THE RISE OF THE DESIGN AND BUILD COMPANY

Thanks to the reach of TV, magazines and exhibitions, more and more people are looking to build their own homes and with the establishment of large self- and custom build schemes like Graven Hill in Oxfordshire, it’s getting easier to find land. Graven Hill, in particular, seems to be a game changer. Not only is it encouraging waves of would-be self-builders, but new businesses are sprouting up to cater for them in ways not seen in the UK before.

Traditionally, the UK self-build market has catered for the hands-on self-builder who is prepared to rough it a bit in order to achieve their dream home. This might involve living in a rented house or a caravan for a year or two, while spending hundreds of hours on site managing subcontractors and undertaking various tasks themselves. Only a relatively small segment of the self-build market could afford to take