Self-builder - Roof Joists

As I previously mentioned we initially had a few problems with a groundworker. Well, due to the fact that he couldn't use a tape measure the shape of the extensions for the barn weren't quite the same as on the plans.

When it came to ordering services or materials, that required accurate measuring i.e. the block and beam floor and roof joists, we used a local company who would come out a check the measurements for us. We didn't feel that it was worth the risk in measuring off plan and we weren't absolutely certain where the measuremets needed to be taken from. It also meant that it was the company's responsibility if anything was wrong when the materials arrived.

Self Builder - Other trades

As we chose a good brickie - with him came the other trades too. I couldn't recommend this enough. As we were not local people we did not have contacts to use and it would really have been a matter of sticking a pin in the ads and choosing some-one - we learnt our lesson with the groundworker!

The advantages of this was that all the trades worked at a team even though they were employed separately. They communicated with each other, as well as me, which saved an awful lot of hassle. The only trade which we chose that was not recommended by our brickie was the plasterer - which in hindsight we shouldn't have done. Even though he was good at his job the lack of communication between him and our electricians caused us problems and very nearly a great more expense.

I am sure the team of trades weren't perfect as we had some teething problems with them too but the build did progress efficiently.

Saving money on the roof

As we were converting an old barn - but also extending it - we had to decide whether to use the old slates or not. It turned out that we had good quality Welsh slates, but there wasn't enough to cover the extension of the barn.We had a couple of options open to us 1. Buy more Welsh slates and mix them in with the existing ones or remove all the existing slates and buy a complete set of new ones. Now we did get a price for reclaimed Welsh ones however financially and aesthtically it made better sense to buy a whole new set. Since the original slates had been on the barn for best part of 90 years were decided that their intergrity could not be relied on.We bought Brazilian slate in the end and to ofset the cost we sold all our existing Welsh slates to a reclamation yard.

Finding a good brickie

We were so lucky with the builder we hired. We only paid him for the labour as we wanted to keep a handle on the our outgoings. I had tight hold of the purse strings. This meant that we were free to shop around to get the best prices.

The builder was recommended to us by one of our ground workers (who I really wouldn't recommend to anyone else!) The builder was excellent. He came on site when he said he was coming and grafted the whole time he was on site.

He also (which we cannot thank him enough for) was that he gave me plenty of notice of what materials he needed and when he would need them for, plus he recommended the other trades too. He suggested the plumber, the electrician and the carpenter.

The advantage of this, in our minds, is that they would be more reliable because they were people he used all the time and to a certain extent relied on him for their work. We were not wrong. We couldn't really criticise of any of them.

It goes to show that if you find the right trades at the beginning then it can have a knock on affect.

To pile or not to pile

Before we started the self-build we had some exploratory holes dug in order to determine the soil type and whether piling would be necessary. This was carried out by the Chartered Surveyor from Russen & Turner (also Allied Surveyors). We discovered that we had a peat seam running 1m to the front and 1m to the side of the barn. In order to know for certain whether this seam ran beneath the footprint of the barn we would have had to carry out numerous more holes which may still have been inconclusive. We could also have paid for trial piles to be carried out but as this would likely cost at a few thousand pounds. Instead of spending this money and then discovering that we had to pile anyway, we decided to bite the bullet and put the money towards having the barn underpinned and a piled ringbeam constructed for the two extensions. If we had demolished the barn and had a piled ringbeam for the whole footprint it would have been cheaper - but we wanted it as a barn conversion!

We used Optima Foundations (http://www.optimafoundations.com/) for piling our self-build. We were very impressed by the professionalism of their director from day one. He came to see us in order to discuss estimates etc and arrive on the dot of the time agreed. He then went through our options and seemed to take into consideration our needs and our budget. This created an excellent first impression and was a key factor in us selecting them.

Having piling carried out was definitely not cheap, however we felt that without it we may have ended up building a white elephant. As it turned out the piles went 12m deep indicating that they really were necessary! If we had not piled and subsequently has subsidence then house insurance would have been unlikely to covered us. As it stands the piles would withstand a aeroplane landing on the house - let's hope we don't have to test that theory!

Self-Build Mortgages by James Smith

We all dream of owning a house, a place which we can call our own. But, this dream is fast turning into a nightmare for people as a result of soaring property prices. They are the proverbial dark cloud in a bright blue sky. In such a scenario, self-build mortgages have come as the true savior of dreams.
As the name suggests, a self-build mortgage helps you build your home. Getting down to the brass-tacks, it aids you in financing the construction of your own house. A self-build mortgage lends you the money in installments. The initial monetary installment is given to purchase the land you are going to build your house on. The payments made to the borrower are in sync with the step-by-step process of building the home. At each stage you get the requisite finance needed to build the property. It is of paramount importance that you have a fair idea as to when the payments are going to be made; whether at the beginning of each stage or ate the end of each stage. This will allow you to plan your finances in a more effective manner.
As in all mortgages, the lender has the final say with regard to the amount that can be borrowed. Generally, in the case of self-build mortgages you can get not more than 75% of the land cost, or approximately 60% of the building costs. Self-build mortgages are niche mortgages and for this reason the rate of interest charged by lender is a little higher than normal. But more and more lenders are getting into the act, as the demand for self-build mortgages increases. Major money lending organizations like, HSBC, etc are now offering this type of mortgage at competitive rates.
A word of caution: If you are planning to build your house yourself, then be ready for some polite refusals from moneylenders. A house that is professionally designed and built for you by professional builders finds more of a support as far as taking out a mortgage is concerned. This is, of course, apart from the regular checks on credit history and the personal background of the individual.
Self-build mortgages are becoming increasingly popular because of the ancillary advantages that come with it. It is estimated that homes built with the help on this mortgage are worth around 25% to 30% more when they are complete compared to the cost incurred in building them. In some countries you can save a lot of money on the stamp duty if you take self-build mortgages.
As is very obvious, the key requirement for building a house is land. Finding just the right kind of location to build your dream house is very difficult. This is because of the rise in cost of land and the limited number of sites that are available.
Self-build mortgages have eased many of the difficulties associated with building a house. So get one and build your house.
About the Author
James has been writing about mortgages for many years and offers information on the different types of mortgages available from the web site http://www.1mortgagesuk.co.uk

I found this article recently and it explains self-build mortgages considerably better than I can!

Source: http://goarticles.com/ [01 Nov 06]

Certifying the self-build

Our mortgage lender required us to have the self-build certified. This meant that every phase of the project had to be assessed by a surveyor. We initially could not understand why it was necessary to have an independent surveyor when you also have to be inspected by the local Building Inspector. It seemed to us like a complete duplication of time, effort and hassle, however it is essential to have this piece of paper when in the future you need to sell the property.

So we had to find someone to carry out this function. Initially our thoughts turned to the NHBC - after all most new houses are certified by them aren't they? This was not possible in our case - they would not certify us because our self-build was recognised as a conversion. We decided to approach a local firm - Russen & Turner (www. russenturner.com) - with a Chartered Surveyor to see if they could carry out this role - and they could. We had used them previously to carry out a survey on a house we were buying, to carry out a survey on the barn and assess the soil conditions before we started the build - so they were a natural choice. We have always been delighted with the service which we received and we would recommend them to anyone - in fact we have! In addition to this we found it invaluable to have someone knowledgeable giving us guidance and looking after our interests. The fact we dealt with one representative of the company meant that we had continuity of service and built up an excellent working relationship. We also found that the detail in which the self-build was inspected by the independent surveyor and the Building Inspector varied considerably.