8 Reasons to Say Yes to Self-Building

You know what they say: if you want something doing, do it yourself. But really there has never been a better time for self-building, as more and more people grab their hard hats and brush up on their DIY to build their own dream home. There are plenty of reasons why it’s the better alternative to hiring a team or simply moving into another property, and here are 8 of the best.

1. An Investment for Life

Self-building not only saves you a good percentage from the profit margins of builders, it can also give you a great return if and when you choose to sell. Providing your property is constructed to meet the building rules and regulations and is made with quality materials and workmanship, you could make a huge profit on the property market in years to come as house prices rise, potentially more so than from simply making a few tweaks to a house and selling it on.

2. Best of the Rest

When you move into an older home, the chances are it will have quite a few things that hold it back from being perfect. Properties built hundreds or even tens of years ago rarely measure up to the challenges of today, whether that’s in relation to being energy inefficient with poor insulation or tight on space for the modern family. There are lots of energy solutions  that will save money and keep you toasty in those winter months.

3. A Greener World

New builds are not only cheaper and more efficient to run; they also have a much smaller carbon footprint on the environment. Today you can get your hands on a huge range of environmentally friendly building materials that can not only reduce your cost but also your emissions, from top-of-the-range insulation to solar energy that will help you do your bit in making the world a greener place.

4. A Little Help from the Government

Did you know that the March 2014 Budget has actually a huge thumbs up to self-building? The government has allocated a massive £150 million towards self-building, in recognition of our right to build your own home. Well, if you insist…

5. Pick N Mix

Building your own home gives you the control over what goes into the bricks and mortar, literally. Whether you want a conservatory or a dormer, open plan or open to ideas, it’s you who gets the final say and ensures that it fits you down to a T. There’s a lot to think about when designing your own home, but it can be extremely rewarding to create your own space.

6. Time and Money

Self-building your own property also helps you to save lots of time and money, as you aren’t bogged down by the delays and hidden costs of hiring builders and project managers. You can work directly with any workmen to install specific parts of the house, and browse for yourself things such as fibreglass dormer installation prices.

7. Beat the Mortgage

Mortgages are one of the biggest drains on many families’ income every month, a lot of which is purely interest payments going down the plughole. So what if you didn’t have to have a mortgage at all!? If you can come up with the money to self-build in the first place, you’ll have made a good enough return on your investment when you come to sell that you can either buy or build another property completely mortgage free. Now wouldn’t that be nice…

8. Just Because

Besides all of the practicalities, the money-saving and money-making considerations and the desire to make your house fit specific needs that the housing market doesn’t already cater to, there’s something amazing about building your own home. Getting it just right and knowing as you sit down on an evening that you built those very own walls surrounding you is hugely rewarding. If you’ve got the time, inclination and money to invest, it’s an achievement that you can treasure for a lifetime.

Self-building is a fantastic way to get on the property ladder and create the dream home that you’ve always wanted. So long as you read up on the regulations, get sound advice on building, and shop around for the best and most cost-effective products, self-builds can be hugely successful. If you’re thinking of building your own home, it’s important to do your research first.

Visit sites such as The Self Build Portal, produced by the National Self Building Association (NaSCA), to get to grips with the ins and outs of self building. If programmes such as Grand Designs have taught us anything it’s that the key to a successful self build is preparation, preparation and more preparation. While we can’t plan for every eventuality, we can certainly work to ensure that we do all we can to help our self-build stays on track.

Author Bio:
Francesca Holmes is a writer and editor for Architectural Fibreglass Mouldings Ltd. When not on a mission to bring high-end architecture to the masses, she enjoys exploring the great outdoors.

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