The National Self Build & Renovation Centre is the UK'S only permanent venue for independent homebuilding advice & support. Established in 2007, and owned by our employees since 2014, we have helped almost a quarter of a million visitors build their own dream home or extend and improve their existing property.
We believe people deserve better homes.
We can help you create a better home by delivering on our three key promises:
We’ll inspire you by showcasing the very best building methods, innovations and technologies.
We’ll inform you with our expert helpdesk and range of shows, workshops, and educational courses.
We’ll always offer impartial advice you can trust.
The NSBRC is open six days a week for visitors. Our standard opening hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 17:30pm | Sunday 10:00am - 16:30pm
Renovate the past...build your future!
Our Renovation Course is delivered by NSBRC Helpdesk Expert, David Hilton. David is an authority in sustainable building and energy efficiency, with extensive knowledge in building fabrics and heating systems.
Ask An Architect
For many years, we have been proud to offer our ‘Ask An Architect’ Surgeries. Produced in partnership with The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) we regularly offer free personal consultations with architects to discuss ideas for designing and building your own home or renovating or reconfiguring your existing home.
You can benefit from a strictly no obligation 25 minute meeting with a RIBA member. Due to their popularity, these sessions must be booked in advance.
An important (and often stressful) part of any self build project is gaining planning permission. In this limited capacity session, we discuss the planning system, how you can best prepare a successful application and costly pit-falls to avoid.
Around 13,000 people self build their own homes in the UK each year. Self built homes are typically bespoke, with layouts designed around your needs and lifestyle, and provide a high level of finish. With a focus on build quality, self builders enjoy houses that are energy efficient, often far exceeding building regulations. Discover how we can help you begin your own journey towards building a better home.
Renovating or extending a house can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. It can provide you and your family with additional space, reduce your energy bills and with careful planning, it can also be a shrewd investment. We’ll help you understand the options available to you, the various stages of a project, and typical pitfalls to avoid, so you can create your own dream home.
As an independent, employee-owned business, the NSBRC is a proud member of the following associations:
One of our three key promises is to inspire you by show-casing the very best building methods, trends and technologies.
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre is proud to be home to over 200 permanent exhibitors, chosen for their respected and relevant offering, and their knowledge and understanding of the self build and renovation community.
We encourage you to engage with our exhibitors. As you will discover, they can cover every aspect of a building project, from foundations to flooring, walls to windows, roofing to renewables and much, much more…
On Monday 27th June Team NSBRC visited Graven Hill, the UK’s largest self and custom build site. A dozen of our employee-owners took the opportunity to view this exciting site first-hand, and hear from the Graven Hill team about how things are progressing and future plans for the development.
‘Help to Build’ is a brand new government equity loan scheme, designed to help fund your custom or self build home and the big news is that applications will open for Help to Build: Equity Loan on Monday 27 June 2022.
The government is providing grants to encourage property owners to install low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps, through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). These grants can help property owners overcome the upfront cost of low carbon heating technologies. We will be posting more information on the BUS in the coming weeks, but here are the main things you need to know…
