Self-build: They did it their way

As with marriage, childbirth, or a radical haircut, a self-build project carries the potential for great success and happiness. If it goes wrong, there's also the chance of worry, anguish and early onset baldness. However, with meticulous planning, expert help and a hefty dose of optimism, most grand designers achieve their self-build dream only a little grey around the temples.

The first step is to decide what sort of project is right for you. Do you long for the wild freedom of the start-from-scratch new build? Or does the romance of resurrecting a piece of history steer you toward a period renovation? Or could budget and circumstance mean a radical facelift of an existing ugly duckling be the route that suits you?

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Even if all these options sound far too daunting, you still have the chance to do a mini grand design. Extensions are increasingly popular, whether they slot on to the back of your current home, or even into the loft or the basement.

Then, it's up to you. If you're deep of pocket and short on time, you can employ any number of experts and tradesmen to get on with the dirty day-to-day workings of the project, leaving life as you know it somewhat intact. Or you can fully embrace the self-build dream, project manage the works, teach yourself plumbing and bring the budget down by sheer hard graft. Most people, rather sensibly, opt to navigate a route somewhere in between these two extremes.

Find your plot

Your plot will be your biggest purchase of the project, costing around 50 per cent of the whole outlay. Finding the right site, whether you're after land or a renovation project, can be a real challenge. As well as approaching local estate agents you can try websites like www.plotfinder.net, www.building-plot.org.uk or www.selfbuildland.co.uk. Contact developers and your local council to see if they have any individual plots for sale. Utility companies also sometimes sell off plots of land. Keep an eye out for auctions, though be aware that guide prices can be deceptively low.

Get out and about. Trawl the area you want to live in looking for pieces of unwanted land. Monty Ravenscroft, a self-builder who took four years to find his perfect site, recommends keeping an eye out for buddleia. "This purple flowering plants covers unkempt and abandoned sites. You can use the Land Registry (www.landreg.gov.uk) to find and contact the owner," he says.

If you can't find an empty site, consider demolishing an existing property to make space, or building in a particularly large garden. Don't forget to check if your site has planning permission. Without it, there's no guarantee you'll be able to build on it, so this should be reflected in the price.

Design your home

Unless you are extremely confident in your own abilities, using an architect is a no-brainer. Grace Weir and Joe Walker's idiosyncratic mirrored glass house was conceived by their architect Dominic Stevens.

"We turned up to meet him with a folder of ideas," Weir says. "But when we saw his plans we just threw them away and said, 'That's what we want'. He made everything feel possible."

It's not only a matter of unusual ideas and a knack for manipulating spaces - architects also understand how materials work, they speak the language of planning officials, they have a grasp of building regulations, they can estimate prices and they know skilled and reliable contractors.

Finding the right architect can be a matter of gut instinct. The RIBA offer a free, tailored search to shortlist architects in your area who might suit you. Trawl magazines, and contact architects who've designed the projects you like. Set up initial meetings with a few practices, taking as much information as possible about your project. The right architect will be properly qualified, show a real interest in you and your project, have completed buildings you admire, be clear and open about costs and how the client/architect relationship will work - and have that indefinable X factor that makes you think you can trust them with a project close to your heart.

The first step in the design process shouldn't start with whether you prefer timber or glass, or if you want a walk-in wine cellar or not. "Begin with your site," advises architect Peter Caplehorn of Scott Brownrigg. "Where does the sun rise and set? Are there trees, or neighbours, overshadowing parts of it? Light and views are usually top of the list of homes must-haves - it's at this stage that you achieve them."

Then think about how you live. Open plan is currently very popular, but will you still enjoy the lack of doors if you work from home and have loud, boisterous children? Think about your pastimes and passions, and how they have a knock-on effect on the way you use your home.

Now consider materials and processes. Are you a closet modernist, enamoured of steel, glass and white walls? Do you have a love affair with the patina of brick, or is it the rich tones of wood that do it for you? Also, consider the environment. Buildings that minimise energy and water consumption won't just save the planet, they'll save you cash in the long term too.

Finance your build

Self-building can be a way to save money. "You can write up to 30 per cent equity into a property straight away," says Mary Riley, MD of Advanced Flexible Self-Build Mortgage. By cutting out the developer, you can afford a home you wouldn't otherwise be able to. But it's important to keep a tight grip on the purse strings.

