Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 9 on 20/7/2003.

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Building your dream home

EVER DREAMED OF BUILDING YOUR OWN PERFECT SCOTTISH HOME? JOHN CORMACK OUTLINES ALL THE SELF-BUILD BASICS

It’s a remarkable statistic. In the UK, about 25 per cent of new detached houses are self-built. This does not, of course, mean that you do all the work yourself – but it does mean being in control from design to construction. A sort of bespoke answer to your accommodation needs.

In 2001, some 20,000 detached houses were completed following the self-build or full restoration route – interestingly, more than each of Britain’s two largest house builders Wimpey and Persimmon, who respectively built 11,537 and 12,051 houses that year. The self-build market looks set to expand throughout the UK, including Scotland, in the next few years.

So what is the attraction of this route to your dream house? BuildStore, based in Livingston, experts in selfbuilding, cite a number of reasons.

Firstly, you can have a house to suit your lifestyle – you might have six kids and a live-in mother-in-law. This set-up would have space and privacy implications that might not be found in a developer-built estate house. Self-build will give you more for your money.

For instance, after you complete your dream house it will be, typically, worth 25 to 30 per cent more than the monies spent. Choosing your favourite location is also a strong factor with many.

Value for money is important. Since there is no property developer involved, you save on that element of profit – which in effect becomes your equity. And it gets better. Stamp duty is paid on the land and only when it has cost more than £60,000 ($9.....

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By John Cormack

Section : Scottish Property

Page number : 40