By Caroline Wilson

IT might not be quite as elaborate or spectacular as the properties featured on TV’s Grand Designs, but a Scots couple say a council-run scheme has made their dream home an affordable reality.

Joanna Susskind and her husband Ben Whitney built their own house from scratch almost single-handedly and say the end result will more than make up for the “incredible stress” of the project.

The couple purchased land from Glasgow City Council, which offered six cut-price plots in Maryhill on the Forth and Clyde Canal as part of a self-build pilot project.

Their three-bedroom American-style ranch house – complete with trademark, long front porch – has been built on budget, with a mortgage of £170,000.

Six plots have been made available and taken up but the couple are the only ones so far to begin the process and carry out the construction work themselves. They acknowledge that the process has been easier because Mr Whitney is a carpenter, while his wife is a designer.

Glasgow City Council was the first council in Scotland to set up a self-build register and more than 300 people have expressed an interest in the scheme.

The council says self-build has an important part to play in urban regeneration and can breathe life into deprived areas which are often overlooked by mainstream developers. However, in Scotland so far, the majority of self-build has been in rural sites, on individual, unserviced plots. 

A rolling release of plots on four council-owned sites is planned over the next year, while a help-to-build scheme is also being considered.

The couple found out about the programme through another plot-owner around three years ago but due to the level of interest they were placed on a waiting list.

“I thought it was highly unlikely we would get a plot,” said Susskind.

“Ben and I got married and then we got an email during our honeymoon asking if we were still interested because someone had dropped out.

“It didn’t make make any sense at the time but we thought we could make it work. We already had a bit of a sketch of our dream house and a 3D model. The other five (plot-owners) have contractors or developers so nobody is doing what we are doing, which is every single stage.

“Ben’s family are from Botswana and their family built their own house and we had done quite a bit of renovation work on the house. We knew there was no way we would be able to afford a plot in Glasgow, we don’t make a lot of money, so it was just the most amazing opportunity.”

The couple paid £45,000 for a 600sqm plot, which could cost up to four times that amount normally. “As soon we got it, the equity on it was huge. I think it would be about £150,000 for a serviced plot in Glasgow.”

They moved into a caravan on site after construction work got under way last summer and are due to move into their new home in the Spring.

“The style of design is quite popular in the Highlands – it’s a proper timber barn with a tin roof.

“There are no screws, it’s all pegged together and Glasgow City Council had never seen anything like it so it was quite hard to get through building control.

“We don’t have heating yet but it feels warm because it’s so well insulated. We always wanted an American-style ranch with a big front porch so we can sit outside all year round.

“We’ve got the Kelvin on one side and the canal on the other and right now we have no neighbours.”

Building societies in the UK were reporting a 35 per cent rise in self-build advances this year while governments have begun introducing more incentives, aware of the positive effect schemes can have on helping solve the current housing crisis.

However, experts say bad planning and poor budgeting can turn the self-build process into a costly ordeal.

“Our mortgage is £170,000 and we are still within that budget so we are delighted,” said Susskind. “If you weren’t building yourself it would be much closer to £300,000.

“I think that’s why no-one has started the project yet. Some are considering not going ahead with the project now because they are getting all these quotes in and they are asking us how did you manage?

“The reason is, because every time a quote came in we thought, we can’t afford that, we will do it ourselves.

“It has been incredibly stressful but it’s a double whammy of also feeling so excited.

“We’ve been building through lockdown so it gave us purpose.

“Last night we put up the kitchen walls and next week we are going to put in the log burner.

“Every little piece that comes together – we just feel so much joy.”