Grand Designs

[nod]

My wife and myself have just watched a catch-up Where Kevin McCloud stayed that most high spec self builds are coming in around £3000 per sq mtr 

That should scare the hell out of Most newbies  

[ProDave]

If I spent that much on my build, then the total cost of my house would be about twice it's market value.

 

But I do know a self build near here that did indeed cost well in excess of it's market value.

[MikeSharp01]

Not if you are building a studio flat 20 square meters only 60k.

[Ferdinand]

33 minutes ago, nod said:

My wife and myself have just watched a catch-up Where Kevin McCloud stayed that most high spec self builds are coming in around £3000 per sq mtr 

That should scare the hell out of Most newbies  

 

In general that may be a good thing for many.

 

Then after working out the financial and personal cost, they will have looked the monster in the eye and they can decide sensibly whether to run the gauntlet.

[CC45]

they will just be even more prepared to pay higher prices for the rubbish thats out there to buy

[nod]

In the end they spent 1750 per mtre 

Which was 100 k more than they had anticipated 

It was the one that had floor to ceiling glass Estimated at 33 k Nearest quote around 100k The ended up adding quite a bit of cladding instead of some of the glass plywood instead of plasterboard Also left the Pozi joists on view 

[ToughButterCup]

13 hours ago, nod said:

[...]

 should scare the hell out of Most newbies  

 

Optimism bias will blot out  any negatives that  KM or Grand Designs dish up. 

I've been thinking about @JSHarris point about it here,  . I don't think we would - knowing what we now know - have started our build. 

 

But then I remembered Robert Frosts poem: The Road Not Taken.

Quote

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

[...]

Full poem

 

Another way, perhaps earthier, would be to say Curiosity Killed the Cat 

 

Had we not started - damn the consequences - I for one would never have forgiven myself. So for us it's  a bit shitty now, no money, knackered, lots of mistakes to live with. More stress -in spades - to come. I know that now.

 

And how many people do I know would give their eye teeth to be as privileged as we are? 

[Moira Niedzwiecka]

Many times I during the last 3 years I could have happily put a match to the bloody thing & walked away.

I had some very dark times & wished I had just sold the plot after getting planning permission.

However, now, I cannot imagine not having done it.

I walk around the spaces inside with a real sense of pride & excitement at what it will be, one day.

I am dog tired & have no money, but I will have the house of my dreams, something I could never have afforded had I not done it myself.

Of course, it has cost far more than anticipated, I will be about £50k over by the time it is finished.

A result of inexperience, circumstances and yes, optimism bias.

[nod]

1 hour ago, AnonymousBosch said:

 

Optimism bias will blot out  any negatives that  KM or Grand Designs dish up. 

I've been thinking about @JSHarris point about it here,  . I don't think we would - knowing what we now know - have started our build. 

 

But then I remembered Robert Frosts poem: The Road Not Taken.

 

Another way, perhaps earthier, would be to say Curiosity Killed the Cat 

 

Had we not started - damn the consequences - I for one would never have forgiven myself. So for us it's  a bit shitty now, no money, knackered, lots of mistakes to live with. More stress -in spades - to come. I know that now.

 

And how many people do I know would give their eye teeth to be as privileged as we are? 

 

1 hour ago, AnonymousBosch said:

 

Optimism bias will blot out  any negatives that  KM or Grand Designs dish up. 

I've been thinking about @JSHarris point about it here,  . I don't think we would - knowing what we now know - have started our build. 

 

But then I remembered Robert Frosts poem: The Road Not Taken.

 

Another way, perhaps earthier, would be to say Curiosity Killed the Cat 

 

Had we not started - damn the consequences - I for one would never have forgiven myself. So for us it's  a bit shitty now, no money, knackered, lots of mistakes to live with. More stress -in spades - to come. I know that now.

 

And how many people do I know would give their eye teeth to be as privileged as we are? 

Your a long way past the unpredictable bits now Ian 

Not haven’t to look up at the sky to plan your day or week 

You can now enjoy doing the internals Choosing colours and gadgets  

[nod]

Make no mistake self build is hard If it was easy everyone would do it 

Grand designs sort of skips past most of the bad bits 

Building the dream is closer to what your likely to experience

But I think most would agree that the ends justifies the means 

 

I’ve taken apprentices on that thought it would be like DIY SOS 

Drinking Tea and playing tricks on each other

 

I think we all need to go into this with our eyes open

The contractors aren't your friends 

They are being employed by you

and you have the final say on everything 

Betting having Grumpy old Bob on your build that knows his job inside out 

Than Jim who’s a real nice guy But turns up when he feels like it and doesn’t have clue   

[Gone West]

7 hours ago, AnonymousBosch said:

I don't think we would - knowing what we now know - have started our build.

I certainly wouldn't and it's finished and we've been living in it for over a year. I liked the technical challenge of designing a low energy house but to me it's still just a house. The idea of a forever house is something I have difficulty understanding.

[Mr Punter]

4 hours ago, PeterStarck said:

I certainly wouldn't and it's finished and we've been living in it for over a year. I liked the technical challenge of designing a low energy house but to me it's still just a house. The idea of a forever house is something I have difficulty understanding.

