Posted By: Katymacbeen promised an ARCHITECT

In a basket with pink ribbon?

I think studwork might work out a bit cheaper if you don't need internal walls to act for any load bearing purpose and they can be moved more easily I guess. However, solid walls give a higher quality feel to a building and increase the thermal storage capacity evening out fluctuations in external temperatures. They are also more durable and could be used to support joists for a future mezzanine level. As for the roof, I'm afraid I'm not qualified to comment further having no personal experience of using Masonite or glu-lam beams.

What about using compressed earth blocks for your internal partions? Make them from the earth on your site with some volunteer labour and a manually operated block press. You would end up with a large hole to bury that asbestos in as well... How about that for low cost, low embodied energy building and taking care of your own waste?

Stranger and stranger - have you followed those lines of enquiry suggested?

Come on everyone, how can we get Katymac an enthusiastic Architect?

Why not put out a new-topic request for names of suggested Architects, on as many relevant forums as you can find?

I have an architect and a builder who are interested in your project. They are based in Burwell, Cambridgeshire. Not sure where you are - Norfolk somewhere isn't it so not too far away?

They have collaberated before on projects and are currently setting up a business together. I've seen some of the architect's work and it is very good and he has excellent "Green" credentials. I have also been to the builder's self-built house which is of SIPs construction with GSHP etc. They know what they are doing. The builder also has a background in building stable complexes so tackling a concrete block barn is right up his street (for example, putting a new roof structure in place, laying a new concrete floor, internal blockwork partitioning - all bread and butter stuff to him).

Interested? If so, email me with your contact details at christopher_wardle@btinternet.com and I'll put you in touch.

On another website I use the following statement has been made.....I'm not altogether sure I agree

"you are building a practical utilitarian building with as its purpose its use and low impact on the environment

its appearance doesn't matter as long as it is low impact"

Opinions?

I was thinking about it......then someone did

Posted By: JulianAnother local green Architect wanted 12.5% (RIBA say you can "negotiate" but only if he/she wants to) of the budget, plus travel expenses and further fees for site visits

Posted By: Julianit's not about our supposed "unwillingness to pay" Fostertom

In your case Julian it clearly is about your unwillingness to pay, not in Katymac's I think. Your tone suggests outrage at 12.5% as exorbitant. Why?

Nigel, I don't think Katymac has yet said whether she needs the full service or not; if not then of course she pays less - it's all laid out in the RIBA scale.
Your bigger project would make the quoted rate come down; so would if it was new-build rather than work to an existing building.
Beyond that, you get what you pay for, generally speaking (allowing that some excellent people in any trade will work for peanuts or charity and also that some rubbish people will charge full-fee). Did you have only limited expectations, that were easily satisfied by a cut-price Architect? There's always run-of-the-mill practitioners around, who find they need to compete on price because they don't know how to compete on quality. I rarely charge less than RIBA full-scale and believe me, with the work I can't help putting in, am not rich. I'm begining to charge more-than RIBA, and am not short of work!

Lots of "good reputations" around in the provinces - so how good is the overall standard of design that results? Very rarely indeed "excellent", I'd say. Maybe that's because people who commission architects don't know their adequate from their excellent.

Tom, you're quick to judge people! We were quite prepared to pay 12.5% - if that were appropriate. It wasn't. We didn't want full service and we didn't ask for it. He told us that was what we wanted. Without any discussion of what might be involved we were asked to commit to spending 12.5% of our very limited budget. We weren't outraged - just disappointed. This was our first experience with an Architect - and very nearly our last. Our job is a refurb. and extension. It's not complicated. The Architect we found via Shelter did a very good job and we would have got nowhere without him. We paid him for the work he did - and he indicated how his design might run and how he would approach things. I don't expect anyone to work for peanuts. But it is an unusual position to go after a job, and to be able to ask for a percentage of the budget. Nigel is absolutely right to say that good design comes from interaction and our project has proved that. The previous Architect wanted to dictate rather than interact and that wasn't appropriate.

We have an architect...........some further issues (expensive ones I think)

1st issue - what is my nursery is it eco? is it green? is it sustainable? is it low carbon?
Which band wagon do I jump on - I consider all the issues important but what do I tag the nursery with?
I like to be green, eco, sustainable & as low carbon as I can get
Currently none of these seem to matter to my target audience (or only about 10-15% of them )
So it's really what I want that matters - which makes it hard - in 5 yrs XXXX will be the description people use and it's hard to guess what that will be (5 yrs ago I thought it would be green - but it isn't really)

2nd issue - would it be sad to offer to plant trees for the parents to offset the petrol used to travel to the nursery?

Architect has had some interesting ideas

Foyer outside the barn (to maximise floor space) - Do you think a canopy will be enough - architect thinking an actual porch

Window in Foyer on to Oval(?) kitchen so that the parents can see the food being prepared (not sure about this difficult one - I think if you do it right you wouldn't object to someone having a quick look - but I would hate to be watched (iyswim) & I might be cooking (at least initially))

My office above the kitchen (on a mezzanine?) with windows all the way round so I can see all the nursery

Highways have agreed an entrance but it will cost me a fortune in paving an 80m driveway - hardcore & hoggin? (about 600 sqm incl parking)

Hope someone reads this

Yes to fruit no to nut (allergies)

I'll look into the Land Trust

Agree about the porch - but we are very short of money

I like self closers

It's a plowed field atm not sure how much the foundations plus laying grass(I guess seed rather than turf?) plus mesh will cost?

No the kitchen is oval not the window

Doesn't there need to be vehicle access for emergenct services? If not - that's a great idea