Case Studies: Stress-free Projects

The Prefab Solution

The Seven Week Self-build Project.

One of the key ways to minimise time on site and ensure that there are no unexpected build problems is to pre-fabricate — which is just what Derek and Natasha Marshall did for their self-build project in the Scottish Borders (pictured above). Using timber frame package supplier Dan-Wood (dan-wood.co.uk), the couple made all of the choices (down to the positions of electrical sockets and plumbing runs) at the design stage and were unable to change their mind. The frame was erected at Dan-Wood’s factory in Poland and then delivered, complete with a team of erectors, to Scotland. Derek oversaw the six-week construction process himself although confesses he didn’t need to do much — and he and Natasha moved in just seven days later. “The system is efficient, everything arrives on schedule, the workforce gets on with the job virtually unaided, and six weeks later the house is finished. How many self-builders in the UK can say that?”

Built in Five Months...

Caron Pain's no-fuss self-build.

Teaching assistant Caron’s story is a textbook example of how to build a house on time, on budget. It took just five months (on site) and £110,000 for Caron, who had never built a home before, to go from breaking ground to moving in.

In addition to designing the house herself (the building details were drawn up by a structural engineer), Caron managed the whole project, co-ordinating trades and materials. She only worked at school in the mornings and so spent the afternoon ensuring tradesmen were lined up and sourcing materials. “Every day I would just write down everything that was needed for the job and I made dozens of phone calls until I knew everything was done,” she explains.

Her organisational skills and timetabling seemed to have been spot on. Caron also admits that luck played a part. “At one point, my carpentry crew told me that they couldn’t come and do my roof trusses for two weeks as they had another job. But, as luck would have it, the lorry delivering the trusses got stuck under a bridge and they called on the Friday evening to ask if they could do my job instead.”
Read more about this self-build...

Read more about how to achieve a stress-free self-build...

Further reading:

• How to Cope With an Extension Project
• How Fast Can You Build a House?
• How to Negotiate - Expert Advice