Not quite back on track...

As the title says, we're not quite back on track, but at least we seem to be running along beside it (and hopefully heading in the right direction).
Neal-the-Architect and Michael-the-Builder have worked their magic...there has been a significant change in the design (but one that we are really happy with) and change in materials, but it's come back more in the range of our budget (if still a little bit over). But, as Neal sagely noted ... for an off-grid house built to BAL40 standards, we are getting a lot of house for our money. And they managed to pull it all together in only 3 weeks.
We will post the revisited design soon... we just left it in our other pair of trousers.
So the ;and clearing will be commencing on Monday 25th as planned ... we have paid the deposit to Southern Excavations and we can hear the trees already weeping. We just hope that this gives Viktoria enough time to notify the neighbours of the impending disruption.
Meanwhile, the insurer has come through on our claim for damage to our current home caused by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald, so we can start to re-arrange our homelife again.
Unfortunately, the saga of our non-rent-paying, damage-causing, refusing-to-vacate tenant continues, but we are hopeful of a resolution. (It is far too much to hope that there will be a change in the legislation to make the laws more balanced.)
Until next time, we will dust off the feline crew and try to stay positive.
V&A