You’ll get lots of well-meaning advice when you start your project. But here’s our collection of the little gems that really will make things easier. Part one looks at budget, plots, finding tradesmen, sourcing materials and more.
01-Get a Budget, and Stick to it
The key factor in raising stress levels – and the main reason for the failure of many selfbuild and renovation projects – is money. Be realistic in terms of what you can afford to spend and make sure your design is a reasonable ambition for your wallet. Use a designer with a proven track record of designing homes built to certain budgets. Once you’re aiming at a realistic target, the more accurate and detailed you can make your drawings and specification at an early stage, the more accurate the quote your builder will give you, and therefore the less likely they are to stray from it.
02-Can’t Find a Plot? Compromise
A large number of wannabe self-builders never get off the ground with their plans because they end up looking for a plot that isn’t there. In the same way that your first home is unlikely to be your dream home, looking for a large level plot with views of the countryside is unrealistic for most first-time self-builders. Understand that the plots that look the most unappealing, overgrown and sloping can in fact be opportunities to build the most interesting of all homes — and add the most value. Vision plays a surprisingly large role in projects like this.
03-Source Tradesmen through Recommendation
If you’re new to an area, pester your new neighbors for contacts on the building scene. Chances are that they would have used reliable local tradesmen for their own projects and might be able to get you started with a few names. If you have to, use the trade association lists (such as those from trustmark.org.uk) but make sure you check references, independently, in person. Never employ someone on the basis of a low price alone.
04-Use the Building Inspector
Local authority Building Control officers almost universally tend to be helpful and approachable, and you should make the most of their experience of local construction issues. While some might be willing to point you in the direction of the main good local contractors, all will be able to give you advice on ground conditions and are usually happy to talk over their views on the way forward. Don’t ignore this valuable resource.
05-Ask Questions
Nobody expects you to understand all of the details of homebuilding. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what’s going on and, more importantly, what your key choices are when it comes to making decisions about specification. Good builders won’t baffle you with jargon but should instead clearly explain the issues.
Be Firm, but Pragmatic
Things will occur during the construction process that weren’t planned. The wrong bricks might turn up; the guy laying the tiles might lay them in the wrong pattern. It’s important to take a balanced view on how to handle these situations. While it’s pointless accepting something that you won’t be able to live with for the sake of maintaining momentum on site, it’s also not worth jeopardising the presence of tradesmen on site by being too picky all the time. Be clear in what you want and the standard of work that you expect, but accept that, sometimes, pragmatism is key to a broadly successful project.
06-Have a Vision
The design stage is probably the most exciting aspect of the whole project, and it’s important to go into it with firm ideas of what will excite you about the finished house. For many people, it’s a vision of a set lifestyle that you’ll enjoy in the new house (something you haven’t been able to have in the homes you’ve lived in so far) — perhaps a large family kitchen overlooking the garden, or even a home cinema or games room. It’s critical to put a few of these dreams into your design to make the whole thing worthwhile during tough times.~
07-What’s Your Goal for the House?
By deciding early on whether this is going to be a home you’ll live in for just a couple of years, or your home for life, you’ll be able to get a much clearer idea of how to make the key decisions. For instance, some of the greener technologies will only make financial sense if you intend to stay more than five years; likewise, if this project will be your home for life, you might want to consider more closely the future flexibility of the ground floor living arrangements.
08-Shop Well
It’s easier than ever to drive hard bargains on materials prices and keep your costs down. Once you’ve chosen the fitting you’re interested in, research prices on the internet — you’ll find several retailers battling against each other. It’s the same for bigvalue items such as windows — get an idea of what you want and the dimensions required, and then negotiate, playing companies off against each other. You’ll be surprised as to how far you can drive down the original prices given.
09-Make Decisions and Stick to Them
It’s much easier further down the line if you can make plans as detailed as possible, as early as possible. So take time out while you’re waiting to get started and decide your kitchen and bathroom layouts; what type of fire you’re going to have; whether you’re having a ground-source heat pump or not. Making all of those decisions early will make the building process much easier (positioning of drains, plumbing and electrical circuits, for instance). It’s also wise to make decisions at this stage when you have the time to consider them — many decisions made on specification during a busy building project are affected by time pressures.
