Self-build projects

A hands-on approach to self-build has allowed Marnie and Norrie Collins to create a unique, high-spec home complete with bespoke finishes such as double height ceilings, a spiral staircase and a full-length basement.

Kevin and Sarah Flowers’ striking self-build makes the very most of its enviable coastal setting, with extensive glazing, an open plan layout and outdoor spaces. By using partial room dividers where necessary, the couple have created interiors with clearly defined areas that still flow into one another.

Richard Noble battled for five years to build a hi-tech oak frame home in an idyllic garden setting, combining traditional framing methods with modern materials.

David and Anne Walker’s third – and final, they say – self-build in the North-West Highlands is a fine example of sustainable sourcing and progressive design.

Steve and Sharon Hunt made the bold decision to knock down their renovated bungalow — to make way for a stunning barn-style self-build.

Shona and Jerry Ponder overcame on-site problems to build a home which blends country chic with practicality — meeting the demands of a large family.

With the help of their son Ian, Malane and Keith Howard have built a striking, angular home on one of Yorkshire’s most challenging plots — dramatically projecting it out from the steep slope.

Inspired by Skye’s simple, rustic agricultural sheds, Mary Arnold-Forster has built a low-key contemporary long house, aptly named ‘The Shed’, oriented to the sun and packed with sustainable features — including one of the country’s first exhaust-air heat pumps.

Built on a challenging steeply sloping site in a beautiful – if highly exposed – Highland loch-side location, Roz and William Wordie’s striking contemporary home is a feat of engineering.

Graham Mayhew and Penny Brown’s dream of downsizing didn’t go quite to plan when they built an oak frame cottage – complete with cellar – larger than their old home.

Hugo Macey and Hajni Elias have built a cutting-edge solid timber panel house in the Cambridge suburbs that combines crisp Modernist architecture with more organic, down-to-earth elements.

Demolishing an old cottage has allowed Moria and Alfred McKay to create a light, modern home fit for both the site and their lifestyle. Based on traditional, rural longhouses, this linear new home is one-room deep and its white-rendered façade is punctuated with extensive south-facing glazing.

Behind the traditional façade of Rory and Jennie Campbell-Gibson’s loch-side self-build lies a low-maintenance, energy-efficient home. Built for less than £160,000 in a Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the house is nestled at the foot of Melfort Hill and perched 100m above Loch Melfort, and includes a private water supply with septic tank and a reed bed filtration system.

Glyn and Debbie Larcombe decided that for their first self-build they wanted something a little different — a brand new windmill.

Set in just over 30 acres of land with far reaching views over beautiful Kentish countryside, Paul and Kate Lauder’s traditional-style house, completed with the finest-quality finishes both inside and out, would be, for many, a dream home. It therefore comes as some surprise when owner Paul says – in disappointed tones – "I don’t like new houses, so this wasn’t really what I was looking for."

A leaky old house made way for Dawn and John Cousins’ striking self-build — designed to make the most of its waterside plot. The three storey self-build – clad in zinc, render and timber – sits comfortably on its narrow plot. The house has been raised to prevent flooding, while numerous terraces and balconies make the most of the Poole Harbour views.

Les and Jenny Webb have built a striking energy-efficient timber frame home in the garden of their old Edwardian semi in Bradford

Faced with the prospect of an uncomfortable retirement in a period house, Pauline and Christopher Sparrow built a contemporary bungalow that responds perfectly to their needs and makes the most of a sloping site.

Using traditional methods, John and Janet Warren have built a charming retirement home in oak, opening their doors to family in the process.

John and Jill Price have created a charming timber-clad home that cost just £126,400 to build — thanks to four years of DIY dedication.

Peter Hutchinson – founder of timber frame package company Potton – has designed and built an indulgent retirement home for himself and his wife, Rita. The house, which was designed to emulate two old weatherboarded barns connected by a glazed conservatory link, was built in a strict conservation area.

Using traditional methods, John and Janet Warren have built a charming retirement home in oak, opening their doors to family in the process. You can read all about this self build in the April issue of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, but as part of H&R Extra, here are some additional photos of the house.

Gail and David Webb's sloping garden has provided a picturesque - but somewhat challenging - coastal location for their new energy-efficient home, but it's all paid off as a balcony with frameless glass balustrades allow uninterrupted views over the Cornish coast.

Simon and Karin Grainger’s distinctive home on a sensitive infill site
took some ten years from conception to completion. Its highly indvidual design includes a clocktower, balcony and reconstituted stone detail.

James and Diana France have self-built a retirement home – next to their former period house – oriented entirely around their lifestyle. The house is built largely on one level and includes an entire wall of bookshelves built to house their extensive collection.

Laura Fennell and Alison Richards have built a modern ranch-style home designed to make the most of views over the surrounding countryside.

When Bob Bull and Edith Wellman decided to buy a two bedroom holiday home in the sleepy riverside village of Dittisham, the property was already well known to Bob, who had previously owned and sold it on ten years earlier.

Winner of Best Contemporary Home in the 2009 Homebuilding & Renovating Awards. With stunning views over the Exe Estuary and a contemporary home conceived by probably the UK’s leading house designer — who wouldn’t feel just a little bit jealous of Peter and Sue Salter?

Mark and Sam Benbow have built a magnificent oak framed farmhouse in a Herefordshire village including a traditional porch and jetty and a chimney stack built from locally sourced reclaimed stone and brick. The finished property perfectly marries traditional craftsmanship with modern build technologies.

Peter and Sue Salter have built an award-winning contemporary home with beautiful views over the Exe Estuary. You can read all about the self-build in the February issue of Homebuilding & Renovating, but as part of H&R Extra, here are some additional photos of the house.