Tag: NaCSBA

HPH268 : The state of self build in the UK – with Jason Orme

Self-builder and renovator Jason Orme reflects on the main challenges you face if you want to tackle a house build in the UK.

Interview with Jason Orme

Jason Orme is the Editorial Director of Future Plc, the publishing house behind Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, of which he is the former editor. He would categorise himself as a serial self builder, but more recently has taken on a renovation project in Derbyshire with the intention that it will be his family home for at least a few years.

Doing a renovation has made him a bigger fan of self build!

With the renovation and remodelling project coming to an end, Jason says the process has been more ambitious, costly and stressful than a self build. Once you have planning permission on a self build you are theoretically in a position to have control over everything, whereas with renovation you tend to be at the mercy of the unknown with old houses that are full of surprises. It’s not something he would be keen to repeat!

Despite that, Jason and his family were drawn to the project because of a love of the plot, the location and even the original house to some extent. They didn’t need to create much additional space, but rather remodel what was already there and make it more energy efficient.

Covering up the 1960s ugly stone-clad facade, they built a third layer around the outside which provides excellent levels of insulation, although airtightness will always be more of a challenge to achieve than if starting from scratch on a new build.

Although Jason is happy in the house and looking forward to enjoying it for the next few years, he hasn’t ruled out another self build in the future, although it would take something special to move away from the location they now have.

Justify spending on the house by calling it an investment, not expenditure!

Jason has always tended to put any spare money into property, which he hopes will end up being an investment rather than a cost. He says he’s happy to have large outgoings and mortgages on properties because ultimately it should pay back, while at the same time you have the enjoyment of living there.

Self build is delivering fewer homes than ten years ago

2005 saw a peak in self building of up to 19,000 homes a year. That is now closer to 14,000, although the demand is probably greater than ever. Jason cites the two main causes as being problems for people selling existing properties to provide the finance, and the types of plots available. While land opportunities have improved a little, it is typically serviced plots on large developments like Graven Hill, rather than individual plots. When people dream of building their own home part of that dream tends to be the location, and living on a large estate, whether a self build or not, isn’t to everybody’s liking.

Jason sees some kind of balance being self build communities that can give an element of individuality and isolation to people.

“This has been my twentieth year in the self-build sector and the frustration for me really is that we’ve sold an awful lot of magazines over the years and met hundreds of thousands of people at the shows and spoken to people on the websites, more than you can imagine really. We haven’t actually really made a fundamental difference if we’re honest with ourselves in terms of the number of self-build homes that have been delivered.”

Research they have carried out with the National Custom and Self Build Association has shown roughly a million people in the UK are ‘actively’ looking to build a home, yet only a few thousand each year go on to do it. Jason suspects the majority of these people have a look on Rightmove and are put off by the out-of-reach prices. For those that do continue, his instinct that what’s stopping them isn’t not being able to find a plot, but that they’re so fixated on a certain type of plot which they’re not going to find at a realistic price, or perhaps they just somehow can’t make the commitment.

“So, I think if people can be flexible and have that imagination then by and large, with a reasonable budget and obviously that varies from area to area, it shouldn’t be unrealistic for them.”

There should be an influx of plots on the market soon

The right to build legislation came about in the UK in 2016, which made it compulsory for local authorities to keep a register of people interested in buying plots of land, and ensure that they had that same number of plots available to purchase within three years. We’re now at that point of those three years having passed so thousands of plots should be coming to the market, but whether they will be plots that people want or in areas they want to live in will be the issue.

Self-builders can have an advantage over developers

In his seminars at the Homebuilding & Renovation Show, Jason explains how there are two types of building plots.

One type is that which has a ‘For Sale’ board outside and can be found on the market through estate agents and auctions.

The second is what he describes as the plots that developers go after. These can be found using planning permission data and using Google Maps.

Opportunities for self-builders arise where there are plots that large and small scale developers can’t quite see how they could build housing. Where they’re looking for a field or flat piece of land to build ten houses, they won’t be so keen on more awkward scraps of land, like old garages.

“So, the self-builder’s opportunity, I think, is in actually embracing the stuff that makes them different which is the individuality of the design and that agile nature of development.”

Management of budget is critical and needs flexibility

Jason has often found that people who work in offices don’t feel that they are well-placed to self build, but actually he thinks they have transferable skills like organisation, project management and making tough decisions about money.

