But the most important advice that we can give is that, if you are just thinking of a self-build and haven't made up your mind, then grasp the nettle and do it. You will find it one of the most fulfilling things you can do in this life. Yes, there will be many problems along the way, you may have to re-work things and at times it will seem as if everything is conspiring against you. Budgets and timescales may be exceeded, others may let you down. Some things will be beyond your control, others will be a result of your own cock-ups (you won't complete a project the size of building a house without making some mistakes). How good you are at self building is often a matter of, not how you manage successfully, but how you plan and manage to overcome the inevitable mistakes. Whoa, we've drawn a bit of a gloomy picture here but, we reiterate, in the main it will be an enjoyable experience and the end result should be rewarding and money saving to boot.