Interested in building my own home, something very small but in a rural location. Am interested to know if it's doable for between 140-160k inc land?

I'm a pretty good DIY'er and would muck in with what I could...

James

[Edited on 20/4/07 by cloudy]

Depends on price of land in chosen location ( £60k here for a small plot) and your chosen method of construction. Also how much labour you have to pay for/do yourself.
Materials for a small dwelling should come to about £50k. This does not allow for; Architect, planning fees, etc.
Check out self build magazines.

[Edited on 20/4/07 by Confused but excited.]

i am a qs for a house builder by trade, if land values are anything like up here in county durham/ northumberland i think you may struggle but it is possible. average plot of land say 100k plus around 60K to build 3bed detatched - additional cost to look at would be services etc. thats not to say that you cant just build a shell with the basics inside then add extra when able.

Hth

Just starting the long task of researching all the aspects, I can draw many parallel's with researching self built cars!

Bascially just after a some pointers as to whether it's practical - even if I have to manage the budget particulary well

I'm single so would only have an income around the 30k mark to mortgage from plus say a 10k deposit.

I hear 95% mortgage on land + build is available...

James

Hi

I've also been looking into this and the biggest problem you' d have with your budget is getting land at a sufficiently low cost.

Particullarly if it already has planning. Obviously the cost will vary with location.

Watch out for scams! There is lots of land advertised at tantalising low prices hinting that you'll get planning but you never will.

A good thing to do is give the local council a ring and see if they have any land they are disposing of. Also, some times developers odd bits they can't quite make their estates fit so they get rid of them cheaper.

This idea appeals to me, but apart from the above where do you look for/find land/building plots for sale? not looked into it but normal estate agents have never advertised anything that I've seen.

Ned.

I understand:

http://www.buildstore.co.uk/affiliates/nationalbuildingplotregister/?affiliate=SelfBuildIt


Is the best place, but the below one is free to get a taster..

http://www.selfbuildabc.co.uk/directory/land-for-sale.asp

[Edited on 20/4/07 by cloudy]

Don’t buy land that has not had its planning permission granted, you can make this a condition of payment.

Don’t p!ss off the local council with houses that stand out. Look around and try to make one that blends in and is finished in similar materials i.e. roofing and brick finish.

If you buy land even before you get the house design approved be nice to your new neighbours and considerate. Listen to their views and objections, few have none. The last thing you need is them objecting to your house.

1) Get water connected ASAP, just to a tap will do fine

2) Get a porta loo (no seriously).

3) If it is a largish house buy an old digger, it will pay for itself in about 1 week! They’re easy to use.

4) Don’t pay any trades man till you are happy with their work and get an agreed date for completion of the work.

5) If you’re new to this hire a project supervisor on an agreed fixed price.

6) Get a trade account and keep all receipts (vat ones) you can buy a new car on the money you get back

7) Build something reasonable with about 20k spare over what you think it will cost as most folk run out of cash due to unforeseen issues.

There’s loads more things, if you need some advise just ask.


[Edited on 20/4/07 by Mr Whippy]

James, for a first time project you could do worse than look at Potton. They not only supply you with the structure but help with the planning, building regs, land accqusition etc. etc. Some people are on their 6th or 7th Potton. Good luck. Cheers, Pewe

There's a few potton self builds in the village i'm in now - look great,

I presumed they would be rather expensive though?
I wouldn't mind a pattern house in their heritage style

quote:

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Originally posted by ned
This idea appeals to me, but apart from the above where do you look for/find land/building plots for sale? not looked into it but normal estate agents have never advertised anything that I've seen.

Ned.

---

Potton have show houses not far from you at their HQ. Worth going to one of their free seminars to glean ideas/methods. I agree they are rel. expensive but a) look good (most) and b) they know the score and c) they don't pressure you as it's your build. P.

The self build magazines have plenty of adverts for land in the back, have a flick through in WHSmiths. One good method (depending on the planning authority) is to buy a semi-derelict bungalow no one wants and get planning permission to pull it down and build something nice in it's place. Check with the planning guys before paying a penny though.

Building your own house isn't particularly complicated or difficult, but it seems to be a massive sink for time, and if you aren't self controlled cash.

Best way to start is to go along to one of the self build shows and grab as much information as possible.
e.g. http://www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/

Good luck, it's on my list of things to do as well

A house will cost you about £500-£600 per m2 of internal floow space, but this doesn't include the land.

A decent plot will set you back about £100-£200k, such is the way the property and land markets are working at the moment.

A cheaper way of aquiring land is to find something that doesn't have any planning permission yet, but the risk is that you may never get the permission.

Keep seaching and you'll find the perfect plot for your needs and budget (even if it's a derelict house that you bulldose - it can sometimes be chepaer than a virgin plot).

go to www.plotsearch.co.uk and www.buildstore.co.uk - they're both run by the same people and will answer 99% of your questions, plus are a good resource for discounts when you start.

Lastly, consider building a Strutural Insulated Panel house (timber framed) - the building will be sealed far quicker, which allows you to get the skilled trades in much quicker in the build. Have a look at www.maplehomes.co.uk for a bit of inspiration.

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses.htm



Arguably the tiniest fully-functional homes in the world. From 60 square feet all the way up to a 'spacious' 600 square feet!

(too bad he doesn't list some of his older designs anymore.. I actually liked those better)

quote:

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Originally posted by akumabito
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses.htm



Arguably the tiniest fully-functional homes in the world. From 60 square feet all the way up to a 'spacious' 600 square feet!

(too bad he doesn't list some of his older designs anymore.. I actually liked those better)

---

Concrete geodesic dome, covered with earth and grass?


Dome-houses are pretty cool btw, even when they're not subterran..

http://www.domehome.com/
http://www.desertdomes.com/
http://www.aidomes.com/

The only land I've seen here, for sale, is the end of a pub garden. Builders seem to put 3 - 5 houses on the plot. The down side is that you'll live next to a pub.

Watch Grand Designs on channel 4. I've learned 2 lessons:

Hide 1/3 of all the money you've got and don't tell anyone about it. When the project runs over budget, you won't have to mortgage the cat to pay your bills.

Slip some 2 week gaps into your timing plan and don't tell anyone about them. When your builders run over time, you won't miss your "slot" with the next lot when it's their turn.

Oh, and while you're at it, pay the extra for good insulation, good double glazing and solar hot water. They'll pay for themselves pretty quickly and they're a whole lot cheaper to install on a new build than they are to retrofit, after all you're going to have a boiler and windows, it isn't much more for the good stuff.

one good way to find land is drive around the area looking for large overgrown gardens, as long as you can get vehicular access to the plot, there is a chance of building. look around and see if any of the neighbours have sold there gardens. sounds daft, but writing the owners a letter asking if they will sell just might work. also dont forget you can apply for planning permission even on land you dont own.
We built a 5 bed stone built detached about 3 year ago, a firm of reputable builders did everything even got the decorators in. and we came in at just over £100k.

I guess most home-builders (regardless of the project, whether it be a house or a car) could agree: make a careful time and budget planning, and when you make double-sure you've factored in absolutely everything, double every value, and you'll begin to get some realistic numbers..

I always fancied a self build house too.
Lets all agree on a location so we can sort out a group buy on a plot of land, got to be cheaper per person plus we'll all be neighbours with great garages, tools and cool cars!

A locost neighborhood!

Where can I buy "Build a house for 2,500 quid. (and live in it!)"?