Self-build is a term that is becoming ever-popular in the housing market. So what is “self-build”? It’s a house you build yourself, as the term suggests! Not quite literally by yourself, but you set yourself in the position as foreman, architect, planner of your home and allow skilled workers do the job you tell them to do. More individuals are opting for the “self-build” route - as a matter of fact, there are more self-builders in the UK than the total number of properties being developed by any single developer. The aim of self-build is to make a house to your exact specifications, not a template that the large developers work to.

Already you’re probably thinking: “I’m no developer”. The pleasant news is that getting involved with a self-build project doesn’t have to involve you with the physical aspects of the home building (in fact, just 5% of self-builders actually get involved with the actual building work). Even the design aspects are often finalised by a professional designer. Self-build, more often than not, is about you saying (in laymen’s terms), what you want to the property designer - who then produces a plan dependent on your necessities. This plan then becomes the draft the builders work to. Now do you see? You don’t need to have any proactive engagement in self-build. Even so, the DIY fan can use self-build as a chance to save some money by helping out with the aspects of self-build they have experience in - it’s your choice how much involvement you want during the build.

Self-build sounds expensive, but in reality it’s generally cheaper than buying an already developed house of identical specifications (up to 30% cheaper). Not only that, self-built homes sell very well too - as much as 25% higher than the development costs, so you can view self-build also as a means to invest your money, rather than just a home to live in

You must ensure the group of workers you select are 100% competent and that they can build as a team. For sure, you will want builders with experience of some rather potentially dangerous machinery used in building, such as concrete cutting chainsaws, block and slab splitters, power / disc cutters, floor saws, and wood saws. Professionalism brings safety to the build too.

This article is simply an introduction to self-build, and I hope it will inspire those of you who are perhaps a little daunted by such projects. It needn’t be time-intensive, and you won’t need any specific skills, but employ carefully, and you will need to carefully work out the overall cost of the project.