self build house-Disillusioned but still going.

[farm boy]

I am doing a lot work myself but getting trades in to push things on when required, the story so far: Demolished old house summer 2017, piled raft foundations installed done Aug 2017 due to adjacent trees, treatment plant and drainage field installed autumn 2017, Bricklayers on site end of March 2018, beams and joists June/July 2018, bricklayer back to take up to wall plate August 2018, Roof trusses delayed, finally lifted on 29th November 2018, January brick layer back to take chimney up though roof frame, Roofers arrived mid-February last tile (plain tiles) installed April 18th 2019, PIR insulation installed on sloping ceilings May 2019, first floor windows installed June 2019, soffit and facia July, august 2019, gutter September/October 2019, porch roof timbers December 2019, nogging for first floor walls and some ground floor windows January 2020, currently snagging the roof, chimney leak, window in wrong place etc. hope to get secure and scaffold down soon. Do I wish I never started? Yes on some days.

Best trade so far: the brick layer, now retired I was his last build. he was full of experience. "why do you want to do that?" he would say. the house is better because him.

If I did it again, I would do it differently, may be the errors would be different as well!

(140m2 two storey house)

[nod]

Worth it in the end 

We did most things ourselves over two years while both still working 

It’s all consuming Hardly ever waring anything other than work cloths 

and that constant tiredness clouds your judgment sometimes 

 

Things I would do different would be to get a plumber in and an electrician 

Sure we did 95% of these two trades ourselves But the amount of hours I spent re routing stuff to get it all in was laughable 

I look back and think I took selfbuild to literally 

[Ed Davies]

46 minutes ago, farm boy said:

If I did it again, I would do it differently, may be the errors would be different as well!

 

Good summary. I'd have done so much so differently in retrospect but the other side of the grass is always greener, etc.

[ProDave]

I think someone said by self build No 3 you will get most things right.......

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, farm boy said:

[...]

If I did it again, I would do it differently, may be the errors would be different as well!

 

Welcome.

Your first post : a universal truth. Not bad for a  first post.

 

Across the board, I can't think of difficult human endeavour that doesn't cause us to question our sanity. First marathon (Christ this hurts) , sailing offshore on your own (I want to get off), first parachute jump (is this a good idea - reeeeeally?) first solo flight in bad turbulence (I want my mummy) studying for an examination that really matters (I'm never going to master this), getting married (remind me why I married you?) trying to undestand a plumber (I'll go for a percentage, maybe one day I'll understand a bit more). Insert your own challenege here.

 

Slowly, because of little bits of success,  you get used to the pain. And then you get hooked on it - well appropriate levels of pain anyway.

Its clear you will enjoy BH because;

1 hour ago, farm boy said:

I am doing a lot work myself

[...]

Do I wish I never started? Yes on some days.

[...]

the house is better because of him. (the brickie)

[...]

 

 

There's more teaching and learning on this site than goes on in many a school. The key? Highly motivated members. Like you - welcome.