20 Essential Rules for Self-build Success: Part One

ABOVE: H&R Editor Jason Orme and wife, Sarah, built a traditional-style home with open plan interiors on a tiny budget (Read more about this self-build).

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.

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.

Source Tradesmen through Recommendation

If you’re new to an area, pester your new neighbours 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.

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.

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.

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.~

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.

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.

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.

Read the next ten rules for self-build success...

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Further reading:

• A Guide to Starting Your Self-build
• The 20 Most Common Mistakes Made by Self-builders... And How to Avoid Them
• How to Build to a (Relatively) Small Budget