Having control of finances is crucial and Jason says it helps to think of it in terms of a spreadsheet where if some things are going above original estimates, then reductions might need to be made elsewhere in order to balance it out. He thinks if you can be flexible in terms of these smaller pots of money rather than thinking of it as one big pot, then you can begin to take back control.

With finance often being the biggest cause of stress on a job, but plenty of other factors beyond your control to add to it, Jason says to some extent it should be part of the main contractor’s role to absorb that stress on your behalf.

Where costs do go out of control during the construction, it isn’t usually down to the construction but flaws in the design process. A good design process should include the budget, engineering issues and proper site layout.

“Where I see the failures, it’s usually where the architect at that early stage hasn’t been able to put all those different factors together into a package that the main contractor can then go on to deliver. It’s often just left to the main contractor to work out the gaps.”

There is always more to learn

With twenty years in the business, Jason says it’s a constant learning experience and you’re never going to know it all. From talking to other self builders, architects and contractors you will find out other ways of doing things and improving on them.

In his experience it’s often self-builders that are also engineers who quite often try to find out everything they need to know about house construction on their own, so they can almost second guess the designer and the architect. Jason says this usually ends in tears because they’re never going to know it all!

In his experience it’s far better to leave all that to the people he is employing to do it. Where it often falls apart is where there is a breakdown in trust between the homeowner and the people that they’re employing.

When it comes to architects, the ones to avoid are those that struggle to understand the relationship that they’re meant to have with their client. It shouldn’t be a case of dictating ‘this is the design you should have’, or even ‘what do you want me to design for you?’

“The happy medium is the one that you’re looking for where architects can deliver something that obviously adds their value in. And going back to that thing about trust really, I want architects to be able to come up with ideas that I can’t and solve problems that I can’t. That’s really what you’re paying for.”

Architects often tend to be specialised in limited styles of design, rather than excelling at all different types of house.

“It’s wise, I think, to try to pick a design style first and pick almost a process and a target, an objective almost for the project, and then begin to put the team together on the back of that.”

There needs to be trust within the team

Jason says there’s also a misconception in the sector that builders are there to be feared or controlled, when actually, the good ones clearly know far more than their clients and should be empowered and just left to get on with it.

Finding that builder that you can trust in this way is he says part art and part science: the science being the recommendations and background company checks.

The other part comes down to gut instinct, and thinking about whether they listen to you, are constructive, understand what you’re trying to do with the house, can relate to the family and can appreciate that the budget is tight and that this will be critical to the project. It will need to be someone you think you can trust to be around for the duration of the project and sometimes have difficult discussions with.

Design flexibility into the house

Having seen so many self builds, Jason is able to grasp the feel of a home and what does and doesn’t work so well. The right mix can be a space that doesn’t feel too grand or clinical, but instead gives you that ‘wow’ moment each time you walk in, and that is down to good architecture.

It is important to build flexibility into the design, with space for a growing family so far as is possible. And while the rooms and spaces themselves don’t have to be large, if they can be flexible in their design it allows a family space to spread out and do their own things.

With the trend for adding extensions to create an open plan living, cooking and eating area, Jason feels they are often designed with daytime and summer in mind, but come winter or the evening they can be lacking that cosy, snug space where actually people just want to curl up in front of the TV.

Jason cites a number of reasons why people are staying in their houses for longer: houses are more expensive, stamp duty makes it very costly to move, flexibility in working arrangements means people don’t have to move for work as much. And while people tend to stay in their homes for longer, their needs change depending on children growing up, moving away etc, so that flexibility again is so important with being able to adapt to the occupants, rather than moving out.

It isn’t affordable enough for younger generations

A notable change in the types of people attending the home shows is that the self build community is getting older and greyer. Nowadays self build can take more money to do than it used to, with greater demand for land and resulting prices escalating, and the cost of materials increasing.

Jason worries that the opportunities for self build are not as available now to people in their twenties and thirties, and this is something that he would like to see change. But that will take changes in financial offerings, planning law and land availability.

His advice to them would be to be realistic and flexible in terms of area and the type of plot to go for. He warns against holding out for the perfect plot on the edge of a village with panoramic views, and suggests instead considering looking at the less attractive plots. He says as well as ugly duckling houses, there are ugly duckling plots which, once landscaped and with a well designed house on top, can really add value.

Jason suggests starting out in self build like starting on the property ladder, where you start small, do it two or three times and work your way up to building the house of your dreams. And with labour accounting for roughly half the costs on the build, he says you can save thousands of pounds by doing things like the tiling, kitchen fitting, decorating and landscaping yourself.

