The self-build grind

[Russell griffiths]

2 minutes ago, Omnibuswoman said:

 

Oh crikey! I've been expecting to begin in the spring and finish by early autumn. Sounds as though I need to have a word with myself!!! ]

 

Nope, sorry, unless you have a main contractor with a fixed term contract, you’ve no chance. 

Things in this country just don’t flow. 

 

Its all, rush rush, stop, just too many holdups to keep all the trades flowing in one after the other. 

[Mulberry View]

10 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

If you think yours will take less than a year, your in for a shock. 

 

Oooooh lovely!!

 

Current plan is to seek to put planning permission in over Christmas, with approval (all being well), coming around March. We would market the current property almost immediately and look to align its sale completion with our planning approval. It's a decent property, in a desirable area, the agent is confident. That would in essence allow us to move into our caravan then.

We are already working on the land to clear it and do what we can, so far nothing is detrimental to either outcome (planning approval or not).

 

Hopefully we can start to talk to builders now to understand where they are with their work, it sounds as though that's the key for us and the bit that's largely out of our control.

[Mulberry View]

24 minutes ago, SimonD said:

 

Lucky you to have moved in! That describes our situation fairly well too. I'm self employed and thought I could keep going with my work while also building the house. I've had to let most of that work go and just do some part-time business now. The reason for our delays are multifaceted including;

 

1. I've never done this kind of thing before so apart from some diy projects I'm learning everything as I go. The only help I've received is my nephew labouring for me part-time outside of his school;

2. Despite paying for professional services and advice, we've found quite a lot of it was pretty poor quality which has caused us some problems;

3. The project doubled in size, in part because of the poor standard of professional input we received - e.g. I've had to create all the constructions details as my architect was awful and what he did do was totally unworkable;

4. It's not a straight forward 'rectangle and triangle' building project so everything is bespoke and non-standard;

5. The winter during which I was constructing the superstructure was one of the worst on record for rain followed by a month where we were hit by consecutive storms.

6. I've been let down by two major ticket suppliers necessitating re-designs and alterations to the building. The first was the insulation system where the supplier almost doubled the price compared to previous quoted prices during specificaation so I changed supplier but had to modify the timber frame. The second was our roof supplier doing the same and then this required alternations to the roof structure, both costing me a lot of time;

7. We were hit by COVID. My wife works for the NHS so I had to take the slack and try to homeschool the boys while dealing with major supply chain issues etc. and now I'm still having to do all the school runs. I've been lucky to spend 2-3 hours a day working sometimes.

 

Sounds like a disaster doesn't it but we are where we are and I'm really hoping for a good run of it soon - windows are due to arrive in a matter of weeks and that will be so major ☺️

 

 

You've certainly had fun! Hopefully we've endured the worst year, it can only get better from here, right?!

 

Looks like a lovely build though.

[Omnibuswoman]

5 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

Nope, sorry, unless you have a main contractor with a fixed term contract, you’ve no chance. 

Things in this country just don’t flow.

 

We do have a builder that we were planning to use for the whole thing (subject to cost comparisons), and it looks even more tempting in the context of coordinating trades etc, but you're quite right, things always crop up. The description by the chap who lives on the IoW really resonated with me - he hurt his back doing some lifting and wrote off a weekend. Another weekend written off by bad weather, and evenings constrained by loss of daylight. I'm now fully expecting to start saying 'we'd like to be in by Christmas', without stating which year!

[recoveringbuilder]

10 minutes ago, Omnibuswoman said:

 

Oh crikey! I've been expecting to begin in the spring and finish by early autumn. Sounds as though I need to have a word with myself!!! ]

 

We broke ground in May and moved in beginning of December, there were still bits and pieces needing done but nothing major and of course left to ourselves now we’re still working at the garage and the driveway but once you move in these things go on the back burner 

[SimonD]

4 hours ago, Dave Jones said:

 

 

someone has pinched half your roof and covered the first floor with floorboards!!!

 

How long the build been going on ?

 

 

Haha ?, the cladding is local grown knotty western red cedar. I didn't want to clean knot free variety as I prefer the rustic look. It'll silver fairly soon too.

 

That depends on how to measure it.

 

In September 2018 I started with a lot of the prep work talking to builders and then individual trades to see how I'd approach the whole build. Tried to get quotations. I bought a load of plant and machinery, made up a garden office, and also tendered for the major structural items like the steel frame and glulam beams etc. Dealt with the utility companies re temorary supply and moving meters etc. Had some minor work done January 2019 to test out a potential contractor but then decided against that. The building work started in ernest about May 2019 when once we'd moved out of it, I began demolishing the existing bundalow.

 

[SimonD]

20 minutes ago, Mulberry View said:

 

You've certainly had fun! Hopefully we've endured the worst year, it can only get better from here, right?!

 

Looks like a lovely build though.

 

Oh indeed, that's what I keep on saying to myself - it can only get better ?

 

Thanks!

[CC45]

On 11/11/2020 at 15:11, SimonD said:

Who on here has built, or are in the process of building, their house themselves with very little help?

 

If so, how often have you had that experience where everything seems to progress at a snails pace, you don't seem to make progress however much effort you put in and it's all just a grind?

 

For me this feeling seems to have persisted for most of this year, covid obviously hasn't helped, but I'm wondering if it's just me?

6 years in now but getting close.  Its been a tough do when you've got a full time job as well. I try not to look at any other 'self' builds.  Set small targets and don't make too many lists.

[CC45]

The temptation to hit someone when they ask 'when are you moving in' is getting stronger by the day.

 

Its all about hours.  We need more.

 

Its great when bits get done and you never have to go back to them!

 

I might even do a  blog when its done - a sort of retro one...

[ProDave]

3 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

 

Oooooh lovely!!

