Building your own home from scratch. Anybody got any experience ?

Fr0dders

Fr0dders

Fr0dders

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
33,457
Location
West Yorks
Im interested in starting to make plans to build my own home.

I'm not after anything big or grand, just something thats unique, and built to my tastes.

But where do you start ? clearly this isnt something you wake up one day and decide to start tomorrow, so im looking for places to start some research.

In particular im thinking where do you start for house design, architect or pre built ?

also thinking about looking into the specifics of the house too, like having a mains pressure hot water system, and wiring the place with CAT 5 cabling for home automation etc..

Anybody suggest any good books / websites to do some research ?
 
It's probably not that much help, but watch a few series of grand designs to get some ideas and see the traps other people fall into?

I've always wanted to do it but I'm terrified of how it would turn out - I get the feeling I'd want to put every idea I'd ever had into it and that's probably not going to work in a single house.
 
This is my ideal goal as well (Though we are talking long into the future). The biggest stumbling point is the land - if you've got that then the entire design and build process is almost certainly cheaper than buying an existing property anyway.
 
I haven't had any experience with this sort of thing exactly, but have seen my dad buy a semi-finished flat and then get it finished. (semi-finished as in he bought a flat in an apartment complex that was yet to be built. They had certain things that could not be changed such as what it looks like on the outside but the rest of the flat, you could do with what you want. Number of rooms, their size, design, etc.)

One thing to keep in mind is that this was in India. No idea if the situation differs or not in the UK.

He got recommended an architect/designer from a friend and went to have a chat with them. Basically you tell them what kind of plan you have in mind and what kind of things you would like. They would then create samples etc. and you would basically just sit with them and discuss all the details. What kind of flooring, fixtures, designs etc. Also, the architect then supervised the rest, once you finalised what you wanted (obviously tweaking being done throughout the process). The architect was the one who arranged for the various materials to come, for the workers and everything and you would pop along once in a while and see if everything is going according to plan and discuss with the architect any changes to be made etc.

One thing being though that many of the things were decided by the builders of the apartment complex. Such as where the entrance would be, where the load bearing walls would have to be etc.

Not sure if you're after that kind of thing or actually getting the wood yourself and building it up with your own hands sort of thing.

In a nutshell - if what I described is the kind of thing you're looking for, find a good architect and just have a chat.
 
Last edited:
Yeah getting the land and land in the right place at the right price is the hardest part. If you are wanting something unique then an architect is a good starting point. You will have to have plans and drawings in place before you can get planning permission.

Not sure on mains hot water systems etc. Cat 5 and home automation are of course possible not sure on how much they cost though. I know my company have put bills in of £100k for automated lighting systems in the past (The house was like something out of grand designs though!)
 
I would love to do it. But no chance of affording it any time soon.

I expect first port of call is to buy house design software, and knock something up which you like, renumber the interior. Then get the self build something or the other book, which has tables for costs in. That should give you a good idea of what you want and rough costs. Once you decided what you want and you can afford it then I imagine an architect would be good, then sourcing money land and the rest of it.

Grand design website is good for building equipment, of the shelf and built to order kit houses.

I would love a beco house. Not only is it super fast and cheap to put up but has excellent insulation and solid concrete for noise reduction.

x10 system would be cheapest for house automation.
You can also think about things like under floor heating, heat exchange pumps and other such things.

I think this is the book with tables of prices in.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Housebuilde...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263131819&sr=8-1

you may also want to start buying self build magazines and have a look through there especially the adds to see what is on offer for various things.
 
Last edited:
In the UK I understand you will need an architect to formalise your plans and sign off the building, even if you've done it all yourself. Getting an architect to project manage the build all the way through makes things run smoothly generally but it's also (very) expensive.

As Fox says, the land will be an issue, it's difficult to know what to build and how it'll look if you don't know where you're going to build it.
 
Ricochet J said:
Start thinking about sustainable energy in the new build for the future.
Click to expand...

