Are you looking for an inspirational design for your self-build home?

There are so many ways that you could approach a self-build ranging from bespoke to pre-designed kit solutions. Let’s discuss these options a little further. 

For many people, pre-designed kit house designs give them the peace of mind that they will get an amazing home without the cost of designing a house from scratch. For others, an architect is key to fulfilling their dream house. There isn’t a right or a wrong answer here – in fact, we do both. Perhaps it just depends on how many episodes of Grand Designs you’ve watched!

Today, we want to discuss what’s the difference between these two routes and if there could be another option? 

What are your Self-build design options?

Option 1: Kit Homes

The main upside of a pre-designed kit house is that it won’t come with a hefty design fee. It’s a good idea for you to really look at the floor plan and decide if the layout of the building works for you and to speak to the company to see if alterations can be made if you would like to make any. You should expect that there may be some costs in doing that but depending on what you are looking to change it is usually a great way to progress your design. 

When choosing a kit house manufacturer, it’s important to consider your other requirements as not all kits are created equal! For example, how important is it that your self-build design is future-proofed by being energy efficient and built using sustainable materials or is a lower capital cost solution a better fit? 

Option 2: Architectural route

Getting your dream home designed by an architect is always going to be more expensive than looking at a pre-designed kit. For that extra cost, you’re getting something that’s designed to your exact requirements and looks exactly the way you want it to. The disadvantage of this route is that you won’t be able to undertake a proper cost plan or carry out a competitive tendering exercise, until after the design is complete. This means that you may have to revisit the design and change elements of it to save on cost.

Option 3: Hybrid Design (sometimes called customised design)

A third option is a middle road – where you could take an existing design and customise it to your own requirements. This might mean a different layout (called the floor plan) or it may mean an extension to one side, a different roof profile, a porch or another add-on. This route is very common and is a great way to get what you want without starting from scratch. 

How can we be of assistance to you?

If you’d like to chat, feel free to reach out to us. Did you know we undertake bespoke and custom designs for clients and offer a one-stop shop for architectural, structural and services design?