Sleepless nights, but it was all worth it

JULIE and Andy Voller found their dream plot of land while sailing their boat along a stretch of the Thames near their home in Staines.

The derelict property was on half an acre of land running down to the riverside, complete with its own mooring.

They pulled up and looked around the land, before calling the agent to find out the price.

They already each owned a house from previous marriages but wanted to sell up and build a home together. And after tense negotiations, the vendor accepted an offer for £705,000.

Julie and Andy decided not to use an architect, so to get inspiration for the design and layout of the house, they went to every homebuilding show they could and sailed along the river to look at other homes.

Julie, 58, an IT project manager, says: ‘There was another self-builder living on the river. We told them about their plans, and became friends.

‘ They helped us with our budget and gave us contacts for a roofer. Every tradesman that we used came thanks to local recommendations.’

The couple worked closely with a specialist firm, Fleming, that built the timber frame, but wanted to be hands-on with the building work, so Julie gave up her job to commit all her time to the project. But it wasn’t all plain sailing. The day before the builder was due on site he called to check what type of foundations were needed.

‘I thought: “Why are they asking us, it is their job to know,” ’ Andy says. Deciding not use an architect or a project manager meant they were unaware their riverbank home needed reinforced foundations.

‘At the 11th hour we were scrabbling round to find an engineer to tell us what to do.’

Andy had to make a decision so the builders could proceed. ‘We had sleepless nights worrying if the foundations were strong enough until we had the structure finally signed off.’

In total they spent £1.2 million to create the perfect home for their retirement. Once complete, it was valued at between £1.4 million and £1.6 million.

Julie adds: ‘The most stressful part was finding the right builder for the job. Everyone wanted to manage the whole project but we wanted to keep control of the build.’