Tag: cheshire

Replacement Dwelling Project: first and second fix

The first fix of this stunning replacement dwelling project is now finished. All the cabling and pipework for the electrics, plumbing and heating systems have been installed and the floor screeds are done so the floors are ready to be tiled.

The first fix of this stunning replacement dwelling project is now finished. All the cabling and pipework for the electrics, plumbing and heating systems have been installed and the floor screeds are done. The floors are ready to be tiled.

It’s really important to make sure that all wiring and socket positions are exact before any plasterwork is carried out. Making changes after that is time consuming and costly. To that end, before the electrician and the plumber started work they did a complete walk around with our clients and the site manager, making a note of where absolutely everything was going to be sited. This is a really important process as it’s the time when the homeowners can choose the really fine details of exactly how they want their home to work for them. For example, they can choose where to locate the TV points and how many sockets should go in a particular room and exactly where they should be positioned to be most convenient.

Our team of plasterers is about to start working throughout the house, plastering all the walls and ceilings. Once the plastering is finished it will be time to move on to the second fix, where all the skirtings, architraves and door frames will be fitted.

The large open plan family living area, that includes the kitchen, dining space and lounge, is taking shape now. The homeowners are now busy making their choices for fixtures and fittings in every room, from the bathroom fixtures to the door handles. With this project, the homeowners are currently living on-site in temporary accommodation. This is very handy for the site team, as they are nearly always available to consult on any decisions that need to be made with regard to their choices.

Renewable options

Solar panels have been fitted all the way across the roof. They have been recessed perfectly so they do not stand proud of the tiles. An air source heat pump has been installed, neatly hidden behind the garage.

Swift progress with the replacement dwelling project

The development is fast approaching completion now. The changes we have seen to the project over the last few weeks are huge. The front elevation is now dominated by a beautiful oak window frame. When the main staircase is built, it will go across this enormous window, which runs the full height of the house. The remarkable design feature of a canopy which runs across the length of the rear elevation is also made of oak.

The unusual brickwork arches over the windows are also very distinctive. It helps to make this house a real architectural statement. The intricate external brickwork features are echoed internally, with a stunning open fireplace. A circular window on the rear elevation harks back to the agricultural tradition of the surrounding area. The area includes a number of Cheshire barns, so the finished building will blend in beautifully with its surroundings.

If you have always dreamed of building your own home, talk to us. Find out how we can help you design it and secure planning approval. We can carry out the whole build with our complete turn key self-build package. Contact us to find out more.

A Day in the Life of CB Homes’ Assistant Site Manager

Harry Goodwin joined CB Homes four years ago as an apprentice joiner. He has rapidly worked his way up to become an Assistant Site Manager and is now studying for a degree in Construction Site Management to become a Site Manager.

Harry Goodwin joined CB Homes four years ago as an apprentice joiner. He has rapidly worked his way up to become an Assistant Site Manager and is now studying for a degree in Construction Site Management to become a Site Manager.

How did you come to join CB Homes?

After completing a degree in Sport and Exercise Science I travelled extensively, spending a good deal of time in Asia before settling for a while in Australia. While living there I gained some experience in demolition before working as a joinery assistant. I really enjoyed that so when I returned to the UK I set about finding out to become a joiner.

It became clear the best route to become a fully qualified joiner was to find an apprenticeship and that’s how I come to work at CB Homes, as an apprentice joiner. I was supervised on site and then had to have lots of work signed off by my training provider to show that I knew how to do all sorts of joinery tasks properly, from attaching hinges to a door to fitting a staircase.

From demolition to construction…

Once I had got my joinery qualifications and had learned more about construction, I decided I wanted to progress my career further, so I signed up for a Foundation Degree to study Site Management at Cheshire College.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

When it comes to joinery specifically, I like thinking about all the details of a particular job I’m working on and basically how to make it as good as possible! In my current role of Assistant Site Manager, I really like working with people as part of a team and seeing a project develop as the result of us all working together, so that’s a big part of what I like about working at CB Homes generally.

Which aspects of the Site Management Course do you enjoy most?

It’s all very interesting to be honest but I think the modules I like most are those on building technology, where I’m learning about new materials being used in construction, especially how they can help us achieve sustainability goals and just be better for the environment.

What does a typical day look like for you in your Assistant Site Manager role?

I start on site around 8.00am and then the tasks for the day depend a lot on which site I’m working on. On any given day I may be working with another 15-20 people on site and the next day I might just be with one other person. I have worked across all sorts of CB Homes’ projects, from our beautiful one-off bespoke self-build projects to our small developments of a few houses. I’ll usually be on-site until around 4.30pm before heading home.

Why do you think people like CB Homes’ houses?

I think on the self-build side, clients like being able to have as much input as they would like into the house design and loads of flexibility with finishes etc that they want so their house is really unique and exactly what they want. I think on all our houses, it’s the high quality of the build, the beauty of the designs and the attention we pay to even the tiniest details that our clients really love.

