On Being a Self-Builder
Self-build is a phrase that is getting ever-popular in the housing market. So what is “self-build”? It’s a property you build yourself, as the phrase hints! Not necessarily only by yourself, but you put yourself in the position as foreman, architect, planner of your house and allow trained workers do the task you order them to do. More people are choosing the “self-build” route – as a matter of fact, there are more self-builders in the UK than the total number of homes being built by any single developer. The intention of self-build is to create a house to your exact specifications, not a template that the large developers work to.
I know what you’re thinking: “I haven’t a clue about how to build a house”. The pleasant news is that self-build doesn’t mean you necessarily have to get stuck in with the actual development (in fact, only around 5% of self-builders in reality get involved with the actual construction work). Even when it comes to design, quite often this is delegated to a professional designer.. Self-build, by and large, is about you expressing (in laymen’s terms), what you need to the property designer – who then develops a design dependent on your demands. This design then becomes the blueprint the builders follow. Easy, eh? You don’t need to have any active participation in self-build. Having said that, the DIY enthusiast can use self-build as a chance to save some dosh by helping out with the aspects of self-build they have experience in – it’s your call as to how much engagement you want during the construction.
Since you get complete control over the specifications of the construction, you can choose the most up-to-date technology, while large developers lag behind because they’re developing to set boiler-plate designs. You can put in things like cost-saving lighting, automated climate, underfloor heating, and entertainment facilities throughout your home.
You must make sure the team of workers you select are total professionals and that they can work as a group. No doubt you will want workers with experience of some rather potentially dangerous machinery used in construction, such as floor saws, wall saws, angle grinders, masonry saws, and Stanley hydraulic breakers and power packs. Not only do they need to be safe with such equipment, they of course must do their job well too!
This article is simply an introduction to the concept of constructing a home yourself, and I hope it will encourage those of you who are put off by the thought of planning a project of this kind of scale. It needn’t be time-intensive, and you won’t need house building / designing skills, but employ carefully, and you will need to cautiously work out the budget of the project.
