November 2018
Welcome to the November edition of i-build magazine! This issue is packed with inspirational projects and products as well as useful advice for your self-build.
Finding a plot of land to build your dream home on brings a unique set of challenges. Finding a plot is both demanding and time-consuming wherever you’re searching, but if you’re planning to build your home in a rural area, with no specific destination in mind, you’re more than likely spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing your space.
However, if you want to live in a particular area – perhaps somewhere where your children already go to school, somewhere where you and your partner are close to work, it becomes more difficult. This level of difficulty increases tenfold when trying to find a plot in sought-after and overcrowded London. As our main case study self-builder Oliver Lazarus explains: “If you want a self-build plot in London you don’t really have a lot of choice,” which explains why he decided to take a risk and take on the mammoth task of building a family home on a long and narrow plot of land in Shoreditch, East London.
Previously an open yard to the rear of a grocery shop, the site had been vacant since 2008 before Oliver purchased it, but because of its size and shape, it wasn’t a conventional development plot. Turn to page 16 to discover how Oliver transformed the narrow geometry of the plot into a stylish home with four bedrooms, a ground-floor studio, a series of home offices and numerous garden terraces.
With plot searching at the heart of every self-build project because no self-build dream becomes reality without land, this month i-build discusses what happens once you’ve purchased land to build your home on and you’re faced with the local authority or warranty provider having suspicions of nearby contaminated or infilled land with Colin Hiscock, Managing Director of YourEnvironment, on page 26.
I hope you enjoy this issue. Don’t forget, if you’re coming to the end of your self-build and would like us to feature your home as inspiration for other budding house-builders, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. Alternatively, if you’re about to embark on your self-build journey and would be keen for us to document your progress, do get in contact.
