Building the dream

By Liz Phillips for MailOnline
Updated: 00:00 BST, 30 June 2004

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BRITAIN'S biggest 所有物／資産／財産 developer is not Wimpey, Persimmon or Barratt - it's our army of self-建設業者s. They are 責任がある one in four new detached homes and build 20,000 homes a year. But it can be heart-breaking 同様に as 支援する-breaking if you don't make careful 計画（する）s.

The idea
IF YOU'RE short of money to buy a house but not afraid of hard work, or you want to design your dream home, self-build is the answer.

But as fans of The Archers who've been に引き続いて Neil and Susan Carter's self-build saga know, it's not always plain sailing.

Many people are tempted by the idea of getting more for their money. The 普通の／平均（する） self-build costs £147,000 from 製図／抽選 board to moving (含むing 労働) and is 価値（がある） 25% to 30% more when it's 完全にするd - a 伸び（る） of up to £44,000 - によれば self-build specialist BuildStore.

And most self-建設業者s don't 現実に get their 手渡すs dirty at the 手始め - at first, they 雇う 建設業者s and tradesmen, often only taking over for the 内部の decorating.

Getting started
THE first problem is finding a 陰謀（を企てる） of land. It's risky buying a 陰謀（を企てる） without planning 許可 as you may never get it.

The best 選択 is to visit your 地元の planning office to find who has land with 許可 to build a house on it. Developers often don't go ahead with a 事業／計画（する） if they can't get 許可 to build the number or size of 所有物／資産／財産s they hoped to.

Specialist magazines such as Self Build & Design, and Build It carry adverts for 陰謀（を企てる）s that are for sale, and BuildStore has the largest land database on its website. It costs £44 for lifetime 接近.

許す a third of your 予算 to buy the 陰謀（を企てる）, or up to half of it in the South-East of England. If the 陰謀（を企てる） costs いっそう少なく than £60,000 there's no stamp 義務 to 支払う／賃金.

An ますます popular 選択 is to buy a rundown 所有物／資産／財産, knock it 負かす／撃墜する and build on the 場所／位置. The advantages are that it will already have services on it and you know you can build on it.

But your stamp 義務 法案 is likely to be higher and in some areas you can't build a new home more than 10% bigger than the 初めの one. Also, if you buy a bungalow you are likely to be 制限するd on the 高さ of your new home.

準備
PUT together a 財政上の 計画（する） 許すing fo r building costs, 貸付金 支払い（額）s, 保険, architects, surveyors and solicitors' 料金s to 確実にする you can afford it from the 手始め.

And 許す 10% for contingencies: self-build often goes over 予算.

One advantage of new build as …に反対するd to renovating is that you can 埋め立てる all the 付加価値税 on the 構成要素s used. If you use a 付加価値税 登録（する）d 請負業者, all the 労働 and 構成要素 should be 無-率d. Arrange a mortgage and 保険 to cover the work and workmen.

Get 計画（する）s drawn 負かす／撃墜する to the smallest 詳細（に述べる）. Changing 力／強力にする points and 麻薬を吸うing later on 追加するs to costs. Agree long 支払い（額） 条件 with all your 供給者s and 交渉する the best prices. Get written 協定s with all your tradesmen to 避ける 未来 不一致s.

財政／金融
YOU can get a 貸付金 for up to 95% of the value of your costs, though some 貸す人s might 制限する it to 75%. All the usual mortgages are 利用できる to self-建設業者s 含むing 直す／買収する，八百長をするd-率, 割引, capped, tracker, 柔軟な and self-certification. But not all 貸す人s will give 前進するs on self-build 事業／計画（する）s.

Norwich & Peterborough, Skipton and 生態学 building societies are の中で the 主要な self-build 貸す人s. All N&P's usual mortgage 範囲 is 利用できる to self-建設業者s. For instance, the society has a two-year 割引 of 1.3 points off its 基準 variable 率, 6.49% giving a 率 of 5.19% now, and a 5.98% five-year 直す／買収する，八百長をするd 率 貸付金. There are 刑罰，罰則s for getting out within the period of the special 取引，協定.

The money is 解放（する）d bit by bit as さまざまな 行う／開催する／段階s of the building are 完全にするd.

Skipton has an Accelerator mortgage which also 支払う／賃金s the 貸付金 in 行う／開催する／段階s, but the money comes ahead of each 行う／開催する／段階.

This is useful for people needing to borrow to buy the land and 支払う／賃金 for a 木材／素質-でっちあげる，人を罪に陥れる 道具 home from major 供給者s such as Potton Homes, 国境 Oak or Custom Homes. You usually have to 支払う／賃金 for these homes on 配達／演説／出産. This type of 貸付金 is 利用できる on any of Skipton's mortgages. For example, its tracker at 0.49 po ints over base 率 is 現在／一般に at 4.99%, or there's a three-year stepped 割引 starting at 1.6 points 落ちるing to 0.25 points off the 基準 variable 率, making it 4.24% in the first year.

