Welcome to The Selfbuilder. Your one-stop shop for anything self-build.Latest Articles
|
 Tuesday, 24 January 2012 11:55 Presenter of channel 4's the home Show and restoration Man, george is also an architect, so can solve your design queries and provide professional know-how.
Choosing the right doors
Q We're currently building our house and will be using white render with graphite grey windows on the exterior. We are More...
|
 Monday, 16 January 2012 00:00 This month Kevin says goodbye to the Great British Refurb Campaign – long live its glorious new grown-up incarnation.
Farewell then the Great British Refurb – at least in its adolescent form. This is the campaign that I helped put together at Grand Designs Live in 2009 as a joint intitiative More...
|
 Monday, 09 January 2012 00:00 When it comes to environmentally friendly options underfoot, it's no longer a choice between aesthetics and eco credentials – you can now have both, as our selection for every room proves.
1: Natural, handmade, hard-wearing Seagrass Carpet Original in panama weave and colour code SG, £20.02 per More...
|
 Wednesday, 04 January 2012 00:00 The decision to do up an old wreck or knock it down and start again is influenced by more than simple aesthetics. Tax breaks and maintenance costs could sway your choice.
IT'S A CLASSIC conundrum: you find a run-down property in a perfect location with tons of potential, and you long to turn it into More...
Our website is bursting with ideas, advice, suppliers and inspiration for projects both large and small. We bring you advice from some on the country's most renowned experts and case studies from the country's most ambitious builds. Whether you are embarking on a new-build, a renovation or extension, this website brings you a fantastic collection of products and services from the world's leading suppliers to help you on your self-build journey. We have made it especially easy to enquire about products too. If you need further advice or price details, you can request hundreds of brochures in minutes using our 'FREE Brochure Request service.' Try our FREE build cost calculator to help get your budgets off the ground, or our FREE mortgage calculator to help you understand your finances. If its inspiration you are after, then search our image library with of over 4,000 images from Kitchens and bathrooms to lighting and windows. And if that's not enough check out our monthly magazine, full of the very latest products and suppliers....and we'll even post it direct to your door too! Good luck with your project. The Selfbuilder Team.
Need to add space and value to your current home?With property prices falling due to the credit crunch, now’s the time to stay put and make most of your home. Extending your current property to create an extra room could add up to 15 per cent to its sale price and installing a new kitchen around 5 per cent. So transform your home and check out 10 Ways to Add Space and Value. Press Release's - Read More
|
 Aquaduct’s corporate range combines: ingenious design; exceptional quality and functionality, presenting the opportunity for hotels and spas to More...
|
 Yeoman Rainguard's XL Aluminium rainwater system excelled in value for money, aesthetic appearance and ease of installation when it was More...
|
||||||
-
Ovens
-
NATURVENT – 'SHEV system for residential premises'
-
Buyer's Guide - Ovens
-
Add A Balcony Or Roof Terrace
-
Green Electricity
How-to Videos
Take a look at our how to videos for advice on DIY tasks
Company Listings
 Portrait Pools & Enclosures Limited www.portraitpools.com Category: Swimming Pool Equipment |
New Digital Version Click the cover!
Grand Designs Live
The story so far...
Who? Theo and Elaine Leijser, and their two sons.
Where? Balfron, Scotland.
What? A contemporary, sustainable home.
Budget? £350,000
How long? Nine months.
High point? ‘Decorating our huge Christmas tree in the double-height space’.
Low point? ‘When we were told we had to close the site until the windows arrived’
Great shakes
Theo and Elaine wanted their house to blend into the woods behind so they clad the exterior in cedar shakes. These rough planks of cedar, which are typically 24in long and 18in wide, are salvaged from twisted scraps of cedar trees found in sustainably managed Canadian forests. Because they are hand-split using a technique that is hundreds of years old, each shake is unique.
Theo and Elaine chose them because they liked the look of them, but also because they are incredibly durable. Cedar is exceptionally water repellent due to the tightness of the grain and the natural oil content. Once the shakes have been nailed in place they need no treatment, and with age turn a silvery grey. It cost between £2,500-£3,000 to clad 180sqm of building. ‘They’re not cheap, but they are beautiful and lasting,’ says Theo.
