Lakeside

Thanks @pocster!! This is exactly what i want to understand. Are self-builders fully aware of the risks they have taken..

Thank you very much @pocster. The survey will be closing soon, so please fill the survey out when you get a moment. Haha! For the build I have been involved with, I have relished the opportunity to get hands on. I have learnt a lot along the way. As mentioned above, we applied a construction management approach, did not have a main contractor and therefore managed trades, and did as much of the joinery, site prep, tiling, painting etc etc... as was possible. A very rewarding experience.

@Ed Davies That is a really good point. Intent is definitely where the definition is aimed at. Also the holiday home point should also be included. Difficult to define self build succinctly and without so many caveats!

Thanks @Ferdinand. One of the challenges I found when planning this academic project, was the interchangeable terms used for self-building. Although the above is pretty broad, a high level definition seems to be the only way to capture what self-building really is. Thanks, Tom

Hi all, My survey is going to close very soon. If you haven’t filled the survey out, I would really appreciate it if you could. Happy Building, Tom

That certainly sounds like you approached it in an appropriate way. I worry that for many self builders using small sized contractors, contracts and payments can become too informal and therefore ambiguity can mist the relationship which ultimately does not help the project meets its targets/programme.

Thanks @NSS that is really interesting. Financial security during self-builds is certainly a prioritised factor for many. How did you manage your suppliers? Did you ensure that you held a percentage back as retention for some of your bigger suppliers?

Thanks for completing the survey @NSS. That’s a really interesting point. May I ask why you opted for timber frame? When you looked for timber frame contractors, did many of them offer ESCROW or were your options subsequently limited?

Hi Joth, To respond to your first point, all of those that you mentioned are appropriate for this study. Secondly, within my research I have created a definition of a self builder which is as follows; 1. they have acquired the land. 2. the risk ultimately lies with the owner. 3. the self-builder is going to live in the property. For the self build that I have carried out, we employed a construction management approach, where we split the project into work packages, did not have a main contractor and did as much of the work we were able to ourselves. Please pass the survey onto other self-builders if you get the opportunity to do so!

Thank you for your thoughts Temp and for completing the survey. Sorry to hear about your troubles but I hope it was all worth it in the end. Absolutely, financial security and also planning regulations and processes for self-builders are all issues certainly I will be looking in to.

Thanks all. I really appreciate it. If you have any friends or family that have also self-built, please kindly forward on the survey. As it would be great to get as many responses as possible!!

Thanks Conor. I really appreciate you taking time out to fill in the survey!

Hello fellow self-builders, I am currently studying for an MSc in Construction Project Management at Anglia Ruskin University. I am currently writing a dissertation, which aims to explore what enables self-builders to build, why self-builders choose to build and whether the risks are too great. If you have self-built in the past or are currently self-building (if you have planning permission granted through to the construction phase), I would be grateful if you could spare 5 minutes to fill in the questionnaire accessed through the link below. https://angliaruskin.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/what-enables-self-builders-to-build-are-the-risks-too-great- Many thanks, Tom