Introduction for Self Builders

The popularity of self build has never been stronger. To the uninitiated the thought of building your own home may seem a daunting task, however there is an increasingly sophisticated and well developed support to “would be” self builders ranging from magazines, exhibitions and specialist self build companies.

Timber Frame has long been the favourite construction choice of self builders and a number of package or kit manufacturers have evolved over the years providing broad packages dedicated to making self build easier.

With services ranging from help with planning, design and erection, choosing the timber frame package route really puts the self builder in control of the process and less reliant on finding sometimes illusive tradesmen.

When considering a package company it is worth the options and comparing the package content from each provider, it will vary. Some will work from their own designs, others will provide a bespoke service from your architect’s plans.

One thing that is a must is to ensure that your chosen timber frame provider is a member of the UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA). A condition of membership is that all companies attain the UKTFA Q Mark standard, which is an independently audited quality scheme for engineering, manufacture and erection on site. This quality scheme provides peace of mind, after all, your home is likely to be your largest every single investment in your life.

Self building can be a rewarding experience, with self builders making around 30% on their home from the minute they move in, it is not hard to see why building for investment ranks along side building a dream home as they number one reason for self building.

Mortgage lends to self builders is running at hundreds of millions with a growth of almost 20% over the last three years.