Brits turning to self build: survey

A new survey has revealed that more than half of people would consider building their own home.

The survey by Norwich and Peterborough Building Society (N&P) found 55 per cent of respondents would consider a self build project as a means of building their dream home.

N&P also found that close to 90 per cent of the people that would buy land and construct their own property would incorporate green initiatives such as solar panels or ground source heat pumps.

The building society is running its annual competition to find the best self build home completed between July 1st 2007 and June 30th 2008.

Chris Hoy, N&P's Eco Self-Build competition judge, said: "It is great to see that more people are considering making their homes more energy efficient. It is important that everyone does what they can to reduce their impact upon the environment."

Mr Hoy hopes the winner will inspire others to improve their own homes.

Last year's winners selected a derelict builder's yard as the site for their new home and installed such technology as a sedum roof and a solar hot water system.