Most of us would love to design and build our own home. In fact, more people than ever are doing precisely this. But how exactly do you go about it? How much of the building work should you do yourself? This manual explains the entire process in plain English, backed up with hundreds of color photos showing real self-build projects taking shape. Each chapter is devoted to a key stage of the build from the foundations right through to snagging and completion. Whether you tackle some of the works yourself, or employ architects and contractors, this step-by-step guide will show you how to stay firmly in control, get to grips with the latest planning and building regulations, and complete your project on time and within budget.

If you’ve ever dreamt of designing and building your own home, this book is for you. Becoming a ‘self-builder’ doesn’t necessarily mean learning to build a house physically from scratch. Anyone can be a self-builder – you can do so without ever having to lay a brick yourself. Self-built homes can also be more individual, better designed and more economical than buying from a developer. This book is designed for homeowners and self-builders, whether aspiring or on the brink of starting a project. It provides a jargon-free, step-by-step guide to the process of designing and building your own home, distilling all of the practical information needed to make your dream house a reality. Carefully crafted to offer friendly, easy-to-understand practical guidance and packed with watch points, hints and tips, it also highlights the potential pitfalls and suggests ways of avoiding them. Including indications of costs and timescales, Self-build demystifies the process of budgeting, finding a site, gaining planning permission, designing your home and all of the surrounding issues to do with sustainability, planning, regulations, procurement and the use of building contracts. Beautifully illustrated with over 230-colour photos, diagrams and plans, it provides all the inspiration and ideas you need to bring your own project to life. Featured houses include: Amphibious House by Baca Architects Corten Courtyard House by Barefoot Architects Haringey Brick House by Satish Jassal Architects Shawm House by Mawson Kerr Architects Sussex House by Wilkinson King Architects The Pocket House by Tikari Works Architects.

Keep construction on track with helpful checklists Turn your dream of a custom home into reality! Thinking about building your own home? This easy-to-follow guide shows you how to plan and build a beautiful home on any budget. From acquiring land to finding the best architect to overseeing the construction, you get lots of savvy tips on managing your new investment wisely -- and staying sane during the process! Discover how to: * Find the best homesite * Navigate the plan approval process * Obtain financing * Hire the right contractor * Cut design and construction costs * Avoid common mistakes

Ideal for students on all construction courses Topics presented concisely in plain language and with clear drawings Updated to include revisions to Building and Construction regulations The Building Construction Handbook is THE authoritative reference for all construction students and professionals. Its detailed drawings clearly illustrate the construction of building elements, and have been an invaluable guide for builders since 1988. The principles and processes of construction are explained with the concepts of design included where appropriate. Extensive coverage of building construction practice, techniques, and regulations representing both traditional procedures and modern developments are included to provide the most comprehensive and easy to understand guide to building construction. This new edition has been updated to reflect recent changes to the building regulations, as well as new material on the latest technologies used in domestic construction. Building Construction Handbook is the essential, easy-to-use resource for undergraduate and vocational students on a wide range of courses including NVQ and BTEC National, through to Higher National Certificate and Diploma, to Foundation and three-year Degree level. It is also a useful practical reference for building designers, contractors and others engaged in the construction industry.

Lockhart and Carroll take readers step by step through a series of helpful illustrations that present solutions for building a home.

Build the garage of your dreams by doing all or part of the work yourself. Graphically demonstrates the latest in garage construction techniques, and illustrates every step of the construction process in detail. Readers can select and order more than 175 expertly prepared plans, including construction blueprints and materials lists. Drawing up plans from scratch can be challenging for the inexperienced builder. Makes planning and cost estimating easier. Ideal for building permit applications.