The Self Builders Podcast

Jamie and Helen are a project manager and a cost engineer. If anyone was going to get a self-build to the pound, it was them. Then a car park behind an old pub in a Cumbrian town came up for sale, and their three-storey, five-bedroom home began. Now wind and watertight and still mid-build, they talk honestly with Jack about what self-managing a build is really like. They had to keep pace with the...

Sophie designs buildings for a living. She still says she'd do things differently. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Sophie, a structural engineer who is partway through building her first ever home on a family plot in Shropshire — while living and working in London, three and a half hours away. She's never had a standard mortgage. Her first one is a self-build mort...

Neil has built three family homes. He calls this one the last one. He's said that before. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Neil, a property developer who has now built four homes across two roads — and is four months into the biggest one yet, a 14,000 sq ft ICF new build with a substantial basement, replacing a house from the early eighties. As his architect once t...

Bethany and Chris were 22 when they started. A lot of people told them they were too young. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Bethany Travis, who is partway through converting a derelict barn on her grandma's farm in the Peak District into her and Chris's first home. They'd been snubbed at building shows because of their age, and told repeatedly that a project this...

Three brokers told Nicki and Emma their house couldn't be mortgaged. They were days away from losing it. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Nicki and Emma, who ended up with a renovation project entirely by accident. They were looking for a very specific layout in a very specific part of the west of Scotland, and after months of searching it came down to one house or...

Most self builders worry about running out of money. Denise actually did. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Denise Franks, who left a large detached house on an estate to convert an agricultural building on the Lincolnshire and Peterborough border into a home. The building had Class Q permission and a previous life as a potato store. Denise and her husband sold thei...

What if the first person you called wasn't an architect? In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Charlie, who bought a tired 1,200 sq ft bungalow on an acre in Berkshire, knocked it down, and replaced it with a 4,500 sq ft three-storey ICF home that blends Georgian proportions with modern, highly energy-efficient construction. Charlie project-managed the entire build hims...

What would you sacrifice to build your dream home? Would you sell your house, move into a caravan, and live on-site while managing your self-build? In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Rachel to hear the honest story behind her self-build journey: from buying a plot with planning permission to living in a caravan during the build, all the way through to completing the...

For many people, self-build is exciting in theory. But in reality, managing planning, utilities, contractors, budgets and timelines can feel overwhelming. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Adrian and Mike from Greenlee Developments to explore a different route: custom build. Greenlee specialises in sourcing land, securing planning, and delivering high-quality bespok...

What if self-build decisions were easier? One of the biggest challenges in any self-build project is knowing what decisions to make, when to make them, and how those choices affect everything else down the line. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Michael from Home by Milestone, an innovative new centre designed to help self-builders, renovators, developers and indust...

In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with returning guest Andy, who shares his journey through multiple self-build projects, from a modest first build to much larger and more complex developments worth over £1 million. Andy talks openly about what he and his wife learned along the way, including the mistakes they made, what they would do differently, and the lessons that on...

When people think about building an energy-efficient home, they usually focus on heat pumps, solar panels and insulation. But there’s one part of the process that often gets overlooked: ventilation. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Mandip from Solarcrest to break down why modern airtight homes need properly designed ventilation systems, what MVHR (Mechanical Ventil...

"Self-Build" and "Custom-Build" terms can be used interchangeably. But they are in fact different routes. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, host Jack speaks to Helen and David about how a normal house search unexpectedly turned into a custom build journey. What started as a plan to buy a finished property in Henley-on-Thames evolved into an opportunity to work directly with a local dev...

What happens when you finally build your dream home… and realise it still isn’t the life you wanted? In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, our host Jack speaks to Lindsay about the emotional and financial reality of building not one, but two self-build homes in just four years. From navigating material price spikes during COVID, mortgage challenges with ICF construction, and living on-site...

Finding self build land is hard enough. Finding land you can actually get planning permission on? Even harder. In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack speaks to Chartered Architect Caroline Martin about the three-year journey her family has been on to secure land for a very personal self-build project. What started as a search for a home that could support their son’s independence has e...

Building your own home sounds exciting. But what is it actually like once you’re in it? In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, Jack sits down with Rebekah to talk through the reality of her self-build journey, from the moment the idea started on their farm, to where the project stands today.   They cover: Why their land sparked the idea to build The reality of planning permission (and why i...

In this weeks episode of the Self-Builders podcast, Keir shares his experience of self-building a new house and renovating an existing cottage, highlighting the challenges, successes, and key takeaways from the project. Takeaways Self-building requires careful planning and investment in preparatory work. Local expertise and community support can make the self-building process smoother and more rew...

Most people think self-build means starting from an empty plot. But sometimes the smartest route is transforming an existing property into something completely new. In this episode of The Self Builders Podcast , Jack speaks with John, who shares the story of how he transformed a modest 1960s bungalow into a modern, energy-efficient home designed to suit his lifestyle long into the future. After li...

Building your own home is one challenge. Building it largely on your own is another entirely. In this episode of The Self Builders Podcast , Jack speaks with Adrian, who shares the remarkable story of building his own home from the ground up after years of struggling to get planning permission for his original renovation project. What began as a plan to renovate an old cottage eventually turned in...

In this episode of The Self Builders Podcast , Jodie and James share the full story behind their self-build journey: from renovating a 17th-century cottage to splitting their land and building a brand new home next door. Yes - both in one go! They talk honestly about the highs and the challenges along the way, including planning issues, neighbour objections, managing trades, and the realities of t...

In this episode of the Self-Builders Podcast, we speak with a homeowner who completed a full self-build project in the UK. From buying the plot to moving into a brand new, self-built five-bedroom house, in just 11 months. He shares what motivated him to build instead of buying on the open market, how he found the plot, and what the journey looked like from planning permission through to constructi...

In this episode of the Self Builders podcast, host Mike Pawley speaks with Charles, a client of Mayflower Mortgage, who undertook a self-build project to convert an old barn. Charles shares his journey of finding the perfect property, navigating planning permissions, and the importance of good financing. He discusses the challenges encountered during construction, including unexpected costs and st...

In this episode of the Self Builders podcast, host Mike Paulie speaks with Paul Grice, a self-build mortgage client, about his journey through the self-build process. Paul shares insights on choosing the right property, navigating planning permissions, the importance of hiring a good architect, and finding the right builder. He discusses the challenges faced during the build, including unexpected...

In this episode of the Self Builders podcast, host Mike Pawley speaks with Helen and Simon, who share their experiences and insights from their self-build journey. They discuss the challenges and triumphs of finding the right plot, navigating planning permissions, managing the construction process, and the importance of being hands-on throughout the project. The conversation also highlights key ti...

In this episode of the Self Builders Podcast, host Mike Pawley engages with Sarah Mattheson from Fleming Homes and Joe Higginson from Hugo Homes to explore the world of custom building and timber frame construction. They discuss the history and values of their respective companies, the benefits of timber frame homes, and the challenges faced by self-builders. The conversation also delves into the...