“One of the great unwritten things about self-building and renovating as well is that you never seem to quite get that day where you sit back and you say, ‘I’ve done it’ and you can sit back and enjoy it.
“You’ve just got to enjoy it as it goes through and take those little marks because there’s always going to be the garden to do; there’s always going to be that bit of the house that you didn’t quite finish off properly. I think for people who are interested in housing like we are, and there are thousands of people like us, I think, you have to just realise that that’s part of the process and part of the pleasure.”

Find out more

Visit the website of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine

Visit the website of Real Homes

Visit the website of Period Living

Follow Jason on Twitter

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Subscribe, rate and review the podcast in iTunes

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October 23, 2019
HPH194 : What are the hidden costs of building a house? – with Paul Testa
Paul Testa from Paul Testa Architecture talks about how to predict the costs of a house build and shares his tips on limiting a self-build budget.

Interview with Paul Testa

Architect Paul Testa’s interest in construction led to coordinating and teaching the technology course for the MArch in Architecture at Sheffield University. He’s also a tutor and lecturer for the Sustainable Architectural Studies Masters course at Sheffield University. He is a member of AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building).

Build cost is not necessarily ‘cost per square metre’

Paul aims to help clients gain realistic expectations of their project’s costs. They start by assuming a mid-range, bespoke new-build would cost roughly £1500 a square metre. They then use their cost calculator to add in additional costs, taking into account factors like slope of the site, higher specification and external works.

To price the whole project, Paul says self-builders should include connecting utilities, landscaping, and contingency in the overall build cost. If an architect or builder prices your project at £1500 a square metre, remember this may not include all the costs of the build.

A steeply sloping site

Fees are affected by more than just project size

It is important to have accurate cost predictions for your build and these do not just relate to square metres. Paul explains that the cost of consultants isn’t tied to the size so much as the complexity of the project.

Some costs, such as surveys, might depend on both the size and the complexity of the project. Paul recommends adding 30% to your construction cost for planning and building regulations fees and any other costs. Some of these don’t change with the size of the build, so the fee will be a greater percentage of the build cost for a smaller project.

Utility costs can vary from site to site

Paul has found the cost of connecting gas to be quite consistent, but not so for the electricity supply. The cost can vary hugely depending on the work involved in making your connection, and remains unknown until the application is made. Furthermore, Paul warns that there is no room for negotiation, saying, “It’s a captive market unfortunately.”

“Most contractors won’t have sufficient insurance for the whole project”

Contractors will have insurance to cover their liabilities (public liability and employer’s liability insurance) and potentially for their equipment on site. The architect also needs professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance to cover the implications of design decisions. Paul advises clients to procure insurance to cover the new building and materials.

Claiming back VAT may depend on your contractor

Some contractors don’t pass on the cost of VAT: the client never sees that cost and the contractor just claims it as part of their quarterly VAT payments. This may be beneficial for clients who don’t have the cash flow to pay upfront for the build plus VAT and then reclaim the VAT later.

Often clients prefer to procure large single ticket items (e.g. windows) themselves, to avoid the contractor’s overheads and profit. In that case, Paul reminds clients they should budget to cover that VAT cost until the end of the project.

Keep back at least 5% of your budget as contingency

To deal with unknowns such as the ground and weather, Paul recommends having “something there to cover you, a minimum of 5% but more generously 10%”.

He warns that stretching both construction budget and contingency “can be quite dangerous.” He advises spending more at the end if you have money left, rather than pushing to do absolutely everything without compromise.

Expert advice during planning helps predict cost more accurately

Although he cannot completely mitigate the risks of unknown costs, Paul ensures that the correct investigations are done as early as possible to try and minimise additional costs. “Certainly on the bigger jobs where there is more scope for value engineering,” he says, “we will try and bring a quantity surveyor or an estimator in at roughly the planning stage.”

This expert can give a budget cost for the build. If it doesn’t fit within a client’s budget, Paul’s team can make changes before the planning application is submitted, avoiding later amendments and resubmissions.

Avoiding the tender process can actually save money

Ideally, Paul likes to find a contractor he wants to work with and that the client is happy with, who will “buy into” achieving the building at the budgeted price. He relies on the expertise of the chosen contractor to ensure that the detailed design matches that budget.

Although Paul acknowledges the benefits and drawbacks of both routes, he doesn’t believe the tender process is the best way of procuring a building, saying “We actually incentivise that in our fees and we charge less for a negotiated price with a contractor than we would do for dealing with a full tender process.”

