Hi, we are new to this forum and new to new-build so please forgive any naive requests!

As we are new, a little about us. A couple of years ago with the kids grown up we decided to TRY and get off the job/mortgage treadmill and figured we could sell up, clear the mortgage and follow 'La Dolce Vita' by buying a small house abroad and a small house in the UK, splitting our time between the two.

Spent the last two years project managing a restoration of a Trulli in Southern Italy, which certainly was a massive learning curve. With that experience behind us we set about buying a small house on the south coast in Hastings and certainly had no aspirations to build. However with a predominantly Victorian housing stock, trying to find a house with low running costs and within our small budget was proving impossible. Then I stumbled across a small plot, in a lovely location, so the old brain started to clunk into action and thought we could actually build the thermally efficient and sustainably built property we were after.

Project management in Italy compared to the UK may require similar skill sets but having researched self build in the UK over the last two months the rules and methods are far apart. Also in Italy it was a renovation project.

So we are at the beginning of our self build journey and will no doubt be asking lots of questions at the outset but we also have a wealth of experience regarding restoration of stone buildings, resolving damp etc which we are happy to share.

If you are interested in our first new build question, it is regarding the best type of timber-frame to go for

I think I'd buy something "off the shelf" from one of the Scandinavian suppliers, or a log cabin. With either there is no need to compromise on quality. After all it's only going to be lived in half the time and presumably the winters will be spent in Italy?

Posted By: seascapeWelcome Pugliese, on the start of your journey. As to timber frame - how long is a piece of string?! What u value do you want to achieve/how much money do you want to spend/do you have limited floor space which will effect depth of wall/are you in a severe weather area, which will effect outside finish?

A good place to start is on the Natural Building Technology (all natural, breathable)/Kingspan (phenolic - high u values for less depth, but not breathable) websites. They give you standard wall build up sizes and accompanying u values. It's quite easy to then do the costings - expensive! Also look at warmcell (paper), EPS, rockwool and lambswool combinations. Viking House website is very good for info.

Don't discount masonary either, especially if your site has sun. Good websites are Denby Dale House/Tonyshouse/Zero Carbon Hub Tarmac Homes Project.....just a start - good luck!

Thanks for the pointers. I have to say that I found Viking House very good, striking the balance between excellent thermal performance and affordability - so often the two are poles apart!