This is my third self-build

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 told him, he doesn't love the finished product. He loves the process. Neil is unusually well placed to talk about what carries over from one build to the next: the floor plan mistakes he's repeated, the features he thought he wanted and never used, and the confidence it takes to overrule the professionals when you're the one who has to live there. This episode covers: • Buying a plot with no planning and gambling on the planners' support • Using a planning performance agreement to speed the process up • Why he chose ICF, and how quickly the shell goes up • Self-managing the build with his own team for the first time • Working from a QS cost estimate, and why he expects to exceed it • Why the cheapest build often costs more over the following five years • The sheer volume of decisions a self-build demands, and the time that takes • Knowing when to overrule your architect, engineer or builder Neil's best money is spent before anything is built: a really good architect, and enough time with them to get the decisions right at the start rather than changing things mid-project. His worst? A £50,000 scaffolding quote. Necessary, and you get nothing to look at for it. And his advice for anyone stuck mid-build: put yourself six months into the future. Whatever is going wrong right now will be dealt with by then. There is almost always a way through — it just costs time, money, or both. If you're planning a demolition and rebuild, weighing up ICF, considering managing the build yourself, or on your second project and wondering what you'd do differently, this episode is full of perspective you only get from doing it repeatedly. 📞 Book a call with Mayflower Mortgage here: https://www.mayflowermortgage.co.uk/b... 📘 Download our FREE Self-Build Resources: https://www.mayflowermortgage.co.uk/f... #SelfBuild #SelfBuildMortgage #ICFBuild #SelfBuildUK The views and information discussed in this video/podcast are intended for general informational purposes and do not constitute regulated mortgage or financial advice. Mortgage recommendations depend on a full assessment of an individual's needs, objectives, and financial situation. Before making any decisions, please ensure you obtain personalised advice from a suitably qualified and authorised mortgage adviser.