Planning Approval Granted

A quick catch up on what's been happening...

The planning submission is available to view online at: http://planning.sheffield.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/dcapplication/application_detailview.aspx?KEYVAL=KJHJJWNYFY000&module=P3&hidereturn=true

After some lengthy negotiations about the existing trees we received approval on 13th October 2009. We originally wanted to remove 4 of the existing trees (2 oaks, 1 beech and 1 cypress), but have now agreed to only remove the beech and cypress and reduce the canopy size of the 2 oaks. The tree work was done in November, which has really opened up the site. It's great to finally see some progress on site, however small.

I'm currently working on the detailed drawings and specification so that we can get some tenders from local builders. We've been trying to choose as many of the materials and finishes as possible in order to get a more accurate price. It's starting to feel very real and is getting quite exciting! We've settled on the flooring, internal doors and ironmongery, windows and external doors, wood burner and light switches, but we've still got a lot of big items to go, such as bricks, timber cladding, light fittings, kitchen, bathrooms and tiles.

I've also been weighing up the pros and cons of various energy saving technologies and reading loads of articles. The current specification includes extra-thick insulation as well as an air-source heat pump to provide under-floor heating and hot water, which will also be supplemented by a solar thermal panel. We're also hoping to install either a wind turbine or a solar photovoltaic panel, depending on site conditions. A rainwater recycling system and water-saving appliances will help reduce water consumption. We've ditched the mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR) after reading a number of poor reviews and realising that they're best suited to being routed within timber floors (ours are concrete for thermal mass). I'm also looking into LED lighting, which uses much less power than standard low-energy bulbs.

Tickets are booked for the National Homebuilding and Renovating Show at the end of February.

I'll try my best not to leave it quite so long before the next update!