We did however need a partner. I had recently become friends with a mother whose daughter was in my son’s class who was in a similar position to ourselves. I had bumped into her on several occasions outside the school gates and we had discussed our housing dilemmas. She longed for a home of their own and they too like us couldn’t quite afford to buy despite the fact that both she and her husband were in professional jobs earning decent salaries; she was an accountant and he a quantity surveyor. They had made the sacrifice for him to move to Dubai where he could earn a higher salary and pay less tax in order to save for a deposit for a home, leaving behind three young daughters. He had been away 3 years.
It seemed like a good, perhaps even ‘perfect’, fit. Their professions complimented ours and as I knew we had little time I asked whether they would like to partner with us. She was excited by the idea. It almost seemed too good to be true that she could have a house and be able to design it too! Her husband was more cautious but decided it seemed like a good idea. They had a deposit and the maths worked. We corresponded by email showing them our draft heads of terms.
Our community building ideas weren’t so compelling. They wanted the security of owning the land but they were willing to keep an open mind. However the Church were not keen either. They wanted to proceed to a quick sale. As the deadline drew close for submitting our terms to the Church my friend’s husband flew in from Dubai to meet us and decide whether to take the chance. We agreed that it was an opportunity not to be missed and decided to go for it.
Diary of a Wannabe Self Builder 