insideKENT Magazine Issue 97 - April 2020 | Page 113

HOME+GARDEN
PLANNING YOUR
SELF BUILD PROJECT
THE IDEA OF BUILDING YOUR OWN HOME CAN BE VERY
APPEALING. IT’S TOTALLY UNIQUE, COMPLETELY YOU, AND
YOU WON’T BE BATTLING AGAINST THE LAST OWNER’S IDEA
OF A STATE-OF-THE-ART KITCHEN OR BATHROOM, NOR WILL
YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN A PROPERTY WITH DÉCOR THAT JUST
DOESN’T SUIT.
Yet a self build is still something that is shrouded in mystery which makes it even
more of a challenge than it needs to be. We’ve broken down the steps needed
to plan your self build project so if you do fancy making your home utterly your
own, you’ve got the information you need.
Find A Builder
Find A Building Plot
No matter what kind of building you are thinking of creating, you are going to
need somewhere to put it, so finding your perfect plot of land has to be the first
step. There are websites dedicated to showing you where to look, but don’t forget
to ask around in the area – you never know what word of mouth might get you,
including leading you to exactly the right place to build your new home.
Set A Budget
Once you’ve found the land you want you’re going to need to sort out your
finances. That means either purchasing the land outright or getting a mortgage
on it. But that’s not where the spending ends – you’re also going to have to pay
an architect, a builder, plus you might also have to buy the materials and the
fixtures and fittings. Work out a realistic budget so you don’t get carried away,
and it’s a good idea to have a contingency fund too (around 10 percent).
Once you have the plans in place (and the planning permission to build) you’ll
need to find a builder to take on the work for you. You can ask your architect
for recommendations as they will have worked with plenty in the past, or speak
to friends and family to find out who they had a good experience with.
Word of mouth is the best way to find a tradesperson, but reviews are also useful,
so make sure you check those out online too.
Find An Architect
Enjoy Your Home
It might take a while, it might have a number of processes to go through, it might
have its stressful moments, but a self build can be the best way to find your dream
home. And when all is said and done, that’s what counts.
Fiona Dennis of Sevenoaks Plans (www.sevenoaksplans.com), a Kent based
architect, not only helps to plan other people’s new builds, but has also had her
own property built. She says, “Building your own house isn’t as daunting as you
may think! With the right team on board, you’re one step away from your dream
home or investment project”.
“When you’ve found your plot of land, we will come out and meet you on site.
If necessary, we will carry out a feasibility study to ensure that your build is
possible. One of our architects will then draw up some design options. When
you’ve chosen a design, the plans are drawn up and submitted to the council.
When the plans have been approved, the building control drawings are drawn
up and submitted to Building Control who we are in partnership with. Once
approved we would put together tender packs to issue to builders.”
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