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Submit plansThe Build It House is a pioneering real-life self build designed as an educational tool that will give you a unique insight into the process of creating your own bespoke home.
Follow Build It magazine’s self build journey in detail, as we share the highs, lows and most valuable lessons we’ve learned along the way – and make a success of your dream home project!
The key to a successful house build starts with a good planning. Here's how we developed the Build It House design and secured planning permission
Adding a basement into your self build plans will help you to make the most of your building plot and add real space and value
Discover what's involved in getting your project weathertight and learn how to overcome common self build challenges
With the house shell complete, the Self Build Education House is a hive of activity as we get the plumbing, electrics, heating and other infrastructure in place
We'll soon be underway with work on the fixtures and fittings that will turn our house into a home
The decoration and finishing touches can make a world of difference to a bespoke home build
Build It magazine’s Self Build Education House is a real-life, access-all-areas project that will give you a unique insight into the process of creating your own bespoke home
We've found the perfect plot for our Self Build Education House - a corner site overlooking woodland at the Graven Hill self build scheme
Editor Chris Bates looks at the initial design phase of Build It's Self Build Education House
Editor Chris Bates works alongside architect Opinder Liddar to refine the design for the Build It Education House and apply for planning consent
After months of planning – which with any luck will stand us in good stead during the construction phase – we finally managed...
With site setup done, day two of our build heralded the start of work in earnest on the Self Build Education House. To...
Find out why we're using ICF as the structural system for the basement of the Build Education House, and how the works progressed on site
We're installing a combination of tanking and cavity drainage membrane systems to waterproof the basement of Build It's Self Build Education House
Weather delays and technical challenges slow down progress on the Self Build Education House - but the ground floor ICF walls are poured
The next phase of the Build It Education House project is to fit the first floor posi-joists, which will create an open web for services and ventilation ducts
The ICF walls are poured! Find out how we navigated some complex design details and minute tolerances to push the Education House project forward
The SIPs roof of our real-life self build project goes on - giving us wow factor vaulted ceilings and a pre-insulated loft space
Vote now to help us select a wow-factor front door and make your mark on the Build It Education House!
With the Build It Education House, we want to show that you can get real wow factor on a relatively standard self build...
There’s a whole host of options for finishing roofs, from tiles and slates through to the likes of zinc, green roofs, thatch and...
Early in the planning stages of the Build It House, we considered creating what you might call a half-smart home. The idea was to...
We've selected an innovative, modern Heat Pump Ventilation system to provide hot water and most of the space heating for the Build It Education House
Underfloor heating (UFH) has become a self build staple, but a range of systems is available to suit different projects - so we're demonstrating several options in the Build It Education House
We selected larch cladding in a rainscreen profile for the Build It Education House. Here's how we specified it and what's involved in fitting timber rainscreen cladding boards
Creating a good connection with the garden is a key goal for any self builder. The question is, do you achieve that with...
Find out why we chose silicone render for Build It's Self Build Education House - and how this modern external render is installed on site
Once you’ve got your roof tiles on, it feels like the hard work is over with this section of your build – but...
The invisible speakers are installed in the Education House to offer high tech surround sound
We lay the porcelain tiles on the ground floor of the Build It house
In this next stage of the Build It House we start installing the kitchen and the plant room
The house is truly coming together with the installation of our FunkyFront door and apex glazing from Kloeber
We install internal doors from JB Kind to work with the MVHR unit at the Build It Education House
A room-sealed gas stove adds charm and highly controllable supplementary heating to Build It's own self build home
We fit the internal and external lighting at the Education House in Gravenhill
We selected Bicester-based supplier The Granite House to add a touch of luxury to our kitchen with wow-factor worktops, including a spectacular waterfall design for the central island unit
Screedflo supplies and installs anhydrite liquid screeds. We’ve fitted its standard product in the basement and plan to use the Build It Award-winning db Acoustic Floor for an ultra-quiet timber first floor structure.
We're specifying SureSet's modern resin-bound permeable driveway as an attractive, durable and long-lasting solution for the Education House
Your choice of guttering can have a surprising impact on your finished home's aesthetic. We're installing galvanised steel products from Rainclear, which give a modern look at an affordable price.
Lapd Architects is based in Oxfordshire, close to our plot in Bicester. The practice is very well known to the Build It team, as director Opinder Liddar is one of our magazine and Build It Live show experts.
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JB Kind has been a major supplier of doors to self builders for 30 years, and was a natural choice to supply our internal doors. We intend for these to be delivered as factory-made doorsets for rapid installation.
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D&H is our main contractor for the post-watertight phase. Recommended by Lapd, the Oxfordshire building firm has nearly 40 years’ experience.
MVHR is the default choice for good air quality in a high-spec home. We’re going one step further with THE’s heat pump ventilation system, which will also heat and cool the house.
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SIPCO is an award-winning manufacturer of structural insulated panels (SIPs). We wanted a high-performance SIPs roof for its insulating properties and to enable extra space in the attic.
Dreadnought Tiles has been making clay tiles in England for over 200 years. We’ve opted for a blend from the company’s rustic range of naturally fired clay tiles to get a great balance of character versus cost.
Kloeber has built a strong reputation for its product offering and excellent customer service over the last 12 years. Build It is selecting its clean-lined timber windows and will be specifying a FunkyFront door.
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Alchester Tiles & Bathrooms is a local specialist that's already proving popular on Graven Hill. We were taken by their roomset-based showroom, which helped us visualise the options.
ICF Supplies is the UK’s largest distributor of Nudura ICF blocks. This structural system is ideal for our basement and can deliver a high-performance house with low energy requirements.
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Kloepping TSS designs and installs high-quality bespoke staircases. We want ours to add real wow factor to the vaulted entrance hall, and are in the process of finalising the design with the Kloepping team.
Striking Siberian larch in a rainscreen profile is our choice of timber cladding. It will be pre-treated with SiOO:X to pre-age it and achieve a consistently weathered finish at an accelerated rate.
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Environment Logic is one of the most trusted companies offering advice on solar and storage to self-builders. They have specified and are about to install our in-roof PV systems and are evaluating our battery storage options.
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Our open-plan ground floor layout will be a great canvas for a contemporary porcelain floor. Low-maintenance, non-slip and stunning... we can’t wait to see our Hard Rock floor!
Nu-Heat specialises in bespoke designed underfloor heating systems. We’ve opted to install its products in three zones: Lo-Pro10 for the ground floor WC, and a screeded solution in the bathroom and ensuite.
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Amina is the inventor of the invisible in-wall speaker. We were wowed by a demonstration of the sound performance at an Amina installer’s showroom, and can’t wait to hear the effect in the Build It House!
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To give a contemporary look to the Build It Education House, we’re going for a modern thin-coat render from K-Rend that will look crisp and clean alongside the sections of timber cladding.
The hypnotic effect of a real fire is so often part of a dream house – but in a super-insulated home you don’t need too much heat. So we’re going for a traditional-style Jotul gas stove for maximum control.
IDSystems is a long-established UK supplier of sliding and bifold doors. Still family-owned and with a knack for innovation, they’re a natural partner for our internal and external glazed doors.
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Moss Technical is ensuring the Education House has an electrical system fit for the next generation. Its Niko Home Control system will allow us to control the living environment quickly, easily and even remotely.
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Self-Build Zone is a specialist provider of 10-year structural warranties and site insurance. The team’s 25-year track record of helping self builders and use of A-rated insurers led us to their door.
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