noobuilder

Thanks Fallingditch!

Its a complicated tale but basically, we had a tortuous process with the planners and had to go to appeal in the end. So the thought of amending the plans isn't something we feel up to... The design doesn't lend itself to a phased build really. I love the idea of a classic car collection though.

Thanks Temp. That's helpful. As we get closer to the decision, we'll try and get to see an installation for ourselves too.

And, will it be easier to sell the bungalow when the house is completed and we are living there (we are nice neighbours..) as opposed to selling it with a pending building site for 12-18 months.

Yes, I agree. We fall more in to the category of self building our "dream home" but a design that would have suited us a bit better a few years ago when all three kids were at home!

Good point and its something we are thinking about at the moment. The answer is yes, we could afford to borrow the build cost against the bungalow or do a self build mortgage but are worried that we would be left with the bungalow to sell at the end. It would be good to live on site of course so staying put makes a lot of sense.

Thanks Well, its a barn look/style, featheredge clad, half hipped house in a T shape. 4/5 beds and fairly standard layout but we love the idea of a vaulted dining hall (hence the 4 bedrooms as an alternative). We want to build in masonry as we are fairly near to the road and think that will give us better sound insulation. Currently confusing ourselves with MVHR benefits to possibly further reduce sound from outside...but then we need to put up with the noise of the fans! Much to consider.

Hello all, We are planning to build a 300m2 house around 6 miles outside Cambridge. We already own the land which is to the front of our bungalow where we live. Have tried to sell the plot for a few months as the planned house is too large for our needs really but maximises the use of the 1/4 acre plot. Having struggled to find a buyer, we have now seriously started to look at the feasibility of building it ourselves and this seems to have reignited our desire to self build. We are getting quite excited about the prospect now! We've been to all the shows and had an interest in self build for many years. We did consume a bungalow 5 years ago, transforming it into a 4 bed chalet house so we've come close to building but the feeling that we haven't done a scratch build is still there.. Anyway, just introducing ourselves and saying hello.