Contractor availability can be as important as cost

Paul works with a pool of preferred builders, although this can change over time. He explains that the best contractors can be booked up to two years in advance. Although clients might be disappointed by delays, they usually come round. “If they want the very best product, they want the very best people to do that,” he says.

Engaging the contractor earlier in the process can mean that delays are avoided. Having agreed an approximate start date with a contractor, Paul stays in touch while developing drawings, maintaining agreement on budget and timescales. He says, “By the time we’re ready and the contractor’s ready, everything’s drawing together.” However, he adds, “it doesn’t always work that perfectly.”

Tender processes have their own drawbacks. A four to six week process can lead on to reviewing prices, interviews, and value engineering. After all this, the contractor’s availability might be delayed another year. It can be difficult for a client to ignore a much cheaper quote but Paul warns, “Normally, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” The project ends up costing as much but with extra difficulties.

A passive house can be built for less than £50,000!

In 2013 Paul’s team submitted a design to the National Self-Build and Custom Build Association’s annual competition ‘Self-build on a Shoestring’. The brief asked for a detached family home, on a very simple flat plot, for £50,000 or less, including all materials and specialist labour but assuming utility connections were already in place.

Paul’s approach was to make “a simple construction that can be built by the average self-builder”. While mainly a “materials only” cost, it included specialist input such as commissioning the MVHR system, certifying the electrics, gas installation and digger and scaffolding hire.

Not only did their design offer a 70m² family home for around £45,000, it was also designed using the passive house planning package. Paul says, “We delivered a building that achieved passive house for less than £50,000 and would be a compact but very comfortable single family home.”

Delivering build elements constructed off-site to manage costs and time on a steep site

Five top tips to keep build costs to £50,000
- Remove main contractor: get hands on, do physical work, and do your own project management
- Reduce risk by choosing a manageable construction method, such as a simple softwood timber frame.
- Minimise the number of materials.
- Maximise the function of each element, e.g. exploit oriented strand board (OSB) in three ways: as an airtight layer, internal wall linings and structurally, to stop the building twisting.
- Choose larger format materials with cheaper production and installation costs, such as fibre cement slates rather than timber cladding.
Find out more

Visit the website of Paul Testa

Follow Paul Testa on Twitter

Follow Paul Testa on Facebook

Visit the website of AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building)

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Paul Testa

Please connect with me
- Subscribe, rate and review the podcast in iTunes
- Rate and review the podcast on Stitcher
- Like our Facebook page
- Follow us on Twitter
October 13, 2017
HPH192 : How ‘Right to Build’ can help custom and self-builders find land – with Michael Holmes from NaCSBA
Michael Holmes from NaCSBA explains the Right to Build initiative and how it will impact on the future of custom and self-builds.

Interview with Michael Holmes

Michael Holmes’ work in the housing sector began in 1990 when he was responsible for the PR and marketing campaign for the first ever Self-build Home Show. He is now Chairman of The National Custom and Self-build Association (NaCSBA), has presented television property shows and is a director of Centaur Media, responsible for property magazines (Homebuilding & Renovating and others) as well as the Plotfinder website and the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows.

“It is utterly empowering, building your own home”

Having completed his own self-builds and renovation projects, Michael fully advocates self-building. The best people to design a house are the ones who will live in it and a bespoke property can even save money. Yet the UK has fewer than average self-builds despite the clear advantages.

Only 8% of UK homes are commissioned by the owners, compared with about 39% across the rest of the developed world. Michael thinks this is partly because people underestimate their abilities, but the main problem is limited land ownership – 90% of the land in the UK is owned by 10% of the people.

Owner-commissioned housing leads to individuality and variety

Popular home ownership is a relatively new concept in this country, although a century or two ago, almost every house was built by the owners. Over time we lost owner-commissioned housing and Michael thinks we may have lost a lot more besides.

Many of our towns and villages were built on an individual basis, which he says led to “that variety that makes up the character of our towns and villages that we so value, rather than the characterless homogenous housing that is mass-built at the moment.”

Custom and self-builds can help solve our housing crisis

Our house-building culture has evolved in response to historic needs. Large-scale public house building started by the state after WW1 was gradually taken over by the private sector.

Today, it remains easier for local authorities to meet housing demand by granting planning permission for the development of large, strategic sites, than on thousands of individual plots. However this approach hasn’t solved the UK’s housing crisis.

