For those who find that making a selection from available properties simply isn't enough, building or renovating your own house is the only answer. This book will tell you what you need to know. It will help you make an informed choice and prepare you for what lies ahead. It contains vital hints about choosing the right self-build option, how to survive life on a building site, how to finance your project and nurture your self-build dreams into reality, how to deal with paperwork and regulations, and how to get the best out of the construction professionals you will need to use. Many self-builders are acutely conscious of the environmental impacts of construction, so this guide provides straightforward advice on the materials to avoid, suggests cost-effective eco-friendly alternatives, and provides information on how to re-use as much as possible.
REVIEWS:
'An extremely interesting book and highly recommended.' www.landlordlaw.co.uk
AUTHOR BIOG:
Katy Jackson, together with her partner Daniel Salisbury, coaxed life back into a 200 year old derelict Kentish barn, combining doing the building work themselves with full time work and family commitments. Daniel, a Chartered Building Surveyor with nearly twenty years experience, specialises in sustainability in his role as an Associate with Cyril Sweett and was formerly the sustainable construction advisor for Kent County Council. He also advises the President's Commission on Sustainability (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), and is a member of the Green Register alongside other similarly-minded construction professionals.
CONTENTS:
1 Why self-build?
2 Life on site
3 Your family and friends
4 Your self-build options
5 Legal requirements
- a brief introduction for self-builders
6 Construction professionals
7 Doing the work yourself
8 Using a builder
9 Staying safe on site
10 Toolbox talk
11 Sustainability
- building in an environmentally-friendly way
12 Sustainability
- practical ways to make sure that your self-build is environmentally-friendly
13 Finances
14 Done
15 Resources and useful contacts.