Selfbuilder_and_Homemaker_-_September_-_October_2019

With the design in place and passed by the

local council planning department with only minor

adjustments necessary, the next step was to find a

construction team who were up to the job.

This was the biggest challenge of the entire

project. “It was really quite difficult to find

people who were willing to come out and price

up what is, for the area, an unusual job,” says

David. “Tradesmen found it a bit tricky to give

us a firm price for whole aspects of the job as

they weren’t sure, so we ended up agreeing a

reasonable day rate for a lot of the work.”

He says that he also approached the problem

by choosing key people, starting with the

groundworkers, then using their connections to

find the next team: “If you need someone to lay

blocks and bricks, for example, you’d use his

connections to find a good carpenter. In that

way, you make sure that you are getting a

compatible team, so that when you get an issue

CONTACTS/

SUPPLIERS

ARCHITECT

Russell Swann, Swann

Edwards Architects

swannedwards.co.uk

ROOF

CEL Architectural Roofing

Contractors

celroofing.co.uk

EXTERNAL CLADDING

James Hardie

jameshardie.co.uk

RENDERS AND WALL

COATINGS

EMR Renders and

Wallcoatings Ltd

emrwallcoatings.co.uk

STRUCTURAL TIMBERS

David Smith

davidsmith.co.uk

PLUMBING, HEATING,

SOLAR

Foster Building Services

fre-ltd.co.uk

WINDOWS

Velfac

velfac.co.uk

KITCHEN

Premier Kitchens and

Bedrooms

premier-kitchens.co.uk

BATHROOM

The Quay Centre Ltd

quaycentre.co.uk

FLOORING

Flooring Supplies

flooringsupplies.co.uk

TILING

Foras Walls and Tiles

foraswallsandfloors.co.uk

LIGHTING

Norwich Lighting Centre

norwichlightingcentre.co.uk

BLINDS

Ballatine’s

ballatinesblinds.co.uk

STAIRCASE

Stair Factory

stairfactory.co.uk

“By making the

building the right

shape with

carefully-placed

windows, entries,

exits and rooms, we

were able to reduce

its energy

consumption by 30

to 40 per cent”

64www.sbhonline.co.uk september/october 2019