Bespoke Self-Build in Farnborough | Case Study

The brief

Basildon Property Group took on a one-off self-build on a cleared garden plot in Farnborough, Hampshire, for a retired couple who wanted their next home to fit the way they planned to live rather than the other way round. After more than a year of viewing bungalows that were either too dark, too small or laid out around stairs they no longer wanted, they bought a plot within walking distance of Farnborough town centre and commissioned a three-bedroom, single-storey dwelling. The brief asked for a generous kitchen-diner, a separate study and an integral garage, all on one level.

The architect's response paired warm brickwork with crisp render panels and added a flat roof canopy that stretched over part of the living area to create a covered outdoor space. At the rear, a full-height gable window was positioned to pull the morning sun deep into the kitchen-diner and to frame views of the long south-facing garden. The plan placed the master bedroom at the quiet front of the house, the living spaces in the centre, and the utility, study and garage at the rear. Every doorway was sized for easy circulation and the threshold from the kitchen to the patio was kept level, removing the need for steps as the clients grew older.

Because the couple were downsizing from a much larger four-bedroom property, they were determined to keep the construction process as straightforward as possible. They wanted one supplier who could price the full structural schedule at the outset and then release materials in line with a predictable monthly spend. Basildon had already experienced the delays and inaccuracies of a national chain quote on a previous project, so they approached us five weeks before the groundworks were due to begin.

We returned a complete Star Hawk schedule the next morning and confirmed the first delivery for the Monday after the site clearance was finished. The clients knew the material cost of each stage before the first trench was opened, and they had a named scheduler to contact throughout the build.

• Client: Basildon Property Group
• Location: Farnborough, Hampshire (GU14)
• Project: Bespoke self-build
• Duration: 12 months
• Star Hawk material cost: £25,000

The challenge

A bespoke bungalow on a small suburban plot in Farnborough creates pressures that are quite different from those on a large estate. Space is limited, neighbours are close and the programme has little room for slippage.

Access. The plot sat between two existing homes on a road that narrowed just outside the site entrance. There was no space for a long-term material compound, and any delivery vehicle waiting in the carriageway would quickly block residents' driveways. We agreed that bulk materials would arrive on 7.5-tonne tippers and that brick and block drops would use flatbeds small enough to reverse straight through the entrance. Deliveries were scheduled to avoid the morning and afternoon school runs, and drivers were briefed to switch off engines while waiting.

Programme. The build had to finish within 12 months because the clients' rental agreement expired on a fixed date. Any slip in the structural supply would push every finishing trade back, so we set up a rolling four-week forecast and reviewed it each Friday.

Weather. Groundworks began in February, when the Hampshire clay was cold and wet. We kept a reserve of MOT Type 1 and ballast at our yard so that any water collecting in the trenches could be backfilled and re-excavated on the same day. A covered stock of sand and cement was also maintained on site so mortar work could continue between showers.

Brick quantity and appearance. Because brick was specified for the entire outer leaf, including the full-height rear gable, the order totalled 14,126 Hampton Rural Blend Bricks. Delivering that volume to a small site in one go would have created storage problems and increased the risk of colour weathering, so we split the order into five drops timed to the bricklayer's progress.

Flat roof canopy. The flat roof over the living area needed careful structural detailing. We supplied the C24 timber, battens, OSB and plywood for the deck and worked with the roofing contractor to ensure the falls were built in from the start. The canopy also needed more insulation than the pitched roof sections, which we reflected in the PIR board order.

Monthly spend pattern. The clients wanted their material costs spread evenly across the year rather than concentrated at the start. We structured the delivery plan so that each month carried a similar invoice value, helping the couple manage the proceeds from their house sale and giving Basildon predictable cash flow.

Quality control. With a high-spec finish specified, the brickwork had to look consistent. We checked every brick delivery for colour variation before it left the yard and made sure the aircrete blocks were sheeted on the flatbed so they arrived clean and dry.

Same-day contact. Basildon's site manager dealt with one named scheduler throughout. When the foundation trench in one corner had to go deeper because of a buried garden wall, a call at 7.30am produced extra ballast and cement on site before the midday concrete pour.

