I want to build my own house. How do I go about this?
Discussion
Right, today's castle in the air takes the form of a 4/5 bedroom house with a detached triple garage in the nicer parts of Surrey (Esher, Cobham, Espom) or Buckinghamshire (The Chalfonts, Gerrard's Cross) with about 0.4 acre of land.
I've been doing some day dreaming on Rightmove and I find that for about £500k you can buy yourself a decent patch of land. It's not easy to find something you'd like, but I think if you bide your time you can find a bit of earth to call your own.
I think I fancy (today, that is!) something that looks like a stucco villa, a la Hamilton Terrace in London.
What do we think it costs a square foot to build yourself a house? In imitation Georgian style?
What do we need to consider?
What could you if you're starting from scratch that you couldn't do easily when you take over an exiting building? I'm thinking solar panels!
Exterior, interior and wild ideas all welcome! Just cost 'e, up please.
Is it possible to do this all in for 1 million? 500k on the land and 500k on the house build (not including furntiure, but including fixtures like a kitchen etc).
I've been doing some day dreaming on Rightmove and I find that for about £500k you can buy yourself a decent patch of land. It's not easy to find something you'd like, but I think if you bide your time you can find a bit of earth to call your own.
I think I fancy (today, that is!) something that looks like a stucco villa, a la Hamilton Terrace in London.
What do we think it costs a square foot to build yourself a house? In imitation Georgian style?
What do we need to consider?
What could you if you're starting from scratch that you couldn't do easily when you take over an exiting building? I'm thinking solar panels!
Exterior, interior and wild ideas all welcome! Just cost 'e, up please.
Is it possible to do this all in for 1 million? 500k on the land and 500k on the house build (not including furntiure, but including fixtures like a kitchen etc).
Edited by AdvocatusD on Sunday 21st August 20:29
http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/
buy the magazine
go to the shows
talk to the trade
thats where we were last year - we are fingers crossed on pp for a plot so we can start building in the new year
http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/your-projects/luxuri... you might like this?
buy the magazine
go to the shows
talk to the trade
thats where we were last year - we are fingers crossed on pp for a plot so we can start building in the new year
http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/your-projects/luxuri... you might like this?
Edited by Zarkingfardwarks on Sunday 21st August 20:51
Way back when, when building houses, we used to base the cost (Stone built) on £250 per square meter of floor space.
However, that was based on materials only as we would do most of the work (not the electrics) our selves and now it would probably be more in the region of £350.
To have it built, double it, or more likely in your part of the country, triple it.
However, that was based on materials only as we would do most of the work (not the electrics) our selves and now it would probably be more in the region of £350.
To have it built, double it, or more likely in your part of the country, triple it.
Cram as much insulation in as possible! Solar panels/pv could be a good idea. Certainly make more sense for new build as opposed to adding them on.
Go in to the ground. Yeah, it's expensive, but it's perfect for home cinema and gym type areas, which I'd imagine you'd want in a house in that sort of area come resale time. Plus, it's loads of extra space without taking away from the garden.
Cabling to all main rooms for speakers so you can have music around the entire house.
Cost all depends on how much space you need/want?
You could probably get 2500-3000sqft for £500k? That would be a decent size for 4 beds.
Go in to the ground. Yeah, it's expensive, but it's perfect for home cinema and gym type areas, which I'd imagine you'd want in a house in that sort of area come resale time. Plus, it's loads of extra space without taking away from the garden.
Cabling to all main rooms for speakers so you can have music around the entire house.
Cost all depends on how much space you need/want?
You could probably get 2500-3000sqft for £500k? That would be a decent size for 4 beds.
If you have half an hour to spare, then read this fellow PHers homebuild .... it's a fantastic read. Might give you some clues/ideas 
http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm
http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm
Depending how big your house is, I think you might struggle with a £500k building budget.
You can of course go very upmarket but:
As a guide I would allow £150 per sq ft X say 3,000fs = £450,000. This will give you a reasonable kitchen and bathrooms in keeping with a £1m house, without going mad.
Plus decent triple garage at say £50,000
Fees and costs would add another 12% - say £60,000
I am assuming that ground conditions and access are reasonable and there are no basements.
Plus landscaping - don't underestimate the costs of getting half an acre to look good.
Get a local architect with a good reputation and try not to change your mind as the build progresses. Attention to detail at the design stage can save fortunes later on.
Good luck.
You can of course go very upmarket but:
As a guide I would allow £150 per sq ft X say 3,000fs = £450,000. This will give you a reasonable kitchen and bathrooms in keeping with a £1m house, without going mad.
Plus decent triple garage at say £50,000
Fees and costs would add another 12% - say £60,000
I am assuming that ground conditions and access are reasonable and there are no basements.
Plus landscaping - don't underestimate the costs of getting half an acre to look good.
Get a local architect with a good reputation and try not to change your mind as the build progresses. Attention to detail at the design stage can save fortunes later on.
Good luck.
My self build plan went something like this
1) Watch Grand Designs lots
2) Be very impressed
3) realise I'm never going to be able to afford any of it, short of a lottery win
4) buy a small 1970's ex-council box for far too much money
I did actually do some research to see if it could be done on my meagre budget, the answer was a definite no, but would still be something I'd love to do one day.