CB Homes is always on the lookout for the right candidates to take on apprenticeships. Construction apprenticeships are a great way to learn skills and gain a qualification whilst earning a wage. Apprentices work on site with both CB Homes’ colleagues and sub-contractors and also attend college to achieve an academic qualification. It’s a great entry route into the construction industry and is ‘futureproofing’ to make sure that the vital skills the industry needs can be provided. Contact Alex on 01829 730244 for more information about apprenticeships with CB Homes.

Interested in building your own home? Talk to us about our complete self-build package. who will work on the company’s projects across the region, with opportunities to progress, just like Harry.

A Day in the Life of CB Homes’ Marketing Manager

Maggie Austen has been Marketing Manager at CB Homes for nearly four years. Her role involves developing and implementing marketing plans and overseeing the creation of marketing material and online content to help drive sales of CB Homes’ self-build homes and small, exclusive developments.

Maggie Austen has been Marketing Manager at CB Homes for nearly four years. Her role involves developing and implementing marketing plans and overseeing the creation of marketing material and online content to help drive sales of CB Homes’ self-build homes and small, exclusive developments.

What do you like most about your job as Marketing Manager?

I think what I like most about working for CB Homes is the variety. CB Homes has a wide range of products –from a cosy cottage to an amazing Grand Design, plus everything in between, so there is always something fresh happening, from a new self-build client coming on board, to a development starting up or a homeowner moving into their completed house. It’s really interesting seeing how many people are involved at every stage of a project, from the person who finds a great plot of land or advises on making a successful planning application to all the different trades who complete the building itself.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I spend a part of every day checking the CB Homes social media channels, so looking at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. It’s important for our marketing that I post messages on all the channels regularly to keep people up to date with all our activity.

Blogging

Next, I may spend some time researching for one of our blogs. We write two of these per month on a variety of topics, from the challenges of planning applications to the latest sustainability issues so I often reach out to an expert in a particular field to find the most up to date information to include.

Guides to building your own house

We have created a library of free downloadable self-build guides and resources, which live on the CB Homes website, and we add to this frequently. Writing these entails some research again, followed by liaison with our graphic designers and webmaster in order to get the content and design ready and uploaded to the website. As part of this, I really enjoyed arranging to video the entire self-build ‘journey’ of one of our clients, who has built a spectacular house in Kingsley. It meant I got to accompany a videographer to visit the site at several different points during the build. Seeing the property grow from basically a hole in the ground to the stunning finished product was really amazing. As well as documenting a really remarkable project, the video is a very helpful way to explain the self-build process to a potential customer so it’s a useful sales tool as well.

Case studies of self-build projects

Where possible, when a self-build project is complete, we like to interview the homeowner about their experiences so we can write up a case study for our website. It’s a good way of finding out what worked well and what could be improved; and I think potential customers enjoy hearing about different self-build experiences too, so case studies are extremely valuable.

Award-winning homes

Awards have kept me busy this year with CB Homes winning or being shortlisted for several property awards. Writing an award entry usually involves interviewing some of the people involved on a particular project and then collating supporting material, such as diagrams and photographs so I can then make the award submission. Once the entry has been submitted, we have to wait and see if we have made the shortlist and then it’s fingers crossed that we will emerge as winners! It’s great to get that validation for the whole team’s hard work.

Why do you think people like CB Homes’ houses?

I think people just need to see a CB Homes house to fall in love with it! It’s no surprise that the company wins so many awards for its designs as the houses are just beautiful, inside and out. More than that though, I think it’s the personal attention to each customer from a small, completely committed team that puts the company head and shoulders above other developers.  When houses aren’t being mass produced, you just get a much more personalised service as the CB Homes team takes the time to make sure every customer is happy.

Interested in building your own home? Talk to us about our complete self-build package.

Replacement Dwelling: building the superstructure

After a long wait for planning approval, as soon as our construction team was on site at our latest replacement dwelling project, the building of the superstructure has been very straightforward.

What’s involved building the superstructure?

After a long wait for planning approval, as soon as our construction team was on site at our latest replacement dwelling project, the building of the superstructure has been very straightforward.

Once planning permission for the project was granted, our client took care of the demolition of the existing house and moved into a static caravan close by. This will be his home until his new house is complete. There are definitely some advantages to living so close to your self-build project but it’s important that contractors are very aware of the health and safety issues involved when someone is effectively living on the construction site.

Demolition of an existing building

When undertaking demolition, don’t forget you have to apply for permission to demolish and you need to make sure you have received the necessary permissions before you go ahead. You need to make sure all the services are switched off too before the demolition can take place. If you are taking care of the demolition yourself, make sure you find a reputable contractor to undertake it all who will make sure that all essential health and safety is adhered to and essential work, such as an asbestos survey, is carried out.

