15 brilliant Christmas gift ideas for self-builders 2024
We’ve rounded up the perfect presents for the self-builders – real and aspiring - in your life, with great Christmas gifts for every budget and all (good) tastes
Looking for a Christmas gift ideas for an avid self-builder?
Here’s our pick of the best – plus a few lovely ones for anyone intent on transforming their home into their very own Grand Design…
Music while they work: Eco earbuds
House of Marley Zion True wireless earbuds, £29.99
Whether you’re hard at work on your self-build or relaxing in your completed dream home, music matters. And what better way to listen to you tunes than through a pair of sustainable earbuds from the House of Marley.
The brand created in collaboration with the family of the late, great Bob Marley has a full range of different headphones and speakers as well as turntables, all made from sustainable materials.
These earbuds are made from bamboo and Marley’s own Regrind material, a mixture of 100%-recycled plastic and mica/wood fibre. The lightweight Bluetooth earbuds have a non-occluding fit designed to reduce pressure on the ears, and the transparent charging case delivers up to 16 hours of play time.
Cool heat: Designer electric heater
Everhot stove, from £1,225
Here’s something you didn’t know you wanted until you saw it… an Everhot stove. The Everhot electric stove is designed to look like a small version of the company’s iconic range-style electric cookers.
It’s a super cute mini-stove-shaped electric heater with a small oven inside (though there is a cheaper model without the cooker too).
The stove is available in a range of gorgeous colours, and its stunning design makes it better looking than almost any other electric fire on the market.
The 1.5 kW cast-iron heater will make a beautiful focal point for any room and doesn’t need a flue. You just plug it into a standard socket or can connect it to take power from your solar panels. It’s designed to deliver top-up heat rather than being the main source of heat in a room, but it will look cute as while doing so.
Looking good on site: Steel-toecap boots
Ariat men’s and women’s boots, £140-£145
Safety footwear isn’t traditionally stylish or comfortable, but when you’re working on site these Ariat steel-toecap Chelsea-style boots in designs for both men and women will keep your feet safe, comfortable – and looking good.
The all-rounder men’s Groundbreaker boots (£140) with cushioning and good grip suit construction or farm or yard work. Meanwhile, the women’s Keswick jod boots (£145) have a farmyard-friendly acid-resistant sole.
Gift for anyone: Perfect pots
Elho Winery collection pots, from £6.49
Elho the lovely Dutch folk who make ethical, stylish planters and plant pots have some very cool sustainable ranges made from specific waste products.
Their Ocean range, for example, transforms waste nets from the fishing industry into beautiful blue pots.
They also have a range of plant pots made from coffee roasting waste.
And their latest range of pots in on-trend burgundy and brown shades is made from plastic waste created by wine growers.
Stick in a plant of your choice and you’ve got a gift that anyone would love to receive on Christmas Day.
Perfect for coffee addicts: Barista-quality machine
Fellow Aiden Precision coffee maker, £365
Hot drinks are what sustains any build. And, if you or your builder are a coffee aficionado, you’ll love the brews produced by the new Aiden Precision coffee machine from hip US coffee brand Fellow, available now from Coffee Merch.
The sleek, black machine is reckoned to make coffee of pour-over quality – as good as your favourite barista makes.
It will produce up to ten cups at a time, giving you control over every aspect from temperature to coffee-to-water ratio, if you choose.
Other features include: a stainless steel, double-walled wide-mouth carafe (so you can drink now or later), nearly silent brewing, a silicone lid seal to stop steam hitting the underside of kitchen cabinets, and a detachable water tank for easy refilling
Ethical and stylish: Beautiful baskets
Maison Bengal baskets, from £30
Maison Bengal supplies beautiful, super stylish woven baskets handmade by skilled artisans in Bangladesh.
The mainly women workers are supported by the fair-trade company to weave baskets in their own homes, enabling them to earn an income while caring for their families.
The company supplies baskets in a range of styles and sizes, for use as accessories and storage, as well as tableware, dog baskets, and matting, all made from jute or hogla: gorgeous handmade pieces that will bring an organic warmth to any Grand – or more humble – Design.
Gadget goals: Waterproof TV
ProofVision TVs, from £648
Whether you’re looking for a TV to go in your bathroom or your garden, ProofVision has it covered. Its waterproof bathroom TVs are available in a range of sizes up to 43in, and in three finishes – black, white and mirrored – with Wi-Fi connectivity and smart functionality.
The IP65/IP67 (ingress protection) rating means the sets and remotes are waterproof. Designed to be seamlessly embedded into the bathroom wall, some models also have a heated screen to minimise misting and condensation. A 24in bathroom TV is £648.
The ProofVision Lifestyle Plus NX outdoor TV meanwhile has ultra high definition 4K resolution and a super bright screen to keep the picture clear outside.
