Welcome

In November 2019, we delivered an industry first,

PROJECT OF THE MONTH

The old Rectory Nestled in the quiet village

Nationwide to offer green borrowing

The bank’s new Green Additional Borrowing mortgage is

What’s on?

NSBRC MAR KET DAY 13TH DEC FREE, SWINDON

Alpha recommends updates to the BUS

Home heating specialist Alpha ( alphainnovation.co.uk ) has

Stamp duty additional home rate rises, hitting self builders

The higher rate of stamp duty for those

The rise of timber frame construction

The popularity of timber frame construction is booming

spend v save

£124.95 per m 2 This engineered wood flooring

product news

Great shopping ideas for your custom home project

3 of the best BOILING WATER TAPS

1 Front in gunmetal, from £1,590, quooker.co.uk

interiors notebook

Enhance your home’s interior scheme with complementary shades of warm berry red

Self build & custom build mortgage table

Looking to fund your bespoke home project? Each month we round up the best deals from leading lenders and update you on what you need to know to secure the right finance

Ask the EXPERTS

Essential advice on your problems with building, budgeting, DIY &planning from the most experienced names in the self build industry

FIND YOUR DREAM BUILDING PLOT

PlotBrowser.com is a 100% free-to-use plot and property finder, packed with 1,000s of home building opportunities. Here’s a taster of the fantastic self build plots, renovation properties and conversions currently for sale near you

ENGLAND

BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORD Pemberley Avenue Old school premises

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

CHEARSLEY Land for sale A plot with

TYPES OF BUILDING PLOT

New homes can be built on a range

CORNWALL

ALTARNUN Land for sale in Trewint A

WHAT MAKES A GOOD PLOT?

The perfect piece of land would be in

SMALLHOLDING IN THE WELSH VALLEYS

LOCATION Llanafan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion GUIDE PRICE £675,000 AREA

REGULARS

PLYMOUTH Arcadia Road Plot with full detailed

DERBYSHIRE

RIPLEY Nottingham Road A plot of land

ESSEX

PEBMARSH, HALSTEAD Cricks Farm, Hill House Road

WEBBS MEADOW

1 An example single-storey home LOCATION Lyonshall,

REGULARS

JHWalter 07919 694224 helen.goddard@brown-co.com SCOPWICK Main Street

SUFFOLK

ROMSEY Crampmoor Road Abuilding plot with full

NORFOLK

WISBECH Lynn Road Plot of 858m 2

REGULARS

For sale via Modern Method of Auction, a

ARGYLL AND BUTE

RHU Land adj. Well House, Round Maple

SCOTLAND

ARGYLL AND BUTE AROS, ISLE OF MULL Crannich

WALES

CARMARTHENSHIRE CARWAY, KIDWELLY Carway Hall Level rural plot

ASK AN EXPERT AT BUILD IT LIVE

Want more plot finding advice? Join us

In Focus Staircases

Are you looking for the right flight to elevate your home’s interior architecture? This month, we shine the spotlight on the dedicated stair desig ners and suppliers who can help you create a sculptural centrepiece

Exceptional contemporary stairs

Edge Bespoke designs, manufactures, and installs high-quality, contemporary

Zakuna Bespoke Staircases

Zakuna staircases exude quality, beauty and perfection. They

Affordable, bespoke timber staircases made in the UK

StairBox are a leading UK manufacturer own fleet

Bisca Staircases - designing and crafting beautiful staircases for a sustainable future

At Bisca, anything is possible. We design and

Beautiful bespoke stairs

Stairs are one of the most important parts

Contemporary and Traditional staircases

Woodside Joinery is a long-established, UK-based, family business,

British-made bespoke staircases, balconies and balustrades

British Spirals & Castings is a specialist manufacturer

Stylish modern staircases for your build

When it comes to design, a staircase is

Beautiful Stairs Make Beautiful Homes

Opening a new showroom near Fakenham this summer,

Looking to add space and value to your home?

If you’re thinking about extending your home, knowing

Source great products

To find out about more great products for

next month...

