The Build It Education House

The scaffold is down and we’re well on the way to completion. Chris Bates reveals the big wins and challenges at this stage of our build

Chris Bates gives us an update about progress on site and planning the last stages of our own self build project

It’s almost 10 months to the day since we broke ground on Build It’s Self Build Education House – and what a journey it’s been. We’re now on the final straight, with the internal fit-out well underway and the house rapidly transforming into a home in front of our eyes.

This time last year, our Graven Hill plot hosted nothing more than a services box and a bunch of weeds. Soon after that, there was a big, mucky hole in the ground as we dug out the basement – now, in just a few short weeks’ time, we’ll be at practical completion. A project like this consumes a lot of time and energy – all of it worthwhile, of course. So it will be an odd feeling when it’s all wrapped up and I’m not driving over to Bicester three days a week!

Over the course of managing our project, many of the learning points have centred around keeping our schedule and budget on track. The big take away is that delays and challenges are inevitable on a self build, but they’re always surmountable. The tricky bit is minimising their impact on the rest of your building programme. We could possibly have saved ourselves some extra stress if we hadn’t been pushing hard to get our project across the line over the past few months – but time is money when you’re renting site cabins, paying day rates to trades etc.

When stuff does go awry, in many cases the quickest remedy is the right one. But some decisions just need head space – so don’t be afraid to take yourself off-site and out of the pressure cooker when a tricky issue crops up. Yes, listen to everyone’s viewpoint and take on board their suggestions, but keep in mind that this is your home and you’re the one who’ll have to live with the final result. Most of the time, your contractors and installers aren’t worried about the ins-and-outs: they simply want a decision made so they can crack on and do a good job.

The end is now tantalisingly close, and I can’t wait to unveil the finished house next month. In the meantime, here’s an overview of what’s been happening on site.