Building an affordable self-build house

The affordable self-build project we are building, just across the border in Staffordshire, is progressing quickly and is due to be completed by the end of October. The windows and doors are being fitted.

The windows at the front of the house have been made bigger than those at the back to make the most of the fabulous views across the nature reserve in the valley below.

Owners Ben and Leanne are loving seeing the project coming together and are coming home every day to find something new. They have enjoyed making their way up to the first floor to look out of what will become the window of their master bedroom. Currently this is a precarious expedition, as the stairs have not been fitted yet!

Leanne had found it hard to envision the house just from the plans and describes herself now as ‘beyond excited’ as the house starts to take shape. It turns out that she thinks it feels bigger and even more spacious than she expected.

Leanne says,

“Watching the scaffolding come down is like unwrapping the best present in the world.”

Ben was a little nervous about what the bricks they chose would look like, as it was very important that they would blend in with the other buildings on the site, which are a variety of different brick types. Before making the final choice, he and Leanne drove all around the area taking photos of lots of different houses to make sure they were selecting the best one possible.

Ben’s two girls love seeing the house ‘grow’ and are already talking about how much they are looking forward to celebrating Christmas and New Year in their new house, with plenty of space to welcome guests.

Planning the kitchen

As the biggest room in the house, the kitchen is going to be the focal point of the home and where the household will gather.

The must-haves for the kitchen for Ben and Leanne were a kitchen island and a boiling water tap. Before making their final choices, the couple visited plenty of kitchen shops. They found using a virtual reality tool really useful, where they could  ‘walk around’ a kitchen to really get a feel for it. 

Leanne says,

“We’ve gone for a beautiful, very traditional, country style. We felt this was essential as the new house is being built next to a farmhouse. We’ve chosen a beautiful cream colour with oak tops. The salesperson could not have been more helpful and basically realised what we were after straightaway and gave us loads of good advice.”

Turning up the heat

For their heating source, Ben and Leanne have selected an air source heat pump and underfloor heating downstairs and are looking forward to a winter without gas bills.

Environmental considerations

It was vital that the previous building on the site was demolished before the swallows came back for the summer and started building their nests. This year the birds built their nests on the old stables instead. Bee bricks have been incorporated in the walls and bat boxes are going up too, along with a swift box as well. Once the build is complete, Ben and Leanne will be reinstating a dovecote too, as the old farmhouse always used to have one.

Positive feedback to affordable self-build project

A public footpath runs close to the new house and regular passersby often stop to check out the latest development. Some people say they have changed their walking route so that they pass by the self-build project more often.

Ben says,

“We’ve had so many positive remarks from people, from complimenting the speed of the build and how tidy the site team is, to the lovely colour of the bricks!”

If you are interested in building your own home, talk to us. With our complete turnkey self-build package, we can help you design it, secure planning approval and carry out the whole build.

We’ve been designing and building award-winning homes since 1981. From prestigious turnkey self-build projects, to distinctive developments and exclusive barn conversions, each bespoke home is built to the same exacting standards.

CB Homes is an A1+ member of the National House Building Council (NHBC), registered builder with the Local Authority Building Control (LABC), as well as a member of the Federation of Master Builders.

Contact us to find out more.