Hazel, 26, works as a nurse and is from Laois, Ireland, and says she and partner Paddy achieved their dream thanks to a genius saving plan.
She said: “We always knew we would build. Renting was never going to be something we would even look into and thanks to our parents we didn’t move out until the build was complete.”
Because they were still living with their parents rent-free, the couple were able to save a vast amount of money. Hazel said: “We basically saved as if we were paying back our mortgage that we hoped to take out.”
In the UK, the estimated cost of building your own home is between £1,800 and £3,000 per square metre, according to Resi, a leading architectural practice.
Hazel said: “Saving is so important. It’s proof for the bank you are capable of paying them back. We continue to save as much as we can even now that we are in our home. Our next project is the master bathroom, so we are saving £10,000 in 100 days!”
The couple’s friend, James, is an architect and helped them with the drawings and design stage.
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On the stresses of building your own home Hazel said: “There is a lot of money involved and you want everything to be 100 percent. The hidden costs are a big shock, like what you actually spend before you start to build such as site insurance, water supply, security, council fees- to name a few.
“We were so lucky to have our planning granted so quickly as I know a lot of people struggle with this, but our architect set up a pre-planning meeting before submitting our plans to ensure all would run smoothly.”
Hazel also added that Help to Buy schemes are great initiatives for “first-time buyers once you have your mortgage secured.”
You can follow Hazel and Paddy’s self-building journey on their Instagram page @killeenlynagh_aselfbuild