Materials we supplied

Basildon passed us the architect's and engineer's schedules and we priced the complete structural envelope for the Farnborough bungalow. The Star Hawk package comprised:

• Sub-base and concrete: 21 tonnes of MOT Type 1 Aggregate, 13 tonnes of 20mm Ballast Aggregate, 8 tonnes of Building Sand and 110 bags of General Purpose Cement for the foundations, ground slab and mortar.
• Masonry: 1,228 Aircrete Blocks for the inner leaf and internal partitions, and 14,126 Hampton Rural Blend Bricks for the outer leaf.
• Timber and sheet: 1.7 cubic metres of C24 Timber, 296 linear metres of BS Treated Battens, 9 sheets of 18mm OSB3 Board and 14 sheets of Premium Hardwood Plywood.
• Insulation: 45 sheets of Cavity Insulation Slab and 21 sheets of PIR Insulation Board for the walls and the flat roof canopy.
• Openings: 15 Standard 100mm Cavity Lintels for windows, doors and the rear gable opening.
• Fixings: 3 boxes of Galvanized Nails and 3 boxes of High Performance Wood Screws.

Specialist partners supplied the windows, flat-roof membrane, kitchen, bathrooms, electrics, heating and floor finishes. Our responsibility was the structural shell and the insulation behind the finished surfaces.

Delivery and logistics

We planned the Farnborough programme as a series of staged drops that matched both the build sequence and the couple's monthly budget.

Month one — site clearance and foundations. MOT Type 1, ballast, sand and cement arrived in three drops as the trenches were excavated and the concrete was placed. Because the ground proved wetter than the geotechnical report suggested, we held a small surplus at the yard for same-day call-off.

Month two — ground floor and blockwork. The aircrete blocks, sand and cement were delivered just before the ground-floor slab was poured and the inner leaf began to rise. The block order was split into two drops because the site could not store a full load, and the sand arrived under a sheeted top to keep it workable.

Months three to five — brickwork and lintels. The facing bricks arrived in five staged drops as the outer leaf rose course by course. Each drop was sized to match the bricklayer's fortnightly output, so the bricks were never left standing in mud. The 15 Standard 100mm Cavity Lintels arrived in two batches, timed to be on site a few days before the corresponding openings were formed.

Month six — timber, sheet and insulation. The C24 timber, battens, OSB, plywood and insulation were delivered the week before the roof was due to be closed in. Sheet materials were covered with breathable tarps and stored on pallets to keep them straight and dry.

Months seven to twelve — follow-on drops. As the first-fix trades started, we supplied the remaining insulation and fixings in smaller, just-in-time drops. Each Friday the site manager and our scheduler reviewed the next seven days so that every item arrived just before it was needed. By this stage the deliveries were often only a few sheets of insulation or a couple of boxes of screws, but the same scheduler handled every request.

All drops were timed to keep the residential road clear and to avoid the school-run periods. Drivers were briefed to reverse into the site entrance rather than wait in the carriageway, and we avoided Saturday mornings when neighbour activity was at its highest.

The build

The build followed a 52-week rhythm across 12 months, with each phase flowing into the next.

Weeks 1–4: Groundworks and foundations. The site was stripped, the trenches were excavated and the foundations and ground slab were poured. A buried garden wall in one corner meant that trench was deeper than expected, and extra ballast and cement arrived within four hours of the site manager's call.

Weeks 5–12: Blockwork and brickwork. The inner leaf of aircrete blocks rose first, followed by the outer leaf of Hampton Rural Blend Brick. Cavity insulation was fitted as the walls went up, and lintels were bedded over the openings. The large rear gable window was formed with temporary bracing until the supporting steel beam was installed.

Weeks 13–20: Roof structure and windows. The timber roof was assembled, the OSB deck was fixed and the windows were installed. The flat roof canopy was built with the correct falls, and the bungalow became weather-tight, allowing the internal trades to start regardless of the weather.

