by Mark Stevenson
The seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic cannot be overstated. But put thoughts of the virus aside for a moment, and the UK’s recent lockdown - with its limitations on how often we can go out - has caused us all to spend a lot more time at home and reflect on the houses we live in.
For those of us lucky enough to have self built, the deprivation of our normal freedoms is somewhat eased by the fact we’re in homes crafted around our individual needs and how we want to live. For others, the abundance of time they find themselves with will have exaggerated the frictions of trying to marry up round lives with a square peg of a home. I dearly hope the pandemic eases swiftly, but based on the assumption that its impact continues, the economic outlook for developers of standard houses is bleak. Self build, on the other hand, will flourish - fuelled by our ambitions for individually designed homes that suit our unique lives and offer a safe, pleasurable place to be.