Tesla charging

[C00kiemonster]

House builders do t want to build on land already used as it costs to clear the site and adapt what is already there. It’s cheaper for them to build in greenfield areas and probably easier for them to sell too.

House building in the UK is mainly about maximum profit for minimum outlay.

It shows in the size and how badly made / flimsy most modern houses are sadly.

[D41]

Well...land costs fluctuate in line with the cost of existing homes in the area.
The actual building materials go the other way (if at all)....developers buy a lot of land to build a large number of homes & the material costs can often trend downwards.

Location, location, location.

[duke63]

I was told the story a few months back of homes being built in Newport, Shropshire up for sale at £280,000.

The same building company was building the same homes, somewhere near Reading and selling them for close to £600k.

[Kwacky]

A couple of years ago we looked at new builds on a couple of new estates. Both estates were identical in every way but either side of Redditch. Every house on one estate was £100k more than the other because it was closer to Henley in Arden.

[Frankie]

Its all down to what they can get away with.... sorry market values, obviously the materials that go into building does not change in costs regardless of where you are in the country. Group deals, buying contracts were put in place year on year.
And I can tell you from experience these big house companies will rape you on costs..... the margins made on the kit I sold to various builders, from the smaller house builder to the big names was very small across the board... some you could do without the business as one little issue with erode any margin you might have made. It was almost a case of keep the business to keep your competitors from having the bragging rights lol.

[Monty]

Well...land costs fluctuate in line with the cost of existing homes in the area.
The actual building materials go the other way (if at all)....developers buy a lot of land to build a large number of homes & the material costs can often trend downwards.

Location, location, location.

You're not wrong, for once. Developers sit on land and build where the profit is, not necessarily where the houses are needed or where the social infrastructure is ready.

I work with the developers and I've personally been involved with around 2000 properties this year. The last majority have been bought out by foreign investors.

The sooner we realise that a house is a roof above our heads and not an investment the better.

[Frankie]

Trouble is this has always been rammed down our necks, bricks and mortar, that the investment you need. Where as a lot of the world it's all about renting. It is still better if you can to buy than rent as the prices are all wrong to make it work in the UK.

[Monty]

And I can tell you from experience these big house companies will rape you on costs.....

I just scraped through this year, you?

[Frankie]

PS, on the planning, many areas near bodies of water do have to be built on stilts, ie. raised to a certain level, just in case of flooding. In my area.
I think that zones for these are not right, as they seem to have misjudged the smaller cuts and little rivers that crisscross the Thames and other larger rivers, as these fill up quick and you get the flood problems.

They spent millions on the Jubilee river to take away excess flow to stop flooding, seems that has not worked, you just have to look at Henley on Thames and Marlow at the moment, the river is angry and flooding badly. Villages down stream even complained that the work down created flooding down stream.

[Frankie]

And I can tell you from experience these big house companies will rape you on costs.....

I just scraped through this year, you?

Thats the word for it, i think I will finish 97% of target, which was a big increase on last year, and the first year I have been on the area, so lots of development on a history of crap sales before I got on it.
On the plus side, profit up, turnover down..... I dont do a lot with residential now, mainly commercial, been pushing heavy on commercial kitchens, Food is always needed, from high class eating to your Kebab shop, they really should all have proper vent
Not that they do, some of the crap people think work, do my head in !!!

[duke63]

Did you know new builds in Wales are no longer allowed to fit gas central heating?

[C00kiemonster]

Did you know new builds in Wales are no longer allowed to fit gas central heating?

Eh?

Does that mean electric only?

[duke63]

No idea, I was told this the other day by a guy who runs maintenance for a big property company. I assume it is correct.

[Frankie]

I think this is the plan UK wide, all new homes in 5 years wont be gas heating..... If it goes ahead.

[Monty]

And I can tell you from experience these big house companies will rape you on costs.....

I just scraped through this year, you?

Thats the word for it, i think I will finish 97% of target, which was a big increase on last year, and the first year I have been on the area, so lots of development on a history of crap sales before I got on it.
On the plus side, profit up, turnover down..... I dont do a lot with residential now, mainly commercial, been pushing heavy on commercial kitchens, Food is always needed, from high class eating to your Kebab shop, they really should all have proper vent
Not that they do, some of the crap people think work, do my head in !!!

I've been in residential for the last 5 years and it's far worse from a profit point of view than commercial. The last big commercial project I did was back in 2009 on North Middlesex Hospital. I supplied the Chillers, AHUs and FCUs for the whole site, about 1.2 million quids worth. I got the order literally on the day that the euro hit parity and missed a currency buy forward with the bank by 2 hours, very stressful Christmas! Fortunately, the contractor was French and I managed to get them to pay me in Euros.

[StMarks]

[.....?

Not sure about your comment mate, i cannot see how blame is down to the people buying ??? The builders and the local authority have been the ones who have made the decision to build in an area well know for flooding. And as we all know, if the house is built people will buy them.
They will most likely assume that if it is there, it is safe to live in would you not agree?

Whilst I would absolve neither the developers nor the regulatory authorities for building homes in unsuitable locations, if people did not buy them in those locations, the developers would very soon stop building them in the wrong sorts of places wouldn't they.?
When you buy a property the flood-risk assessment is part of the searches, so every buyer should be well aware of the risk they are buying in to.
If they choose to take a gamble on a new property that is more affordable but indicated as possibly susceptible, then isn't that their choice.?

There is a couple I know who are battling with the local authority for a barn conversion approval.
The outline planning has been given with the stipulation that the 18th C barn must not be substantially altered externally.
It is a structure of handmade brick & mortar with a clay pantiled roof that stands about 18 feet tall to the tip of the ridge.
The same authority's building control have stipulated that all sleeping areas must be over 4.5meters above ground level.

[Frankie]

Resi has never been great, so much competition, even the high spec arms of the builders, still want rock bottom prices for their 19 million house in St Georges Hill, in line with the one bed flat in the arse end of nowhere......
Which in cost terms does not seem to exist any more anyway

[Monty]

Did you know new builds in Wales are no longer allowed to fit gas central heating?

Eh?

Does that mean electric only?

Yes and no, the new SAP is out and it favours electric so we will be installing ground and air source heat pumps on communal heat networks. However, you can inject any form of heat/energy into a heat network. CHP etc.

[Monty]

Resi has never been great, so much competition, even the high spec arms of the builders, still want rock bottom prices for their 19 million house in St Georges Hill, in line with the one bed flat in the arse end of nowhere......
Which in cost terms does not seem to exist any more anyway

Resi high spec, LOL!

[Frankie]

Its this line StMarks, if people did not buy them in those locations, the developers would very soon stop building them in the wrong sorts of places wouldn't they.?

The people don't have that choice, the house builders have in their land bank or buy the land, they get to LA approval to build with the token gesture of affordable as well, and then they build. The public dont then say oh hang on this area floods, or stinks, or is an old dump! I wont buy!!! I am not talking about one or two houses, these are multiple estates of 200 upward of houses and flats, if the house builders, and there are normally three of four building on these sites, are doing it, and the LA have approved it, and the legal bodies have no issues, then the potential home owner is never going to question if they should live there or not, that choice is long gone. I would assume even the locals who know these area's are prone to flooding would expect that if all the main bodies allow it to happen, plans have been put in place to stop the issue. I point you back to the car park photo.... of all the places where diligence has taken place this would be it lol..... Many years ago I used to provide industrial switch gear and even then allowance were made to raise kit, build in channels to keep water away from the electrical gear, mainly Three phase kit, and high voltage..... I cant believe that photo, does not look like any provisions have been put in place re safety!!!