Self Build on a Shoestring 2016 is open for entries after the launch during National Self Build Week
06 May 2016
On behalf of The National Custom and Self Build Association, Ted Stevens has launched 2016’s widely anticipated Self Build on a Shoestring competition. The annual Shoestring design ideas competition has been running since 2013 and several of the top entries from previous years are now being built.
This year the competition challenges designers to come up with a 65 sq m Starter Home that can be built for less than £50,000. The winning design must be capable of being customised to suit its owners – so entrants will need to show a number of internal layouts and provide a ‘menu’ of finishes or specification options.
The ‘Starter Home’ needs to work as a standalone or terraced property, and might also be stacked to deliver a modest block of maisonettes or flats. And the judges will also be looking for cost-effective, beautiful and green designs.
Launching the competition, NaCSBA Chair Michael Holmes said: “The Government has recently announced plans to build 200,000 Starter Homes between now and 2020. It defines a Starter Home as a property aimed at first time buyers under 40, and costing less than £250,000, including the land. (In central London properties qualify as a Starter Home if they cost less than £450,000). We believe it is possible to build one for much less than this – for example through the use of low-cost ‘modular’ solutions, or by offering a home that the purchaser can finish off themselves.”
Anyone can enter the competition – architects, designers, modular construction specialists, timber framing experts, custom build developers, innovation or technical gurus, or members of the public. Entrants need to provide good technical information (and robust costs data) together with high quality visual material, so non-professionals are encouraged to team up with others to ensure they match the high standards.
For more inforamtion visit NaCSBA’s website
