When it comes to DIY, building your dream house has got to be the ultimate in ambitious projects. Not only does it require you to be good at pretty much every aspect of DIY, you need to get hold of the land, the funds and put in the huge amount of time and effort which building a dream home entails.
Below are a host of tips we’ve assembled in order to give you an idea of what the home-building process involves and how to avoid some common pitfalls which can trip you up, from acquiring the land to putting in the finishing touches.
Location, location, location
The first consideration when deciding whether building your dream home from scratch is a realistic prospect is going to be the location. Space isn’t easy to find in the UK, and you’re going to be competing for the top spots with big housing developers and other folk with the same idea as you. Scout out as many locations as you can, look at brownfield sites and don’t give up; it can take a long time (on the scale of years) to find that perfect spot and then you’ve got to actually buy it before someone else does. Consider buying a run-down house (perhaps in an auction) and knocking it down before rebuilding. This will add costs to your build, but it’ll be a more reliable way of getting that perfect location.
How much are you going to do yourself?
The term ‘build from scratch’ means many things to many people. Are you going to hire an architect to draw up the plans? Probably, though pre-fabricated ‘kit’ houses are an alternative if you don’t want a custom build. Are you going to act as general contractors for the build and hire subcontractors? For which jobs? For the parts you’ll be doing yourself, you’ll need to look out for cheap building supplies from Wickes or B&Q when they have a sale, or find similar deals elsewhere. Once you’ve got a plan together, organise it into stages so that you can keep track of progress and prevent unnecessary delays.
Crunch the numbers and unravel the red tape
Building a house is a complex business, both physically and legally. You’ll need to send drafts of your plan to the council for planning permission, and you’ll likely be required to make changes and forward revised plans to them before they’ll accept the build. You’ll also need to get your finances in order; self-build mortgages can cover the vast majority of costs, but they come in ‘chunks’, with the lender inspecting the progress of the project to ensure that their investment is secure. Try to fund as much of the build as possible up-front; there’s nothing quite like having your dream house completed and having your finances in the green.
Finally, don’t give up. Self-builds are invariably a daunting task, fraught with pitfalls and issues which can be demoralising. When you feel like giving up, remember that at the end of it all you’ll have an investment for life, and your house will likely be worth more than the funds which you sunk into it, both emotionally and financially.