Yeah this is a good idea. Solar panels are fairly easy to install but do cost. The other type I've worked on are Ground source heat systems. These cost a lot also but from what I understand yield better results over all.
 
We built are own house. I don't have pictures on this PC to show you, but it was worth the effort. There was times that it got a bit pressured but it never got to a crisis stage. We were doing it mortgage free so I've been skint many years now :D

First we bought and cleared a large piece of land. There was an old house on it we knocked down to the first floor and started over. I drew the house we envisioned on Google Sketchup and submitted it to an architect friend, who promptly sent it back with reasons why it won't work :p . We sent it back asking him to make it work. He redesigned the house a bit and showed us a 3D model of what it would look like. It was a go. We submitted it to the local authorities who queried a window position on the western side of the house. We took it out of the plan and after more haggling regarding the upstairs patio being able to see the neighbouring garden, it was a green light.

Nothing happened for a year. Money issues.

The first bricks were delivered 13 months after we got the green light and the first floor was done within two weeks. The plumbers and sparks came and did their thing. Crane came and stuck the large concrete floor (sorry, have no idea what it was called) on top of the first floor, ready for the second floor to be build. Second floor was done after another 3 weeks and sparks and plumbers came again to do their thing. Chippy came to prepare for the roof to be put on which took another month or so before the whole shell with the roof was done.

Eight months passed. Money issues again.

The rendering and plastering was done from the inside, walls painted and repainted, wooden and tile floors for various room installed. Electrical outlets, light switches and Cat5 cable installed in every room. Windows frames and windows installed, door frames installed and downstairs doors bought and installed. Upstairs doors still lying in basement waiting for installation. The whole house inside was now plastered, painted, tiled and ready to be filled up.

Kitchen and bathrooms was done at the same time and took a week. From outside it was (and still is) a pile of bricks with windows and a roof, inside it's like a normal home. Rendering from outside is booked to be done in the first week of May, along with a wall around the property with a driveway and electronic gates.

We've also looked at sustainability and run a wood burning boiler for free central heating and hot water. I've also been asking around about solar panels to see how it can benefit us in the long run. Take into account the house is not in the UK but I can assure you the processes are roughly the same.

That's about it for the moment. We knew we wanted to live in Austria one day for various personal and family reasons, and we got lucky with that property. It was miles cheaper to build it ourselves.
 
Last edited:
You might want to check this out... http://www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/ or something similar.

My parents are looking to buy some land this summer for a new build or to by a house on a decent plot to knock down and start again. Dad's best mate has built and sold about 10 properties from start to finish so he will be helping them out so I can't really help with that. Obviously I will be helping out so I will be making a bit of a diary/log of the whole thing but as others have said...finding the land is the hardest part.

I think you'd be best getting a project manager in. Lots of builders who do self builds will sort everything out for you at a price as it does take a hell of a lot of planning.
 
regulus said:
We built are own house. I don't have pictures on this PC to show you, but it was worth the effort. There was times that it got a bit pressured but it never got to a crisis stage. We were doing it mortgage free so I've been skint many years now :D

First we bought and cleared a large piece of land. There was an old house on it we knocked down to the first floor and started over. I drew the house we envisioned on Google Sketchup and submitted it to an architect friend, who promptly sent it back with reasons why it won't work :p . We sent it back asking him to make it work. He redesigned the house a bit and showed us a 3D model of what it would look like. It was a go. We submitted it to the local authorities who queried a window position on the western side of the house. We took it out of the plan and after more haggling regarding the upstairs patio being able to see the neighbouring garden, it was a green light.

Nothing happened for a year. Money issues.

The first bricks were delivered 13 months after we got the green light and the first floor was done within two weeks. The plumbers and sparks came and did their thing. Crane came and stuck the large concrete floor (sorry, have no idea what it was called) on top of the first floor, ready for the second floor to be build. Second floor was done after another 3 weeks and sparks and plumbers came again to do their thing. Chippy came to prepare for the roof to be put on which took another month or so before the whole shell with the roof was done.