When demolishing an existing building for a replacement dwelling, it’s well worth taking your time to have a good look inside to assess if there’s anything you want to keep to re-use in the new property, such as oak beams or internal doors. 

Following the demolition of the old house, we made sure that the hard core and concrete footings were crushed and repurposed in the new build to be used as hard core for the patio and driveways etc.

Laying foundations

Due to the heavy clay soil in this area, we laid down polystyrene heave boards to protect the foundations and the floor slab from ground heave movement which are caused when clay expands and contracts. This is a labour-intensive exercise but well worth doing to minimise any future impact on the foundations. We also installed a damp proof course.

Although our client had initially wanted LPG as his energy source, having undertaken further research, he changed his mind and elected to go with an air source heat pump instead. This required some changes to our block and beam design to hide all the underground ductings which this system needs.

Just another brick in the wall?

This beautiful house has very distinctive, intricate brickwork details which required our technical team and the bricklayers to work closely together to make sure the profiles exactly matched the CAD drawings. As an example of the elaborate nature of the brickwork, on an average house, bricklayers take around 60 points on the perimeter wall to plumb off to ensure the walls are completely level, here there were an incredible 180!

Another design feature that our client was particularly keen on was to have arches above the windows to create the rural aesthetic he wanted. This would have been quite straightforward to include but he specifically wanted elliptical arches. There are no templates available for these, so we created our own. Furthermore, again for aesthetic reasons, our client did not want the windows to have lintels so all the window arches have to be self-supporting; this was another tricky challenge for our technical team, to make sure that the finished result looks perfect and is what our client wants but still adheres to all building regulations and safety requirements.

With the superstructure complete, you can really see the scale and detail of this stunning house. Now we have begun on the interior work which will transform this remarkable building into a beautiful home.

If you have always dreamed of building your own home, talk to us. Find out how we can help you design it, secure planning approval and carry out the whole build with our complete turn key self-build package. Contact us to find out more.

A Day in the Life of CB Homes’ Land Manager

Nathan Booth has been Land Manager at CB Homes for the last three years. His role involves overseeing and maintaining the company’s land strategy, for both developments and for one-off plots to cater for our self-build clients.

Nathan Booth has been Land Manager at CB Homes for the last three years. His role involves overseeing and maintaining the company’s land strategy, for both developments and for one-off plots to cater for our self-build clients.

How long have you worked at CB Homes?

I started working at CB Homes over ten years ago as an Assistant Site Manager and I worked my way up from there to my current position. It means I have a really in-depth knowledge of how the whole company works, as well as a very thorough understanding of the life cycle of each and every project we undertake.

What do you like most about your job as Land Manager?

I really enjoy the responsibility of my role. If I can’t find land, then literally nothing can happen! I actually enjoy that pressure. It’s incredibly rewarding to find a piece of land, get it through the minefield of the planning office and then start to build beautiful property. Years later, when I drive past that site I feel really proud to have been a part of creating the community that has developed there and knowing that people have built new lives there.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Every day I receive lots of enquiries through our website and via email so I have to go through those and respond to them. Potential clients may get in touch at any point with questions about projects. Usually, they are getting in touch to say they have land and want to find out about self-building or they may have a particular planning policy question. These can be quite straightforward queries or may need quite a bit of time spent to answer properly. My feedback will be with an email, a phone call or a Zoom call. To help us find land, we have a land website to target the online market, so I spend a lot of time responding to leads we receive on that too.

You never know when that first point of contact is going to lead to a new relationship with a client that may culminate in our delivering a new home for them. That might happen within a few months or it might take several years. Regardless of the timescale, it’s really important to engage with them from the very start of their self-build journey.

Once I have spent some time on admin, I may leave the office to go and meet some clients, do some site visits of current developments, or carry out planning or cost appraisals. Once a potential plot has been identified then I have to approach the agent or owner, look at feasibility studies, sketch schemes, land values and then start negotiations.

It’s important that I build relationships with local people, estate agents and land agents as they are my best source of finding out about possible plots. I also look at directly sourcing land via planning policies. There are such frequent rule changes, I have to keep on top of national and local policies and planning guidelines too. I have to make sure I’m fully up to date on local development plans, as land might not be available now, but may be in several years’ time. I always have to be looking really long term, so there is a pipeline of projects for CB Homes. I’m always on the lookout for what we call windfall sites, which are where there is land ready to go within settlement areas, whether it’s brownfield, commercial, or even large gardens.  

“Environmental concerns are more important than ever“

These days of course, environmental concerns are more important than ever, so right from the start of looking at any potential plot, I’m looking to see how we can further reduce our environmental impact. This means I’ll be looking to see where any existing natural features can be retained and integrated, such as surface water ponds or reedbeds that could be used for surface water drainage. I’ll also be looking at space and thinking how renewables, such as ground source heat pumps, can be included aesthetically so they can be effective but not spoil the lines of the buildings.

