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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.
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Essential for Newbies: Hello from Shropshire

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorbealers
    • CommentTimeJan 12th 2012 edited
     
    Hi,

    I just registered and thought I'd introduce myself.

    My Mrs bought us the GB Bible for christmas and after reading a chapter in there I headed here.

    I'm hoping to self-build a roundwood house in north Shropshire if the planners let me. We've spent nearly all our money on a half acre plot within a small town with excellent train links to Crewe and Shrewsbury.

    We're currently awaiting feedback from a pre-planning application, there's more info and the full 18MB PDF linked from here if anyone is interested: http://roundwoodhouse.org.uk

    I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed at the moment, there's so much to consider with a self-build, but after investigating quite a few options including a spell in an intentional community and trying to set-up a housing co-op we feel that a self-build is our only shot at getting a decent sized, resilient low input house without taking on huge amounts of debt.

    Anyway, that's me.
    •  
      CommentAuthorJSHarris
    • CommentTimeJan 12th 2012
     
    Welcome to the forum.

    I can understand the "overwhelmed" bit, I know I was for the first few weeks of trying to get to grips with a self build. Even now I don't pretend to have a clue about some of the building stuff, and have opted to pay a project manager to do that bit, whilst I concentrate on the design and systems.
    •  
      CommentAuthorjoe90
    • CommentTimeJan 12th 2012
     
    Hello and welcome,

    I have added your site to my favorites as your project is my dream. I followed Ben Laws work with admiration and spookily enough used to live just up the road from Wem so know the area well. I hope with all my heart you get the correct response from the council and look forward to your build. This forum is full of knowledge from great people.

    enjoy

    Joe90
  4.  
    Welcome from Cardigan Bay!!
  5.  
    Best of luck with your pre-planning application.

    Have you had any feedback on how the planners feel about the veranda around the house?

    Not wishing to put you off but I asked for a planners opinion on a visually very similar house about 10 years ago and the drawings were politely pushed back across the table to me with shake of the head.

    That was in Ireland though, hopefully they are a bit more open thinking in Shropshire.
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012 edited
     
    "hopefully they are a bit more open thinking in Shropshire"

    Ho ho ho.

    Welcome to the middle-part of the 20th century! :smoking:

    Shropshire is the place that rolled out the levy on barn conversions, instituted the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) on top of the already established S106 screwing, although they may be rethinking that last one - but that's as yet still a rumour.

    The change to unitary has been a disaster, mostly. :devil:

    You'll know all about this...

    http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/planningpolicy.nsf/open/7C726F39E5694F6E80257922004CC920
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012
     
    Posted By: JoinerWelcome to the middle-part of the 20th century

    And it is close to Birmingham, Wolverhamption, Tamworth and Wales :wink:
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012
     
    I was once asked by a girl at one suppliers where Shropshire was. She just couldn't get it. Asked her if she knew where Birmingham was? Yes. 'OK, when you get there turn left and keep going.'
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012
     
    Directions to my house is down M5, then A30, after about 100 miles turn left, so must be close.:bigsmile:
    • CommentAuthorbealers
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012
     
    Thanks all, we've been told we'll get feedback next week.

    @joiner looks like we're going to get slammed with the CIL and the other one the name of which I forget which came into force from 1st Jan.

    One of them is capped at £11,700 (100 SQM) and then we've a further £40 p/sqm for the other one. We're talking £20k that we'll have to find within 8 weeks of the build starting which given we had £40k left is pretty large chunk of our original budget. :cry:

    I've resigned myself that I'll have to take out a mortgage to help fund the build now, the upside being we'll be able to afford some contractors.
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012
     
    Iniquitous. There was uproar when it was first announced, but they just stared everyone down and went ahead anyway. Disastrous for the local economy and hopes of getting small builders in rural areas out of reach of the bankruptcy courts - not to mention the shattered dreams of self-builders who would have revitalised rural areas.

