Self building homes and estates, grand designs

Some councils have given over parts of planned estate housing developements over to self builders, they all seem to have the main services, water, sewers, power piped to the site, some have a concrete pad already laid out, some don't, but you're free to pretty much build what you want, from a glass and steel box to a cob built hobbit hole. I think this is a brilliant idea and would love to see more of them, in the areas where councils have done this its proved very popular, as people have a chance to build the house they want to live in that suits their lifestyle.

Would you do this and what would you build?

I'd like one of those kit homes that are designed off site to your spec, thats eco friendly and energy efficient, with floors that have some give in them as I have plantar fascitits and hard floors like stone or tiles make my feet sore. I'd like a larger kitchen living space, but with smaller darker bedrooms. I've never understood why people want massive bedrooms with lots of natural light when what you do is sleep in them, I wouldn't want a dressing room either as I don't have enough clothes to fill a small wardrobe let alone a room full. But I would like a hobby room, where I could do sewing, it wouldn't need to be big. But I would want a decent garden, so many new builds have such tiny gardens. 

I want neutral colours and lots of texture to create a calming sensory environment, I know a lot of people like really bright patterns and colours, personally I find them overwhelming. I'd love to have space for art, walls strong enough to hang pictures and textile art. I wouldn't want walls of glass as I'd feel exposed and unsafe.

What about you, what would you want, traditional or modern, how would you tailor a house to your needs and tastes in architecture and design?

Would it offend your senses to live somewhere where every house was different and individual? 

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Parents
  • hard floors like stone or tiles make my feet sore

    You can buy rubberised floor tiles or rolls of rubberised flooring to give the cushioned effect you mention here.

    One downside is that it can affect the balance of elderly people so it could be a factor in your decision.

    So long as you have a clean, dry and solid floor to lay it on top of, installation is fairly simple. With all your allergies I would just put some down as a rug to assess if you have any reaction to it first though.

    I've never understood why people want massive bedrooms with lots of natural light when what you do is sleep in them,

    I like to read in my bedroom so natural daylight is great - also awesome for afternoon naps in a hammock. The space is great for when you are having more acrobatic or involved intimate relations as you have a wide range of surfaces, places for support and space to move.

    I have formal clothes, work clothes (for DIY), smart casual clothes, casual clothes, gym clothes and a few occasional use things like heavy winter coats (for when I visit the UK in winter) or my dress kilt outfit for formal occasions - I fill 2 double wardrobes with drawer units with this lot and do get to use everything at least once a year.

    It is down to a different lifestyle I guess - you say you don't leave home a lot and don't have a lot of external social activities so it is natural that you need less variety.

    For my living spaces I mostly like fairly minimalistic spaces - clean and bright with a few really nice pieces of furniture. I also like a space for my library (I have about 2,000 books now so probably need to start selling the ones I read) and a space for my IT stuff as well as storage for all my DIY tools and a workspace for restoring old furniture, but this can be in the garage I guess.

    My hobbies include restoring old motorbikes so I would ideally like a triple garage - one space for the car, one for my bikes and one for whatever restoration project is underway at the time.

    Would it offend your senses to live somewhere where every house was different and individual? 

    It would not bother me so long as I could have the functionality I need and the interior design of my choice.

Reply
  • hard floors like stone or tiles make my feet sore

    You can buy rubberised floor tiles or rolls of rubberised flooring to give the cushioned effect you mention here.

    One downside is that it can affect the balance of elderly people so it could be a factor in your decision.

    So long as you have a clean, dry and solid floor to lay it on top of, installation is fairly simple. With all your allergies I would just put some down as a rug to assess if you have any reaction to it first though.

    I've never understood why people want massive bedrooms with lots of natural light when what you do is sleep in them,

    I like to read in my bedroom so natural daylight is great - also awesome for afternoon naps in a hammock. The space is great for when you are having more acrobatic or involved intimate relations as you have a wide range of surfaces, places for support and space to move.

    I have formal clothes, work clothes (for DIY), smart casual clothes, casual clothes, gym clothes and a few occasional use things like heavy winter coats (for when I visit the UK in winter) or my dress kilt outfit for formal occasions - I fill 2 double wardrobes with drawer units with this lot and do get to use everything at least once a year.

    It is down to a different lifestyle I guess - you say you don't leave home a lot and don't have a lot of external social activities so it is natural that you need less variety.

    For my living spaces I mostly like fairly minimalistic spaces - clean and bright with a few really nice pieces of furniture. I also like a space for my library (I have about 2,000 books now so probably need to start selling the ones I read) and a space for my IT stuff as well as storage for all my DIY tools and a workspace for restoring old furniture, but this can be in the garage I guess.

    My hobbies include restoring old motorbikes so I would ideally like a triple garage - one space for the car, one for my bikes and one for whatever restoration project is underway at the time.

    Would it offend your senses to live somewhere where every house was different and individual? 

    It would not bother me so long as I could have the functionality I need and the interior design of my choice.

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