No matter what you’re constructing, self-builds require a great deal of planning, precise attention to detail and a lot of hard work.
With that said there’s no better feeling than completion. This sense of achievement is exactly what prompted planning consultant, Steve Jacobs from Bedfordshire, to embark on his own self-build journey. Steve is no stranger to the building trade – as well as being a planning consultant specialising in architectural design and drawing, he is also a qualified carpenter.
Having dreamt of building his daughter the perfect two-bed home for some time, Steve was finally ready to make this a reality. With no experience of self-build projects, Steve decided it was best to start with advice from his local Jewson Branch Manager, Mark Day and to run through his plans.
One of the most common misconceptions about self-build projects is that you have to do everything yourself, from drawing the designs, to laying the brickwork and everything in between. Thanks to one of Jewson’s latest services, this certainly isn’t the case.
Mark told Steve about Build Aviator, which provides support at each stage of the building process – taking the stress out of a project from design to completion.
Speaking about how he used Build Aviator services, Steve said: “The first step was presenting my drawings of the house to the team. From these, they were able to give me a SAP-approved design, a bill of materials and a quantity take-off (QTO) which got my project off to the best possible start.”
The SAP service provided by Build Aviator includes registered construction details and U-value calculations pre-approved by the Local Authority Building Control (LABC), ensuring building inspections run as smoothly as possible.
“Alongside the bill of materials, I was given a report that showed which products I would need and how much these products would cost. It was great to have this at the start of the project so I could manage deliveries to site and keep an eye on my budget.”
As well as estimations on products and costs, Build Aviator reports also show the aspects of labour needed. With Steve’s experience he was able to do some of the first and second fixes himself and then bring in specialist trades when needed. Through his reports from Build Aviator he could plan when he’d need these trades more accurately.
“The Build Aviator team was always just a phone call away, but they set me off to such a good start that I didn’t really consult them again until the build was complete!
“When the Building Control Inspector arrived on site to mark the project as complete, I told him that the project had been built to an SAP approved design and he was hugely impressed, which was a brilliant feeling.
“The team and the services provided by Build Aviator put me in control of my project. I enjoyed the journey so much, I’m embarking on a few more in the not too distant future. I’m even expanding my business and my planning operations to help other people achieve what I have.”
For more information and to start your self build journey, visit: www.jewson.co.uk/buildaviator
