and deluded?

[Seafoam]

Ok so very quickly: currently rent. DH and I have decided we will never be able to afford to buy the types of houses we can afford to rent, and that especially while we have small children (or really just them living with us full stop) .. having a nice spacious home is more important than us scrimping and saving to buy the cheapest thing we can find on the market for the sake of owning. So we will just constantly add to our savings and when the children finally leave the nest we'll have a really hefty deposit so that our mortgage is small etc.

so that's our action plan.

DH Is someone who can't compute diy past a pick of paint. He's a new build lover who wants it done for him. However I've watched bil and his wife renovate several properties in the years we've been married and I just love it.

but I've always fancied going one step further and building from scratch. DH thinks I'm utterly crackers. my reasoning is, we aren't talking about building some mahoosive family home with pools and fancy stuff... I'm talking about a nice space for just dh & I, that is economic friendly and a bit luxurious (I'm talking nice oak not mdf, that sort of -'luxury' not talking flashy gadgets) for us to live out our days post child rearing years.

am I crackers? I'm excited and scared at the idea but know it's years and years away so for now I'm living vicariously through in laws, and enjoying home magazines and telly programs :-D

Sorry auto correct and typos .. hope it makes sense!

No, not deluded. If your DH is not interested/practical there's nothing stopping you from leading on a project.

I have managed two major builds and one big renovation project. It is pretty damn hard and I completely understand why the people in those programs make giant fuck ups or fall out with each other. I made plenty of mistakes.

There's a really good magazine called something like house building monthly which I found really valuable.

We absolutely love our house and would not have been able to have afforded it unless we had built it ourselves.

It's my DH dream to build a house one day. I have no interest in doing it whatsoever.
I don't see the point in debating it with him in depth until it's an actual possibility.
He knows how I feel but imagines I will " come round" I suppose it's possible but I doubt it.
We watch Grand Designs etc and he thinks " wow we should do that" and I think " what a bloody nightmare"
Why not just keep dreaming and not worry about whether you are going to do it until it's actually an option?

No you're not crackers. That's pretty much what we plan to do to and we also currently rent as it's an excellent solution to our current housing needs. Too much emphasis in the UK is placed on home owning for the sake of it and some non-existent 'property ladder'.

All of our investment is in our businesses. A far more sound financial plan than home ownership for us. This includes owning property too, just not our home for similar reasons to you, OP.

When these investments mature we plan to self-build. I have no illusions it will be easy and for the same reasons we don't own our home we will approach the self build not from a DIY perspective, but by outsourcing to professionals, this is our philosophy in all areas of life. We charge a fee for doing what we do best and pay others to provide services for us doing what they do best. Too many people assume DIYing is the economical approach when very often it is just as if not more costly.

You would be deluded OP if you thought you could self-build cheaply and without professional contractors if you and your DH aren't skilled DIYers. Conversely if you put together a viable saving plan and achieve a realistic budget (allowing for good contractors), there's no reason why this shouldn't be a reality for you in years to come.

Oh. . there's definitely no physical diy to be had. I will outsource to ensure its done properly.. If I let dh do it we'd be living in a house predominantly constructed of no nails. he's a stingy git and doesn't always appreciate paying to have things done well. So needless to say I'll always be the one heading this project if it ever comes to fruition, he can work extra hrs to top up the budget while I try a dab hand at project managing lol

I actually think the biggest hurdle will be finding land.

You're not wrong there. Its incredibly hard but you're already ahead if most in that you acknowledge that fact. Most self builds are on brownfield & rebuild sites. You have time in your side if you don't envisage doing it for several years, you can spend time putting feelers out and getting a feel for what's available.

Urgh apols for rife a/c fails

It is pretty damn hard and I completely understand why the people in those programs make giant fuck ups or fall out with each other.

This.
I used to watch those programmes thinking 'how are you fucking this up? Surely it's just ringing people and telling them to come build/wire/plumb bits of it then paying?'

Our new build is nearly finished and its nearly done me in. DH and I usually get on v well but we've argued so much over it. Nothing goes to plan, people don't do as you ask (and pay for) and you have to have eyes in the back of your head. It's like a massive jigsaw that you're not allowed to see the picture to and people keep nicking half the pieces and changing round the ones you've already done.

Having said that, it'll all be worth it when we finally move in. But if is MUCH harder than I ever expected

No at all! That's kind of our plan too. There's no hope of us buying where we live (the 1 bed flat next door, exactly the same as ours, went for £300k last year...) but we are good at saving and passionate about good design. It makes sense to us too.

Just be careful that you do not leave getting a mortgage until you are too old. I think the cut off is 45. Also if you are intending to build your own then you will probably be looking at buying a house that you will pull down and start again (finding a plot of virgin land that is able to be built on is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack)so the house you buy will have to be mortgageable.

Definitely, I'd love to do a self build, but will be seriously considering a prefab (flat pack) German house when the time comes, they look a lot simpler and very practical.
You have years now to research and plan so you'll be in a really good position when you're ready. Perhaps you can even think about buying the land sooner, as sometimes planning etc can take a while, and land will undoubtedly get more expensive as time goes by...?

Not deluded at all! I was just talking to my sister yesterday about this and both of us would love to build our own home at some point.
DH and I currently rent and have pretty much given up on being able to buy (unless we get left a hefty sum in a will which is unlikely) too.
If thats what you want to do once the DCs have left home then go for it!

Its in the back of my mind too. Decent storage, a flow that works through the home, lots of naural light, a kitchen with enough cupboards that you can acyually reach, a utility room ...

Be very, very careful. People think that building from scratch is a great way to have total control over the end product and get exactly what they want in terms of layout and finish etc - it is not true. Like a PP said, if you want your contractors to do things in a specific way, YOU WILL HAVE TO BE ON SITE ALL THE TIME. Not because contractors are lazy, stupid or malicious, but because unanticipated obstacles arise and they have to find solutions to them, and if you aren't there to INSIST that the end result is X, it will be Y if Y is easier/cheaper/quicker/more obvious. I have experience in construction and TBQH I would not opt to build from scratch.

My grandparents had a 'flat pack' house. I think it was Swedish. They designed the layout and it is a beautiful house. The windows are triple glazed and it is beautifully warm.
They had a tiny bungalow but a huge plot of land in a village so they lived in the bungalow while the house was built. Then the bungalow was demolished.