Eight months passed. Money issues again.

The rendering and plastering was done from the inside, walls painted and repainted, wooden and tile floors for various room installed. Electrical outlets, light switches and Cat5 cable installed in every room. Windows frames and windows installed, door frames installed and downstairs doors bought and installed. Upstairs doors still lying in basement waiting for installation. The whole house inside was now plastered, painted, tiled and ready to be filled up.

Kitchen and bathrooms was done at the same time and took a week. From outside it was (and still is) a pile of bricks with windows and a roof, inside it's like a normal home. Rendering from outside is booked to be done in the first week of May, along with a wall around the property with a driveway and electronic gates.

We've also looked at sustainability and run a wood burning boiler for free central heating and hot water. I've also been asking around about solar panels to see how it can benefit us in the long run. Take into account the house is not in the UK but I can assure you the processes are roughly the same.

That's about it for the moment. We knew we wanted to live in Austria one day for various personal and family reasons, and we got lucky with that property. It was miles cheaper to build it ourselves.
Click to expand...

that's a very interesting statement. :) just out of interest - you say it was cheaper. in terms of the overall package price would you say it was a bit cheaper or like half the price for the property if bought now? with regards to prices now as i know my parents house is literally worth ten times more than what it was when they bought it in the 90's. i'm not after monetary figures, i'm just wondering if it was worth looking into in further detail.

also, how difficult was it with regards to water? were you on a main line or did you have to construct the entire amount for yourselves?
 
In general 1/3 of the cost should be the land, 1/3 build cost and 1/3 profit but in reality it does not work out that well. I think if you make 15 to 20 uplift on the completed project you have done quite well.

Also don’t forget you save on the stamp duty as you only pay in on the land and you can also claim back the VAT on all the building materials.
 
You're at the opposite end of the country to me but I'd always be happy to chat via email on such matters.

My advice in brief would be to get in touch with some local Architects and have a brief chat - most will offer a free consultation that will allow you and a qualified, experienced professional to go over the basics and general feasibilities of your ideas in conjunction with reality.

It is excellent to have lots of ideas and desires when meeting but equally important to be approaching a practice that is suitable to your desired development e.g. employing a large firm could end up excessively costly for your requirements, and you might find you lose a larger amount of control on the project due to the self-driven desires of the design team.

On the alternate scale you must also consider engaging with someone who is both experienced and competant enough for your project; there are an awfully large number of 'designers' who have moved across from the product design/interior design/surveying area of the market who are neither qualified in design (a grossly overlooked yet vital factor) nor capable of project managing/signing off the latter stages of your build process.

Think - Consult - Compare - Plan - Review - Planning - Build :p
 
zooankski said:
I would love to do it-shame decent plots around here are in short supply and very very expensive:mad:
Click to expand...

That's the problem, did the government idea of making self build easier with a target of 1/3rd of houses being self build die a painful death?

Here is the two systems I would be interested in using
http://www.sipcrete.com/index.htm
http://www.becowallform.co.uk/

I rarely should by a self design software and see what the cost of the build would be. I expect it would be surprisingly cheap using such a system for a bog standard house.
 
Get an Architect on board, pay him a nominal fee for doing a basic design; elevations, indoor layouts etc. Then take it to a Private Quantity Surveying firm, they'll be able to give you a good idea what sort of figures you're looking at and will be able to advise you on value engineering options to suit your budget. I'd strongly advise getting a PQS on board who will buffer you from any dodgy contractors running rings round you. The fee you pay them will save you a lot of stress and save you money.
 
zooankski said:
I would love to do it-shame decent plots around here are in short supply and very very expensive:mad:
Click to expand...

When you say very expensive, it’s always relative to the price of comparable local houses. The cost of the land plus build costs are still normally less than the same house next door.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom