Welcome

Research by the National Custom & Self Build Association suggests that over one million of us have ambitions to build our own home every year – but currently, just 13,000 manage to do actually do it. One of the big stumbling blocks is the availability of viable land (pretty amazing, considering the fact that only 5.9% of the UK is actually built on). e key word there is ‘viable.’ If a site doesn’t have planning permission, then it’s almost certainly not a genuine prospect – and even if it does, there’s still a lot of work to do to check that you could actually build a house that suits you on it, at a price you can afford.

If all of this is starting to put the dampeners on your aim of creating a dream home, then fear not. As well as the more traditional routes to land finding (check out our beginner’s guide on page 117), there’s a new kid in town that could just level the playing field. On page 95, we take an in-depth look at how shovel-ready serviced plots are helping to make self building a realistic option for everyone.

And on page 102, project management Mike Hardwick gives his top tips on whether the demolish and rebuild route is still an attractive route to a plot.

Once you’ve got a site in the bag, the decision-making will come thick and fast – as I’ve found out myself in recent months as we’ve been developing the design for Build It’s Self Build Education House. Turn to page 62 to find out whether we’ve managed to secure planning consent for our pioneering project.

Elsewhere this issue, you’ll find tonnes of inspiration and practical advice. If you want to get your new home built in double-quick time, then check out over cover house on page 20: taking a turnkey route saw the Easters move in after just seven weeks on site! You’ll also find guides to the latest labour rates (page 83), making the most of solar hot water (page 73), designer stoves (page 68) and more.