Self-build
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Self-build is the practice of creating an individual home for yourself through a variety of different methods. People build individual homes for all sorts of reasons, but mainly because they want to create something tailored to their family's unique requirements; or something architecturally appealing in all manner of styles; or because they want to live in a home that they might not be able to afford on the open market.
Self-builders create their homes through a variety of methods - and very few actually build it entirely themselves. The majority employ an architect to come up with the design of the new home and contract a builder to construct it; others use so-called 'package' companies to provide a one-stop solution. Many others find themselves managing building sites and dealing directly with planners, tradespeople and materials suppliers.
There are approximately 20,000 new homes built by this method each year in the UK, making it the largest contributor to the UK's housing stock. Around 1 in 3 new detached homes in the UK are created by self-builders. Over the years, self-builders have been at the forefront of advances in house design and technology, being responsible for the dramatic uptake in recent years in eco features such as solar power and heat pumps; underfloor heating; open plan design and smart home technology. These are features that take many years to filter through to commercial housing developments. There is also an increasing drive for people to self-build overseas, either as investments, holiday homes, retirement homes or relocation.
There is a range of supporting media information available to self-builders to help them find building plots, come up with a house design and get their dream home off the ground. These include [Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine][1], PlotFinder, PlotWorld, PlotSearch and the well-known television series Grand Designs and Build a New Life.
Individual houses can take all forms from the traditional to the radically modern, and the term is also used to refer to people who create individual homes out of old buildings.