10-Try and Do Some DIY
Getting involved on site in some of the work is a good thing. It will save you a bit of money (particularly if you can take on some of the less time-critical work, such as decorating, so you won’t hold up progress on site) but also give you a sense of achievement. Many of the jobs on site aren’t terribly skilled — and many self-builders find it quite cathartic to do some physical work after a day in the office.
11-Know Your Limits
It’s pointless for beginners to get involved in managing a self-build or renovation project day-to-day if you both have full-time jobs with little flexibility. To be a successful project manager you’ll need to be there to take deliveries, chase up the tradesmen every day and line up ones for the future, and check the standard of work — not to mention co-ordinating the schedule. It’s not for the faint-hearted, and certainly not for those who can rarely make it to site.
12-Don’t be a Pioneer
It’s sometimes surprising to beginners just how little the regular building trade is aware of things you as a self-builder might be aware of (by browsing this website, for instance). While underfloor heating is now relatively run of the mill for most plumbers, some of the greener technologies such as ground- and air-source heat pumps might well be beyond their levels of experience. Don’t let this put you off installing them, but be aware that the price you’ll pay for being the first of the plumber’s clients to use these technologies is a higher labour rate and a slower job.
16-Invest in Structure
While money is usually very tight during the building process itself, it’s important to prioritise expenditure on the things you won’t be able to change later. Things like kitchens, bathrooms and flooring can always be upgraded, but trying to save money on the key structural elements, such as attic trusses, insulation and windows, is usually a false economy.
17-Keep an Eye on End Value
Even if you’re planning to stay in your self-built or renovated house for the long-term, it’s important to ensure that what you’re doing makes financial sense. Get an estate agent to value your planned house at the start of the process and make sure that you’re not putting more into the project than it will be worth. Really, a project should be a success assuming you’ve paid the right amount for the plot — so one of the first questions you should ask the agent selling you a plot is, what will the finished house be worth?
18-Think of the Way Your House will Perform
More than ever, homes are machines — no longer passive users of heat and energy, rather active managers of lifestyles and resources. Think carefully about what you want out of a house — most want low energy bills, but do you also want it to be smart? Features such as multi-room entertainment systems and remotely controlled security settings can make living in your finished house much easier — and now’s the time to install them.
19-Get the Essentials in Place
There are key things you’ll need in terms of paperwork for your project. Most importantly of all, cover-all self-build insurance (encompassing site and public liability insurance) is a must-have; warranties aren’t legally required but are essential if you intend to sell the house within a decade. You will also need to have Building Regulations approval and planning permission for what you’re intending to build. You’d be surprised at how many selfbuilders forget one of these crucial ‘bits of admin’.
20-Don’t Miss Out on VAT Savings
As a self-builder you’ll enjoy the chance to reclaim the VAT you spend on most materials (you won’t pay VAT on the labour) at the end of your project. This can often run to tens of thousands of pounds — a useful boost for your much-depleted bank accounts. But you can only reclaim once, and you’ll need to ensure your receipts are kept safe during the project. Get hold of form VAT 431NB from HM Revenue & Customs (online at hmrc.gov.uk) as soon as you start to get more guidance.
21-Place Your Faith in Experts
Perhaps the main key to a successful project is getting a team of experts on side. Starting out with an experienced designer, then onto hiring reliable tradesmen — you’ll need to place your faith in people who know more about building than you do. This means not just good builders and tradesmen, but being prepared to listen to experience — for example, the Building Control officer, or the warranty inspector.
22-Think About Security
Building sites are attractive to local thieves — they are unguarded and home to highvalue items that are easy to sell on. It’s best to get a secure container for your deliveries as soon as possible on site — whether it’s a metal container that you can hire or buy and sell on at a later date, or even better, build a detached garage first and store everything in there.
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