Getting to build your own house can be a dream come true, but it can also be a daunting task. Fortunately, there’s plenty of guidance available.
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How reliable are online guides?
The reliability of online guides available to you as you build your own house varies based on the source, but gone are the days that the internet was dismissed as nothing but misinformation. That being said, a careful eye is still recommended. Readers are encouraged to verify information by referring to multiple sources. Here are some reliable sources and tips on evaluating construction guides:
Government and Regulatory Bodies
Official UK government websites and construction regulatory bodies are highly reliable for building regulations, standards, and guidelines. These sources provide legally binding information, ensuring that the advice follows current regulations and safety standards.
- UK Government Planning Portal for building regulations and planning permissions in England and Wales.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for UK construction health and safety standards.
Professional Organizations and Industry Associations
Professional bodies and trade associations, such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), publish high-quality, expert-reviewed guides. They cover standards, best practices, and project management in construction, ensuring compliance with UK-specific requirements.
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for construction standards, valuation, and surveyor guidelines.
- Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) for construction management practices and training resources.
Educational and Certification Providers
UK-based universities and certification providers, like the Building Research Establishment (BRE) or the National House Building Council (NHBC), offer reliable and often very detailed guides. They’re particularly valuable for research-backed information on building sustainability, energy efficiency, and structural safety.
- Building Research Establishment (BRE) for sustainable construction methods and energy efficiency.
- National House Building Council (NHBC) for building warranty standards and quality in house building.
Trade Magazines and News Websites
Construction-focused trade magazines and industry news websites in the UK, like Building or Construction News, offer up-to-date insights into industry trends, techniques, and innovations. While these are generally reliable, check the publication date, as standards and practices can evolve rapidly.
- Building Magazine for UK construction industry news, insights, and guides.
- Construction News for current trends and project reports in UK construction.
DIY and Home Improvement Websites
Sites like DIY Doctor and Homebuilding & Renovating offer practical guides on residential construction and renovation. However, due to varying quality and the focus on general audiences, cross-reference these with professional or regulatory sources to confirm accuracy.
- Homebuilding & Renovating for residential project guides and renovation advice.
- DIY Doctor for practical home improvement tips, though it’s best for non-specialist tasks.
To maximise reliability, cross-reference information across several sources, especially for projects that must comply with strict UK building regulations and safety requirements.
The Guides to consider as you build your own house
Inspiration and case studies
Isaac Newton famously wrote that ‘if [I] have seen further [than others], than it was by standing on the shoulders of giants’.
We learn through the experiences of others. Sometimes that’s in a formal classroom, at other times it’s through their own writings of their experiences. This can make us more capable in the things that we do, and it can inspire us to take our own action. In the modern world, many people choose to right about their experiences online. Here are a few publications to set your creative juices flowing.
- Fleming Homes has a list of templates and case studies
- West Coast Build is a set of posts about a self builder’s experiences in Scotland
Budgeting
The cost of building your own home can often increase as the projects goes forward. If this is the first time that you’ve ever overseen a construction project, it’s more than likely that unexpected costs and delays can happen. A conservative approach to costs is advisable. Homebuilding & Renovating has a guide on the kind of home you can expect to build within each budget range.
If you’re looking for a detailed analysis, paid services, such as those offered by Build It’s Estimating Service Benchmarking Report, may be more what you’re after.
Best practices
When you build your own house, you want to know that you’ve achieved the best that you can. Best practices don’t have to be kept for those who take the step of hiring others in. The Federation of Master Builders offers a comprehensive guide on building your own home.
If you want to take the process even further, then you may be interested in Passivhaus approval. Passivhaus is thorough, but it’s well respected and can provide you with one of the most energy efficient homes in your area.
Online courses
Sometimes, its easier to simply go through a course with a syllabus, resources, and people to reach out to for support. If you sway towards a classroom environment, then Potton’s Self Build Course could be right up your alley. The course offers guidance and support for each stage of the development.
Project management
A good project manager can make the world of difference for your development. When that project manager is you, you can find yourself involved in every discussion and approval on site. This can be good for some people, and certainly helps you understand the development from a CDM perspective, but others could find this more than they bargained for. Did you expect so much involvement when you set out to build your own house? Do you have other commitments that this could become a hindrance to?
The National Self Build and Renovation Centre has put together a list of the pros and cons of project managing the build yourself. If you do decide to oversee the development yourself, they also offer a course on how to do so effectively.
Architecture
Even when you decide to oversee the development yourself, you’ll no doubt still be involving an architect. Alan Corfield Architects has put together a list of experts in the self-build field who may be worth reaching out to.
It’s also worth becoming familiar with the RIBA Plan of Work. This is something that many of your specialist contractors will be familiar with and referring to. You’re building your own house and so it’s crucial that you’re all singing from the same hymn sheet.
Health and safety
Ultimately, the final decisions are yours. Under the CDM Regulations 2015, Clients are required to fully understand the implications of their development. This can’t be outsourced as you build your own house, even when you hire dedicated project managers.
You’ll find yourself coming across the Health and Safety Executive regularly as you build your own house. They are the often referred to simply as the HSE. They have a guide on your CDM requirements. They also refer to a portal which offers further guidance on your obligations as your undertake a self build project.
