Making self-build more straightforward

Our mission is to make self-build more straightforward. Over 70 self-builders joined us for our latest demo day at the NSBRC on 30th September.

Anyone who has undertaken a bespoke self-build project knows that there is a considerable learning curve, especially for those new to construction. Many self-builders willingly throw themselves into information gathering; collecting magazines and brochures, scouring the internet and visiting self-build events.

These are all excellent routes to gain inspiration and insights, and learn about the myriad different products and services on offer. Nonetheless, it can be challenging to access the finer detail when it comes to choosing the right structural system.

This is why, following feedback from our customers, we came up with the concept of our demo days. These are one day events where we delve deeper into the process of self-building with timber frame without a big sales pitch. Why? Because it is important to us that self-builders are equipped to make informed decisions and have the knowledge they need to self-build with confidence.

Our inaugural event was held at the NSBRC in Swindon in 2019 in partnership with Carpenter Oak. The enthusiastic reception from the participants encouraged us to repeat the format. Despite initial delays due to Covid, we’ve now held 4 events in England and Scotland.

The most recent was at the NSBRC on 30th September.

 

 

What was covered

The day included a packed agenda of presentations, as well as a practical demonstration of a timber frame structure. National Sales Manager, Max Ellis, kicked things off by highlighting the benefits of timber frame. This was followed by presentations on a variety of topics including timelines, design and the planning process. After lunch VAT expert, Andrew Jones, and Fleming Homes’ David Hutchison provided informative as well as highly entertaining (truly!) presentations on reclaiming VAT and steps for getting your site ready. We are especially grateful to veteran self-builders, Richard and Beth Wilson, for coming along to share their personal experiences.

Harry Connor from Buildstore was also on hand to provide expert advice on financing a self-build project.

What attendees thought

‘We found this day really informative and it took some of the fear of self-building away – you could tell the team at Fleming Homes was interested in making people’s self-build dreams a reality.’

‘This was a most enjoyable and valuable day which was extremely well run and informative. If anyone is considering a self-build, this one day workshop would be greatly beneficial.’

‘A very informative and entertaining day which also made some of the potentially dryer topics like VAT and CDM really engaging. I hope Fleming Homes put on more days like this so I can learn more. Well done!’

‘Great day, thank you. I thought I would leave at around 1pm, but stayed until the end as it was such a good day.’

Fast-track your timber frame learning

The comments above represent only a small selection of the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from the day. This underpins our belief that these events are really worthwhile, and give more people the knowledge and confidence to begin their self-build journey. We plan to hold a number of Demo Days throughout 2024, although dates and venues are still to be confirmed. You can, however, express your interest in attending by completing the registration form here.