When you want to move house and you know exactly what you are looking for, it can be very frustrating to spend weeks or even months house-hunting and not even come close to finding what you want. At the moment, demand for houses is high and supply is short so there are a lot of people wanting to move who are unable to do so. If you are looking to move house, building your own home may be an option for you to consider. Nearly a third of adults are interested in designing and building their own home. There are certainly some immediate advantages to self-building.
Your own design
If you decide to go down the self-build route, you can of course choose your own design. If you have always dreamed of living in a Georgian townhouse, an Elizabethan farmhouse or a striking, modern Grand Design, self-building might provide you with the opportunity to construct the house of your dreams.
Choosing the look of your house on the outside is only part of the appeal of building your own home. With a self-build, you can choose the layout you want too. You can choose the number of bedrooms, the number of reception rooms, the location of the kitchen and so much more. If you love open plan living, you could embrace the modern trend for a large open family living space. If you have always dreamed of a walk-in wardrobe, then you can make sure you have one – or two – included in your design. There will be some limitations to what you can have, dictated partly by your budget and partly by your building plot. However, a skilled architect can advise you on how to make a layout really work and will enure sure that the house ‘flows’ correctly.
Favourite finishes when self-building
As well as the overall design, you can choose your preferred options for all the fixtures and fittings too. From your dream kitchen and favourite flooring down to door knobs and bath taps, you can choose your colours and finishes.
Savings to be made when self-building
Self-building often allows you to incorporate features into your home that would be extremely expensive to retrofit into an older property. This is especially true when it comes to energy efficiency measures and ‘green’ considerations, which will make your home cheaper to run in the long term. With everything built to current building standards and regulations, you are likely to face lower maintenance costs than you would with an older house too.
Regardless of your budget, self-building may be an option for you. Don’t forget, self-builders can reclaim VAT on labour and building materials and Stamp Duty is charged on the cost of the land, not the value of your completed house. You will also be exempt from the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Complete self-build package
Unless you have the skills or a burning desire to undertake the building work yourself, you should rest assured that fewer than one in ten self-builders actually take part in the building work of the project. Many opt for a turnkey package such as CB Homes’ full self-build package, which includes everything from initial design, through to planning and the final build itself.
If you have always dreamed of building your own home, talk to us to find out how we can help with our complete turnkey self-build package.
