The Growing Popularity of Self Builds
By Victoria Slotover 

Self builds offer people the chance to obtain their dream home at a reasonably affordable price. As a result, more and more people are turning away from property development in favour of pursuing self build projects.

The new trend in self builds is a direct result of rising property prices and housing supply shortages. Indeed, there has been a huge decline in commercial house building since the 1970s, which the government has tried to resolve by setting a target of 3.8 million new homes by 2021.

Many people are addressing this problem by deciding to build their own houses rather than relying on what is available on the existing market.

There are a number of advantages of self builds. Lower costs and higher quality are amongst the key benefits. On average, people who self build save between 20 and 30% of the house price. Furthermore, self build houses are generally of a much higher specification and are constructed with better quality building materials than existing properties.

On top of this, you do not need to pay VAT on self builds. This can represent a significant cost saving when you consider the VAT that is normally paid on building work, fixtures and fittings.

Self builds can be both financially and personally rewarding so that at the end of a project you are left with more money in your pocket and your dream home to live in.