Mainstream 貸す人s, such as the Halifax and Northern 激しく揺する, will not 解放（する） money until you've got as far as the first-床に打ち倒す 行う／開催する／段階 or the house is at least roofed and tiled.

BuildStore's website has a wide 範囲 of accelerator mortgages on 申し込む／申し出 and a パネル盤 of 貸す人s 含むing Britannia, Lloyds TSB and Newcastle Building Society.

Getting the money upfront might enable you to stay in your old home while you get the 事業／計画（する） under way. さもなければ you have to 許す for rent, 蓄える／店ing your furniture or buying a caravan to live on 場所／位置.

研究
SELF-BUILD is a 抱擁する 請け負うing even if you're 用意が出来ている to give up some of your 利益（をあげる） by 雇うing a 請負業者 for most of the work.

You need to 研究 it fully. Self-build and 革新 shows are a good starting point. They take place 定期的に all 一連の会議、交渉／完成する the country. The next one is on July 3-4 at the East of England Showground in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

A number of websites 申し込む／申し出 tips, （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） and even 詳細（に述べる）s of 供給者s and 貸す人s. BuildStore has a 包括的な 場所／位置 at www.buildstore.co.uk. Experienced self-建設業者 Sean Bates has a 調書をとる／予約する 利用できる to download for £29.37 at www.self-build-secrets.co.uk.

The 王室の 会・原則 of 借り切る／憲章d Surveyors has a self-build section on www.rics.org.uk and Build It magazine covers さまざまな 面s on its website at www.selfbuild.co.uk.

The self-建設業者s

Gary, 51, a company 経営者／支配人, says: 'This time we bought a 陰謀（を企てる） in 戦う／戦い, East Sussex, with two little bungalows on it. It took a year to get 許可 to 破壊する them and 再構築する a large four-bedroom detached house with a ３倍になる garage.'

The couple are living in a caravan on 場所／位置 while their 18-year-old son Nicholas lives in the smaller bungalow, which will be knocked 負かす／撃墜する later.

They've got an Accelerator mortgage through BuildStore with Skipton for 4.84%. Since they only needed to borrow 50% of the land and building costs, they took the whole 量 up 前線. 'We started in January and hope to take 所有／入手 in October,' says Gary. 'We've gone over 予算 a bit this time, but we had £20,000 as a contingency 基金. When we get the 付加価値税 支援する, it'll 支払う／賃金 for the landscaping.'
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WHEN ANDREA and Steve Ashberry realised they couldn't afford a bigger home for their family, they decided to build one instead. Steve, an 助言者 to 農業者s, and Andrea, a catering assistant, have three children, Carla, 20, Peter, 18, and Timothy, 14.

It took about two years and several 失望s before they 設立する a 場所／位置 with planning 許可 in a Suffolk village on the 国境s of Norfolk, 近づく their children's schools.

Steve, 50, says: 'We chose Custom Homes after seeing their designs at a self-build show. We worked with their architects to design an L-形態／調整d, chalet-style bungalow. The planners wouldn't let us build a house on the 場所／位置.' The sale of their home nearby, where they had lived for 20 years, paid for the £50,000 陰謀（を企てる） and they arranged the 行う／開催する／段階d 支払い（額）s of their 貸付金 at 全国的な, where the 経営者／支配人 was a self-建設業者 herself, and 同情的な to their 事業／計画（する）.

Even though they did so much of the work themselves, the 事業／計画（する） was 完全にするd on time within about eight months and within 予算. In fact, they saved enough to build a garage they hadn't planned for and the 付加価値税 refund paid for the carpets.

It cost £125,000 全体にわたる. That was two years ago and it's now 価値（がある） about £350,000.
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PAUL and Lorna Huskisson (pictured with son Drew, 21) had always dreamed of building their own home, so when a suitable 陰謀（を企てる） of land （機の）カム up for sale they snapped it up. The ４半期/4分の1-acre 陰謀（を企てる） in a village 近づく Bourne, Lincolnshire, had no planning 許可 and there was an electricity sub-駅／配置する on it. They 雇うd an architect to get the 計画（する）s through and the electricity board moved the sub-駅／配置する.

Their four-bedroom detached home is built in the style of a barn 転換. It took a year to build, using 埋め立てるd 木材／素質s and bricks, which 押し進めるd up the cost. 全体にわたる, it cost £140,000, 含むing the 陰謀（を企てる）. Now it's 価値（がある） at least £350,000. They sold their home and lived in rented accommodation, which covered half the cost. And they borrowed £70,000 from Norwich & Peterborough at a 割引 of 1.45 points on the 基準 率 over five years, giving a 現在の 支払う／賃金 率 of 5.04%.

Paul, 48, who runs a 合法的な services practice, says: 'I was the 事業／計画（する） 経営者／支配人 and worked as a labourer on 場所／位置 most days after work. I'd happily do it again, but Lorna's not so keen.

'My advice to anyone thinking of doing it is to have a contingency 基金 of 20 to 25% of the total. We went over time because of bad 天候 and used the contingency.'