Kits and Mortar

I’m continuing my search for real, live blogs about self-building, but it’s hard to find ones that are still being updated. A Selfbuild Experience hasn’t been updated since September 2006, and Wicklow Self Build Project has just three posts, last one in October 2007. Self Build Ireland stopped in December 2007 after a three year run, and although Architect’s Self Build Eco House posted last month, it looks like it’s winding down given that they’ve now moved in.

I suspect the archives of these blogs will prove to contain some rich pickings in terms of information and ideas, so I will have to find the time to go through them at some point. But I still want to find more self-builders who are actively blogging.

One person to add to my RSS reader is Robert Bagnall, who writes 127a Church Street: Diary of a self-build. His blog started in April 2007, and it’s clear from reading the archives that the build is progressing apace. The house is up, the windows in, (even if some are wrong!), and he’s currently battling with awol electricians and plumbers who aren’t returning his call, so fingers cross the carpenter turns out to be more reliable!

Despite the fact that it seems he’s had a bit of a hard time herding all the relevant cats, Robert seems to have kept a sense of humour, and his blog is very readable. It also gives a real sense for the nitty gritty that every build has to deal with, from what it’s like dealing with local contractors and suppliers, to how much plumbers and their apprentices cost. (Plumber: £220 per day; plumber’s apprentice, an additional £40. Poor apprentice!).

Well worth a read!