A DEVOTED dad who built a new home for his family has been crowned as a winner of a campaign that shines the spotlight on self-builders.

CRL is delighted to announce that Roy Austin, of Scorrier in Cornwall, is one of three winners selected to take part in its Venturous Builds campaign – an inspiring new web series that will showcase Britain’s inspiring self-builders and their construction achievements.

Roy, 36, who built a contemporary family eco-home called Rosedene, has been selected by the structural defects insurance specialist as being truly venturous of spirit.

The campaign, which saw CRL launch its logo into space, aimed to inspire those who have dared to be venturous, brave and unorthodox to share the details of their venturous builds. Winners will have their project filmed and featured on the online show.

Roy, who is an Architectural Technologist with SPS Architectural Services in Redruth, went down the self-build route after moving to Cornwall five years ago with his wife Gemma and three children. The main design brief was to accommodate the needs of his son who has Cerebral Palsy, and therefore worked closely with specialists and therapist to accommodate his needs.

After failing to find anything suitable on the market, the family decided to go it alone and build a family home, with the purchase of a building plot with planning permission. Keeping with the original concept the house was re-designed to accommodate the family needs.

Working with Frame Homes of Redruth, Construction got under way in October 2014 and was completed just eight months later. Built on a 90-degree curve, Rosedene is fully accessible with a wheelchair lift, accessible bathrooms and wide doorways throughout, and is a happy family home.

Roy said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen as one of the winners of the campaign and that our achievements have been recognised. After three years of struggling to find a home suitable for my family, in the right location, we decided on a self-build.

“I’ve worked in architecture for 14 years, so have always had an interest in design, especially with bespoke properties. I felt considering the cost of buying a house to adapt or extend to cater for my son who has cerebral palsy, it would be more cost effective to build something from scratch to and incorporate everything we needed from day one.

“We are really pleased with the end result and happy to be living in our dream home.”

The filming of these unique projects is now underway, with the first episode of Venturous Builds going live in the coming weeks. The Venturous Builds web series will be hosted by English designer and regeneration expert Wayne Hemingway.

CRL CEO Steve Mansour said: “We’ve been blown away by the quality of all of the entries we’ve received for our Venturous Builds campaign. You’ve proved that the UK has some truly venturous self-builders and developers. Thank you to everyone who entered.

“However, we were looking for the one-offs, the inspiring, the ingenious construction projects to feature in our Venturous Builds web series. Roy clearly demonstrates that he has the courage, determination and an unwavering belief in his ability to create something truly unique.

“Venturous builds celebrates the pioneering self-builders who, against the odds, have dared to dream big and have created the homes of their dreams.”

Commenting on the winners, Wayne Hemingway said: “My wife and I designed and built our own home 19 years ago when our kids were young and it has been a true life enhancing experience ever since.

“Designing and building your own home is about getting something you really want, rather than getting a house someone else has designed or settling for what’s on the market. Roy clearly knew what he wanted when it came to his home and he clearly is revelling in the results.

“Venturous Builds celebrates fantastic self-built homes and shows it’s about the spirit of getting on and doing it.  It is truly inspiring to witness the people and the love of what they have achieved at the end of the process.”

CRL does not shy away from arranging insurance for unusual projects, including new builds, complete or partially completed builds, timber frame constructions, prefabricated properties, mixed-use projects, conversions and insolvent properties.

The construction insurance experts recognise that every opportunity is different. With CRL there is no set criteria – just an appetite for adventure.