Believe it or not you can build your own home for under £50,000!

This has been proven by a Cardiff Architect who won the National Self Build Association’s ‘Self build on a shoestring’ design competition, with a £41,000 self build home! However, can building on a shoe string still be energy efficient? The architect from this competition used straw bales to line and insulate the house, which are one cost effective option.

But as you may have read on our previous blog posts, an energy efficient method we use at Arc Design Services is ICF (Insulated Concrete Formwork) which is formed using expanded polystyrene tied together with plastic or steel. The benefits include low heating costs and a quick, simple and low carbon alternative.

Also history has been made recently with a house built in Leicestershire that has the ability to power itself. It is an innovation in energy efficient housing, as this is the first of its kind to be build in the world. Whilst this technology is certainly not available for under £50,000, and some of it is not yet available to use at a cost effective rate yet, with the house hoping to sell for £1.5 million. It could hopefully lead the way for the technology to be rolled out sooner rather than later.

All this talk about energy efficient housing has never been as relevant, as this week the last of the ‘big six’ announced energy price rises for the coming years - so there has never been a better time to make your new home energy efficient!

You can build the family home you've always dreamed of, by considering these energy efficient methods and if your thinking of building your own home, Arc Design Services can help bring your dream to reality, the cost effective way! Contact us for help and advice on building or improving your home in a more energy efficient way.