The Pros and Cons of a Self-Build Project
Building your home might be the ultimate DIY project to take on, but it’s often much more than that for many people. For you, it might be fulfilling your childhood dreams, the feeling of achieving a new height in your life, or simply making sure that you are going to get the exact home that you want. Whatever is motivating you to start a project of building your own home, it’s going to take a lot of work, and there’s no doubt about it, it’s probably going to be one of the most stressful things that you’ll end up doing in your life.
If this is something that you are thinking about doing, keep reading to find out more about the pros and cons of building your own home.
Pros
Let’s start with the positives – there are obviously lots of reasons why lots of people decide to build their own homes. Rather than buying an existing home, building your own puts you in control, so there are certainly lots of advantages. Some of the main pros to consider include:
Choose Your Location
Have you ever searched for a home, but all the properties that you like are in the wrong location? Building your own home allows you to get a plot of land, have it surveyed for suitability, and then finally start the process of building the home of your dreams in a location that you love. Finding the perfect plots of land can be tricky, so read this guide from Arbtech to help you with what to look for. Along with helping you find the ideal land, Arbtech also offer surveys. Unlike buying, where you’re limited to finding a home in a location that a property has already been built in, building your own home really does allow you to get everything you want.
Turn Your Vision into Reality
Building your own home is a great way to turn your vision into a reality. This can be particularly awesome for creative people who love to build and make things. If you grew up building Lego, or playing games like Minecraft and like building things, then building your own home is like the grown-up version of this. You really can get in touch with your creative side, making a real-life impact on yourself and your family, and get lasting results that you can enjoy for as long as you like.
Do Things Your Way
Even with existing homes, there might be some restrictions when it comes to what you can do with the property. This is especially true with listed buildings that can be particularly restrictive when it comes to what you can and cannot do, even in terms of décor and aesthetics. On the other hand, building your own home really does give you complete freedom to have and do exactly what you want. Whether you want something out there and unique, or simply want to design and build your home around having more storage options, space for your pets or better natural lighting, you can create what you want from the start, rather than trying to fit it in to an existing home.
Bring Your Family Together
Whether you’re a couple with or without kids, or even building as a single person with the help and support of your family and friends, building your own home can bring you together with the people who mean the most to you in your life. If you’re building this house for yourself to live in with your partner or family, then everybody gets a say in what they want, and it can be a huge amount of fun.
Cons
Like anything, building your own property is not always roses and rainbows. There can be a lot of cons involved with the process, and times where you might be wondering why you ever bothered to start in the first place. Some of the main disadvantages of a self-build project include:
It’s Overwhelming
If you’ve never done something like this before, then the overwhelm of it all can be difficult to deal with. You might feel stressed or even terrified at the amount of work that you have ahead of you. To help you combat this, it’s a good idea to get the help of a good architect and other professionals who have experience with self-build projects. They can help you navigate the planning and design processes and recommend the best professionals to do the work, to help you ensure that you get good results.
It’s Expensive
Building your own property can also often be quite expensive. Unlike buying a home where you know how much you are paying for it, when you’re building, there’s always the chance that something might not go as planned and end up costing you more. This is why it’s important to have a buffer in between your budget and the amount of money you have available for building, whether you are using savings or a mortgage.
It’s Time Consuming
While buying a property can be quite time consuming with several months between making your offer and completing the sale, building your own home can take even longer. There might be months that pass between finding the right plot and starting the build due to planning permission, which you’ll need to apply and wait for. You may also need to have several surveys and measures in place to protect wildlife like badgers and bats before you start. Then, the build itself can take quite some time, so you will need to make sure that you have somewhere else to live for some time before you’ll be able to move in.
It Can Ruin Relationships
While building your own family home can bring you together, the stress of it all can also take a toll on your relationship if it is something that you are doing together as a couple. When thing go wrong, or if the build is done poorly, a self-build project can destroy your marriage. Make sure that you’ve got a strong relationship before you start and consider getting outside help if you’re finding that the stress of it all is getting to you both.
If you’re thinking of building your own home, weigh up these pros and cons first to determine if it’s the right choice for you.
