Self-Build Story

The one thing we were never prepared for when we set out to build a contemporary house was just how costly and time-consuming it would be to make the property watertight.

I stand by our decision to run without a quantity surveyor, despite the early protests of our architect. I still do not see the point of paying someone to tell you that your house will cost twice as much to build as you actually thought but, in hindsight, we should have priced up the exterior finishes, or at least been warned of the potential costs, at an earlier stage in the build.

On a traditionally built property, once the brick shell is built and the roof is on, it is pretty much watertight. Build a contemporary home and it is a different story.

At £35,000, our flat roofs have already eaten heavily into our budget. Windows, plus fitting, will account for a further £42,000. Then there is the zinc roof (£6,000), Weber render (£11,000), hardwood cladding (£3,000), garage and entrance doors (£10,000), stone walls and copings (£15,000), metal cappings and flashings (£6,500), office glass box (£3,700), drains, downspouts and hoppers (£4,000) and labour costs of a joiner (£3,000). We are looking at the best part of £140,000. Then there is still a further £15,000 in decking, paving and pebbles to lay at a later date to ensure all the roofs and terraces are fully protected.

While the sloping site has also added significantly to our costs (retaining walls, tanking, extra drainage etc.), I decided to adopt a more positive outlook. I feel we have probably saved some money, as items such as expensive windows, doors, render, hardwood cladding and stone are not required on the part that is buried beneath the ground. I’m sure architects and builders alike will frown at my questionable theory but if a quarter of the exterior walls are hidden, does that not equate to a 25 per cent saving on external finishes?

Our kitchen and bathroom choices have still not been finalised, but suddenly there is a renewed urgency to start planning the inside. Up until now, we had not given a huge amount of thought to how the inside will look, other than visits to one or two showrooms. Now all of a sudden the first fix is only a few weeks away.

Despite being far from weatherproof, the electrician began installing the first few cables, as we are planning on having a circuit board on every level. This seems a sensible idea in a four storey house, as you would not want to be traipsing down three flights of stairs in the dark to reset the trip switch if the lights suddenly went out! There are also one or two other internal fixtures which don’t require the building to be watertight. Among these are the two ‘luxury’ items which probably excited us the most. These are our whole-house ventil ation (heat recovery) and central vacuum systems, which nowadays seem to be a staple fixture in most modern self-builds.

We appointed market leader Starkey Systems (centralvacuums.co.uk) to design our ventilation scheme, as we want the property to be as airtight as possible (and hate trickle vents on windows). The system we chose will not only remove the stale, moist air from bathrooms, the utility room and kitchen, but will feed in fresh, filtered air to living rooms and bedrooms. The outgoing air will pass over a high-efficiency heat exchanger and the fresh air entering the house will pass over the same heat exchanger (there is no mixing of the outgoing or incoming air). This means that 96 per cent of the heat otherwise lost will be recovered. A summer bypass mode also means that the same system will provide us with comfort cooling during warm summer evenings.

At the same time, the pipes were laid along the floor for the central vacuum. The collection container is to be hidden away in the downstairs plant room, so all the dirt and dust will be vented away from our living areas. Also, as the vacuum motor will be hidden out of sight, we (…or rather, Yvonne) will be vacuuming in virtual silence. Bliss.

Outside, Jim (Evans, of Arbour Developments: 07715 379793) and his lads are cracking on with the landscaping. During the groundworks, Jim had uncovered some unusual areas of rock which we decided to leave as a stunning backdrop to the level garden which runs alongside the day room. Bricklayers Martin and Nick (WI Builders: 07921 688500) returned to build a retaining wall at the top and bottom of the rock face which we plan to face up in stone. These will then be filled with soil and planted up at a later date.

With Emma Kirby (ekinteriors.co.uk) working on our interior design and Bill Noble (wowlighting.co.uk) providing guidance on the lighting scheme, the search now begins for someone to build some of the more bespoke features, such as the handrails, stairs, glass balconies, metal cappings and office glass box.

ABOVE: 1. The house waits for the windows to go in before becoming weathertight, but it’s easy to get a sense of the multitude of terraces and balconies – and the views (3) – that Marcus and Yvonne will enjoy; 2. Narrow country lanes aren’t always the best at coping with delivery lorries and cranes

Ventilation and Building Regulations

In order to comply with the commitments it has made to reduce carbon emissions, the Government has instructed local authorities to ensure that buildings and houses are constructed to certain standards. Government Building Regulations go only so far in that they demand just a minimum standard of construction and ventilation (document L and document F). Two better standards of construction encompassing ventilation, are ‘good’ and ‘best’ practice. To find out more about what is current best practice, go to est.org.uk/bestpractice or contact the Energy Saving Trust (EST) on 0845 120 7799. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is a Government-sponsored organisation.