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The Build It Awards is the only independent UK scheme celebrating the very best of self build and renovation. Every year, our panel of industry experts convenes to scrutinise hundreds of products, projects and services. Only the very best in each category make it through to the high-quality shortlist – let alone going on to be crowned winners.
What does that mean for you? Well, our vetting process means you can gain confidence in your specification decisions. Each entry undergoes in-depth assessment, so you know the winners are the cream of the self build and renovation crop, complete with an expert-backed Build It Awards seal of approval.
Here we give you the run-down on our 2025 Build It Award-winning homes, architects and designers, with 11 awards going to projects from oak frame homes and energy-efficient retrofits through to SIPs houses and turnkey builds.
We would like to say thank you to all of our 2025 Build It Awards sponsors, and our headline sponsor BuildStore. Click here to find out more about our Build It Awards judges & sponsors.
Photo: Fourwalls
Leonard & Yvonne Rose for their stunning package home
Some self builds are a story of triumph over adversity – and that’s certainly the case for this year’s winners, the Roses, who dug deep to turn the devastation of losing their much-loved cottage to a fire into the fuel for realising a beautiful new bespoke home.
The couple, in their 80s, faced a choice: sell the plot or rebuild. Deciding they would never find a better location, the Roses chose the adventure of self building. With help from their daughter, they discovered Scandia-Hus, customising one of the firm’s designs and engaging them on a building set and shell erection package. Scandia then put them in contact with a contractor to take the project forward.
What the owners said: “Losing everything was awful,” says Yvonne. “But starting again has been refreshing. Our new home is easy to live in, low-maintenance and energy efficient – and we’re surrounded by friends and family.”
| Type of Project | Self build |
| House size | 146m² |
| Project build cost | £584,670 |
| Location | West Sussex |
Category sponsor Self-Build Zone
Roderick James Architects for The Cabin
Developed in close collaboration with the clients, Roderick James Architects’ site-responsive, sustainable design embeds much of the structure into the hillside to reduce visual impact.
A green roof, restrained earthy materials palette and dry stone retaining walls knit the building into the coastal heathland.
Combining passive solar design with high levels of insulation and airtightness, plus renewable technologies – including dual-roof PV arrays and a ground source heat pump – the house was designed to achieve net zero energy in use.
Studio BAD Architects for Brockenhurst House
Studio BAD Architects delivered a 50m² extension that reshapes the flow of the house, bringing in abundant natural light and strengthening the connection to the garden.
A series of carefully considered improvements – full-height glazing, a stylish entrance, a flexible ground-floor suite and a generous open-plan kitchen-diner – collectively unlock the home’s potential without overstatement. External wall insulation, triple glazing, underfloor insulation enhance efficiency.
Category sponsor IDSystems
Photo: Henry Woide
Paul Archer Design for Hebron House
Paul Archer Design has reshaped this terraced house’s previously dark and fragmented layout into a calm sequence of connected spaces. The project features a new double-height basement along with a split-level configuration that draws daylight deep into the plan. The Build It Awards judges praised the project’s beautifully orchestrated volumes and the tactile use of Petersen brick to enrich both interior and exterior environments.
Energy upgrades were integrated without compromising the architecture. A deep retrofit strategy – including wood fibre insulation, an air source heat pump and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery – significantly improves comfort levels, air quality and running costs while respecting the existing fabric.
ARCO2 for Curve House
The judges felt every aspect of this hands-on build was meticulously planned and realised – from natural insulation to ventilation, solar gain, airtightness, biodiversity and waste management.
Partially sunken into the landscape, and set across four storeys, the spectacular curved design by homeowner and architect, Nathan, is organised as two wings: one housing utility spaces and services; the others the social core of the family home.
What the owner said: “We wanted something true to the landscape; a home that curved and flowed with it” says Nathan, co-founder of sustainable architecture practice ARCO2 and a certified Passivhaus Designer.
Category sponsor 21 Degrees
Fleming Homes for Reul-Bhad
Set on the shores of Loch Carron, this modest build home takes incredible advantage of its glorious Highland setting. The curved, low-profile design responds perfectly to the couple’s brief – immediate shoreline access; low-maintenance for easy living; and the efficiency to support retirement without financial strain.
Fleming Homes’ offsite-manufactured timber frame kit was central to the project’s success.
What the owner said: “We’re still pinching ourselves. It feels like a permanent holiday. From the first phone call with Fleming, we felt we were in safe hands – and we’ve achieved a forever home that’s both stunning and efficient.”
Category sponsor The Unico System
R-Wall, Westhaven Developments & ARCO2 for Ebron
This year’s crown goes to a highly future-proofed self build that showcases ICF’s design credentials, champions local materials and addresses both environmental impact and long-term performance.
Designed by ARCO2 and delivered by Westhaven Developments, the 233m² home uses the R-Wall system to create a highly insulated, airtight and robust superstructure. ICF’s rapid buildability, resilience and excellent thermal credentials shine through. R-Wall’s extruded polystyrene (XPS) walling and under-slab system delivered a fully wrapped, thermal-bridge-free shell. This fabric-first approach enables efficient, low-carbon living alongside an ASHP, MVHR and smart energy system.
What the owner said: “The house’s beauty and living standards have exceeded my expectations,” says owner Luke Hopper. “Combined with low running costs, I couldn’t be happier.”