 

I also don't get the forever house.  What is the objective? Things change as you go through life. Moving is fairly cheap and if you are lucky enough to always move somewhere more suitable, why not?

 

I spoke to an older couple today who have a fantastic large detached house on 1.5 acres but they are looking for a new house which is central, easy to heat, lock up and leave, no garden maintenance. What they had before suited them with young children, but now has become a bit of a pain, so time to move on.

[Ferdinand]

21 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

Moving is fairly cheap

 

Umm. Stamp duty?

 

Iirc we move half as much as 25 years ago.

[ProDave]

32 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

 

I also don't get the forever house.  What is the objective? Things change as you go through life. Moving is fairly cheap and if you are lucky enough to always move somewhere more suitable, why not?

 

Moving, and in particular the stress involved in buying and selling is precisely what would put me off moving again for a long time.

 

Not only do you have to find a buyer for your house, you also have to find a new one that you like available AT THE SAME TIME.  We are not all rich enoug to buy the new one before selling the old one.  I wonder how many people moving are so fed up in the end they choose any house, just so they can get it over and done, because the system does not allow them to wait for the perfect house?

 

At least buying a plot, it is more likely you can afford to buy a plot before you have sold the old house.

[LA3222]

'Forever house' will mean different things to different people.  Me - I'm 36 and have lived at 21 different addresses (counting only those 6+ mths) and have never known a 'family home'.  This is what I'm trying to create for my family, time will tell how it goes.  Moving is a chore and I've done way too much of it now, and at 8 & 9, the kids have already racked up 5 house moves - no more!

[Oz07]

5 hours ago, PeterStarck said:

I certainly wouldn't and it's finished and we've been living in it for over a year. I liked the technical challenge of designing a low energy house but to me it's still just a house. The idea of a forever house is something I have difficulty understanding.

So if you don't want to go through again but don't want to stay forever where will you be next? Taylor wimpey?

[Moira Niedzwiecka]

I don't see this house as my 'forever house'.

I plan to enjoy it for a few years & then possibly look for another plot.

I have learned so much by building this & now have lots of other ideas I would like to try.

Only next time I want to be able to build it full time & not have to fit it around working.

 

[nod]

I think forever house is a romantic term and helps justify the effort we all put in But in reality most of us will won’t live in the houses that we have built for the rest of our lives

But there’s nothing stoping us enjoying living here for the time being  

[Mr Punter]

2 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

Umm. Stamp duty?

 

For somewhere cheap - £200,000 - the tax is £1,500

 

For somewhere more expensive, say £600,000 it is £20,000.

 

Perhaps roughly what each person may pay for a car or annual holidays. Not an unfair tax IMO.

[Gone West]

9 hours ago, Oz07 said:

So if you don't want to go through again but don't want to stay forever where will you be next? Taylor wimpey?

Most likely I would buy a bungalow well away from the SE England, probably in the West Country. So if you know of any remote, no other buildings within half a mile, bungalow with an acre or two I could well be interested. It's not that I'm unsociable, well I guess I am really, but I would like to live somewhere where the only sounds are birds singing. To make life easier we are both singing from the same hymn sheet .

[ProDave]

2 hours ago, PeterStarck said:

Most likely I would buy a bungalow well away from the SE England, probably in the West Country. So if you know of any remote, no other buildings within half a mile, bungalow with an acre or two I could well be interested. It's not that I'm unsociable, well I guess I am really, but I would like to live somewhere where the only sounds are birds singing. To make life easier we are both singing from the same hymn sheet .

One of the reasons I moved to the Highlands.

 

Add the sound of water running through the burn to the birdsong and you get the idea.

[joe90]

Our plot is very remote (couple of neighbours) and I love being in the middle of nowhere, mind there is always lots to do, cutting grass, hedges, collecting eggs. Etc etc. I love it (when I eventually finish it !!!,!,!)

[Ralph]

10 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Add the sound of water running through the burn to the birdsong and you get the idea.

Yeah that one may come back to bite us on the arse. This was the, normally little, burn that runs at the back of our plot on Friday, I also have a new burn running through the middle of the plot.

 

[Cpd]

I would say that I am definitely on my “forever plot” but would not say I am in my forever home ! I am 47 and feel very fortunate to have been able to buy the plot of my dreams, I have wanted to live here from my late teens. One day when the kids are all away and I have regained my finances I would love to knock down my main house and build something from scratch.  

[ProDave]

Our burn runs in a channel 3 to 4 feet lower than the garden.  On Friday it was half way up.  I have only seen it right at the top once.

 

When I landscaped the plot, I raised the ground level on the house side, but deliberately left the ground on the other side lower, so it has somewhere to flood to first without doing any damage (though it would probably wipe out my shed)

 

The bigger danger for us, is further up the burn passes under the road through a culvert.  In the 2006 flood, the culvert got blocked by debris and the burn spilled onto the road, ran down the road and into the first entrance. My neighbours house was completely encircled by water, but none got into the houses.

 

I really should keep some sand bags handy in case that ever happens again.