'Sweat equity’ can be an alternate route to home ownership…

It started with a tantalising promise. The poster said: “Do you want to own your own home?” I thought: “Who doesn’t?” and phoned the number.

All human life was represented at the Community SelfBuild meeting I attended as a result of that call: people with family experience of selfbuilds, students, older couples, even some professional builders. But competition was tough – from our group of more than fifty people only seven homes were available.

It was explained that the scheme was aimed at those who could not get on to the property ladder by conventional methods – and, crucially, were on the local council housing list – and that it operated on a shared ownership basis of part buy, part rent, with the option to buy more.

The lucky few who were chosen would be involved in the planning, design and, crucially, the building of seven one-bedroom flats in East London.

The instigator of the scheme, Family Mosaic, a housing association, would act as a social landlord and own a percentage of the property. Those of us who were selected to take part would be expected to work for up to 23 hours a week, for which we would receive a share of up to one fifth of the property.

A frightening task?

Though many of the financial barriers were being removed, we were expected to make a substantial contribution in other areas – principally to equip ourselves with the building skills.

Though the scale of such a task would frighten most people, Barry Dawson, the experienced construction trainer from Alpha Building Services and Engineering Training in Stratford, East London, can see only the positive.

“If you build your own property you take pride in it and get self-esteem, plus you aren’t vulnerable to cowboy builders,” he says.

Once training was complete, the real work could begin. Family Mosaic had secured land from Hackney council at a reduced rate. It had also arranged the other funding necessary to complete the project, including grants from the Housing Corporation. Once the money was in place, work could begin to construct the shell of what would be our homes.

Working as team

There is a philosophy that underpinned our scheme and others like it: work as a team for the benefit of all members with the aim of improving each other’s skills, experience and future.

John Gillespie, from the Community SelfBuild Agency, acted as the link between the self-builders and the numerous other agencies involved. He has years of experience in this area and has seen at first hand the positive impact of building your own property. “Everyone benefits, communities and individuals,” he says.

A bonus of being involved in the design of the flats was that we could take into account environmental and ecological issues and incorporate them into the fabric of our new homes. We have included large windows to increase natural light, energy-efficient boilers and lighting and on-site recycling facilities.

Though I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity for the world, I can honestly say that this is one of the hardest things I have done: endless meetings, gruelling practical training, not to mention the final hurdle on site.

No one should underestimate this last stage: it can be back-breaking, dirty and uncomfortable work that feels like it will never end.

Not for everyone

At times I have been completely lost. Getting familiar with the terminology of the architects, builders, mortgage advisers and housing associations was like learning a new language. And becoming a property owner in this way is not for everyone – you need to be able to transform yourself from someone who doesn’t know how to change a plug into someone who can do wonderful things with a power tool, and you will need a lot of patience.

But knowing that you will soon have a foot on the property ladder and that you have had a hand in building your own home gives you a feeling that can’t be beaten. www.communityselfbuildagency.org.uk

Community-based selfbuild projects took off with the Zenzele project, in Bristol in the mid1980s, which helped unemployed builders into work. More than 120 schemes, have since been completed, providing 1,000 homes.

Depending on the scheme, community self-builders assume outright ownership, part ownership or the right to low-cost rent in return for their labour.

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk