EXPERT ADVICE
Can’t decide where to live during your project? Our top tips will help you make the right choice
Should you stay or should you go? It’s the million-dollar question that faces many renovators and self-builders. While living on site will save you the cost of renting somewhere while the work is being carried out, most builders will tell you that a job is quicker, more efficient and therefore probably cheaper if they can tackle the project in one go.
Living on site has other advantages, though. “You’ll be able to keep a close eye on progress —being on site 24/7 means you’ll be available if your builder has any questions,” says Rebecca Foster, an experienced homes and interiors writer. Being on site every day meant that James and Sophie Edmondson could deal with issues as they came up during their selfbuild project. “A window arrived and I could immediately see we’d underestimated the size needed,” says James. ‘It was simple enough to send it back before the carpenters fitted it, whereas rectifying it at a later date would have been more expensive and time consuming.” Before you take the plunge, take time to weigh up the pros and cons.
1Staying on site in a caravan
If your plot is large enough, buying or renting you might have to crane it in at an additional a caravan is a popular option for self-builders. Check that site access is wide enough, otherwise cost. Ensure you can get insurance cover for your caravan and contents —a self-build insurance package should be able to provide this. Buying a new caravan is an option but a secondhand model will make less of a dent in your budget. Used caravan prices have increased due to demand during and after the pandemic, but it’s possible to find a really good-quality 4-6 berth model only a few years old for £10,000–£15,000. You also have the option of reselling it once your project is complete to recoup costs. “We looked at rented accommodation, but it was three times the amount we paid for the caravan,” says Sue Maaz, who, with husband Dick, selfbuilt an oak-frame house in Wiltshire.
If your project is going to take far longer than several months, a static caravan – while more expensive than a towing model – comes with the benefit of more space and dedicated bedrooms. You may need to inform the planning department of your intention to live in a static on site while you build —as well as organise council tax, services, telephone and internet access in advance. On the plus side, you will need to arrange all these to the site anyway, for connection to the house.
2 Invest in a garden room
Building a more permanent structure like an outdoor room or log cabin offers a similar solution to a caravan, but can be repurposed once