Room layouts and feng shui
Feng shui may not be the first thing that you think of as you work your way through the early stages of your development. However, once you’ve been granted approval, it can be burdensome to have to go back to the approval stage once you realise that the layout isn’t quite how you had hoped. Notably, you may want to consider your sprinkler tank location at this stage. We have a guide on tank sizing, as well as a tank size calculator.
Dear Modern is a seriously entertaining YouTube channel that offers some great free guidance for developers, as well as interior designers. The video below shows a cheap, effective, and quick exercise for you to carry out at home before you finalise your floor plans.
Planning permission and building Regulations
You have the right to build, which includes a right to build your own house. Even so, that doesn’t exempt you from building control and planning regulations. Even professionals who work with these regulations on a daily basis can find this process to be challenging.
Updates to policies and process which affect planning applications can be found by following your local authority website, as well as the Planning Portal blog.
Building Control guidance will be influenced by your decisions as to whether you should use your local authority officers or a private company. Local Authority changes can often be found by following the LABC blog.
Structural and foundations
Christianity taught us that only a fool would build his house on sand. Then came Dubai. structural works have advanced considerably in modern times, but a building is still only as reliable as its foundations. The last thing you want is for your home to look like the leaning tower of Pisa (which needs regular stabalisation works to stay upright) in a few years time.
Build It once again has the support, with its guide to building foundations and their guide to frameworks. The frameworks will have notable implications for your fire suppression requirements.
Sustainable construction and energy efficiency
When you build your own house, there’s no doubt that you want it to last. A well designed energy strategy can also substantially reduce the running costs of your home.
Allan Corfield Architects has given a broad overview of some of the factors involved in designing an energy efficient home. While Saint Gobain has provided further guidance which is specifically aimed at self builders. A perfect resource as you build your own house.
Fire and security
Naturally, we can’t complete our article without giving a steer on the fire regulations that you’ll come as across as you build your own house.
The Fire Protection Association offers a wide range of advice and guidance for developers, including self-builders.
We also offer our own advice and guidance as part of the Sprinkler Academy.
Ventilation
When you build your own home, you’re going to want plenty of fresh air. Balancing that with keeping the house warm is an art in itself. Ventilation comes in many different forms. envirovent have a decent overview of the options available to self-builders as you build your own house.
It’s worth spending some time considering your window options at this stage too. Double Glazing Blogger offers a dedicated feed on articles which focus on building regulations for all things fenestration.
Insulation
You’re going to want your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Insulation will play a fundamental role in that. Incidentally, people weren’t keen on insulation when it was first required in homes. We often draw the parallel when we discuss sprinklers. We have no doubt that, at some point soon, people couldn’t imagine having a home without insulation and without sprinklers.
Insulatingmyhouse was written by a chap who took it upon himself to document his experiences with insulating his own home. The blog focuses on solid wall developments (this was a retrofit) but there’s plenty of transferable knowledge for you as you build your own house from scratch.
If you’re looking for a more commercial blog, GreenMatch has a fairly comprehensive guide of the kind of costs and savings that insulation can bring to your home.
Sound proofing
The soundproofing requirements for your build will vary drastically depending on where it is. If you plan to build by a main road, then this will clearly need more soundproofing that a development in the middle of a wooded area.
Perfect Acoustic has a comprehensive guide on the varying methods of sound proofing for you to explore as you build your own house, and the results that you can expect. The article also helpfully details the differing noise levels you can expect and the impact this can cause.
Sanitation and drainage
This isn’t the most glamourous part of building your own house, but it’s easily one of the most important. Everything that you flush will need to go somewhere. You’ll also need drainage for rainwater and services such as your washing machine and sprinkler system. PAT.org.uk has a guide on the ins and outs that you’ll need to consider in order to build your own house.
Hot water and heating
We often don’t need to think about what goes into a hot shower in this day and age, but you will if want to build your own house. CIBSE is widely recognised as the key body or building services. They have a wealth of guides in their online knowledge base, which includes both free and paid for information.
Electrical works
If you want to keep the lights on, you’ll need to make sure that your electrics are reliable. The Self Build Blog has a guide on best practices for electrical installations as you build your own home. We’re particularly keen on this post because it also touches on the impact of electrical installations on fire safety.
Interior design
You will have plenty on your plate as you build your own house and so finding ideas on how to decorate shouldn’t take you far from home. For those in Wales, Welsh Otter has created a list of inspirational visits which don’t need you to trapes across the globe for ideas.
Kitchens
Kitchens can cause a range of unique challenges as you build your own house. For fire suppression, the placement of utilities like the hob can affect the layout of the system.
The Federation of Master Builders have again created a comprehensive guide for this portion of the development, detailing some of the best practices for how kitchens are designed.
Bathrooms
A helpful note on bathrooms as you build your own house: bathrooms that are made of fire resistant material, do not contain electrics and have a footprint of less than 5m2 do not generally require fire suppression.
The size doesn’t need to feel limited. Sophie Robinson, an award winning interior designer, has provided some tips on how to design a cozy bathroom.
Did we miss anything?
If there’s something that you think we should have covered, or you know of more resources, please let us know by contacting marketing@lifesaverengineering.com
We also welcome guest authors from reliable companies. If you would like us to feature your business, please also drop up an email.
Find out more
If you found this post useful, feel free to share it and take a look at our other resources over at the Sprinkler Academy for Developers and Regulators.
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