We are going to do it again!
After a successful self-build as a couple starting out in life, and now with a young family, the Vicks are going to self-build their next home
AS a young couple David and Fiona Vick decided to build their own home and now that their family has grown they are going to do it all over again.
They bought a plot of land near to Fiona’s parents’ home at Bridge of Awe in 2005 and started in 2006, with local builder Stuart Livingstone of Taynuilt carrying out the building work. Now, with children Hannah and Charlie, plus a cat and dog and David’s classic car and Land Rover, their starter home is to be replaced with another self-build four-bedroom family home on a site at Benderloch. This time they will be project managing the build themselves, with a kit home from Scot Frame and hiring in trades people and contractors. The main contractors will be Steven Groom and Chris Parr. It goes without saying that the advice from the Vick family is: ‘Go for it!’ Their decision to go down the self-build route was a way of getting on the property ladder. ‘We were looking at property in Oban, but it was at that point when everything was going for well over the asking price,’ said Fiona, who is an electrical technician based at the Northern Lighthouse Board depot in Oban. ‘We know of people who were getting 110 or 120 per cent mortgages to get their first house or flat,’ said David. The couple were helped via the Rural Home Ownership Grant with a percentage of the bills with the proviso that they stayed in their home for 10 years or paid the grant back. The scheme was designed to help keep young families like theirs in the area and not forced out by lack of affordable property. ‘Planning permission was through within six weeks because we were rounding off a housing development and this didn’t cause any issues, said Fiona. ‘The planning
You need to be well organised and have all your paperwork in order and readily available Fiona Vick
department at Argyll and Bute have been very helpful throughout with our first home and again now, with the pre-planning service. It really gives you a good idea of where your application is going and it makes the whole process much faster.’ The grants and initial build helped the young couple achieve their first home at Bridge of Awe and, as finances allowed them, they then extended the property. ‘We are glad we took advice to have attic trusses,’ said Fiona, ‘This made it easier to convert the loft into bedrooms. They also added a garage, where David, a motor mechanic, also works on his classic car hobby. The ground works have now begun at Benderloch. The Vicks would encourage anyone to enter the world of self-build and offer two words of advice: research and organisation. Anyone can complete a self-build project, but you need to be thorough. ‘We spent about two years before each, looking on line and going to exhibitions and shows,’ said David, ‘research is important.’ ‘You need to be well organised and have all your paperwork in order and readily available,’ said Fiona, ‘and have lots of spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are your friend.’ And this time round, prior to starting out on the venture, the couple also sought the advice of an independent financial advisor. ‘Getting the money right is very important,’ said David.