Building and Tiling Your Own Home?

If you're looking for a new home and just can't find quite what you want, then perhaps building your own home to your own specifications would be a good idea for you? Don't take on this challenge lightly though, it's the biggest DIY job you'll ever undertake, even if you call in the professionals to do the work and you simply oversee the project, you'll need to dedicate a lot of time and effort to the job, and if there are problems along the way, you could find you need more money than you had budgeted for too.

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There are many advantages and disadvantages to building your own home. Let's look at the positive points first. The project is likely to cost you less overall than simply buying a new build house. If you buy a kit house this will reduce the costs further, and if you tackle some of the work yourself you will save even more. The level at which you contribute your own work to the project will depend on the time you can spare, and your skill levels, but even if you complete some of the more simple tasks involved such as laying the floor tiles or decorating, you will save money, and it's nice to get involved when you're creating your own home. Self build homes are exempt from VAT too!

Of course the great thing about a self build is that you can tailor your home to your needs without compromise, adding in specific rooms for hobbies, and making each room the perfect size for you. As you're building from scratch you can add in hidden cables and energy saving devices as you go. You can make sure you home is green and energy efficient and well insulated.

But there are a lot of issues with a self build property which once you've truly considered may make you reconsider and simply opt for a home that is already standing. Firstly finding a plot of land and getting planning permission can be problematic and time consuming. If you need a mortgage, they are especially tricky to get for a self build project, especially in these tougher economic times when banks are more and more reluctant to lend.

Building any home will take time and it's unlikely that nothing will go wrong so you have to be prepared for issues to arise and to perhaps have to make some compromises. No matter whether or not you employ someone to oversee the project, they will need to speak to you on a regular basis, so you will need to have plenty of time available.

You'll need extra cash for the project. Don't set a budget that includes every penny you have. The truth of the matter is that most self build projects go over budget. Don't forget that while you are building your new home, you will also be paying for the property within which you live. Some people choose to live in a caravan on site, but this can get very stressful, especially when many projects over run by quite some time. It might seem fun in the summer months, but can soon become miserable if yourself build project runs into winter.

You don't have to spend a fortune on tiles in order to get decent quality tiles. Why not order in bulk online to save yourself a lot of money and to get a great deal.

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Self Build Without the Problems!

Despite a depressed housing situation, self building your own property is still a popular way to end up with a dream home. The self builder can either take the savings of not having a building contractor, or get a much better spec for the same money he would have paid a contractor to do the job. There is a great sense of satisfaction in seeing the finished project in all it's glory and thinking 'I have built this!'. Self building takes a great deal of time, effort, thought, blood, sweat, tears, and not a few lessons painfully learned along the way.

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From my own experience I will indicate a few pitfalls to avoid, and a few pointers to provoke you to think seriously about the project before commencing, or if you have already commenced, to improve as you go along.

1. Make all your major decisions with regard to the self build house at the start of the process and try not to change your mind about them. This will save you a lot of money, a lot of time and the tradesmen a lot of heartache. Changes are costly for this very reason: the tradesmen not only have to make the change, they generally have to amend whatever has been done previously before they start to change anything. Changes can also complicate the issue if tradesmen have already given a fixed price for the job.
2. Make sure your self build project is drawn by an architect that has his head screwed on and his feet on the ground. Some architects just think of a job as an opportunity to express themselves or increase their portfolio. Remember it is you who will have to live in the house, and if you do not intend to sell, think of eventualities like a bedroom on the ground floor for an elderly parent, or even an elderly you! Also use an architect that is not scared to visit the site and talk to the tradesmen. Conflict between the architect and tradesmen is not a situation you want to be in.
3. Use only tradesmen for your self build that have been recommended on a recent project. If you do not know them personally, go and see their last job, or at the least obtain references, ideally three, from people who had work done by them. In this way you will save yourself from having to look at- and live with- a poor job at the end of it. Good tradesmen may not always be the cheapest- sometimes they may be- but be careful that you do not assess them on price alone.
4. In these times of difficult trading conditions, the following is happening: some tradesmen will give a price below cost, then during the project will come to the self builder and say 'I need x amount of pounds to finish the job'. Of course, if you say no, he will walk away. At that stage, with work done, any other tradesman coming behind will a) not want to do it and b) not be cheap.

So think wisely of your self build before you begin!

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7 Amazingly Simple Ways To Go About Building Your Own Energy Efficient Home

Timber frame super energy efficient homes are popular in many countries throughout the world, except, it would seem, the UK. However all that seems to be changing thanks to the new government directive to go green. With northern European countries already building code 5 or code 6 sustainable homes in kit form the UK is fast catching on to this growing trend. 

