REAL PROJECT OAK FRAME SELF-BUILD
For first-time self-builders Craig Holden and LB Mills, sharing a plot with friends brought financial and practical benefits
HOMEOWNERS Craig Holden, LB Mills, baby Gigi, and Margaux the cocker spaniel
LOCATION Herefordshire SIZE 196m²
BUILD ROUTE DIY and self project-managed
CONSTRUCTION Oak frame with WrightWall and WrightRoof encapsulation.
BUILD TIME 12 months (May 2019 - April 2020)
PLOT COST £110,000 in 2019
BUILD COST £320,000 (including garage)
VALUE Unknown
EPC RATING A
A problem shared really was a problem halved for Craig Holden and his partner LB Mills when they built an oak frame cottage on a plot split with another couple. Working side by side on their builds, they were able to make economies of scale, pooling resources on labour and navigating the planning process together.
The decision to self build is an unusual one for first-time buyers. “Every home we’d looked at in our budget either needed renovating, or was a characterless newly built box,” explains LB. “I’d assumed that you only built your own house if you were wealthy with a huge budget but from his experience working for Oakwrights, Craig thought it would be achievable for us.” A series of lucky breaks set them on their way. A custombuild plot of land came up for sale near Craig’s Herefordshire workplace, with outline planning for two houses.
Next came some number crunching with a self-build mortgage provider, and then, in an unexpected twist, the family stepped in. “My brother Charlie and his future wife Helen joined us on the self-build journey,” says LB. “So we shared the plot and took it on.” Craig says: “Sharing the site made a big difference to the project’s feasibility and put around £130,000 back into our budget.”
There were practical benefits, too. “When we first viewed the site it was so overgrown you could barely get onto it and I wondered how we’d ever fit two houses in,” recalls LB. “Having three families pitching in to clear it and demolish the derelict cottage meant progress was quick. Plus, we split the cost of any equipment we hired.”
DEALING WITH RESTRICTIVE PLANNING
The two couples jointly tackled a restrictive planning condition due to a disused landfill site in the vicinity. They had to undertake a technical gas and soil investigation and seal the foundations with a methane membrane to meet Building Regulations.
“Discharging that condition added another five months to the
