A man from Hampshire has constructed his house himself by spending nearly $179,000.

The 51-year-old had no prior experience in the field and most of the guidance he used for the project came from YouTube video tutorials.

It took Graham Harley a whole decade to complete building his five-bed bungalow in Ringwood. The house is obviously worth way above the $179,000 Harley spent on the construction.

Harley maintained a balance among his job, family and building work as he learned the skills like plastering and roofing that were necessary to complete the project.

He decided to start building his own house when a building contractor sarcastically told him that anyone could build a house if they tried.

The house Harley has constructed consists of a main building and a pair of other buildings containing a gym and a TV room.

The main building has two bathrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, and a big lounge area.

Keeping in mind that houses in his locality cost somewhere near $600,000, Harley has saved quite a bit of money.

However, Harley is not going to sell the house. He has plans of moving in with his partner Mandie Wales and live there after retirement.

Harley said: “I got the idea years ago. A friend of mine was building their own house and they asked if I could carry the blocks.

“So I did that and watched the work. I got to know a builder very well.

“When the opportunity arose I asked him to come and have a look [at my property]. He turned up and said it would be easy.

“It wasn’t the answer I was expecting! He then disappeared for a few years but when he turned up again I had started building.

“I had taken him out of context – he meant to just do the brickwork. It’s been a labor of love. The family have been very supportive.

“I would work as long as the light allowed. Everything took longer because I was learning.”

Mandie added: “Initially I didn’t think much would come of it. Graham just said he was going to do it – he reckoned it would take 18 months.

“This is now our long-term home. We can completely retire here. There’s a wet room downstairs.”

 

 

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