[17] Salvaging a Georgian Town House on a Council Lease: 270m², Tiny Plot, 100% Overspend
Tony and Sharon Relf take on a dilapidated 1820s Georgian townhouse on a council lease in London, restoring it under conservation oversight with no savings and an unpredictable income. It’s a high-risk, high-reward kind of refurb where progress comes in bursts, surprises keep appearing, and the temptation to chase beautiful details can derail the critical path. Their approach is simple and repeatable: get a small “habitable package” finished early, use salvage to turn demolition into design, lean on specialists when it matters, and accept that old buildings reward patience far more than deadlines.
[16] The 20 Year Self-Build and 50% Overspend
Sue and Martin stitched together a 1600s cob-and-stone barn and an 1850s stone barn into a low-energy family home, but the real story is the timeline. They moved in during 2001 and kept iterating for two decades, finally reaching sign-off in 2021. The cost of that patience was a 50% overspend, yet it also bought them something most fast builds never deliver: a home refined by lived experience, where compromises were made consciously, priorities sharpened over time, and the finished result actually matches the life they wanted to build.
[15] The London Jewel Box Infill on 424 m² with 73.73% coverage and 0% overspend
A long, skinny backland plot in North London forced invention, so this “Jewel Box” went heavy on off site fabrication and micro-piles to make a 430 m² live-work home on just 424 m² of land. Site coverage hit 73.73% and the plot ratio topped 101%, yet a fixed-price contract kept the £1.4485m budget locked to the pound with 0% overspend. They bought before consent, leaned on a tight visual brief, and navigated the complexity of custom glazing and glued joints. Bold, intense, and cost controlled, it is a case study in using procurement and method to tame a tricky city plot.
[14] £1,393 per m² with 0% overspend. Is community self build the template to build more housing
A managed co-build in Birmingham delivered finished homes at £1,393 per m² with 0% overspend, against an all-builds average of £3,089 per m² and a typical 66.7% blowout. Eleven first-timers traded weekly hours for equity under a housing association, using a simple timber frame, brick cladding, and a few teachable modules like roofing to keep costs in check. The question is whether this people-first playbook, paired with smarter funding like a self-build levy, could scale into real volume across England.
[13] Inside the oak frame house that ran 40 percent over on a 1 percent footprint
Set high on a ridge in the Lambourn Valley, Rupert and Julie set out to replace a tired bungalow with a cruciform oak-frame home shaped around views in every direction. The plot was enormous, more than 22,000 square metres, yet the house touched barely one percent of it. That tiny footprint hid some very big numbers. The green oak frame alone needed around 85 trees and pushed past its early estimates by nearly £30,000. By the time 190 panes of specialist glazing were fitted and the bespoke joinery was complete, the project had drifted more than 40 percent beyond its intended budget.
[12] How a £48k plot and a policy change created six-figure value
Adrian and Carina rebuilt a derelict ruin in the Brecon Beacons. A planning policy rule change turned their inherited £48k plot from worthless stone into a viable site overnight, proving how timing, policy, and persistence can reshape what’s possible in self-build. This is a case study about a bit of luck, a lot of endurance, and the difficulty of living off-grid.
[11] The 200-year-old mill rebuilt in 10 months at £3,175 per m²
Chris and Jill turned a derelict 200-year-old Yorkshire mill into a crisp modern home by treating the build like structural surgery. Their joinery background gave them a rare edge, but perfection came with a 66 percent overspend and a lot of trade wrangling. The real lesson is not that budgets explode by accident, it’s that precision is a choice, and it needs a plan, a system, and a contingency to match.
[10] 1 psychological trap every prefab builder falls into
The fast start of a kit build gives instant gratification, then steals your patience later. This case study reveals how early momentum becomes a hidden drag, and how to plan your mindset before it breaks your motivation.
[9] 15 lessons from the £1.7m villa that spiralled 112% over budget
What happens when a dream build turns into a financial avalanche? In Surrey, one couple set out to create a perfect Regency-style villa, complete with symmetry, grandeur, and period detailing. But as decisions dragged and standards climbed, the £1.7 million project spiralled 112% over budget. Their story is a sharp reminder that even with money, planning, and vision on your side, process is what really keeps a dream on course.
[8] 3 early errors that can wreck your budget
Every change you make after breaking ground carries a price tag. The Glass-House started with loose plans and open-ended ambitions, but each early uncertainty multiplied into cost, delay, and design drift. For self-builders, the lesson is simple, lock in your big-ticket choices before the first trench goes in, or be prepared to pay the “evolving design tax.”