Sum it up in one sentence then... Go on.

[ToughButterCup]

In the pub - picture the scene - a few pints in and my best mate is talking about our build to another of his mates - I'm listening.  

He turns to me and says....

 

"Well you tell him what it's like to self build , errmmmm in one sentence " (how well he knows me)

 

That shut me up good and proper. 

 

What's your one sentence answer ?

 

What did I say? 

Told them to read Buildhub, especially @Onoff and then at the other end of the scale @Pocster

See, yer man was wanting to start a self-build .

Oh FFS. 

[Alan Ambrose]

Errrr, super-complicated, slow expensive torture by your LPA, utilities and various other suppliers who don't give a ....... monkey's and are often actively hostile. Will test all your considerable skills and patience.

 

At least with a PhD you get a piece of paper at the end.

[ProDave]

(long sentence / paragraph)

 

The dream : A unique chance to build the house of your dreams, designed and built to your design with perfect craftsmanship and detail.

 

The reality:  Nothing goes to plan in almost every way you could imagine (and plenty you could not) and you have to adapt, fight, be patient, get inventive and work your socks off to eventually reach where you wanted to get 5 years ago.

 

Then the ultimate stupidity, you don't learn from your mistakes and think about doing it again.

[ProDave]

6 minutes ago, Alan Ambrose said:

At least with a PhD you get a piece of paper at the end.

Completion certificate and an A EPC certificate to frame and hang on the wall.

[JohnMo]

Easy enough if you plan everything ahead, can get complex and expensive if you don't.

 

Or

 

I just paid someone else to do it, it was fine.

 

Or

 

Never been so knackered, everyone asks you a 101 questions every day.

 

Or

 

I'm broke, house isn't finished, can I have another pint, before I go back to do another 4 hrs, loads to do before the contractors get back tomorrow.

[Onoff]

"With hindsight I've have knocked it down and started again".

[SteamyTea]

"Building a house is mostly just stacking expensive rectangles while pretending you understand the difference between a joist, a stud, and pure chaos."

[FuerteStu]

It's a bit like lego, except none of it is compatible, the instructions are in Chinese, it keeps costing you money even when youre not building, and when you finish you'll spend your time staring at pieces of it. 

[DownSouth]

Make sure you have stable foundations before you start, because it’ll cost you sleepless nights, more money than you wanted to spend/have, more time than you thought possible and once you’ve finished you’ll wonder what’s the next challenge… 

[Pocster]

(expletive deleted)ing legend status and no skills required by my bollocks .