not a lot of snow, but crumbs, now the garden is all one colour, it looks big............not been on here for a while, but as the weather gets better, i might bore you all with gates, fences, grass, etc etc blah blah blah...........
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6 comments:
Is that the tree I sent you by the car?????
Hi Frank!
We came across your web page through a link from Hebridean Homes and we found your blog really entertaining and really interesting at the same time! We are thinking about "doing it" too - if we can find a good building plot anywhere.. Problem is we have never built as much as a shed - let alone a house and the whole prospect is really REALLY daunting - as you must know?!
If you were keen to share your experiences and recommendations (who was your builder? Who did you use for the foundations? Did you have an architect / designer? ....) we would be very, very eager to listen!
Kind regards
Stephanie and Falk
no, MaryD, it's not. It's a stick maybe. Your tree is in a cool (not -7) damp place, with a bit moisture. When it gets less icy, well plant it in a big pot until we can decide whe it's going. They say you should plant Rowan at a gate, to keep the witches out.....
guess what I'm thinking.
Hi Steph and Falk.
Happy to give you the benefit of our experiences. I'd never built anything before, but i do deal with builders, architects and engineer everyday, so i had a head start.
I can let you know who my builder was, but he's local, so where are you? It's a good time to buy a plot. We used the same builder for the whole lot, he did founds and we bought the kit from Heb Homes. They provided drawings as part of the deal, and i was able to do other drawings (site, drainage etc) myself. You would probably be wise getting an engineer on board too, again, depending on where youy are, will depend on who you use.
Fire away with questions.
Frank!
Thanks so much for answering! We are not so far away from you, based in Inverness... We have been looking for plots - most of which are ridicuslously expensive here in the area but there is a nice one in Strathpeffer which all services really nearby and a road already built - I have got my eye on an area in Inverness though as well, Leachkin but there is nothing for sale there at the moment - at least not in the papers...
I guess we would need somebody to do the drawings - having said that we know a few architects - all of them abroad though which might be complicating matters - we will have a shop around ...
Following your blog it looked like a very smooth process - apart form the kitschen delivery and the stove maybe but even that seemed to be easy...
Did you modify the kit or did you take as it came? And why did you opt for the timber frame? We are not sure if we should go for SIP or timber frame - the SIP's are supposedly the best insulated stuff there is and so that should really help to reduce heating costs etc - but how "solid" does the house feel? Hebridean Homes state on their web page that you can go and visit one of their timber frame somewhere which I would like to do to get a feel for it.
I saw the link for the slates for the roof - are you happy with these and the company? Are they local?
Hebridean Home sent me an email and gave me ballpart figure of 180 - 200000£ to build the SIP LH 402 house which inlcudes the kit - and somewhat less for the timberframe version (but obviously not the site...) Do you think that is a goosd estimate? Or could it be done for less, all in all?
How did you find your plot? was it up for sale via HSPC or did you buy it privately?
Right, that's enough for now - thanks a lot for your help and comments!!!
All the best
Stephanie and Falk
The build was smooth, but then we had a really good contractor, and i think that's the best tip which I can give.
We took the kit as it came, but changed a couple of things on site; making a cupboard in the bigger bedroom downstairs, and making use of all the space in the upstairs en suite, putting a bath with shower above.
SIPS are good, but we felt the cost difference would have put us over budget and couldn't reconcile ourselves with that. Also we were advised that surveyors may value the house less valuable than a timber kit house, as they would consider SIPS as non-standard construction. Now whether you agree or disagree with that is irrelevant. We decided to pay more for a house worth less wasn't outweighed by the improved heatloss and air tighness SIPS may bring. So we stuck to the timber kit, which our contractor was familiar with anyway. I also heard that the Kingspan Tek system, that HEB Homes were using, had suffered from some failures (delamination) and had lost it's BBA (British Board of Agrement) certificate. That may have been rumour, or may be something now resolved, but i would check it out if you were looking at SIPS.
The house does feel solid; not that I would know how it would feel if it was wholly timber lined, but its a 150mm timber stud, which is to fit the insulation in, so its added rigidity to the structure as a by product. From my experience with Timber kits, this one is hefty by comparison to some. You will pay more for a HEB Homes kit, but I can admit it was good quality!
Our slates came from spain and are a medium to heavy weight. They look similar to Ballahulish, and someone once told me they are from the same geological line as scottish slate, but i don't know if i beleive that! They are very nice, and look great. Very happy with that, and glad we didnt go for tiles, from an aesthetic and weatherproof point of view.
Our Kit and build, excluding land, bathroom fittings, kitchen, externals and stove came in about £110000, so i think you have a big price there if its just for erecting the Sips kit?
We bought the plot privately, and approached a farmer. We did pay a lot for it, but given the size, location and view, it was worth it, and the surveyor valued it almost on the sale price. Bought subject to planning permission being granted.
Hope that helps?
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