Finding the perfect home for you and your family can feel a fruitless task. Not only does the property need to cater for everyone’s needs but it also needs to be located in a suitable area. You can look and look and look without success.

If you ever get to a stage where you almost feel like giving up, don’t! Why not be the master of your own destiny and create a home of your own. Self-building is in vogue at the moment and a great way of ensuring that you gain a residence that ticks all of your necessary boxes.

But before going ahead with it there are considerations that need to be made and here’s a selection of them:

Plan ahead

Before starting anything you need to sit down and find out everything that’s involved in self-building as it is a large commitment in many different ways. You need to determine very early on how much you want to participate in the project. If you have very little expertise then you would be sensible to pass on the bulk of the work onto other people such as designers and contractors who you can source by asking around or trawling the local newspaper.

Finances

Set yourself a realistic budget but allow some leeway as projects can sometimes cost more than originally planned and the last thing you want is for building to cease half-way through due to a lack of funds. Do your maths early on to reduce the risk of things stretching over budget.

Site

To quote the programme title, location, location, location is everything. Finding the right plot will require time and dedication. Ask around to see if anyone you know is aware of any possible sites on which you can build. Of course, be sure to check if you need planning permission beforehand for your desired plot of land.

Payment type

How do you intend to fund the building of your own home? Unless you have a treasure chest of cash the likelihood is that you will have to borrow. Assess all possible payment options and only commit once you feel completely comfortable.

This is just a small snapshot of what you need to think about when self-building. There are websites out there that are purely designed to aid the budding self-builder such as http://www.selfbuildportal.org.uk/ that can help you in your quest.

And for all your floor screeding requirements don’t forget to contact JCW.