For years ACA have been committed to helping Self-Builders. We stepped away from the architect mindset and put ourselves in our customer’s shoes. We did something that other architect businesses had never done – started answering our customers’ questions on our Self Build blog.
Our popular eBook and Self Build blog have become a starting point for thousands of successful Self Build projects in the UK and was established as one of the country’s leading online sources of Self Build knowledge. We created our learning centre to simplify access to our resources.
We are very proud that our learning centre has helped many people make their Self Build dream come true, and now we would like to take another step in its development!
Recently, we have been working hard to secure top UK experts from various areas of the construction industry to present you with even better and more up-to-date advice.
Today, we would like to present some new contributors to our Self Build blog with some information on the areas they specialise in.
ACA SELF BUILD BLOG EXPERTS
Tom McSherry
Self Build Mortgage & Finance Expert
Tom has been working with ACA for several years and has helped many of our clients organise their Self Build finances. Tom has worked in the financial services industry for 30 years. He has spent the last 16 of these, specialising in Self Build mortgage at BuildStore, providing expert advice to hundreds of customers embarking on major homebuilding projects.
Tom has completed renovation and Self Build projects himself and is widely regarded as a Self Build finance expert, speaking at Grand Designs, Build It Live and conducting Finance Masterclasses at many of the Homebuilding and Renovating Shows throughout the year.
On our blog, he will be advising on Self Build mortgage and finance, which is a crucial element of Self Building, especially in the current pandemic times.
David Hilton
Heat and Energy Expert
David is an authority in sustainable building and energy efficiency. He has extensive knowledge in building fabrics, heating systems and heat recovery ventilation. He also specialises in emerging technologies and renewables, including heat pump technologies, Solar systems, biomass, and conventional heating systems.
With over 30 years of experience in the industry, he has been the sustainable building expert at Grand Designs live exhibitions for ten years. He also writes for Homebuilding and Renovating magazine, often presents CPDs and courses, and is a guest speaker at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre.
On our blog, he will share his expertise on heating and will provide various energy-saving tips. Ideal author to follow for everyone interesting in building a low energy home.
James Bryden
Project Management Expert
James is a construction project cost expert and has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry, within commercial and private sectors. He has worked on luxury residential developments, Listed Buildings, conservation areas and has a keen interest in sustainable building and micro-generation technologies and products.
James’ career has spanned work in both the UK and international construction projects, where he has managed building schemes valued between £5K and £12 million in various roles. James founded ClearPlan Project Management Ltd with his wife Nicky back in 2009, which merged with Charlie Laing Ltd to form CLPM Ltd in 2014. James appears at the Grand Design Live Shows within the Ask an Expert Arena.
James will share his expertise in project management on our blog, so if you are considering a full Self Build route, you can’t miss his articles!
Alison Maddison
Quantity Surveying expert
Alison leads CLPM’s Quantity Surveying team. She is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 20 years of experience in the construction industry.
Her role as Commercial Director involves performing a wide range of tasks, including helping prepare budgets (and supporting other team members), tendering, and contract preparation. A key role is Contract Administration which involves providing cost for variations and completion of final accounts and the accompanying administrative support to other CLPM team members.
On our blog, Alison will share her expertise on the budgeting of a Self Build project.
Victoria Hopkins
Interior Design expert
Victoria Hopkins is a founder of Victoria Hopkins Interiors and specialises in designing vibrant, fun and eclectic interiors. She loves translating her clients’ ideas and needs into something tangible that they can appreciate on a daily basis.
The designs and products Victoria creates are bold and vibrant and always mixes colours and patterns. Her goal is to help her clients express their personality through their home and create interiors that truly reflect the owner and work perfectly for them.
Having a home you love and can’t wait to get back to and spend time in can enhance your life and mood. On this blog, Victoria will be sharing top interior design tips and advice on how a self-builder can decorate their new home to reflect their personality and lifestyle.
Tim Pullen
Eco Expert
If you read our blog, you have probably already come across Tim’s expert articles. He is one of the most prominent experts in sustainable building methods and energy efficiency in residential homes in the UK. Contributor to many magazines and newspapers, including the Homebuilding & Renovating magazine. He has run his own business for 15 years, providing consultancy services to home builders.
Tim regularly presents seminars and training on sustainable building and renewable energy and has written three books on this. If energy efficiency is a priority for your project, you can’t miss his blog articles!
David Gallagher
Structural Engineering
David is a Structural Engineer and a Technical Director of Allan Corfield Structures. During his career, he has obtained a wealth of experience working in the UK, Middle East and New Zealand working on a number of high profile projects.
He recently joined the ACA team as Technical Director of ACS with the focus of complementing the existing high-level architectural services provided with an aligned and coordinated structural support to provide clients with a holistic design approach.
David will be providing advice on Structural Engineering and its role in a Self Build project.
Choosing the option of Self Build is not only better value for money – but it allows you to break away from the mainstream and take full control of your future home. You can build a home for your family, designed to your specific requirements.
But it may seem daunting if you don’t have experience in construction. We know that research and education from experts are crucial if you want to manage your project successfully.
We secured experts from various areas of Self Building to provide you with up-to-date information in this ever-changing profession.
We are still working on acquiring experts from other areas, so stay tuned to our blog and… enjoy your project!