Weeks 21–28: First fix and plastering. Electrics, plumbing and heating were run, then plasterboard was fixed and skimmed. The PIR insulation in the canopy roof was completed before the plasterboard went on, removing cold bridges at the wall-to-roof junction.

Weeks 29–40: Second fix and kitchens. Kitchens, bathrooms and flooring went in, the render panels were applied to the gables and the external brickwork was cleaned down.

Weeks 41–48: External works. The driveway was laid, the garden was landscaped and the flat roof membrane was finished. The garage door was installed and the external lighting was connected.

Weeks 49–52: Handover. The house was cleaned, the heating was commissioned, the snag list was signed off and the clients moved in on the agreed date. A small quantity of surplus insulation and fixings was returned to our yard because the original quantities had been calculated accurately.

The programme held firm. The only significant disruption was a week of heavy rain in March that slowed the brickwork, but the internal trades kept going because the materials were already on site.

The result

The finished bungalow is a contemporary three-bedroom home with a brick-and-render exterior, a large rear gable window, a flat roof canopy and a landscaped garden. The open-plan kitchen-diner is filled with morning light, while the study overlooks the front garden. The single-level layout suits the retired couple, with wide doorways and a flush threshold out to the patio.

Basildon billed the clients £395,000 for the completed build. The Star Hawk structural and insulation package came to £25,000.

For that material spend, the value was in the coordination. By pricing the whole envelope at the outset and splitting it into monthly drops, we removed the risk of supply gaps and allowed the couple to manage their budget. They later told Basildon that the predictable monthly invoices were one of the least stressful parts of the project, and they have since recommended the builder to neighbours considering self-builds nearby.

What we don't supply on a self-build

On a bespoke self-build like this one, the following items sit outside our range:

• Steel beams, RSJs and engineered joists — supplied by a steel fabricator with engineer's calculations.
• Windows, doors, rooflights, skylights and full-height glazed gables.
• Flat-roof membranes, EPDM, GRP and other specialist roofing systems.
• Electrical work, solar panels, batteries, smart-home technology and lighting.
• Plumbing, heating, boilers, radiators, underfloor heating and ventilation systems.
• Kitchen units, worktops, appliances, bathrooms, sanitaryware and tiling.
• Render systems, external insulation and specialist cladding finishes.
• Scaffolding, site security, temporary power and site welfare facilities.
• Skip hire, waste disposal and final cleaning.

Everything else — the sub-base, cement, sand, ballast, blocks, bricks, lintels, timber, insulation and fixings — stays on one Star Hawk account.

Cost transparency

The materials Star Hawk supplied came to £25,000 and broke down as follows:

Category	Materials supplied	Cost
Bricks	14,126 Hampton Rural Blend bricks	£9,070
Blocks	1,228 aircrete blocks	£2,460
Aggregates & sub-base	21 tonnes MOT Type 1, 8 tonnes sand, 13 tonnes ballast	£2,600
Insulation	45 sheets cavity insulation, 21 sheets PIR insulation	£2,900
Cement & mortar	110 bags cement	£880
Timber & sheet materials	1.7 cubic m C24 timber, 296m battens, 9 sheets OSB, 14 sheets plywood	£2,400
Lintels & steel	15 cavity lintels	£1,350
Fixings & hardware	3 boxes nails, 3 boxes screws	£390
Sundries	DPM, straps and bracing	£950

The remaining £370,000 covered the steel, glazing, roofing, kitchens, bathrooms, electrics, plumbing, heating, landscaping, render, decoration and labour supplied by other partners on the same site.

Why Farnborough self-builders choose Star Hawk

We are 10 minutes from the GU14 postcode district and our round covers Farnborough, including Cove, Southwood, West Heath and Rafborough. We also deliver to Basingstoke, Fleet, Camberley and Guildford on the same day.

Most of our Farnborough self-build customers are owner-occupiers building one-off homes who need a supplier that understands staged payments, suburban access and bespoke construction. If you are planning a self-build in the Farnborough area, upload your bill of quantities through the quote builder and we will respond by the end of the same business day.