Johanna and Abel Haques had wanted a Potton home which cost £75,000, though they incorporated many of thier own designs. The land cost £150,000 and building work was a further £175,000. Even though the total cost is £404,000, it is worth £600,000. It was finished in time for them to move in before their first child, Adam was born in December.

Bob Child and Kate James had no experience in self build, but after selling their London home they could find nowhere suitable in Cambridge for themselves and their daughter, plus their print business. ‘We found ourselves with a plot of land, wondering what we would do with it,’ says Kate 49. They plumped for a timber frame home from Potton. Bob, 59, took on the build, buying and contracting himself, using contractors listed by Potton. The job was finished in 22 weeks and within budget. The key thing was being on the case all the time and to make sure all the materials were ready.

Albert and Janet Inward fell in love with the idea of building their own home. They approached Potton, the company whose designs had inspired them at the National Homes Show, to design a home to suit their needs. The couple’s main priority was that the property should be designed so that the most frequently used rooms all had views over the river Ouse. The couple worked closely with Pottons design team, they modified the plans for a different design and were able to create something that would meet all their needs and fit comfortably on the site.

You don’t need any specialist skills to become a self builder. The term simply means that you have a direct involvement in the design and construction of your home. A properly planned and executed project can save you between 10 and 20% compared with the purchase of a similar ready built property and the construction can take as little as 15 weeks.

Colin and Linda James had never considered building their own home – until they saw a Potton timber frame house they wanted. ‘Our final build cost was £150,000 making a total of £305,000 including the land. The house is now worth in the region of £420,000, so we have still made a healthy profit on paper.’ The family moved into their new home on schedule in January 2003, and can think of no draw backs associated with living in a timber frame house. “We know people who live in old cottages and although they are beautiful, they are dark and draughty.” Says Linda. “Our timber frame is so well insulated that we enjoy low running costs and still have the beams, sloping ceilings and traditional character which we admire. It really is the best of both worlds.”

Sitting down to conjure up an exotic house design is fun, but bear in mind that you still need to work within the guidelines of the local planning office. Having been in the self build business since 1981, experts Potton have created a range of different house designs, each tried and tested to not only recreate all the charm of yesteryear, but to also include all the conveniences of modern day living and each design can be modified according to the customers individual specifications.