Andyroo Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Hello build hub community, My name is Andrew and this post is the start of me and my family's journey into the world of self build. We currently live in Cheshire and would like to stay in the area due to work and school commitments for our child. We have been excited to live a bit more simple, a roll back in time almost whilst utilising available technology. This hopefully will consist of an Eco A-frame house for 4 with land. We have been meandering through various places looking for land suitable for our needs with compromises in mind. This unfortunately has been difficult in terms of price and regulations which it seems don't favour self builds or normal families without a developer budget. Anyway I am excited to read through the posts on here and here any stories and or comments similar to our own that may give us some light at the end of the long tunnel of self sufficiency. Have a great week. Andrew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Welcome Andrew! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 a very warm welcome 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 10 minutes ago, Andyroo said: .... We have been meandering through various places looking for land suitable for our needs with compromises in mind. This unfortunately has been difficult in terms of ... Welcome. You are in good company here. Many stories of similar searches for land ; you can draw encouragement from members who have shown the success grit and determination brings. We're five years in, and probably five more to go (SWMBO wants the perfect garden ? - guess whose job that'll be). One word sums much of the job up - persistence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Welcome to THE self build forum, don’t discount “bungalow gobbling “ a term used fir buying an old bungalow on a nice plot with a plan to demolish and build anew. They can be cheaper than a building plot, services exist, address exists, you can still claim the VAT back. It’s what I did.? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 15 minutes ago, joe90 said: It’s what I did.? it's what we're doing as well. ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 1 minute ago, Thorfun said: it's what we're doing as well. ? Another example of “re cycling” ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitpipe Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 25 minutes ago, joe90 said: Welcome to THE self build forum, don’t discount “bungalow gobbling “ a term used fir buying an old bungalow on a nice plot with a plan to demolish and build anew. They can be cheaper than a building plot, services exist, address exists, you can still claim the VAT back. It’s what I did.? Welcome. Me too, although in my case '3 bed house gobbling', although we did live in it for 4 years first while we got those ducks in a row. Developers typically are not interested in a 1:1 replacement project, unless its a very exclusive area, they tend to target plots where one house can give way to multiple (planning allowing). And there is the rub - the value uplift is in getting PP for land. Without it, the land is cheap but useless for building on - with it, the land is very expensive. There is not much profit in teh building process itself which is why the big box developers cut so many corners when it comes to putting the houses up. Now, when you say 'eco' what do you mean? Energy efficient (when complete)? Low carbon construction? High reuse of water etc? For the majority here, it's the first category - designing and building a home that is comfortable and very efficient to live in, now and for the future. It need not be that more expensive to construct than 'traditional' build methods and does not need to be stacked with 'green tech'. It can also look as contemporary or traditional as you wish - this can be key from the planning perspective. Budget wise you need to think on what you can afford, how quickly you need it built and to what standard - known as the 'builder's triangle' you can typically have two at the cost of the third. Many here (me included) have PMd the build while living on-site (the classic 40-ft caravan experience), this really means you take the role of 'main contractor' saving that 20% overhead and organising and sourcing what needs to be done. Does not mean you need to lift a hammer if you don't want to, essentially you are co-ordinating contractors and trades to do the skilled work. No experience required but skilled use of a sweeping brush comes in handy. That said, if you have practical skills and the time to spare, you can roll up your sleeves and get stuck in. Whether this actually saves money is a moot point as you'll inevitably take much longer at a given task than a professional but you may well do it more to your satisfaction! A friend's husband is a professional builder and she's still without a kitchen 18 months after he started their renovation project 'on the side'. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyroo Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and your comments they are indeed some great encouragement! ? In reference to ha ha “bungalow gobbling “, we have looked into the condemned house/bungalow demolition and repurpose planning permission and it seems a good route to take although I hear it can get a little complicated if not using the original foundation in terms of building size, I must admit we have seen some nice plots of land with pretty run down houses on them sadly not for sale. We currently live in a semi bungalow that has a generous front garden we have thought about splitting and selling off for extra funds but this is just an option to keep in our back pocket. We would like to have an Eco house in terms of living costs, monthly bills, energy efficiency hopefully, have use of solar/battery storage (A-frame roof angle lends itself well for this) and heat pumps.... as much as our finances will let us really. I am also not apposed to taking on the project as some of the kits we have looked at can take a minimum of 2 people to construct and with time not being an issue a large shed or caravan would play a crucial role. Crucially we began thinking in November whether or not it would be worth embarking on this journey with a new little'un on the way so we looked at a few of the 1000's of new build property's local to us and we were not impressed at the price or the quality and to be honest we have been fortunate to have a good degree of privacy and would like to maintain that. Overall the newbuilds really did confirm to us our tastes, needs and aspirations for us and our little ones future. These are the kits we have started to investigate if anyone fancy's a gander, there maybe a question regarding UK building regs that may smash our dream but hey we love a challenge!!! A-frame Kit Homes | Avrame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradders3109 Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 3 hours ago, Bitpipe said: (the classic 40-ft caravan experience) Luxury.... bloody luxury... How I dream of a 40 ft caravan experience. ? We are currently living in a two bed touring caravan on the plot. Me, the ministry of fun and our twelve year old daughter. We have also took the approach to gobble up an existing property with a substantial extension and I'm at the very beginning of the journey. Good luck with your plot search Andy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitpipe Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 30 minutes ago, bradders3109 said: Luxury.... bloody luxury... How I dream of a 40 ft caravan experience. ? We are currently living in a two bed touring caravan on the plot. Me, the ministry of fun and our twelve year old daughter. We have also took the approach to gobble up an existing property with a substantial extension and I'm at the very beginning of the journey. Good luck with your plot search Andy. Well, when I said 40' caravan I obviously meant a two man tent for the four of us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 41 minutes ago, bradders3109 said: ... We are currently living in a two bed touring caravan on the plot. Me, the ministry of fun and our twelve year old daughter. ... Oooooofffff. Hard work indeed, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 We did 18 months in a 28ft static caravan. "Character building" is the phrase people like to use. And a little un on the way. That's true Grand Designs territory then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradders3109 Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 1 minute ago, ProDave said: We did 18 months in a 28ft static caravan. "Character building" is the phrase people like to use. And a little un on the way. That's true Grand Designs territory then. True grit. it's all part of the adventure or that's what I keep telling them. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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