What’s your biggest challenge as Land Manager?

Finding land is certainly the hardest part. The ongoing scarcity of land is a real problem, fuelled by land banking where land is taken out of the market, often by large scale developers, which has a significant impact on availability for everyone else.

“Currently land is hard to find and the planning process is slow“

In addition to finding plots for our self-build clients, I also have a land finding role for CB Homes Developments where I’m looking for land suitable to build from 2-20 houses, so around .5 acres up to 5 acres.

As land is so hard to find for self-build projects, I’ve actually widened the scope of my role so I keep an eye out for single plots that are available that might match our clients’ prerequisites for a self-build. Where we can, we buy a plot, get planning approval for a self-build house and then offer it out to clients. They often have the option to make any tweaks they want to the design while it’s passing through the planning process. This makes sense at the moment especially, with the planning process being very slow. Planning used to take eight weeks, but now it can take eight months, so a big part of my job is managing client expectations about the timescales of a project.

Why do you think people like CB Homes’ houses?

Housing developers often get a bad reputation, which sadly is not always undeserved but we have a hard won reputation and track record to maintain. We are first and foremost a very local developer – where we build is where we live so the local community is very important.

CB Homes covers a large area in the North West, including North Shropshire, South Manchester, Wirral, Cheshire and the Welsh borders. As a bespoke developer, we specialise in small exclusive bespoke builds, with high specification, on good plot sizes. The houses are usually 4-5 bedroom executive homes, but the company also builds some small starter homes, which are usually 2-3 bedroom mews-style. Our schemes have to be financially viable of course but for us, it’s never about cramming in as many houses as possible as we’re not competing with the mass market.

We have a good reputation with Local Authorities as they know the quality of our schemes. We provide individual care and attention from day one, we care enormously about the homes we build and we want everyone to be able to recognise the quality of a CB Homes build, whether it’s a starter home on one of our small developments or one of our award-winning ‘grand design’ self-build homes.

Do you have land to sell? Get in touch today. Interested in building your own home? Talk to us about our complete self-build package.

Replacement Dwelling: The Pre-Build Experience

Colin and Sandra’s replacement dwelling self-build project is progressing now after a long drawn out planning process. The first ‘lift’ of their Cheshire project is now complete and visitors to the building site get a real sense of the space, size and proportions of the new house as the walls start going up.

Replacement Dwelling Self-Build Project Part 2

Colin and Sandra’s replacement dwelling self-build project is progressing now after a long drawn out planning process. The first ‘lift’ of their Cheshire project is now complete and visitors to the building site get a real sense of the space, size and proportions of the new house as the walls start going up.

Why a self-build?

After selling their first self-built home in Canada, where they lived for five years, Colin and Sandra returned to the UK and bought a very run-down farm at auction. They then spent a decade renovating and extending it. With hindsight, Colin feels they probably should have knocked it down and started again rather than trying to improve it. He explains,

“We decided it was time to sell up and find our ‘forever home’ where we could look forward to entertaining and hosting family gatherings with our children and grandchildren; we wanted some land attached and were hoping to find a house of between 2,500 and 3,000 sq. ft.

“We sold our house very quickly, moved into rented accommodation and then spent around 18 months trawling Rightmove trying to find a house. We made our search area bigger and bigger but we just couldn’t find what we wanted, although we came close with quite a few.”

Choosing to partner with CB Homes

“One day we saw a plot advertised for sale by CB homes. We met up with Nathan from CB Homes on the site to investigate further. The plot wasn’t quite what we needed but we really liked CB Homes’ proposed house design and we were intrigued to find out more about the company’s self-build package.”

Finding a plot for a Replacement Dwelling

“We started thinking more seriously about the idea of a replacement dwelling, where you demolish an existing property and re-build in its place. It is a little speculative, but the maths seemed to make sense. We started our search afresh and suddenly found Rosefield in Ashton Juxta Mondrem. The posting appeared on a Monday morning, we viewed on the same day and made an offer that same evening. Even while we were viewing it the agent was taking calls from other interested parties, so it really showed how fast you have to be prepared to act in the current market.”

The next challenge facing Colin and Sandra was that the area of the existing house was only 1,700 sq. ft. and they wanted to be able to build a much bigger house. After consulting with CB Homes about the possibilities of designs for the site they realised that the worst case scenario would mean building a house of 2,000 sq. ft.; they could live with that so decided to proceed with the purchase.

Colin continues,

“We had our first meeting with the architect, Russell.  I think he found it quite entertaining that I brought along a 3D paper model of the sort of design I had in mind. I did study architecture for a year or so about 40 years ago and I still just find it much easier to visualise designs in 3D rather than on a flat piece of paper. I think it was helpful! It certainly helped show him exactly what we wanted.”

