during the summer of 2021. Despite enduring a significant amount of paperwork, they managed the process in a way that made it run smoothly, and they even found it fairly straightforward. Breaking ground in April 2022, Michael and Julie embarked on the build itself. ven in the midst of pandemic concerns about being able to supply concrete, the Cliffords encountered no such issues, and “we used a lot of it!” says Michael.


FINANCIAL HICCUPS


Despite an otherwise seamless construction process, the couple faced some painful financial hiccups. “The biggest challenge for us was the unpredictability of British builders when it came to agreeing prices,” says Michael. While their primary contractor proved to be “fantastic” and remained supportive throughout, some subcontractors delivered initial quotes that were wildly off beam compared with their final costings.


Michael sheds more light on this tricky issue, noting, “Without naming names, some individuals provided quotes based on the plans and architectural drawings, only to drastically revise them after visiting the site and realising


sep/oct 2023


Sunningdale is an expensive place to live, often tripling the original figures.” According to the couple, Covid and supply issues were used as excuses to hike prices up; as Michael asserts, “We had no issue with getting anything.” He adds, “It was clear that they were just being opportunistic.” Michael offers advice to other self-builders here, emphasising the importance of selecting reliable professionals that “you can trust to price properly.” Despite the challenging price uctuations, the couple acknowledges the exceptional quality of the work. “In a modernist home like this, you can’t hide behind anything because everything is on show,” says Michael. With intricate shadow gaps featured throughout the home, any mistakes would be clearly seen.


One fortunate aspect during the construction phase was how the family struck gold while the project took place, with a living situation that most self-builders can only dream of. “We amaingly managed to sell our old house to the neighbours and rent it back off of them until the project was finished,” explains Julie. This provided them with the funds to carry out the project without the inconvenience of relocating. While the family are still waiting for some of


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