Photo: Richard Downer
Westwind Oak for Wayside
Rooted in a cherished family plot, this beautifully crafted project reflects its owners’ long-held vision for a characterful forever home. Working with Roderick James Architects, Christine and Ceri created an upside-down, Devon-longhouse-inspired design that engages fully with the garden and delivers generous, flexible spaces tailored to their creative professions.
At the heart of the scheme are the green oak frame and balcony, supplied and erected by Westwind Oak. Hand-cut at their Bristol workshop and assembled on-site using traditional pegged joints, the structure brings warmth, rhythm and sculptural presence to the home.
What the owners said: “The whole oak frame process was fascinating and hugely exciting,” says Christine. “Westwind were terrific. They were very welcoming, and seeing the skeleton of our house being produced in their workshop was unforgettable.”
Category Sponsor Stovax & Gazco
Pelham Structures for Helegrene House
This 296m² self build exemplifies the strengths of the turnkey model. Pelham managed every stage – from early concept work with Tom Cross Architectural Design & Landscape through to the final fit-out. This enabled the owners to collaboratively shape a completely bespoke home without being burdened by the complexities of procurement or project management.
What the owners said: “The result exceeds our expectations in every way,” say the Morens. “Pelham made us feel it was our project, while giving us the expert guidance needed to deliver a beautiful, flexible and sustainable home.”
JML SIPs for Baligrundle Croft House
Set on the exposed Isle of Lismore, the 180m² home responds to both the landscape and the client’s brief for a modern, low-energy dwelling that could withstand harsh weather. JML’s precision-engineered SIPs panels delivered a highly insulated, airtight and structurally robust shell, which was lifted on steel piers to protect the terrain.
What the owners said: “This house has allowed me to return home to take on the croft with real peace of mind,” says owner Morag Ferguson. “Even on wild winter days, it’s calm, cosy and incredibly efficient. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Turner & Hoskins Architects for Kentish New House
Set within gorgeous Kent countryside, this 585m² home combines a refined modern aesthetic with a deep sensitivity to its rural surroundings. Turner & Hoskins’ use of Marcello linear bricks from Manchester Brick Specialists is central to the project’s success. These long, slender units demand precision in both design and execution, and the Awards judges praised the remarkable skill evident in the beautifully stepped window and door reveals, as well as the internal chimney breast that carries the material through into the living spaces.
What the owners said: “The house is cosy when we’re on our own, but expansive when entertaining,” say the owners. “It’s modern but has warmth; stylish but understated and elegant; and comfortable in its rural setting.”
Chris Batesmith is Build It’s content director and the chairperson of the Awards. A seasoned self builder and renovator, he’s dedicated over 15 years to championing self build as a mainstream option.
Jane Duncan is a chartered architect, founder of Jane Duncan Architects and former president of RIBA. She has first-hand self build experience, having designed and built her own sustainable home.
Mike Hardwick has become a well-respected self build expert since completing his own dream home. He is general manager of the National Custom & Self Build Association.
Tim Doherty was founding MD of the National Self Build & Renovation Centre. Now a RICS chartered surveyor, he built his family home and has spent over 30 years helping others do the same.
Nigel Griffiths specialises in sustainable construction and eco-renovation. He is the author of the Haynes Eco House Manual and advises public bodies and individual developers on their building projects.
Julian Owen is an architect and author of many books on how to design and build your own home. He founded the Association of Self Build Architects and runs Julian Owen Associates
Tom McSherry has worked in the financial services industry for 25 years, the last 10 of these at BuildStore. He has undertaken two major projects himself and speaks at self build shows throughout the year.
Calum Taylor is Build It’s publisher. He has completed six major home building projects in the last 30 years and has worked in the media serving the self build market for well over a decade
David Hilton is a renewables and ventilation installer, with over 35 years’ experience. He has a Masters in sustainable architecture, and is an authority on building fabrics, renewables and conventional heating.
Self-Build Zone is a multi-award-winning self build insurance provider, helping thousands of self builders protect their new builds, renovations, conversions and extensions with the correct site insurance and structural warranties for over 20 years.
The energy efficient Unico system is designed to transform the way we heat, cool, ventilate and improve the air quality in our houses. The perfect option for self build homes, where it can be planned into the building fabric, and many renovation projects.
21 Degrees’ products and services include: triple-glazed timber & alu-clad windows, entrance doors and glazed doors; advanced MVHR heat recovery ventilation; specialist airtightness and insulation products; and consultancy services for self builders and architects
For more than 20 years, IDSystems has set the standard for award-winning glazing products. From ultra-slim aluminium sliding doors to innovative slide-and-turn designs and bifolds, its systems have been installed on 1,000s of UK self builds, renovations and extensions.
Stovax & Gazco has been dedicated to the design and manufacture of exceptional stoves, fires and fireplaces for more than 40 years. Today, it is a leading UK stove and fireplace manufacturer, exporting to over 25 countries worldwide.
The National Custom & Self Build Association (NaCSBA) is the voice of the custom and self build sector, with a mission to substantially increase the number of people who are able to build or commission their own home.
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre is the UK’s only permanent venue for independent building advice and support, running a range of events and informative courses each year.
| Feeling inspired?
Time to get your project off the ground! What better place to start than Build It Live? Build It Live takes place three times a year in Kent, Malvern and Exeter. The next show will be on 21st and 22nd February 2026 in Maidstone, Kent. Claim a pair of free tickets today and start planning your visit. |
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