    Not having a dig at you, but it meant more "incomers" from the smoke because they were/are the only ones who could afford that kind of outlay. But even there, as you've mentioned, it's a hit you can do without. Also takes a lot of people by surprise because the charges come out of nowhere, completely irrational.

    But welcome to God's county anyway. :wink: :bigsmile:
    • CommentAuthorbealers
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012
     
    Apparently they are willing to enter into negotiations on exactly when the levvy is paid, to soften the blow a bit.
    • CommentAuthormuddy
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012
     
    Has anyone mentioned making it an 'affordable' home? There is quite a strong policy in Shropshire, and I understand that the levy's do not apply to affordable homes. The size limit is 100m2 - which appears to be the size you mention, and doesn't include a garage as long as its detatched from the house.
    There is a straw bale roundhouse near Shrewsbury that has just been passed under this policy.
    • CommentAuthorbealers
    • CommentTimeJan 13th 2012
     
    Hi Muddy,

    Good thinking but there's a number of reasons why we can't go the affordable route. It's likely we'll be over 100 sqm, as incomers we will struggle to swing a 'strong local connection' (though it's not beyond the realms being already resident here and being self-employed), we probably wouldn't qualify as being in housing need and the plot is > 0.1 hectare.

    The SCC the information is pretty good on the subject: http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/housing.nsf/viewAttachments/CFAW-8PSEHF/$file/single-plot-information-pack-march-2011.pdf
    •  
      CommentAuthorJSHarris
    • CommentTimeJan 14th 2012
     
    Does anyone happen to know whether the 100 m² limit for CIL is ground footprint or gross internal floor area, please?

    My guess is that it is probably the latter, as 100 m² footprint is larger than I would expect if the rationale behind it is affordable homes.
    • CommentAuthorbealers
    • CommentTimeJan 14th 2012
     
    Floor area, as I understand it.
    •  
      CommentAuthorJSHarris
    • CommentTimeJan 14th 2012
     
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: bealers</cite>Floor area, as I understand it.</blockquote>

    Thanks, I thought this might be the case. If planning a new build then, it might well pay to go for a 1 1/2 storey design in terms of roof and roof truss design but not build the upper rooms. That way the gross internal floor area could be kept under the 100 m² and once the house is finished a householder planning application could be put in to do a "loft conversion" (really just adding stairs and windows). As I understand, it's only new builds that are subject to this iniquitous new tax.
    • CommentAuthorbealers
    • CommentTimeJan 14th 2012
     
    @JSH, that's a blinding idea. It's already a 1 & 1/2 design. I'll need to do the maths on money saved vs. hassle of 2 stage build.

    ta
    • CommentAuthorborpin
    • CommentTimeJan 14th 2012
     
    Posted By: JSHarrisThanks, I thought this might be the case. If planning a new build then, it might well pay to go for a 1 1/2 storey design in terms of roof and roof truss design but not build the upper rooms.
    A word of caution; I planned to do that last time and nearly came a cropper over the roof windows as the Building Regs changed. I would put the planning in as a floored loft area or something similar then you may just need building control and not planning.
    •  
      CommentAuthornigel
    • CommentTimeJan 14th 2012
     
    I dont think that plan would work, the shropshire affordable policy contains a restriction on the dwelling that prevents any increase in the 100sqm floor area so as to maintain its affordable status.
    • CommentAuthorbealers
    • CommentTimeJan 15th 2012
     
    Hi Nigel, I'm sure you're right. We're not applying to build an affordable house, though.
  22.  
    nigel wrote
    I dont think that plan would work, the shropshire affordable policy contains a restriction on the dwelling that prevents any increase in the 100sqm floor area so as to maintain its affordable status.

    Surely this means large families (or extended families) would get excluded from 'affordable housing'. But who said the regulations had to be well thought out or reasonable!
    • CommentAuthormatt2052
    • CommentTimeSep 11th 2012
     
    how did you get on Bealers- I am in a similar situation in Shropshire.

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