I am a savvy shopper and will happily do my research to get the best prices
almost £23,000 of steel in the design to hold up the cantilevers and give the nine metre sliding door protection against deflection. The other part of the build that was coming in far higher on cost was the foundations. We had al- ready had a survey of the soil and from the calculations knew we would need additional depth on the side next to the trees in the car park.
Paul would see if he could get better prices on these and in the meantime we would look at compromises in other areas. We could remove budget out of the bathrooms, kitchen, staircase, wall and floor finishes. Having done a few refurbishment projects before, I like this part of the process. I am a savvy shopper and will happily do my research to get the best prices.
MAKING SENSIBLE CHOICES
Next up for consideration was the air source heat pump, underfloor heating and HVAC. This was something we discussed from early on. We can see the advantages of storage batteries for the long term and felt a good way to reduce long term running costs would be to make the house self-sufficient for power through a combination of solar thermal and PV, air source, an oversized water tank to store energy and a battery wall. Although we hoped we would never have to do it, we wanted to be able to go off grid should power outages become a big issue. But battery prices are up, making our return on investment less favourable. A gas boiler to power the underfloor heating would be a reasonable option. We can keep the HVAC as the benefits of air changes and keeping dust levels low, are important to us.
We also looked at window and door systems for the house at the FIT Show, a trade show for the glazing industry. We were there as exhibitors with our marketing agency, but it didn’t stop us having a good look round at all the systems we might need for our build. Aluminium sliding doors were definitely in vogue, and there were loads of new products on display. All the main UK
july/august 2017
www.sbhonline.co.uk 15
manufacturers had stands and they all seemed to be offering bigger door leafs and slimmer frames.
It was great to see because our biggest consideration is the sliding doors from the open plan living space to the garden. Given the span for these doors is almost nine metres, we want to make sure that we have the slimmest frames to gain the maximum effect from our architect’s designs. We’re also keen to work with a reputable UK manufacturer so we can avoid the horror stories you see on TV when the glazing turns up weeks or even months late.
We also saw some very good looking aluminium windows that would fit our
design just perfectly. We are looking for something that has a chamfered or curved bead as the very square edged systems might look too commercial for our house.
And finally, good news! Project man- ager Paul is due to meet with the steel manufacturers. He thinks that there’s an argument for reassessing the steel and that could have a knock-on effect to the foundations – he’s talking about shaving up to £10,000 off the prices. We are waiting for the gas and elec- tric suppliers to come back with a date, and then the house can be demolished.
Look out for the next chapter of Sarah and Andy’s story later in the year
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