1. Plots of land are for sale every day however most Estate Agents deal directly with commercial builders when land comes up for sale as they also receive a commission for what ends up being built on the land. Use a service like Plotbrowser or Plotsearch to keep up to date with what is available and in the meantime write to as many local builders as you can asking if they have any land for sale for a self build project and get them to quote for the build itself.

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2. Search for bungalows built in the 1960′s that are beyond renovation. The great thing about bungalows is that they are usually in a nice sized plot of land and there will be plenty of scope to knock the building down and replace it with an energy efficient self-build home. Even if there are restrictions on extending the original footprint of the bungalow you can always go out and then up for maximum space.

3. Seek professional advice on what finance is available from the National Self Build Centre in Swindon. You will be amazed at the new ways in which you can finance your land and self-build project with a mortgage. There are stage payment type mortgages or an innovative project money upfront type of insured mortgage that will allow you to finance the whole project in one go. Pick up that phone and give the experts a call!

4. Energy Efficiency for life. If you had a time machine and could go back to when you bought your current house what would you change? Perhaps you have added double glazing, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation and you might be thinking about Solar Power to reduce rising energy costs. If you had the choice today between a home that costs £200-£300 a year to run or £200-£300 a month to run which would you invest in knowing what you know now?

5. Designing your own floor plan. If you have ever bought a new home with that lovely expectation that you can design the whole thing yourself you will love the idea of self-building BUT there will always be compromises unless budget is no problem of course. Decide on a style of house within your overall and then re-work the floor plan to suit your needs working backwards. Expect to make a choice of one or two gizmos and gadgets such a steam oven and a built in sound system and then focus on the overall interior design scheme.

6. Stop renovating for a few years and watch your bank balance grow. If you have added a new kitchen, bathroom or an extension to your existing home in the last few years you will probably have parted with a good £15,000 - £50,000 already. The best aspect of investing in a high quality energy efficient home is that once the initial expense is over you can start saving the money you would have spent renovating for a few years and relax!

7. Fighting the losing energy saving battle. Energy costs are rising faster than ever before and in most cases nowadays both energy and food are not part of the chancellors famous inflation "shopping basket calculation which means that they are likely to rise and rise and rise. If you knew you would be spending an extra £150 a month on food and energy bills just to live in the same house for the next ten years would you do it? £150 a month x 12 = £ 1800 over 10 years that would be £18,000 ( almost half the cost of that 3 bedroomed house kit).

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Self Built Homes - A Good Option For Some

Although the economic outlook is gloomier than ever, it's reckoned that the figures for those wishing to build their own homes in the UK is rising each year. Over 20,000 people a year build their own.

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One effect of the downturn in the economy is that right now there is 30% more land available for house building plots at 30% less cost than they were just a year ago. People are taking advantage of some of the tax breaks in self-buildings.

Although the costs of building your own might not be significantly lower than buying a ready made property, the main advantage is that you get the house you want, designed by you (and perhaps your architect). People who build their own homes usually stay in them longer, as they are less inclined to move because much of what they wanted is in place. And when homeowners do come to sell, they'll hopefully see an increase of around 20-25% on the value of their property over what it cost them to build it themselves.

To find plots of land suitable for building a home on isn't necessarily all that difficult.

If you know of other potential self builders by all getting together it means buying a bigger piece of land and getting a better deal on the cost per plot.

Developers sometimes have spare plots of land for sale, and of course don't forget local land and estate agents.

Doing your homework is vital though, otherwise you could end up buying land which doesn't hold valid outline planning permission. Check for any restrictive covenants which might limit what you can build. After all, the idea behind building your own home is to have the design and structure the way you want it (within reason of course).

The National House Building Council (NHBC)has some very useful tips to help those interested in building their own homes. Use their website, get any reading material you can from them about self-builds.

Some people like the idea of buying a kit home. This will usually mean less expense, and be less time consuming because you'll probably dispense with the need for an architect, and the finished product will be ready much quicker as the kit home is usually delivered in just one load.

Kit homes can come in various forms. With some you buy just the shell. Or you can get virtually everything a home should have such as a kitchen and bathroom(s).

To see what a kit home looks like visit home exhibitions or a supplier's show room.

If you prefer to build your home from the foundations to the roof, you'll have to plan very carefully. That means not just planning for who you will use as the architect-unless you can design it yourself-but for the surveyor, planning consultant and other professional if necessary.

But, before you even think of a self-build, you have to count the financial cost. Will you need a mortgage? If so, you may be able to get between 25% and 80% of the value of the building plot and between 60% and 95% of the costs of the building.

Monies are released in stages rather than all at one go. You'll have to budget for any payments you may have to make while waiting for a release of money from your lender. And if you already have a mortgage on your present property, you'll need to consider whether you can afford to be repaying two mortgages at the same time for however long the project takes.

Building your own home can be extremely rewarding, but it involves a lot of hard work, forward planning, and patience. Is it worth it? Only you can decide that.

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