Riley recommends budgeting for at least a 20 per cent contingency, and says: "People budget for large items, but it's usually an accumulation of small things that end up inflating costs."

Consider costs involved at every stage, from getting planning, lenders fees, legal costs, and insurance through to the practicalities of building - and remember to budget for somewhere for you and your family to live during the works. You could employ a quantity surveyor to help you stay on financial track.

You can generate money by selling your current home, and there are many self-build mortgages available from the larger banks and building societies but also specialist providers like Buildstore (www.buildstore.co.uk) and the Ecology Building Society (www.ecology.co.uk). Don't forget that you'll be able to claim some VAT back - for more details see www.hmrc.gov.uk/.

Get planning permission

Ideally, your plot should already have planning permission, but if it hasn't sound out the local council on whether they might look favourably on an application before you purchase.

Don't imagine you can rush planning - a single dwelling application will take eight weeks at least to process, far more if there are any complications or objections. Try to minimize objections by involving your local planners early on in the design stage. Ask their opinion about the site and the area - it'll save time and money later. Don't forget the neighbours; keeping them on side could be key. Planner and urban designer Roger Estop recommends thinking long term about the design. "Planners consider the people who will live there after you too, so make sure it's a workable lifetime home. Respect the context of your site, and supply crystal clear drawings."

Be realistic; if the response is a flat no under any circumstances, don't waste time and money. But don't be deterred by a rejection if it's based on detail - get your architects to alter the design or employ a specialist planning advisor to shepherd you through the re-application or appeal process.

Joanna Booth is assistant editor of Grand Designs Magazine, the official monthly magazine of the Channel 4 TV show. For more information, visit www.granddesignsmagazine.com

'When it was built, we sat on the veranda and drank champagne'

If most people asked the local planning officer about a potential self-build site and were shown a pile of rejections the size of a phone book, it would put them off. But not Sue and John Heaps. You can tell from their list of hobbies that the pair regularly laugh in the face of fear. John flies his own plane, a single-propeller Beagle Pup, and Sue scours the world's most exotic diving sites to satisfy her passion for underwater photography. But this grand design has tested even their fighting spirit.

After retiring, Sue and John spent many months scouring Hertfordshire for a site. Inspiration struck while browsing the local paper. A plot containing a dilapidated Thirties bungalow, but with outline planning for a family home was for sale. After rushing to see it, the couple put an offer in just two days later.

But the existing approved plans were rag-tag and almost unworkable. "The planning officer told us we weren't the first people to ask about the plot," Sue recalls. "Then he brought out a mountainous file of previous applications and objections, and we realised why other people hadn't snapped up the site before us."

But the Heaps don't scare easily, and love a challenge. "It wasn't so much a gamble as a calculated risk," Sue says.

The village of Rushden in Northamptonshire is picturesque, full of half-timbered thatched cottages that have made it a conservation area. John knew that to get the sort of contemporary house they wanted on the site they were going to need a good architect. Young architect Jeremy King came up with a crisp, modern design, but one which reflected the local vernacular. The house is split into three parts, two rendered like many of the local buildings and one clad in western red cedar. The shapes mimic the agricultural buildings of the area and large glazed sections are turned away from the road, ensuring that the windows seen by the public are small, in keeping with nearby period properties.

But while winning over the authorities was surprisingly easy, the project wasn't all plain sailing. The tumbledown bungalow turned out to be a roost for pipistrelle bats. A special licence was needed to allow works to go ahead, but a backlog in applications meant the bats' hibernation period began before it was awarded - effectively putting the project on hold for a frustrating and costly nine months.

But once the licence was granted, works forged ahead quickly with no slip-ups, and the house has been worth both the £500,000 it cost and the battle. Crisp white walls and plenty of cleverly placed windows create an interplay of light and shade. Built to work with the sloping site rather than against it, the changing levels keep the eye interested and also delineate private and social space.

The style is country chic, using simple, natural materials and neutral colours with bright accents. The couple were finally able to move in on the hottest day of the year.

"We threw open the big doors on to the veranda and sat outside with champagne," Sue says. "It was the most wonderful feeling."

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