Q&As

Hi We live in a green belt area and are planning to demolish our property and rebuild. Planning policy stipulates that we are able to demolish the property but we cannot build anything materially larger than the existing building. We had been told that often with rebuilds, your PD rights are removed as a condition […]

How cost effective is it to convert a barn into residential use? Are there any case studies on this, it’ll likely be in hertfordshire, so a relatively expensive area to live. LMK, MT. Greg Harvey

Hi, We are in the process of building our new home but the Building Control is proved to be very difficult. We wanted to put stone cladding on one side of the wall but he insisted on “Third party accreditation” with the material use. Can you tell me is there a stone cladding company has […]

Hi, i have recently purchased a plot with a atcost barn on it passed for a dwelling, it is permitted development type planning. The structure is a concrete portal frame, the structural engineer is struggling to work out what load it will take as it is concrete and he doesnt know what re bar was […]

Please could any self-builders take the time to complete my dissertation questionnaire. The aim is to highlight that self-build is a feasible way to deliver energy efficient homes, something that is much more common in European countries. Thanks in advance, http://goo.gl/forms/A9S0suFzzneP5QNx1

If we choose to live on site in a static caravan whilst self-building, how would we access utilities? Thanks for your reply.

I am in need of advice on exterior lightweight cladding – in the form of planks. I can’t find any that is anything other than cheap PVCu. It is to go on the top half of my self build timber frame house. The bottom half is clad in brick but I want to clad the […]

i am building a timber frame house house and the roof and tiles are on the house and now bricking up the exterior, Between the top bricks and soffit do I just point it in with mortar or my brickie said to put an expanding foam strip in as its timer frame it may settle […]