Hi Nick, I just calculeted a u-value base on the k-value of strawboard [0.1W/mk] I got the figure from a Strawboard manufacturer and assumed [wrongly]that it would be the same for all straw. Thinking about it, straw would be better as it has no facing materials. If anyone knows the k-value of a straw bale I can re-calculate though I guess you must be right.

Yep - loads of field
Loads of food (I cook professionally)

Lots of party.....maybe a scrap of work??

& if anyone need to bring family - I can look after them!!

Gentlemen - I now have a way of showing you my latest floorplan for the nursery

http://www.mumsnet.com/member/MemberPage?o=1170704297395&call=ImageGallery but I can't make it a link - this is my other site btw (some of you have been very critical of it....but us girls like it)

what happened to my smilie

Still wants mumsie to log in

Hello Katy/Keiran/all

Keiran:-

Point taken on Spons - I was just trying to help Katy get nearer to realistic prices. I have used Spons extensively for small and medium projects at the estimation stage (I am an ecologist) and found it handy in terms of getting close to what stuff might cost. In particular, using this method, has been usefull when understanding the neccessary add ons for wierd and unusual jobs which contractors/in house construction staff have then come up with (also for when I'm being sold a line!). Admittedly I have used it a lot and been supported by Landscape/building architects form time to time and, I confess, I have never used it for 'green' building per-se. The guides are 'technical' (in the sense that you have to get the hang of the technique) to use and this can lead to problems. Apologies Katy - Spons may not be the best route for you

Regards.

S.

Hello Katy

I did not intend, either by statement or ommision, to imply that you would not be able to understand technical stuff.

Apologies for any offence/slight you may have percived.

S.

That's all right then!

S.

Katy, I can't comment on most of your problems but I'm inclined to agree with Skywalker's advice. However, it might interest you to know that we put in our own new septic tank in 2002: it took us about three days and cost us £1,700, including all kit, aggregates, and the hire of a digger and driver for those three days. The only labour we had was my husband and me (he's very useful and digs a lot, I make sausage sandwiches and take photos). This was after we got quotes in which ranged from £10,000 to £15,000. Then last year we put in a rainwater harvesting system: again, cost about £1,500, took us three days or so. As we've renovated our house we've made sure that the toilets all flushed from tanks up in the attic, rather than direct from the "mains" (our well), so there was no special internal plumbing alterations to make.

Things like this depend on how much time and skill you have. But those two projects were very simple, and just needed muscle. And lots of sausage sandwiches.

Jane

Quite despondant atm - None of the architects I have approached are interested. |Neither the cabin people nor the Amazon Nails people haven't got beack to me

Not quite sure yet what to do with £55K cash plus £75K potential lending if I don't open the nursery.

I'm feeling very down - I have been planning this for ages

Apparently it would work - if I had mopre money but even if the bank were to lend me any more - I'm not sure I can afford to borrow it (iyswim)

Thanks Jane

I have a business plan & it seems achievable (well the bank likes it enough to lend me money unsecured)
The problem isn't running the business - it's getting the building ready

I can't afford to borrow more - I can't work out a way to renovate for less
I need to do something as I can't let the money I have just sit there

btw I'm in (very) rural Norfolk

The harvesting & solar panels are now long gone

I am struggling to get anarchitect to consider my prices for jobs ect - even if I have a quote from a builder

As a self builder I am "clearly a novice" as someone put it elsewhere in this forum and so I have only my own experience to talk about. But if you can find a way to use straw bales you could stack and fix them yourself. Book yourself on a straw bale building course even a one day course. if there's not one locally I will find one for you down here in Dorset and find you somewhere to stay. In the meantime get a copy of the 'Grand Designs' programme that featured the cruck frame straw bale house http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/grand-designs/houses/S/sussex_woodman.html . Inspirational. As a complete novice it is fantastic to be able to come to the forum and get the benifit of the expertise, skills and knowledge from construction industry professionals and others. But reading through this last thread of your I can see why you're feeling low. I think what Skywalker suggests is helpful - get the building going and then add more sustainable options. But, and speaking as a novice, I am not conviced that Biomass is such a non starter. It may not be appropriate but my biomass boiler will cost about £3,000 with the accumulator about £2,000 to be installed by local heating engineer. So it is getting more affordable. I would think very hard about opting for oil and then going over to biomass later. It's not very sustainable to put in a storage tank and boiler and then make them redundant just to burn biomass in a brand new boiler a few years down the line. If you can find any way of not putting in PVCu windows that would be a major achievement. Apart from it's low cost this material is very very low down the list of sustainable building materials! French joinery is of a very high standard but is less expensive that some of the UK joinery manufacturers. You could Google Bieber windows. As somone else said some of the costs look about right while others look high. As I have even less experience of public buildings than dwellings I should really keep my novice mouth shut but I think you can get some things done for a little less. Of course you should have a chainsaw ticket if you're using a chainsaw just as you should have a digger ticket. I found a young lad though the job centre who had driven diggers since he was a child. He was extremely efficient although he had no ticket. We hired a digger and did all the groundworks ourselves for far less than the quotes we had. There wasn't any way we could have afforded it otherwise. We did it properly, we didn't cut corners on building regs. or safety and it has all been passed by Building Control. If you're prepared to tackle some of the management yourselves you'll be able to make some small savings.

So you've got to do keep going and not get too down about the whole thing. As someone suggested phase the approach or if you can't do that try dealing with one thing at a time. If you try and solve all those complex problems all at once you'll get a real headache - I tried it and had one for months. Now I try to tackle one thing at a time and once that's going ok start thinking about the next phase. But I am quite sure you can do it.

This is probably not very helpful but i just wanted to let you know that there are many of us out there, struggling on, getting it done so don't feel you're on your own. Finally I should add that as a complete novice none of the information I have given can be relied upon and should be treated as anecdotal and unproven!
I'll follow your next step with interest....
Julian

Hello Katy

Hope you are OK.

Most projects have their low points, many have more lows than highs, some of the 'worst' projects I have been involved with have still had great outcomes even if the final output bore little resemblance to the original vision. The key is ensuring that you are able to carry out what you originally wanted to successfully (in your case without too many 'green' thingies but a functioning nursery: on one spectacular case for me without a 'feature' stainless steel tree top path/cycle/wheelchair route all cantilevered off one post! but a very nice a well used new local park).

Local to me there is a nursery/after school club working out of porta cabins. They have plans to rent/aquire new premises in the future but the main point is they are able to work with these structures.

So the question is is there another way you can get your nursery running (either on this site or elswhere), get an income stream & thus improve your ability to repay a larger loan, then go for developing the site. Alternatively do you need the whole area of car park, play, access works externally and the whole of the internal space to be operational from day one (many inner city nurseries have no outside play area); in other words can you phase the development. The latter will depend on how many children you are certan to get to start off with. I do not know how you project nursery places ( I guess checking the local governement/office of national stats will help = number of children of nursery age when you plan to open vs number of housholds with children of nursery age with working parents - number of existing places or something like that) but you will inevitably start off with small numbers and build up or only be able to cater for small numbers. If, in time, you have a waiting list and can demonstrate robust finances you may even be able to get a better load deal.

Nigel is right. Whilst you will be able to DIY some elements of the build you need to be absolutely certain you will comply with all the regs or the project will fail; for this you need proffessionals.

S.

Why not try posting a plea for help on the public forum at www.aees.co.uk? This is seen by students on the CAT Architecture course, some of whom might help out for the experience... if you can get a design, I'll do the SBEM calcs for you.
bob.irving@zen.co.uk