Building your own place

Have you ever considered building your own house? I know I have and I have been researching how to do it without incurring costs which would put the project out of reach too. For instance, did you know you can manage the project yourself? But that would mean knowing when to add things like water and electricity, and making sure things turn up on time to be installed. Both methods (hiring and DIY) have their advantages and disadvantages.

Of course, there are plenty of good (and some not so good) books on the market to help. Just be sure you buy one that is UK specific, rather than US.

And then there is the Homebuilding and Renovating Show. This happens in several places throughout the year and you can sometimes get free tickets. It is well worth attending, if you can get to one. There are displays on all manner of internal and external building matters, such as insulation and staircases, walls and roofs, windows and even alternative energy sources (wind turbines were being demonstrated for domestic use at the one I attended a couple of years ago).

Anyway, if you are interested, you can find all about the shows from here: http://www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/