Self-building a completely bespoke new home is the dream of many homeowners, but many shy away from the challenge due to the perceived difficulties and expense. Building your own home is certainly an adventure, but in many ways, it has advantages over simply buying a pre-existing property. If you’re tempted to take the plunge and want to know more, go for it – here are a few good reasons that could clinch the deal.
Buying a pre-existing property always involves an element of compromise. You have to fit your family lifestyle requirements and possessions around what’s already there, with inevitable adjustments and changes. Not so with self-building your own home. With a bespoke design you gain total freedom to customise your dream home however you wish. Working alongside an experienced self-build architect like DS Squared Architects, you can make all your design decisions yourself, right down to the smallest details, ensuring that your home is perfectly aligned with the needs and desires of your family.
A self-build gives you full control over the quality standards of the materials used to build your home, with no compromise. By being fully involved with the project from day one, you can be sure that only the best materials are used in your home, and are sourced at the right price, creating a safe and optimised living environment.
Searching for your ideal home in the UK always pits you against other prospective homeowners also bidding for the property, with the constant risk of you being undercut or outbid. A self-build allows you to sidestep the competition because all you’re really looking for is the land. You can look for a vacant plot if you like, although many self-builders purchase a cheap and dilapidated property on a promising plot – it’s often cheaper to demolish the existing building and start from scratch than buying prime land in the area you wish.
By making sure the materials you use are sustainable and energy efficient when designing your house, you can maximise long-term energy efficiency with minimal effort going forward. Sustainability features, renewable energy applications, and enhanced insulation can be incorporated into the design, for immediate savings on heating and cooling.
It can often take homeowners a long time to make a house their own, spending tens of thousands over many years renovating, redecorating, and extending their property. A self-build property saves you this long-term expense and time by creating a unique and 100% tailored design from day one, giving you a home that reflects who you are and what matters most to you and your family - not to forget that developing your aspirational new build home invites 0% VAT.
For help and support designing your one-of-a-kind dream home, please contact DS Squared Architects today to book an initial consultation. We provide an end-to-end design and build service for people interested in building a house from scratch, and can help save you time, money, and frustration at every stage of the process.