 

Current plan is to seek to put planning permission in over Christmas, with approval (all being well), coming around March. We would market the current property almost immediately and look to align its sale completion with our planning approval. It's a decent property, in a desirable area, the agent is confident. That would in essence allow us to move into our caravan then.

Get it on the market now, while we have the stamp duty holiday and the market is buoyant.  The market will likely slow right down after that. It always does when some government intervention creates an artificial short term boom.

[Mulberry View]

12 hours ago, ProDave said:

Get it on the market now, while we have the stamp duty holiday and the market is buoyant.  The market will likely slow right down after that. It always does when some government intervention creates an artificial short term boom.

 

We would, but we don't think it'd be a good idea to get the current divided property on the market until we have planning permission in on the build. I know we're running out of time, but do you think the stamp duty holiday might be extended?

[scottishjohn]

yuo guys are really cheering me up --better pit the tomb back in the design i think 

 like the pharohs of old --i could buried in it  and still not completed .LOL

[Mr Punter]

26 minutes ago, scottishjohn said:

yuo guys are really cheering me up --better pit the tomb back in the design i think 

 like the pharohs of old --i could buried in it  and still not completed .LOL

 

You could be Scotland's answer to Nicholas Hoogstraten:

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6443949/40m-mansion-home-left-rot-33-years-friend-Robert-Mugabe-remains-dilapidated.html

[scottishjohn]

1 minute ago, Mr Punter said:

 

You could be Scotland's answer to Nicholas Hoogstraten:

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6443949/40m-mansion-home-left-rot-33-years-friend-Robert-Mugabe-remains-dilapidated.html

kind of different price bracket ii think 

 

[SimonD]

14 hours ago, CC45 said:

6 years in now but getting close.  Its been a tough do when you've got a full time job as well. I try not to look at any other 'self' builds.  Set small targets and don't make too many lists.

Nice one, there's not a chance I could have done this with a full time job. My wife and sister like lists - I refuse to do them ?

 

14 hours ago, CC45 said:

The temptation to hit someone when they ask 'when are you moving in' is getting stronger by the day.

I know that one!

[SimonD]

17 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

If you think yours will take less than a year, your in for a shock. 

 

17 hours ago, Dave Jones said:

 

this is quite correct. Even with a builder managing the lot you will be lucky to get it done in a year.

 

17 hours ago, Omnibuswoman said:

 

Oh crikey! I've been expecting to begin in the spring and finish by early autumn. Sounds as though I need to have a word with myself!!! ]

 

 

17 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

Nope, sorry, unless you have a main contractor with a fixed term contract, you’ve no chance. 

Things in this country just don’t flow. 

 

Its all, rush rush, stop, just too many holdups to keep all the trades flowing in one after the other. 

 

17 hours ago, Omnibuswoman said:

 

We do have a builder that we were planning to use for the whole thing (subject to cost comparisons), and it looks even more tempting in the context of coordinating trades etc, but you're quite right, things always crop up. The description by the chap who lives on the IoW really resonated with me - he hurt his back doing some lifting and wrote off a weekend. Another weekend written off by bad weather, and evenings constrained by loss of daylight. I'm now fully expecting to start saying 'we'd like to be in by Christmas', without stating which year!

Well, if you read the book Self-build Simplified by Barry Sutcliffe, you can do it all in about 12 weeks apparently. That is for a bog-standard, no frills simple house design with pretty much everything off the shelf. I'd love to see that as I don't even see professional developers do it in 12 weeks around me, not a single one of them. Not that I'm jealous or anything ?

[LA3222]

19 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

If you think yours will take less than a year, your in for a shock. 

I used to think 12mths was feasible until I discovered this forum in 2017. A prompt revaluation  and I ended up buying a plot 2 yrs before I initially planned. My target date for move in has always been before eldest starts senior school so I had to work back from that. I've got one Yr left which I hope to achieve. As you say, 'self' building is a whole different timescale to having a house built for you.

[recoveringbuilder]

1 hour ago, SimonD said:

 

 

 

 

Well, if you read the book Self-build Simplified by Barry Sutcliffe, you can do it all in about 12 weeks apparently. That is for a bog-standard, no frills simple house design with pretty much everything off the shelf. I'd love to see that as I don't even see professional developers do it in 12 weeks around me, not a single one of them. Not that I'm jealous or anything ?

When we built our first one in 1992 the kit arrived mid August and we were in by my son’s 6th birthday on November 21st, we did it with 2 joiners , 3 bricklayers an electrician , plumber, heating engineer and how lucky were we that a friend who was a slater/ plasterer had recently been made redundant and he did all the plastering, roofing and rough casting, he also helped us with the drains and tiling and decorating, unfortunately this lulled us into a false sense of security about how easy it had been, we’ve never managed to do it that fast again, it was a 168m2 bungalow and all done for £45k , them were the days!

Edited November 13, 2020 by recoveringbuilder

[SimonD]

20 minutes ago, recoveringbuilder said:

When we built our first one in 1992 the kit arrived mid August and we were in by my son’s 6th birthday on November 21st, we did it with 2 joiners , 3 bricklayers an electrician , plumber, heating engineer and how lucky were we that a friend who was a slater/ plasterer had recently been made redundant and he did all the plastering, roofing and rough casting, he also helped us with the drains and tiling and decorating, unfortunately this lulled us into a false sense of security about how easy it had been, we’ve never managed to do it that fast again, it was a 168m2 bungalow and all done for £45k , them were the days!

That's brilliant!

[Russell griffiths]

In oz the major house builders will promise bayou a 14 week build schedule, if it’s not finished they pay your rent. 

 

But its a completely different ball game, they build so many they have a list of stubbiest that just go from job to job

 

nobody is big enough over here to have a full list of trades just stood there waiting for the go.