What inspired the design of this self-build project?

“When it came to finalising the design, we brought together lots of different ideas and inspiration that we have picked up from various houses we have lived in or seen over the years. For example, we have copied the design of a fireplace from one of our previous houses. We were also influenced by other buildings in the surrounding area, which include a small group of four barns with big arched windows. We’ve arrived at a design that blends in both with the landscape and nearby properties too, without being bland in any way. It has some quite intricate brickwork features which make it look really interesting too.”

What aspects of the replacement dwelling design are you particularly excited about?

“I’m very excited about the family room that we have included. It’s a big open plan area that includes the kitchen, dining area and lounge space but we have delineated the lounge space by incorporating an oak panel frame feature and by dropping the level down one step to create a sunken floor.

“The master bedroom is going to have a balcony overlooking our natural pond so it’s going to be amazing to enjoy that view. I’ve also enjoyed planning the design for a beautiful oak canopy that runs the length of the rear elevation overlooking the garden, which I think is going to look incredible.”

Making a self-build project sustainable

When it came to choosing energy supply, after taking lots of advice, Colin and Sandra have chosen a combination of solar power, with solar panels built into the roof on the south facing elevation, and air source heating.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about self-building?

Colin says,

“I would say that the replacement dwelling option is certainly worth considering but be realistic with your expectations. Remember that you will be restricted in terms of increasing the size of the building by local planning rules, so always plan for the worst-case scenario of what you might end up with. Most importantly, effective budgeting is really critical and a mastermind spreadsheet is invaluable for keeping track of what you’re spending and how much difference any changes to your design will make to your final spend.”

If you have always dreamed of building your own home, talk to us. Find out how we can help you design it, secure planning approval and carry out the whole build with our complete turn key self-build package. Contact us to find out more.

A Day in the Life of CB Homes’ Technical Manager

Alex Stubbs, Technical Manager at CB Homes, has worked for the company since 2004. As Technical Manager, she is responsible for all the ‘paperwork and processes’ involved in building new houses.
Having undertaken a self-build herself in the past, Alex is well aware of the challenges of building your own home.

Alex Stubbs, Technical Manager at CB Homes, has worked for the company since 2004. As Technical Manager, she is responsible for all the ‘paperwork and processes’ involved in building new houses.

Having undertaken a self-build herself in the past, Alex is well aware of the challenges of building your own home. She has the ideal experience and skills to be an integral member of the team that delivers CB Homes’ self-build turnkey packages.

What did you do before working at CB Homes?

I was a freelance software engineer, working for some major multinational companies before I took a career break to have my children. I was living quite close to CB Homes’ head office so when an administration role came up I absolutely jumped at it. Once the rest of the team realised I had a lot of computer skills I took on more and more responsibility for the office systems. It was a very natural progression from there for me to take on the role of Technical Manager to steer and oversee all the processes and paperwork that have to be followed when it comes to building houses.

What do you like most about your job as Technical Manager?

I like the fact that I see a house building project through right from the very beginning to the end. I get a huge sense of satisfaction when everything I have been working on comes together on a particular project and everything is ready for our customers to move into their new homes.

I’m lucky too being a Technical Manager for a company that makes a great range of homes, from small developments to one-off grand designs homes so there’s lots of variety.

What does a typical day as Technical Manager look like for you?

I spend a lot of time responding to emails, making phone calls and generally chasing everyone up to make sure every piece of paperwork involved in building a house is being processed correctly and on time!

As Technical Manager, I’m in regular contact with all sorts of different organisations. These can range from the Highways Agency to talk about road closures, and utility providers to co-ordinate connections for a new house, to the Local Authority Planning Office regarding discharge of conditions.

Budgets and accounts form an important part of my work as well, which may sound a bit boring but they’re actually really important to make sure nothing gets neglected which might cause our customers delays further down the line.

I attend regular construction meetings so I can provide our Site Managers with all the information they need so they don’t have to think about anything apart from their responsibilities on-site.

I’m also responsible for organising any training our team needs to undertake and I also make sure we are on top of all our Health and Safety obligations. When we have apprentices working for us I deal with their colleges and sort out the funding applications and paperwork associated with them too.

My diary is my absolute bible as I am constantly checking against my list of things that need to happen and when they need to happen for each building project. It’s really hard for a self-builder to stay on top of it all themselves, especially if they already have a regular job. Even if they have employed a builder to do the actual construction, all this behind-the-scenes work is incredibly time-consuming. You have to get all the details exactly right too or you run the risk of falling foul of the Planning Officer or Building Regulations.  It’s probably one of the reasons that so many of our customers opt for our complete self-build package – we literally take that paperwork pain away from them. We are so familiar with all the systems and processes it makes perfect sense for us to do it all on their behalf.

What’s your biggest challenge as the Technical Manager?

