Q&As

We are considering laying red cedar shingles on our roof and external walls in our new house. What are the cost implications of doing this?

I’m trying to estimate the cost of a self-build and my architect told me that the cost per metre square price is based on the footprint of the house in metres (ie the amount of space it takes up on the land) divided by the build cost. Is this correct? Or should the cost per […]

Having already obtained outline planning permission for a site on which I wish to build, I have recently applied for reserved matters. However, I have received an objection from the parish council and a near neighbour who would both rather my two-storey dwelling was instead a bungalow. Their concerns centre around the blocking of natural […]

I read recently about a successful planning appeal to build a detached house in a green belt location in Berkshire. The plot lay within the village boundary, but was outside the settlement boundary. It was an open paddock, not an infill site on a built-up frontage. I would like to find out more as it […]

Do I need planning permission to install bay windows?

My mother-in-law has a static caravan on her land that has been occupied for more than 20 years, with council tax paid on it. It’s now empty because the last tenant recently died. Would there be any chance of my wife and I building a house on the site as the farm is in a […]

We want wooden windows and doors on our new build. Which wood types and specs require the least maintenance?

While preparing footings for my dormer bungalow, we have hit bedrock on one third of the plot, but cannot find it on the rest of plot. The Building Inspector wants the entire house to be on bedrock. Is there an alternative, rather than digging until we eventually hit the bedrock? At the moment we have […]