Les T is an owner builder who has very kindly kept us up to date on his latest owner building project with extremely detailed spreadsheets which should greatly assist the owner builders among us and help to plot out our own owner building projects in the future.  He has also commented on areas where you could save on your owner building project costs.  

The house is finally completed and Les's comments are as follows:

This is a continuation of Les T's Owner Building Project - Part 1 which we first posted in April 2009.

 Les is about to embark on a new owner building project which we are going to follow  as I know there are many readers interesting in the owner building option.  The first instalment of this owner building project follows.

Walls define spaces and your home is made up of walls that will either add value to that space or detract from it. It is therefore important that attention is paid to the materials and construction of the walls of your home.

Your architect should be paying attention to the aesthetic and artistic value that the combination of a number of different building materials that are available on the market would add to the design of your home. Walls generally constitute less than 10% of your total building cost but the choices you make could add huge value to your home. Your architect should seek to advise and guide you through the various options and combinations that are available to you relative to the design that you have chosen. The vast majority of noticeable problems in buildings occur where walls are involved so it is an important element to consider.

 

Once water or moisture gets into your home it is both difficult and expensive to stop. It is therefore important that damp proofing is done correctly and in the right places by your builder first time. I have only highlighted the basic areas where every home needs damp proofing. There may well be other areas depending on the design of the building that may need particular attention with respect to damp proofing and your architect should make your builder aware of such areas and provide solutions for them.