With an IP55 rating, it’s designed to be wall-mounted in a semi-shaded area, and boasts an anti-glare screen and a 178 degrees viewing angle that’s ideal for larger gatherings.
A 43in outdoor TV costs £2,138.
Building style: Tool earrings
SilverRainSiver tool studs, £8.55
These sweet little tool-shaped stud earrings from SilverRainSilver on Etsy are perfect for any DIY fan or self-builder with pierced ears.
They are available in sterling silver, rose-gold plated and gold plated versions
For anyone who likes a project: Self-build garden room
Green Retreats Basebox kit, from £9,860
If you know someone who’s not ready to tackle a full house build quite yet, but who could be up for taking on a smaller project, what about gifting them a self-build garden room from the brand endorsed by Kevin McCloud?
The Green Retreats Basebox kit contains everything you need to build one of their simpler, cheaper garden-room models, including:
- pre-assembled building sections ready to fit together
- all the non-standard tools you’ll need
- uPVC French door with window
- comprehensive instructions.
You can add in custom options such as flooring, and kits are available to make rooms up to 2.4 x 3.6m.
Couple gifts: Dual-weight duvets
Norvegr classic collection, white goose 90% down duvet, from £698.79
Whether it’s in that caravan on site, or the finished dream home, sleep can be hard to come by if you’re too hot or too cold. And not everyone enjoys the same sleep temperature – so tussles over the duvet toggage can become a real issue for many couples.
Norvegr, which makes some of the finest down duvets loved by royals, rock stars and interior designers, has an answer to the problem. Part of the firm’s success is down to its sleep consultations that help it tailor-make the perfect, forever duvet for each customer. Now both halves of a couple can complete the consultation to find their perfect dual fill-power.
Because their channelled duvet construction runs from chin to toe to allow for optimum air flow and temperature regulation, this also means each side of the duvet can be filled with a different amount of down.
Norvegr offers a restoration service, where duvets can be returned to Norway to be refilled and rejuvenated. This makes their duvets a lifelong luxury, and means fill levels can be adjusted if your sleep preferences change. Down is sourced from geese that have been slaughtered for meat, and the company doesn’t use cruel live-plucking techniques.
For nature lovers: Hedgehog house
Ark Wildlife’s Dutch barn hedgehog starter kit
Ark Wildlife Dutch barn hedgehog starter kit, £69.99
Here’s a gift for hedgehogs – or any human who loves them. The people at Ark Wildlife really love wildlife, and their products centre creature wellbeing.
This kit contains everything you need to support hedgehogs in your garden: a house suitable for hibernation, bedding, hedgehog food, bowls for food and water, and a guide to supporting hedgehogs in your garden – something more important than ever when their numbers have taken a serious decline.
Gardening gift: Secateur savers
ARS leather secateur holster, £24
ARS’s secateur holster from Henchman would be appreciated by any gardener.
Slip it onto your belt and it’s like having an extra pair of hands to hold your secateurs while you do other jobs, or climb a ladder to reach those hard-to-reach branches.
Saves the inevitable time wasted looking for the tools you’ve put down for a moment and then misplaced.
New builders: Top tool kit
Draper Expert 90-piece tool kit, £156.50
For anyone just starting out on their construction journey, how about a tool kit containing a vast selection of commonly used tools inside a sturdy steel cantilever toolbox?
The Draper Expert 90-piece tool kit includes two 72-tooth reversible ratchets, 16oz claw hammer, combination pliers, long-nose pliers, a range of screwdrivers, tape measure, and a wide selection of combination spanners, screwdriver bits, and sockets.
The box is lined with inserts to help organise your tools and let you clearly spot when something is missing.
All the tools come with Draper’s lifetime warranty too, so they should see any self-builder through years’ of DIY and maintenance jobs.
Perfect for foodies: Posh pizza oven
Gozney X Hedley & Bennett Arc XL pizza oven, £749.99
No outdoor kitchen is complete without a pizza oven, and Gozney ovens have a reputation as some of the best.
A new collab between Gozney and and designer-apron brand Hedley & Bennett has cooked up some fine looking limited edition outdoor pizza ovens in custom shades.
The Arc XL oven features the firm’s innovative lateral rolling flame and special burner, which replicate the flames of traditional wood-fired ovens in a gas oven by distributing the heat more evenly.
And buy before Christmas and you’ll get up to 30% off.
More gorgeous gifts
Pluck makes beautiful and sustainable kitchens, but the brand also has a wonderful online shop full of lovely ceramics and one-off original vintage paintings fit for any Grand Design.
You’ll find some beautiful and quirky gifts there that will please even pickiest of people with intimidatingly good taste.
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