Self Builds 'reflect Personality Of Owner'

A self build home is like a "blank canvas" and can be moulded into the owner's personality better than an existing property, an industry expert has claimed.

Homes which are designed by self-builders often are best "suited to the contemporary lifestyle" than homes made by national house building company chains, the Home Builders Federation (HBF) stated.

Higher standards of energy-efficiency are being built into new homes which make them more suitable for 21st century living, John Slaughter, director of external affairs at the HBF, said.

Mr Slaughter added: "We always say that a new home is like a blank canvas to a large extent - you don't have to inherit other people's decor or DIY. You have more scope to adapt the home in the exact way that you want."

The HBF is the trade association representing the interests of homebuilders in England and Wales.
The government's proposed self-build action plan was previewed on July 20th 2011 by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) and the National Self Build Association, with housing minister Grant Shapps in attendance.

Rics argued that this legislation, titled Go for Growth, would provide easier access to land for individuals planning to construct their own property, which would "make an important contribution to the diversity of UK housing supply".

However, it claimed that a "sensible agreement on price" between developers and public landowners will be required.

It announced its pleasure to see a scheme that can help in delivering the residential buildings required for the future and revealed plans to work with the government on this project.

This follows a statement from Mr Shapps that he plans to continue pushing through legislation to make it easier for members of the public to become involved in self-building their own home.

He also asserted that finance solutions and information necessary for such projects should be easier to obtain.
There is a service called Land4Developers that looks for vacant plots of land for small developers as opposed to large house builders, and as such can cater for the needs of those working on a much smaller project.

Created by the online resource BuildStore, the company's managing director, Raymond Connor said of the new service: "This is of real benefit to small developers who cannot afford to waste time viewing land that has no real potential.

"There are also environmental advantages as small developments can provide a stepping stone to burgeoning communities and original style homes.

"Land4Developers recognizes the contribution which the smaller developer makes to the quantity and quality of housing stock in this country and provides them with a unique tool to keep in tune with development opportunities all over the UK."

Looking for that perfect plot can often be a tricky - and expensive - business, with myriad variables such as planning permission, proximity to amenities or to roads and public transport all affecting the price of land.