WE LEARNED...

SPEAK process and TO explain THE PLANNERS what you’re thinking at your of local doing. council Pre-application early in the meetings permission can before be very you useful submit for a understanding formal proposal. what will be granted

ADVANCED ORDERING of essential materials is really important. You need to plan for all trades if you’re project managing, ensuring the delivery of required materials happens in plenty of time. But make sure you consider storage facilities and site access.

CONSIDER YOUR BUDGET VERY CAREFULLY and always allow a contingency fund, particularly for foundations and site work. Consider, also, having the land surveyed before hitting ground, including sub-soil testing and location of trees in relation to the footprint of the build, to prevent any problems later.

MAINTAIN A GOOD WORKING relationship with all your trades. Having experience in the building sector was a distinct advantage for us, particularly regarding the sequence of work to achieve completion in such a short period of time.

SPEND TIME ON PLANNING the layout of your electrics. You will have the basics shown on the drawings, but take it further and think about how you will be living and what suits you in terms of plugs, light sockets etc, before work starts on this.