The diary of a self-builder – Autumn 2016

Beginning at the beginning

One of our customers - Linda - was just about to start on a self-build project and took out self-build site insurance with us. We insure lots of projects, and get to know some of our customers quite well, but what better way to experience the real thing than by a blog. Linda and her husband were happy to share their experiences and images with us to inspire other self-builders, and we started by asking Linda a few questions:

Can you tell us a little about yourselves?

We are a couple with a grown-up family, who are looking to build a rural home for ourselves in an area we love. We love DIY and having projects to work on, so this self-build is just an extension of what we love doing, just on a bigger scale!

Why have you decided to self-build your own home?

This area is full of beautiful property, which we couldn’t afford to buy, so a self-build project was definitely the way for us to go – we also wanted a sizeable plot, which we wouldn’t have on an estate, to give us space to add features in the future if we wanted to.  The home we have designed will also allow us to stay here as we get older, rather than have to downsize in the future, so this is very much a case of future-planning for us, as well.

Has anything or anybody particularly inspired you to self-build?

We love Grand Designs and Building The Dream, and any type of self-build programmes on TV. The programmes demonstrate that you that you don’t need to have a huge budget to achieve a wonderful self-build house, designed around what you’d like to suit your lifestyle. And we also like the fact that when you design your own house, you’re in charge of the interior (within reason!) so if you want high ceilings, or want bigger windows or an extra toilet, you can include it in the design

How long have you been dreaming or planning your project?

For around 18 months, since we sold our previous property. We built a house 5 years ago, and were lucky enough to find a plot at that time which was owned by a builder who also offered a turnkey package with planning already in place. The builder did such a fantastic job on that house that he is building this house for us, to our design.

How long do you expect the project to take?

It should take us around 6 months, weather permitting!

What 3 words would best describe your finished home?

Light, airy and perfect!

And finally, how do you feel right now?!

Excited, raring to go and looking forward to every day when we see work progressing on the site!

So, there we have it. We’re looking to bring updates to the project as they happen over the next year or so, accompanied by Linda’s take on things. We wish her the absolute best.

Week One >