Why choose to build your own home? If you are thinking about building your own home, this article explores the benefits of building your own home.

Why Choose To Build Your Own Home?

There are several reasons why building your own home can be a fantastic option for prospective new homeowners. The most enticing reason is that you are free to build the home you want to your own specifications rather than relying on what already exists.

Also, building your own property can be up to 30% cheaper than buying a ready-built one. Alongside this, while most people who build their own homes live there forever, they can also prove a more profitable investment if you ultimately decide to sell.

Building your own house is, naturally, a big project to undertake, and unless you know what you're doing, you shouldn't attempt it alone. From designers to architects, surveyors and structural engineers, you'll likely need a host of people helping you. But this shouldn't put you off the idea.

After all, the more professionals you bring in, the more likely you will end up with the home you initially envisioned. So let's look at the process of building your own sustainable home to see if it's the best idea for you.

Is Self Build An Affordable Way To Own Property?

What are the benefits of building your own home?

Besides the attractive reasons for building your own home, there are many major benefits to be gained from these projects.

For example, you can use cutting-edge technologies and materials to create an energy-efficient home, such as modern insulation and solar panels, that would be too expensive to install in existing properties or new build housing. The bespoke nature of building a home means you can also design it to suit your family's exact needs and lifestyle.

Technology

Building materials and techniques improve year after year. Therefore, if you choose to purchase an older property, despite its inimitable charm, your practically investing in outdated technology.

From the lack of double-glazing to poor insulation, older homes are generally without modern appliances and efficient materials. This means you may have to invest more money in bringing them up to modern standards. 

Freedom

Given that you'll be designing your interior spaces, you have complete freedom to create the home you want. Whether you have a specific view or layout in mind or want to divide your home into separate practical and relaxing spaces for ultimate comfort, you have a blank canvas to work with.

From appliances to windows, balconies to flooring, and colours to layout, your home can be exactly as you want. 

What to think about when building a house?

Planning

Any project manager will tell you that if something can go wrong on a new construction project, it probably will. This is especially true for self-builders without experience since building your own home can often be stressful and messy. 

However, with an effective and detailed plan, you can mitigate these setbacks when they inevitably arise. It's best to account for every tiny detail, right down to the colour of paint you want on your walls. While this sounds tiring, it will save you a heap of trouble in the long run.

Budget

Possibly the most important thing to consider when building your own home. Before you even put pen to paper to design your home, you should calculate how much money you have available for the project.

The nightmare these projects run into time and again is homeowners getting excited about their perfect designs only to find out they can't afford them. 

What are the pros and cons of building a house?

 Pros.

You almost guarantee satisfaction when you decide to build your own home instead of purchasing an existing house. Since you'll be in charge of designing and constructing the property, you will get exactly what you want. From bedrooms with en-suites to home offices, kitchens, outdoor areas, and everything else will be as you envisioned.

So long as you have a good team of designers, architects and contractors to help. But with these in place, the sky's your limit.

So long as the land is suitable for your designs and you have the budget to afford them, your self-building plans should be achievable. Whether you want a lakeside villa, a countryside hideaway or a stunning townhouse, your options are practically endless when building your own home.

Again, ensuring the land is right is a priority. Once you've found a plot you like, have your builders conduct a feasibility study to ensure you can build the home you want on that site. 

 Cons.

Securing self-build home loans for your proposed property can be significantly trickier than getting a standard mortgage. Construction loans typically require large down payments, given the increased risk involved for the lender.

You are also required to submit detailed design and costing plans and an appraisal of the land's value before you'll even be considered. Remember, your lender isn't only making a judgement about you; they're judging whether the home you want to build will return the value you want to borrow.

Self-build homes can take a long time to complete. Building even a simple home can take at least three months on average, but this is definitely a sliding scale. The more complex your designs, the longer your home will take to construct. 

The average home in the UK ranges from 600 - 800 square feet in size, which can take roughly 6 - 9 months to build. Again, detailed plans are the best way to ensure your project runs efficiently, but with everything from vendors to suppliers to the weather to consider, you can see how easy setbacks can arise.

Are you considering building your own house in Bedfordshire or the surrounding areas? Our chartered civil engineer specialises in timber frame building, offering project management throughout all stages of the process. 

Alexander Project Management work with construction companies and individual home builders throughout Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Contact us  by following the link below.