Home is where the heart is

Whether you have a 7-bedroom mansion overlooking a lake, or a 2 bed tiny house on the edge of a secluded forest, your home is where your heart is. Often translated “Family is where the heart is”, the original proverb identifies that with where there is love and acceptance, is also your home.

When someone decides to self-build, rather than buy a home, the stress of planning it all can be over whelming. Countless meetings with architects to ensure the layout of your future home is practical, light, and a space that you will love. Checking calculations with engineers on the structure to suffice regulations and building control. The dreaded meeting with a mortgage lender to see how much they will give you! The biggest problem for self-builders is that they need more money up front than conventional home buyers. However, Self-build homes are bespoke, so you can get exactly what you want from the property.

“Did you enjoy building your own house?” The answer varies a lot on this! I have spoken to friends and family that said, ‘never again’. There is always that risk of your budget spinning out of control or unforeseen problems arising.

Nevertheless, there are some that loved every minute of the planning, organising, and development of their home. Being able to visualise each room from the foundation phase to the finished product is hard to do, but it comes so naturally to some.

Even though that answer gave me varied opinions, when I asked them “Was it worth it in the end?”. I got the same response from them all, Yes. They all have a home that they love, appreciate and are proud of. Whether our houses are big, small, fancy or modest, they are our shelters and our sanctuaries.

As Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz says, “There’s no place like home!”