How To Self Build During A Recession - My Experience Of Building A Large Family Home

12th October 2008

Right now we're working on the exterior design with my architect. We have thought about the inside too, in terms of general layout and room sizes.

This design will be presented to a planning officer at the local council who will tell us if what we are proposing is broadly acceptable or not. If she is happy that we are headed in the right direction, then we will proceed with detailed drawings and a formal submission of a planning application.

As soon as we are clear where we are with planning, I will put lots of pictures here for you to look at.

As I have mentioned in previous posts the doom and gloom in the property world is a godsend for self builders like us. Not only can we now get great plots of land at bargain prices but we also save up to 30% on the build cost too. On a project like mine that represents a saving of over £100,000!

On the plot itself I have recently had the electricity supply cut off and the electricity meter taken out. To do this I had to contact my supplier for the meter and the network who control the cables underground. I had left the electricity on because I figured we might need it for small jobs that might need doing at the property. I then decided having a live connection at a derelict property would present a possible hazard so I decided to get it completely cut off.

I'm still there everyday checking on things and enjoying the countryside. In fact I recently purchased a mountain bike for the purpose of cycling over there with my dog Bruce from where I live now (about a mile away).

I always take a packed lunch with me (one for him one for me) which we usually eat somewhere in the countryside behind my plot. This has given me the opportunity to meet lots of local people I would not have met otherwise and to make the most of the beautiful area I will soon be a part of.