Sorting out the utilities’ connections to a new-build can be very challenging. Looking back to my own experience as a self-builder I remember that being a real headache too. You have to be realistic about the amount of time that needs to be spent on it. It’s just a question of constantly chasing them up and making sure that they are all going to be connected at the right time and in the right order to fit in with the work being carried out on site.

I think overall, my biggest challenge is probably just keeping on top of everything and making sure all the plates are spinning. It can be a bit frustrating as I do spend a lot of my time trying to get hold of people. However, many more systems regarding house building have now been digitalised so they are now online; this has helped increase efficiency in many cases. That evolution was definitely speeded up by Covid when the sector had to find ways of working that didn’t involve people having to be in an office.

What measures do you take regarding sustainable building, especially for self-building?

There are a number of steps we take now to limit our carbon footprint. All new properties have to have electric car charging points. New Building Regulations means that water calculations have to be undertaken for all new build properties. You have to show that a home will use less than a certain amount per person per day so we have to look carefully at every appliance and piece of sanitaryware fitted to make sure they comply with the regulations.

Building houses with sustainable drainage

Sustainable drainage is particularly significant now too. It’s important to look really carefully at every site, particularly with regard to surface water.  We have to ensure that SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems), such as ponds or ditches are provided. These can be ponds or ditches so that our projects don’t overload the sewerage system, particularly in periods of heavy rain. 

Why do people like self-building with CB Homes?

We are a small team so everyone knows who everyone is. I think customers find us very approachable and friendly. We certainly pride ourselves on making sure we are very available and responsive. I think our customers really appreciate that.

Interested in building your own home? Talk to us about our complete self-build package.

Sustainability in Self-Building: Part 2. Heating

Sustainability is driving all sorts of changes in our lives, from the packaging of our food to how we fuel our cars. Our individual carbon footprints from our own homes are important and there are many ways we can reduce our wastage of vital commodities such as water.

Green ways to heat your self-build home

Sustainability is driving all sorts of changes in our lives, from the packaging of our food to how we fuel our cars. Our individual carbon footprints from our own homes are important and there are many ways we can reduce our wastage of vital commodities such as water. In the second part of our series looking at sustainability in self-building, we look at green ways to heat your self-build and examine how our heating systems are reflecting changing attitudes to the climate and our impact on it.

As we touched on in a previous blog , there have been significant changes made to the Building Regulations in England and Wales in June 2022. The Parts L and O have been amended with regard to overheating. This will mean that energy isn’t wasted by homes overproducing heat and then wasting that energy. All new-build homes will have phased-out gas boilers by 2025. Alternative fuel sources will have to be found and it is the sustainability of these fuels that needs to be looked at closely. Hydrogen has been mentioned  as an alternative fuel, as modern gas boilers can be adapted for its use. But the technology is a long way from being readily available. Oil and LPG/Natural Gas are not sustainable, coal and other solid fuels are long gone, but there are greener alternatives available that are being developed and improved upon all the time.

Savings and impacts of green heating

There is an array of alternatives to boilers and heating solutions being talked about and we are all going to have to confront this challenge in our own ways. It could mean replacing your old oil-fired boiler – with its external feed tank in the garden – or it could mean new-builds having the latest technology incorporated into their designs. SAP software is quantifying the savings and impacts that our carbon footprints are leaving, and the new regulations are addressing this too. So, we need to take a serious look at the alternatives.

Heat pumps, for example, are being discussed as an alternative. A heat pump is a device that can heat a building by transferring thermal energy from the outside. It uses the same technology as the refrigeration cycle. Many heat pumps can also operate in the opposite direction, cooling the building by removing heat from the enclosed space and rejecting it outside – if they only do this, they are air conditioners. But ground source heat pumps, working from a ring main of pipework or a borehole metres deep in the ground, are expensive. An air source heat pump, however, draws air in and is very efficient from a SAP point of view. It may not be as efficient in winter, if temperatures fall below a certain point, but manufacturers are working hard to improve efficiency further.

Heating for the masses

Biomass boilers have not had the impact some people thought they would – partly because they are not the most user-friendly equipment in the world. As they need to be kept clean and topped up manually, they are quite high maintenance. They may be useful in complexes that are maintained by an outside contractor or onsite staff. Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) can have positive impacts on health, especially where any members of the household suffer from asthma, for example. Installation of these systems is absolutely key, as they must be perfectly set up to work properly. The current global shortage due to manufacturing and supply problems of cylinders, boilers and heat pumps is causing all sorts of problems, and making developers think twice about embracing them wholesale.

A new dawn

Solar power is becoming more widespread and we are seeing more and more solar panels retrofitted into domestic properties – either as UV panels on the roof, or as free-standing ground-level installations.

For new-build designs the days of thick solar panels standing proud of your roof are long gone. Inline solar panels look just like roof tiles, so there is no problem with aesthetics and design. The main challenge is their lifespan, which is only 20-25 years. Consumers are also reluctant to risk investment too. There are also question marks around the number of hours of sunlight available in the UK and the transferability of the energy. This results in usage and wastage issues for end users. Storage is key too, as where can surplus generated electricity be stored? Previously, people have sent their surplus to the National Grid, but once government subsidy for this stopped, so did the power sharing.

The future for energy efficiency

Powerwalls are fantastic, but extremely expensive and it is unclear currently how they would fit into SAP.

To take one example, a Tesla Powerwall is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery stationary home energy storage unit. The Powerwall stores electricity for solar self-consumption and provides backup power. The Powerwall was introduced in 2015 with limited production – mass production started in early 2017 and as of May 2021, Tesla had installed 200,000 Powerwalls.

Colin Francomb, of building consultants Ratio Seven, has been looking at the various options,

“Currently, with the costs of energy soaring, the perfect compromise is probably to have an air source heat pump that is powered by solar panels. This means you are effectively off-grid and self-sufficient, which in these uncertain times would be ideal. But these are not currently a viable alternative for most homeowners who are thinking about their energy bills, and also other areas they will have expenditure on.

“It’s more a case of looking at areas where efficiencies and savings can be made with the technology currently available”.

Interested in building your own home? Talk to us about our complete self-build package.

Sustainability in Self-Building: Part 1. Building Regulations

The biggest issue affecting building in the 21st century is sustainability and our changing climate. This issue is making all of us us think more deeply about how houses function and how we build them. In a new series of blogs, we’re going to look at sustainability in self-builds.

Building Regulations for sustainable homes

The Building Regulations for England and Wales are constantly evolving. Times change and so do all kinds of aspects of the construction process – from the materials we use, to the government legislation we work to. Perhaps the biggest issue affecting building in the 21st century is sustainability and our changing climate. This issue is making all of us think more deeply about how houses function and how we build them. In a new series of blogs, we’re going to look at sustainability in self-builds.

More carbon neutral homes

In this first part, we explore the overall changes that have been made to building regulations, to promote more carbon neutral homes. The changes that have been introduced are the most significant updates made in a decade. The new legislation has considerably affected several categories, including Parts L (Conservation of Fuel and Power), O (Overheating), S (Electric Vehicle Charging), G (Water use) and F (Ventilation). All new homes registered after 15 June 2022 have to produce 31% less CO2 emissions than current standards. The Building Regulations also include new standards to reduce energy use and carbon emissions during home improvements and extensions, as well as for new-builds.  

Building towards Net Zero

Parts L and O have been amended with regard to overheating and heat loss. The way houses are made ensures they are warm in winter – to save on heating costs and prevent heat loss – but even warmer in summer. They are essentially sealed units, except for the minimal amount of ventilation, without opening wide our windows and doors. The changes to Part L are the first steps towards ‘Future Homes Standards 2025‘, which moves us towards Net Zero. We have almost reached the limit of what we can do on the actual fabric of buildings – the bricks/blocks and mortar – so now we have to turn to technology for help.

We need to look at how much insulation is included in this fabric – the wall cavities, roof cavities and beneath floors. Once these have been optimised, we turn to look at the heating source. All new-build homes will have phased-out gas boilers by 2025 and must be fuelled by an alternative fuel source. Hydrogen has been mooted as a solution, but in developmental terms, it’s nowhere near ready for widespread deployment. This option would have less impact on the current infrastructure, because modern gas boilers can be adapted to use hydrogen. But these developments are not happening fast enough. Oil and LPG are not sustainable resources, so the remaining options are electric and solar power. We’ll be looking in more detail at these available options and other aspects of the amendments to Building Regs in future blogs.

Conservation of power and resources

The changes to Part O address the challenge of retaining a cool interior with enough ventilation to be comfortable, whilst maintaining the building’s thermal criteria. New SAP software has been released by the government, which details all the different calculations you have to carry out for each property. These current SAP calculations are based on 2019 fuel costs, so it’s hard to make them make true economic sense to customers in the present economic climate, with steeply rising energy bills, among other things, to contend with. Changes to Part F of the Building Regulations also came into effect in June 2022, with regard to ventilation and air flow. In recent years the move towards improvements to the thermal performance and air tightness has positively improved the thermal comfort and energy consumption of buildings.

Water use and recycling in new houses

There have been further changes made to Part G of the Building Regulations regarding Water. Water conservation is another key issue that needs to be addressed. This is not just because we sometimes have drought restrictions in place, but because many of us need to look at our wasteful water usage and opportunities for conservation and recycled use. Household flowrate is crucial, to keep below the maximum figure of litres per person per day. Flowrate applies to everything from taps, showers and toilets, to dishwashers and washing machines. The style trend for massive shower heads, for example, may look great, but with some models, this means people’s showers use an excessive amount of water. There are many ways we can conserve and improve our lifestyles regarding sustainability and the homes we live in, and the new regs are driving that thinking into practice.    

