When it comes to being inspired by celebrities, the self build and home renovation market has seen its fair share…from celebrity interior designers to celebrity property developers and architects. And why not – in a recent poll 34% of self-builders agreed that these TV programmes were a major influence in their decision to self-build.
“There are some very influential faces in the self-build and home renovation market” explains Tim Doherty, MD of The National Self-Build & Renovation Centre, “but remove the ‘TV shine’ and building a new home can be a very challenging process. Self-builders need gritty advice from ‘hands-on’ builders, which is why we have been very selective as to which celebrities to invite to our first Celebrity Weekend”.
Celebrities appearing at the centre this weekend include TV builder Tommy Walsh, the winners of ITV’s House Race television show and leading self-build and property development guru Professor Michael Benfield.
Tommy Walsh leads Weekend
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The BBC’s Tommy Walsh will be discussing his latest project; building a new house for ‘sixty grand’ filmed, naturally, for a forthcoming television series.His tales of gaining planning permission and familiar design and environmental restrictions will all be touched-upon, making Tommy's house an inspiration to self-builders up and down the country.
The winners of the ITV show House Race, Jo and Ray Hulse - who battled against another couple in the Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham to design, create and furnish a prefabricated high quality home in just two weeks - will be discussing their extraordinary experience and TV debut, and also bringing their own personal recent self-build journey to life; a project that was inspired by winning the House Race competition.
Professor Michael Benfield will be supporting the event on the day offering free advice to self-builders.Renowned within the self-build and timber development industries as an ‘unconventional’ character, his expertise and academic contacts in planning, building regulations, self-build and property development will prove valuable.Through his many political, business and academic contacts (including running his own timber frame self-build company; SimplySelf-Build), a meeting with Professor Benfield will be the cherry on the cake for any journey to the National Self Build & Renovation Centre this weekend.
According to Professor Benfield’s specialist timber frame self build package company SimplySelf-Build, more than 20,000 people now build their own home every year - one in eight of all new homes built, more than any of the big house builders.
Zara Elliott, a specialist self-build advisor at SimplySelf-Build – the company who project-managed the House Race television series and completed over one hundred self-build homes in the UK - added “Self-builders need a lot of inspiration, not to mention incentives, to overcome the barriers to finding sites, getting planning permission, raising the money and managing their projects. This weekend at the National Self-Build & Renovation Centre, with its variety of self-build celebrities, will not only be exciting…it will be informative too”
Ends
Notes to Editors:
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The National Self-Build & Renovation Centre
The National Self Build and Renovation Centre brings together under one roof for the first time all the products, services and advice required for self build or renovation.The Swindon based Centre is the brainchild of BuildStore, the pioneering self build and renovation expert.It is located on the M4 near Swindon, the Centre is within an easy 2 hour drive of over 25 million people.
www.mykindofhome.co.uk
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Tommy Walsh
Tommy Walsh is one of the most recognised faces in TV DIY. He started out by running his own business in Hackney, and after be spotted by the executive producer of Ground Force while carry out some work on her house, his TV career was started. He has now been in TV for over 8 years with programmes including House Call and Space Invaders.
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House Race
House Race was a programme produced by Newman Productions on behalf of ITV, giving viewers the exciting chance to understand the entire design and build process of a self-build home, including potential problems and solutions through the eyes of two couples battling it out to produce a quick yet high quality build in the middle of Birmingham Bullring.
www.simplyselfbuild.co.uk/news_views/house_race_television_show
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Professor Michael Benfield
* Managing Director of the award winning Benfield ATT Group
* The UK’s leading sustainable development professional and academic
* Proactive environmentalist and sustainable construction expert
* Doctor of European Planning & Development Systems
* Visiting Professor of Civil & Construction Engineering, University of Wales
* Board member of the UK New Homes Marketing Board
* Co-founder of The Green Party
* Build the UK’s first private development of timber frame homes
* Chair of the Knowledge Hub of the Wales Forest Business Partnership
* Served at Director levels in substantial property, marketing and contracting firm
http://www.benfieldatt.co.uk/about_us/our_people
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Simply Self Build
SimplySelf-Build is the specialist self-build package company of leading Welsh timber frame construction group, The Benfield ATT Group. The Group has designed, manufactured and built hundreds of bespoke timber frame homes since 1995. Nearly twelve years later, they are one of the most established designers and suppliers of client-designed energy-saving homes in the UK.
www.simplyselfbuild.co.uk
