Self-Build Story

After eight months of watching the house take shape, it was a pleasant feeling to see work finally begin on the inside. All of a sudden there was a new urgency to the build as a fresh set of faces arrived on site.

When it comes to selecting the various trades to work on your house, the people you choose are often far more important than the materials. Get the balance of personalities right and you should end up with a happy and productive project. Such a complex property as this needed to be loved and respected, so with this in mind, Jim (Arbour Developments: 07715 379793) chose to bring in a plumber and electrician he had worked well with on previous projects.

Too often you get trades on site who just want to be in and out as quickly as possible, but in plumber Adrian Baille (07774 279153) and electrician Mark Birchall (07814 704921), we felt we had people who were genuinely passionate about what they did.

With our budget already overstretched, we had shelved our plans for a ground-source heat pump and solar panels. Yvonne and I both decided that the technology would probably improve further – and hopefully get cheaper – over the next few years so instead took advantage of a free underground LPG tank from Calor. If we decided at a later date to bring a greener energy source into the house, the underfloor heating system had been designed so that it would still be compatible and the tank, which was to be buried in the front garden, would remain as a back-up energy source (…and let’s face it, there is still no better way of cooking than on a gas hob).

With Adrian came reassurance and, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most meticulous plumbers I have ever come across. Always well turned out (including highly polished boots you can see your face in), he took great pride in regularly talking me through how the system would work and explaining exactly where we were up to. He also added some nice features in along the way, such as cold water taps direct from the mains, meaning no loss of pressure when you are in the shower — and instant cold water. The addition of a pump to the system, similar to those used in hotels, would also guarantee proper power showers even on the fourth floor!

ABOVE: The house is now just about weathertight – most of the windows are in and the roof is on; BELOW: The house enjoys magnificent views and the intention is to use some of the flat roofs as terraces

With electrician Mark came an assistant in the shape of Sarah and finally our first female team member on site. With both of them incredibly easy to work alongside, we were able to chop and change the design as new ideas were added at short notice, such as electric blinds to the huge windows in the central stairwell and low-level child-friendly night lights on the stairs and along the bedroom-level corridors. My architect had drawn up a lighting design to work to but I also chose to take some further advice from a lighting professional as we felt this was one of the most important features of the build. We appointed expert Bill Noble, of Wow Lighting (01934 712226 or wowlighting.co.uk), who worked closely with interior designer Emma Kirby (ekinteriors.co.uk) to come up with a suitable mood lighting scheme which would complement Emma’s ideas. Bill then provided a full set of drawings for our electricians to work with and would later be providing us with suggestions for suitable lights and fittings, once we had decided whether our budget could stretch to a degree of home automation.

The final piece in the interior jigsaw arrived in the shape of childhood pal Chris Hookes (07952 298978). Up until this point I had shied away from employing any friends on site for fear of any fallouts, but Chris is one of the tidiest and most conscientious joiners you will ever come across. With the final finishes such an important part of this project, I knew Chris would be attentive — plus it would be rude not to employ a guy who had trusted me to be best man at his wedding!

For those of you setting out along the long and winding road that is self-build, please remember that it is not for the faint hearted but ultimately it will be incredibly rewarding. The stress of trying to project manage the build and run a mortgage business during the credit crunch was starting to take its toll, and in the space of six months, I had seen my weight drop from 12-and-a-half stone to 11 stone. Thankfully some good news arrived in July when I was shortlisted for Specialist Mortgage Broker of the Year at The British Mortgage Awards in London, providing a huge boost after a difficult year.

ABOVE: An amazing view from the roof