An urban plot transformed
HOMEOWNERS Mark (self-build author) and Mandy Brinkley (retired family therapist) LOCATION Cambridge PROJECT Contemporary urban self-build HOUSE SIZE 137m2 PLOT COST £320,000 BUILD COST £410,000 (£3,000/m2 ) VALUE Circa £800,000 BUILD TIME 13 months BUILD ROUTE Self-builder project managed using subcontractors
The last time Mark Brinkley built a house, in 1992, it turned out to be a life-changing experience. Despite having worked as a builder and a developer for 12 years, he struggled with the classic self-builder challenge of having to be both client and builder at the same time. “I was never quite sure what to do for the best, constantly juggling cost against quality,” he says. After looking around for advice and finding none, he decided to write a book to guide the uninitiated through the self-build maze. The was the result, first
