How to Get Inspiration for Your Self-build

According to the National Self-build and Renovation Centre, around 13,000 people self-build their homes in the UK each year. The prospect of building your own home fills many people with excitement and a feeling of freedom as to what could be achieved. Each self-build project is bespoke, which is an appealing idea when you want to create a unique home that is perfect for your family’s needs.

So where do you start? How do you begin to visualise the design and scale of your self-build? Let’s have a look at the best ways to find inspiration.

1. Browse self-build Instagram feeds

Instagram is a very useful platform when you are looking for advice and inspiration for your self-build project. It is a well-established resource, having been around for nearly 13 years and boasting 500 million users every day.

If you are looking for inspiration for your self-build project, you’ll find a wide variety of ideas and created projects to motivate and inspire you. For example:

• @WestCoastBuild – mum-of-three Sarah gives tips on her self-build, a Scottish modern timber frame house in the Outer Hebrides. Her advice is organised in categories, making it easy to find the topics that interest you.
• @Upsidedownhouse_blog – First-time self-builder Hannah, shares her story of creating her Nordic Noir design home in the Peak District and how she connects it to the land around her.
• @housebythecherryblossom – Jayne in County Antrim, Northern Ireland talks about the pros and cons of self-building and shares her love of interior design through images of her home.

2. Explore completed self-build projects

It is easy to be inspired when you see glossy images of a beautifully unique, spacious and creative self-build. The dream of your having own build completed becomes closer as you see the possibilities and what is achievable. CODA Bespoke’s website shows a wide range of unique and awe-inspiring projects that can help you dream big as you visualise your own self-build.

Corn Yard in Sheffield, for instance, is an award-winning build by designers and identical twins, Nik and Jon Daughtry. Featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs, Nik and Jon were inspired to build two energy-efficient five-bedroom homes, made from untreated materials, on the site of a 200-year-old corn mill.

3. Create mood boards on Pinterest

Pinterest is a virtual pin board with a social network that enables you to collect and save ideas, as well as discover the latest trends in whatever area you are interested in. It is an excellent way to give you a much clearer vision of what you want to achieve.

You can also browse other people’s boards on everything relating to self-building to help inspire and inform you. A few useful ones are:

• Kevin McCloud’s mood boards – more than just a presenter of Grand Designs, Kevin McCloud is an expert designer and his boards share his unusual and sustainable design ideas.
• Dezeen – a high-end, architectural and interior design magazine, boasting 10 million viewers a month and sharing cutting-edge design ideas from around the world.
• House and Garden Magazine UK – a popular board on Pinterest, sharing inspiration on how to bring your home and outside space together in a unique way.

4. Go to homebuilding shows and exhibitions

There’s nothing like being able to talk to experts face-to-face and see visual representations of what your self-build could be. If this is something that would help inspire you, then going to a homebuilding show could be for you. For example, the National Self-build and Renovation Show is held across the country in venues such as the NEC in Birmingham and ExCel in London.

Advice and information are on hand from multiple experts, so whether you need advice on materials, home energy systems or looking for general inspiration for your design – you will be in the right place.

Also, help is available through the National Self-build and Renovation Centre. Open all year round, expert exhibitors share advice and help you find inspiration for your self-build and renovation plans.

Feeling inspired? Contact CODA Bespoke

Whatever way you are inspired to self-build, CODA Bespoke is on hand to help you as you move forward with your project. Our award-winning team create high-quality projects, prioritising your inspired brief with innovative design.

Take a look at our self-build and renovations portfolio to get a feel for the homes we create. Or contact us today to take your first step towards your unique self-built home.