February issue on sale 27th December

The Build It team

EDITORIAL Content director Chris Batesmith Editor

Designing an effective upsidedown layout

Director of Erbar Mattes Architects Demian Erbar explores the benefits of a reversed floorplan, and how to create comfortable and functional spaces

9 GREAT BASEMENT EXTENSION IDEAS

Digging down to create a new, multi-functional living space could be the best route to increasing the value and functionality of your home. Be inspired by Sander Tel’s hand-picked collection of real-life basement projects

REVIVAL & REBUILD

After a fire destroyed their thatched cottage, Len & Yvonne Rose tackled their first self build scheme, creating a modern, chalet-style home on the same plot as their old house

MODERN WONDER

An unusual 1970s bungalow proved to be the ideal renovation opportunity for Lia & Allan Gill

CHASING THE SUN

Caroline & Alan Burns’ clever renovation and extension recreated their Aussie lifestyle in a north-facing London home

SMALL EXTENSION BIG IMPACT

With clever planning, even the most modest of additions can have transformative effects to improve your home’s design and layout. Lindsay Blair takes a look at how to get it right

BUILDING WITH ICF

Erika Chaffey investigates the benefits of this innovative structural system, and whether it could be the right fit for your bespoke home

RETROFITTING INSULATION

Alan Tierney explains why it’s important to understand the building fabric of your home before taking steps to improve its thermal performance, and summarises the best strategies for success

THE ADVANTAGES OF SMART LIGHTING

Whether you’re self building from scratch or upgrading your current setup, Anna-Marie DeSouza looks at how smart lighting can adapt to your individual lifestyle for a more efficient home

EXPERT Q&A

IAIN SHAW, director at Brilliant Lighting answers your

CONTEMPORARY FIREPLACE IDEAS

Sander Tel rounds up aselection of innovative, stylish designs that’ll keep your home cosy, and speaks to the experts about how to specify the right model for your scheme

EXPERT VIEW HOW WILL FUEL TYPE AFFECT MY DESIGN?

MICHAEL COKE, from Stovax & Gazco, takes

EXPERT VIEW INCORPORATING A FIREPLACE INTO YOUR INTERIOR SCHEME

IAN ARMSTRONG , director at ARCO2 Architecture,

THE BUILD IT EDUCATION HOUSE ... 5 YEARS ON

Five years after we completed the Build It House – and six since we came up with the concept design – Chris Batesmith revisits our key decisions and how our very own self build project has stood up to the test of time

DESIGNING THE HOUSE

A 3D sketch design of the Build It

CLOSER LOOK PROJECT ROUTE & CONTRACTS

Ground floor The ground and first floor plans

CLOSER LOOK CLADDING PERFECTION

Most of our cladding is in simple sections

SUPERSTRUCTURE ICF & SIPS

W e used a combination of structural systems

EXTERNAL WALL FINISHES

One tricky choice for self builders is the

WINDOWS & DOORS

Choosing windows is a critical decision on any

TOPPING OUT ROOF TILES & SOLAR

Left & below left: The paintwork on our

SLIDING DOORS

To achieve that coveted house-to-garden connection, we chose

COMFORTABLE LIVING HEATING & VENTILATION

We wanted to create an enjoyable, efficient home

CLOSER LOOK INTERNAL FIT-OUT

Choosing the right staircase is a big deal

CREATING A MODERN SMART HOME

With the exception of the attic, the Build

Class Q barn conversions

Planning expert Julia Riddle reveals how this permitted development right can make it easier to create abespoke home in the countryside

Understanding custom build design codes & plot passports

Architect Julian Owen reveals how acustom build site could fast track the design and development of your dream bespoke home

How to secure the best self build mortgage

Looking for the right funding to enable your bespoke home building project? Mark Stevenson sets out what you need to know and how to ensure a successful application

SOLAR PV IS IT RIGHT FOR ME?

Eco expert Nigel Griffiths explains how this renewable tech works and takes a closer look at the costs involved