Building your own home is an increasingly popular trend in the UK as we start to recognise the benefits it can bring to homeowners’ lives.

Not only does building your home enable you to create a place that meets all your wants and needs, but it also often leads to greater profits by allowing you to afford more space for your money. It also offers you the chance to live in a more sustainable and personalised home. In this blog, we discuss our top tips for building your own home.

Do your homework

Do your homework is arguably the best piece of advice we could give to anybody thinking of building their own home. It is essential to fully understand what the process entails and what you are letting yourself in for. Talk to other people that have built their own homes, watch videos, and read blogs. You can also attend several exhibitions and shows throughout the year that can help educate you on what to expect from your upcoming project.

Recruit/use a self-build team

Many people often get confused and feel that a self-build or building your own home means that you have to physically build it by yourself, however, this is not the case. Another important tip is to ensure you have the best team around you. An architectural designer's opinion (like ourselves at Arc Design Services) and input into your own home are critical. Not only can they turn your dreams into reality,y but they can also visualise how best to achieve this and more.

Set realistic timescales and budgets

It is crucial to ensure that you set realistic timescales and budgets – setting unrealistic completion dates can cause undue stress on an already potentially stressful process. It is often worth preparing for the project to take around 10% more time than planned to allow for issues with materials and the unruly English weather, for example. Similarly, budget is very important. You must set a realistic budget for your architect to understand what type of home you can afford to build. However, it is worth noting that there are often unexpected costs along the way, so contingency funds are always a good idea! For example, in lockdown, the costs of plaster and wood rose significantly and affected many builds drastically across the country. Having a contingency fund eradicates, or at least reduces, the stress and worry of issues like this arising.

At Arc Design Services, we specialise in architectural design, dedicated to offering a fresh and exciting approach to every project. With this in mind, Arc Design Services have everything you need to help support you with your self-build, renovation, or extension plans. Contact our experts today at Arc Design Services at www.arcdesignservices.net or 0161 928 4433.