Hannah Bird and her husband Charlie, both 26, have saved around £100,000 by building their own house in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, using an unconventional material: polystyrene blocks. The couple purchased a quarter-acre plot of land for £70,000 in June 2022 and decided to design and construct their own property to avoid the high cost of local new build estates, where comparable two-bedroom houses can start at £375,000.
Building with ICF blocks
The couple completed the majority of the work themselves, avoiding around £30,000 in labour costs, and used Insulated Concrete Framework (ICF) blocks, which interlock like giant Lego bricks and are filled with concrete to create robust, well-insulated walls. After two years of construction, they are now putting the finishing touches to their property and preparing to move in.
The 140-square-metre home took two years to complete, with tunnelling for electricity and water taking months before building could begin. Before construction, the couple cleared the plot, put up fencing, and improved access by replacing a narrow, unsuitable driveway with a recycled tarmac surface. They also planted trees, bushes, and flowers.
Cost breakdown and savings
Hannah estimates they have saved approximately £100,000 by handling about 80% of the building work. The finished property features two bedrooms, a dedicated office space, a garage, and parking for eight vehicles.
Hannah, a travel blogger, explained: 'We originally always wanted to renovate, but the renos in our area were £200k and had no roof.' She added: 'We did look at new builds, but they're not for us. We knew so many people with new builds whose stairs broke or pipes broke two weeks in.'
Visiting a building show in December 2023 proved pivotal, introducing them to suppliers specialising in ICF blocks. The simplicity of the system impressed them: 'It's like Lego,' Hannah said, adding, 'It's idiot proof.' She explained that, 'For what a bricklayer took a week to do, together we could do in an hour.' In just a few days, they reached the damp-proof course (DPC) level.
Learning on the job
Hannah says they sent their house plans off to the company that supplied the blocks to assess how many they would need, and a representative visited them on-site to run them through the process of fitting them. She added: 'We did scroll a lot on Instagram and TikTok because we were like, 'are we doing this right?' It seemed too easy to start with.'
Hannah estimates the overall cost of building the home will be £190,000, broken down as follows: land purchase at £70,000; plot preparation and groundwork at around £18,000; ICF structure, concrete, and steel at around £40,000; roofing and windows at around £22,000; plumbing, electrics, and heating at around £18,000; and internal finishes and fixtures at around £22,000.
The couple, who work as travel bloggers, have been living with Hannah's parents in Burnham-on-Sea when they're not sailing around the world. Alongside the renovation, they have also been sharing their IVF journey with their 187,000 followers. Last month they announced their pregnancy.
