any self buliders out there

[the Deel Rover]

I'm about to start building my own house,just wondering has anyone built their own house and did they find the whole process stressfull.

[Drumanee 1]

done a self buid a couple of times now and i am in no doubt if you have the contacts it's the way to go to save quite a bit of money,you can be gauranteed before its over thats things will happen (or not happen) which will drive you mad but if you are able to be on sight at each stage of the build and your men lined up for the correct times it is definately the way to go

[Uladh]

Done it twice and i'd highly recommend it from a financial point of view.

however, i would advise that you do not set a move in deadline or if you can manage it, have no time pressures at all...

[downredblack]

If you know people in the trades it's a great help , The only trade I didn't know on our house was the roofer and he was the only one I had trouble with . I wouldn't say it is stressful but you will have days when things don't go as you had planned , but that's all part of the process . One piece of advise I'd give you is make sure what ever trade is coming the next day that you have all the materials they need on site . They don't like hanging around waiting on you to come back from the hardware shop .

[Star Spangler]

Done it too.  It wasn't the stress the got me but the amount of time it took up.  Constantly on the phone chasing up materials or trying to get men on site at the same time was the main problem.  Grand if you can do it during your working day but very difficult otherwise.  Well worth it in the long run though.  It saves money and you get the finish and standard you want.

[the Deel Rover]

thanks for the advice, i'm in no hurry to move in so i won't be setting any deadlines for having it built. .Better get ready to make those phonecalls.

[The Real Laoislad]

Need a Electrician?? 

[Louth Exile]

- Make sure you have fully qualified architect/engineer with PI cover to oversee the construction (all banks will insist on this anyway)
- It will cost more than you think, budget for at least 50k of cost overruns, this way you don't have to go back to the lender looking for a top up. If you are approved for a 250k and only draw 200k, its only 200k you pay for.
- You can get 6 months repayment breaks at the start from some lenders, handy option to have
- It will take you longer than you expect, can take up to 18 months depending on how good your project management is and what luck you have

At the end of the day its all worth it as there is nothing better than living in the house that you had built.