 2 hrs drive from Venice, 2 hrs from Salzburg, 2hrs from Croatia.But as anyone will know who has gone through this process where you are trying to do something different, it takes a lot of time, but we will get there in the end.
Cost £90k to buy. I hope to start building in 2-3 years time.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff