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Where we would recommend being an owner builder is when you’re trying to keep to a tight budget, and when you can afford to take time out of your week to keep an eye on things on site and answer any questions contractors may have for you.

And we would only recommend owner building when you are planning on living in the home for a long period of time, as you the owner builders are responsible for the 10 year warranty of the all works done, you can move out within the 10 years but your required to take out an insurance policy for the remaining time to cover the house construction, so people tend not to do an owner build if they plan on selling in a years’ time for example.

You do have the flexibility to control what trades you use, and change trades should you not like there workmanship.

A carpenter/builder would be hired to do most of the work and they would normally help take care of most of the work needed on site (depending on what your arrangement was and the capacity you need them to help with) and they would advise on trades needed and when they where needed and generally run the build as if it as one of their own builds, but you get involved with organising quotes from trades to suit your budget and co-ordinate when they should be onsite with the carpenter, because of this owner build projects may not run as quickly or smoothly as professional built homes.

Professional builders are used when you don’t have time to supervise, you sign a contract which can lock things like completion dates and materials, fixtures and fittings you want in the house, which get selected at the contract stage, this also locks in the builders selected trades so you don’t have flexibility to pick and choose trades, in some case you may not be allowed on site until the build is completed, depending on the builder, and the builder has warranty cover for his work for the next 10 years.

Builders tend to progress relatively quickly as they organise in advance other trades and equipment and ordering material months ahead of time as they know when they will be required.

So there’s plus and minus about both it will just depend on your circumstance, but happy to discuss this in more detail.