Thanks Arimeh you've been a big help i really would love to build..there's a part of me thats up for the challenge and i think i'd really enjoy it but then i think of the kids and poor DH who works so hard and i don't know if its fair to put them through the stress of it all. I've talked about if briefly with DH and he isn't totally against it but he's worried about the extra costs and all the red tape...
hmmmm something to ponder over i guess.
Thanks so much for the info everyone