Colin Francomb, director of building consultants Ratio Seven, provides some context around this,

“Self-builders are often at the forefront when it comes to significant changes in the building industry, with national housebuilders having much longer to incorporate changes into their building programmes. We’re having to adapt and incorporate these new rules into our designs immediately, without the benefit of hindsight of how effective they will be in the long-term, or the impacts of the financial additions involved for the builders themselves.”

Interested in building your own home? Talk to us about our complete self-build package.

Replacement Dwelling Self-Build Project

The challenges and solutions of building a bigger house as a replacement dwelling

It’s no secret that land suitable for a self build project is hard to come by. One route to finding a plot for building your own house is to buy a property, demolish it and build a new house, known as a Replacement Dwelling. Recently, a client came to us having done just that in the little village of Aston Juxta Mondrum in Cheshire. Gaining planning approval for a replacement dwelling can be a complex and drawn out process, as this project has shown.

The planning system is really very overloaded at present, with what should be an eight week process, taking more like six months or even more so anyone looking to build their own house needs to be realistic about possible timescales.

What do you want your new house to look like?

The first step for our new client was to arrange an initial design meeting with one of our architects, Russell Baker, who has designed many of our most beautiful self-build projects. Very often clients will bring sketches or photos or increasingly, a Pinterest board of ideas to that first design meeting, but still need lots of suggestions from our architect of what they might like. However, in this case, quite unusually, our client was very clear from the start exactly what kind of house he wanted and provided a huge amount of input. As well as pencil drawings and floor plans, he even provided a 3D paper model to show the type of property he wanted to build.

Architect Russell was keen to be faithful to the essence of what our client wanted while making small scale adjustments and additions to make it even better. Russell says he does not stop making suggestions and tweaks to a design until he hears the client say, “We love that, that’s perfect.”

Professional house design for a replacement dwelling

One significant alteration Russell made was to rotate the house on the site by 30 degrees or so to allow it to look across the fields, providing it with beautiful views and also aligning it better with the neighbouring piece of land.

Russell says, “The basic inspiration for this design was a typical English barn, with big, arched openings but giving it a northern European flavour. This means it still has a very agricultural look but is more interesting than a conventional English barn, with varying roof heights, wall projections and different materials used. The resulting house is going to be very pretty, with lots of variety.”

Once the design was agreed, the planned house was slightly bigger than current Replacement Dwelling policy seemed to allow by adding available Permitted Development Rights to the floor area of the existing house. Further, planning permission for a single storey side extension and a two-storey front extension to the existing house had previously been granted so our client could have simply carried out that extension, increasing the floor area by just 55%. However, that extension would not have provided the scope for the beautiful house he envisioned, which needed an increase of nearly 100% in the floor area and to be taller too, increasing the volume of the new property.

Securing planning permission for a replacement dwelling

To come up with a solution to this knotty problem, we turned to our local planning expert, Steve Goodwin, from Goodwin Planning Services to find a way to secure the planning approval we need.

Steve says,

“Obviously the easiest thing to do would have been to compromise totally on the design in order to make the route through planning as easily as possible. However, that’s not what we want to do for our clients. We need to be able to demonstrate that we have done the absolute best we can for them and have tried every route possible to get their preferred design approved.”

The legacy local plan, that at the time was still in force for this area, recognised that replacing an existing dwelling by a well-designed new dwelling can “in some cases be better than a “patching up” with extensions and rebuilding”.

Steve continued,

“My role was to find a way to justify the size of the desired house. We put forward the argument that the extension that had already been granted planning permission would actually be far less preferable than the new proposed design. It was all about maximising the space within the plot in a way that the planning officer would accept. By adding together all the space that would be allowed under Permitted Development rights and demonstrating how much better the new house would look, we were successful in our application and planning permission was granted.

“Naturally, we had to make some compromises, such as reducing the proposed height of the new garage to make it single storey with a shallow pitched roof, rather than the two storey that we would have preferred. However, the resulting house is going to be nearly 93% bigger in floor area but in volume, as it is taller, it is actually 128% bigger.”

With Replacement Dwellings, what it comes down to is very careful calculations of size and making sure you can justify at every stage what you have designed. With tricky planning approvals, it’s all about getting the right people on board to formulate a strategy and then argue your case so that you get the result you want.

Steve warns,

“Rules have now changed so it’s very important that people are realistic in their expectations. You can’t buy a plot of land with a tiny cottage on it and assume you can build a mansion as a Replacement Dwelling.”

The existing house on this plot has now been demolished and construction of the new home has commenced. We will be keeping up to date with progress over the next few months.

If you have always dreamed of building your own home, talk to us. Find out how we can help you design it, secure planning approval and carry out the whole build with our complete turn key self-build package. Contact us to find out more.

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