Michael comments, “It’s quite remarkable that as one of the wealthiest and most advanced countries in the world, we can’t build enough houses to meet demand.” He believes custom and self-builds are part of the solution and wants aspiring self-builders to know how the Right to Build initiative can help.

Right to Build obliges local authorities to meet demand for plots

The Right to Build, which was launched on 1^st April 2016, is a legal duty on every local authority in England to maintain a register of people who are looking for a serviced plot to build their own home and to grant sufficient development permissions to meet that demand within three years.

Michael says the scheme is aimed at a broad spectrum, not just one-off “Grand Designs” houses. Group self-builders, community-led housing, and people looking to rent or share ownership could all benefit.

Though authorities will have to match demand, it doesn’t mean permission will be granted on a plot that perfectly suits your particular needs.

Serviced plots can help meet the demand for self-build

Between the 80s and the early noughties, 15-17,000 self-builds, mostly in-fill sites and replacement dwellings, were constructed each year in the UK. Following the credit crunch, that number dropped to about 10-11,000. But the self-build market is now growing, at just over 6% per year, and the government aims to double the sector by 2020. This looks unachievable if the houses are built on individual plots.

Serviced plots, popular abroad, could offer new opportunities, not only for self-build but for custom build projects where people are willing to pay for a bespoke home but don’t have the time to self-build. They are also less risky and easier to access for the majority of people, as two difficult elements of any self-build – foundations and services – have been dealt with.

The market already exists for serviced plots

One-off plots with amazing views are appealing but will always be expensive, whereas serviced plots can facilitate bespoke homes at affordable prices.

Evidence suggests that many self-builders would like to be part of a community and would happily live alongside other house builders or “spec built houses” on a multi-plot site.

Graven Hill at Cherwell aims to provide 1,900 serviced custom and self-build plots. Describing it as a “fantastic, ambitious project”, Michael admires their objective of building a custom and self-build community.

Demand for self-build opportunities is growing

In 2016 there was a 24% increase in planning applications for individual new dwellings. And 18,000 people signed up to the Right to Build scheme in the seven months following its launch. NaCSBA’s Right to Build Portal links to every local authority’s demand register so you can see the demand for each of those authorities. Michael is seeing a response to demand with an increasing number of plots coming to market.

Registering interest does not commit you to anything

Local authorities have the right to charge for entry on the register although Michael discourages this, believing it will impact on the numbers of people signing up.

Other than paying a fee, you’re not actually making any commitment. You’re just signing up to be counted in the local authority’s demand assessment.

Your data is not available in the public domain and you can ask for your name to be removed from the register at any time.

Local authorities have to take your interest into account

Each local authority decides the particulars of their register. One part, open to everybody in the EU, assesses the demand. A second part can ask further questions such as a financial affordability test or a local connection test that may grant priority.

Michael stresses that neither of these prevents you going on part one of the register and having your demand counted.

Registering is a win-win situation

If local authorities fail to meet a demonstrated demand within three years, Michael thinks planning permission could be granted on pieces of land that might not ordinarily have received it, such as plots just outside settlement boundaries.

Although it remains to be seen how inspectors interpret the Self-Build and Custom House Building Act, Michael says, “We expect it to have weight in those planning decisions.”

Local authorities are being given support to meet demand

Michael says there’s a great deal of understanding and interest in custom and self-builds on the part of local authorities, but what they lack is expertise.

The Right to Build Taskforce will play an important role through the Right to Build Toolkit, sharing ideas and policies that will help individual authorities bring forward land. Solutions include working with developers or housing associations to make custom and self-build part of their housing mix or even local authorities creating serviced plots themselves.

NaCSBA are working to ensure serviced plots, builders, custom build providers and finance products are all in place. In addition, Michael explains they are working with the UK government and those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to boost house building.

“It’s about democratising house building,” says Michael. “It’s about putting people in charge of house building to meet their own needs.”

Find out more

Visit the website of NaCSBA

Visit the Right To Build portal

Follow NaCSBA on Twitter

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Michael Holmes

Please connect with me
- Subscribe, rate and review the podcast in iTunes
- Rate and review the podcast on Stitcher
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September 29, 2017
HPH119 : Sourcing materials for your self build – with Harvey Fremlin from the National Self Build & Renovation Centre
Harvey Fremlin, Managing Director of the National Self Build and Renovation Centre, explains how to go about sourcing sustainable materials for your self build.

