05 Apr 2018

Top tips for self-builds from an engineer's point of view

Here Steve McSorley, Director at Thomasons, gives his advice from an engineer’s point of view.

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I admire anyone who possesses the ambition to build their own property, whether from scratch or as a conversion of an interesting or unusual structure.

It’s never an easy task, from conceptual planning through to when the final brick is in place and roof tile fitted. You’ve got to have real gumption to see it through, especially when the odds seem stacked against you.

From an engineer’s perspective, these types of projects come with their own challenges. They are often ones which can be easily avoided with a degree of forethought. As such, here are my top tips for self-builders.

Plan perfect

I’m a great believer in the 'four Ps': poor planning means poor performance. You can never plan enough, and you must be as thorough as possible.

Planning a budget is critical to the success of a project. We have all seen the consequences of clients not being able to complete their dream home for the money they have (a fairly recurrent theme on Channel 4’s Grand Designs).

It's crucial for clients to engage the services of an experienced quantity surveyor (QS) to help them prepare a budget. However, it’s important to remember they aren’t engineers or architects. Your design consultants have to help the QS build a picture of what the risks are and what needs to be done to enable them to budget properly.

Holistic awareness

With everyone focusing on the house superstructure and what it will look like, a lack of awareness of what is going on below and around the site can be very costly to address. Ignore what is going on outside the immediacy of your build (e.g. ground, site, incoming service access) at your peril!

Engaging the right design consultants from the very start is the best way to avoid these pitfalls. Yes, there will be an initial cost to bringing them on board, but they have valuable experience and expertise which will help mitigate the worst risks.

The early bird

The project’s overall engineering should also be taken into consideration early on. Often it’s only addressed post-planning permission, or once the work is started, when change can be costly and cause long delays.

At Thomasons, we have a long history of consultancy on residential projects. We understand the potential challenges which can arise across a host of environments, and help our clients assess and manage their risk. The earlier this starts, the more robust the budget and programme will be.

In any event, you may not be able to afford your fantasy home, but at least you’ll know at a point in time where you have the choice to think again, or find more money. Finding out half way through the works that you have no money left is a bad place to be.

Ask the experts

It’s well-worn advice but it’s timeless: surround yourself with people who are experienced in the type of project you want to do, and give you the feeling that they want to help you. You have to be able to engage with them and, likewise, they with you.

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