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Thousands of people are taking DIY to the extreme - they build their own homes. Next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the London Homebuilding & Renovating Show will take place at the Wembley Exhibition and Conference Centre.

It will feature 200 exhibitors who will offer advice and hold seminars on all aspects of self-build, from finding a plot to financing your scheme.

Self-built homes often include features that are impossible to find in existing housing stock: double-height spaces, galleries, dramatic entrance halls, large, open-plan living/eating areas, fully integrated home offices, spacious master- bedroom suites and mezzanine levels. Some 16,000 people a year self-build and have discovered that their designs are as limitless as their imaginations.

Getting started

The most difficult hurdle is finding a building plot. Although land is scarce in London and the Home Counties, it is still possible to find a plot at the right price. Check out the specialist land-finding agencies such as Plotfinder ( www. plotfinder.net) and Plotsearch (www.plotsearch.co.uk), which will have details on prices and availability in your area.

With building plots at a premium, many self-builders in the South-East are resorting to buying properties in attractive locations purely to knock them down and start again. Ensure that any plot you are interested in has at least outline planning permission. Over the past couple of years several companies have sprung up offering land for sale around London without planning permission.

Although in some cases these parcels of land may have long-term investment potential (due to the fact that they may one day gain OPP), if you are interested in building a home in the short-term, they are to be avoided.

Design

While some people draw up the design of their house from scratch, the majority of self-builders take their ideas to an architect or house designer. For a fee, usually a percentage of the final building cost, an architect will produce detailed drawings ready for building regulations and planningapproval purposes, as well as providing new ideas and advice.

Most house designers offer a supervisory service and will visit the site at various intervals to ensure the builder is carrying out work according to the design.

The style of the house is likely to be heavily influenced by planning guidelines, although all decisions are taken on merit. Contact the Associated Selfbuild Architects (www.asbaarchitects.org.uk) for a specialist home designer in your area.

Finance

Money is likely to be a major issue with any self-build project, and getting the right kind of funding is essential. There is now a good variety of products available. Also, keep in mind that you can claim back the 17.5 per cent VAT on most labour and materials of your house.

Site management

Most self-builders prefer to outsource day-to-day management of their site and, while many use local builders as main contractors (contact the Federation of Master Builders for recommendations: www.fmb.org.uk), more are employing specialist design-and-build package suppliers.