Interview with Harvey Fremlin

In 2008, after working on a construction site, Harvey joined the team at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre (NSBRC). The centre is a permanent venue for independent advice and support and has exhibits, workshops and courses for people with an interest in self-building or renovating.

“Don’t be afraid to big-up your project!”

It is likely that at some stage of your project you’ll be buying materials from a builders merchant. They can be intimidating places if you’re not in the trade.

Harvey says that some merchants are more self-builder friendly, so it’s worth shopping around and not being afraid to talk about your budget and how much you’ll likely be spending with them. That way you may be offered bigger discounts.

Manufacturers and suppliers are increasingly happy to deal with consumers directly

Harvey has found that suppliers and manufacturers are increasingly sending people with technical backgrounds to their shows, rather than sales people. This is because visitors are keen to know more than just what a system is and how it works. Instead they are asking questions about technical specifications, the advantages of one system over another, how to get maximum performance from the system and whether it is absolutely right for their project.

Fabric first – products later

The mantra at the centre is “fabric first” – invest in the envelope of the building to reduce the energy demand before considering “shiny technologies” and renewables.

Harvey stresses there is still a place for renewables and that the centre is a big advocate of them, but without thinking about the fabric and the building materials from the early stages of the project, they will be pointless.

Self-builders have a much longer term view on building their home, in comparison to a volume house builder:

“They’re not necessarily just looking at the immediate cost of using a particular system or a particular technology, they’re considering the payback periods and what the long term benefits are of investing the money up front in terms of choosing those potentially slightly more expensive materials. But in the long term lifespan of that home there should be huge savings there.”

Keep on top of availability of supplies

It is important to consider availability, because depending on the lead times of products you could end up impacting on your whole building programme if you’re waiting for something to arrive.

As well as keeping on top of when things are going to be delivered, bear in mind the stage at which your build will be when the next batch of supplies are going to be delivered, and whether there will be sufficient access.

Cash flow will partly determine how much you can buy up front, but do consider storage of items – some are going to be bulky and need to be kept dry.

“So if you can actually arrange for the products to arrive almost in a just in time scenario, so a day or two before you actually need them, it takes away an awful lot of headaches.”

Keep your site and supplies secure

If you have a lot of products on site you will need to keep your site secure, with adequate fencing and probably an alarm system. Most people will purchase site insurance and this will stipulate the security arrangements that will need to be in place.

Do plenty of research before selecting your products

Ultimately your choice of product will come down to individual preference. Ensure however you do lots of research, talking to companies, reading brochures, and comparing one product with another.

Once you know the style you like, check that it will be permitted within your planning consent.

As well as choosing your product according to style, cost and performance, you will also need to consider availability and whether the products you want are actually going to be available when you need them.

Use your own judgement when selecting products according to their green credentials

Harvey suggests being honest and asking yourself what you really mean when you say that you want to be sustainable. Is it because you’re genuinely concerned about climate change, or is it being worried about energy consumption and rising energy bills? Being clear about this can help shape your decisions about how you proceed to build.

Harvey says that any company will argue that the products it is supplying are “green” and “eco”. But while there are companies that only deal with sustainable products, it is really down to you to decide what you feel is right for you.

You can claim the VAT back on a self build

If you are doing a self build project in the UK you can claim the VAT back, but this can only be done once. For this reason most people would usually leave it until the very end and the owner has moved in. For some people it can be a way of freeing up cash earlier in the project if budgets are tight, however they will not be able to claim again for subsequent purchases. Harvey’s tip is to ensure you keep every receipt carefully filed away throughout the build.

NSBRC course tutors are experienced self-builders

First time visitors to the centre generally arrive full of inspiration and at the early stages of a project. Often they will return a few months later with different mindsets, where they’re focusing on the building systems and the materials that they might use. The courses the centre provides are generally aimed at first time self-builders, to give them plenty of information, advice and confidence.

Find out more

Visit the NSBRC website

Follow NSBRC on Twitter

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Harvey Fremlin.

The Hub update

Our latest module covers insulation and airtightness, also touching on the Passivhaus standard. We’re looking at how you achieve high quality installation and the factors that are going to make a difference.

There’s also another video in the Long Barrow Passivhaus story. They have finished the foundations and are building up the basement with insulated concrete formwork.

By being a Hub member you can also join our closed Facebook group and network with fellow self-builders.

Please connect with me
- Subscribe, rate and review the podcast in iTunes
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March 9, 2016