Good luck, and I hope it all comes together for you!
1) Watch Grand Designs lots
2) Be very impressed
3) realise I'm never going to be able to afford any of it, short of a lottery win
4) buy a small 1970's ex-council box for far too much money
I did actually do some research to see if it could be done on my meagre budget, the answer was a definite no, but would still be something I'd love to do one day.
Good luck, and I hope it all comes together for you!
l8lue, your thread has arrived.Kinky said:
If you have half an hour to spare, then read this fellow PHers homebuild .... it's a fantastic read. Might give you some clues/ideas
http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm
Great read!http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm
Dom
Kinky said:
If you have half an hour to spare, then read this fellow PHers homebuild .... it's a fantastic read. Might give you some clues/ideas
http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm
Cracking read that. Thanks http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm
I've been contemplating this too. As a rough guide you need to look at the cost of land+build+20% and ensure the valuation meets or exceeds this. If not it's uneconomical.
Similarly as a rough idea you should look to spend about the same on build as the land to maximise the value. No point in spending 500k on land and puttin g a 3 bed with a single garage there.
AFAIK a good guide is 1000 sq foot for build but in Surry as previous poster says this may be short.
Similarly as a rough idea you should look to spend about the same on build as the land to maximise the value. No point in spending 500k on land and puttin g a 3 bed with a single garage there.
AFAIK a good guide is 1000 sq foot for build but in Surry as previous poster says this may be short.
General rule of thumb
Spend the same on the build as you spend on the land.
3000 sqft will get you 5 beds with at least 3 ensuite, 3/4 recept. Good spec build will be £120-150 per sqft (less for a housebuilder). Triple garage will be no more than £20k unless you go mad with spec.
I am an ex Director of Charles Church so have a little experience with up market houses
I would also suggest that if you have no experience the nest way would be top find a good local small developer and employ him as a contractor. You will pay a bit more for the build but will probably save yourself a heap of cockups which will have cost.
They key thing is check the previous work of the developer etc. I can recommend an excellent Midlands based one who knows Surrey, but he may be too far away. He has the world best attention to detail and finish and is an expert on high value new homes.
Spend the same on the build as you spend on the land.
3000 sqft will get you 5 beds with at least 3 ensuite, 3/4 recept. Good spec build will be £120-150 per sqft (less for a housebuilder). Triple garage will be no more than £20k unless you go mad with spec.
I am an ex Director of Charles Church so have a little experience with up market houses
I would also suggest that if you have no experience the nest way would be top find a good local small developer and employ him as a contractor. You will pay a bit more for the build but will probably save yourself a heap of cockups which will have cost.
They key thing is check the previous work of the developer etc. I can recommend an excellent Midlands based one who knows Surrey, but he may be too far away. He has the world best attention to detail and finish and is an expert on high value new homes.
We have a 4/5 bed house on 0.5 acre with a 3.5bay garage in Cambridgeshire - self built over the last couple of years.
Your land costs sound horrendous, but may be reasonable for the areas you're looking at. Get an account with Plotfinder (http://www.plotfinder.net) and take a look round some sites to get a feel for the range of options. Remember you're competing against builders who would want to stick at least five houses on a plot that size, so they're working on completely different economics to you. Ideally you want to find a plot where they can't do that, either due to planning restrictions or local conditions.
The professional house builders here will tell you that you can build for £2.50 a square metre, but realistically as an 'amateur', you'll be paying professionals like them to do most of the work. That means you pay their wages and other incidental expenses that they would be experts at keeping down. You will also be getting your materials at 'one off' rates from the builder's merchants. You can negotiate decent discounts, but as you're only (ever) going to be building one house, there's not much incentive for a them to give you rock bottom prices.
So the bottom line is that the prices in magazines like Homebuilding and Rennovation are probably about right. If you're looking at a high spec house the last time I looked (admittedly about two years ago), that works out at £1500 per square metre. So a modest 4/5 bedroom house at 200 sqm works out at £300K. Go and look at houses in your area to get a sense for what that size means before you think it's too expensive/a bargain.
The biggest problem is spec creep. When you're building for yourself, the temptation will always be to upgrade a little. Buy cheap door hinges at £1 a go, or good quality ball bearing hinges at £3 a go? It only sounds like a couple of quid extra, but you've just blown your budget by 200%. I've met hardened builders who'll freely admit that when they've built for themselves, they end up doing just the same and buying the 'next one up' and going over budget.
Get the Housebuilders Bible (http://www.housebuildersbible.co.uk/) which covers the whole process and many of your options.
Oh and finally, don't underestimate how much time and energy this will take. Watching Grand Designs, you'd think a house can be built in an hour. Pay attention and you'll notice that they glossed over the 9 year long planning battle, year of negotiations to buy the plot, 6 months of down time due to unexpected problems (foundations, money, weather, suppliers), and two years of actual building. At the end of all that, the final big reveal usually skips over the room(s) that haven't been finished, the missing skirting boards, the complete lack of furnishings and fixtures and fittings like curtain rails and the other details that will probably take another six months to finish.
On the other hand, you can end up with a house that exactly matches your needs, to a higher spec than you could otherwise afford and with better running costs than any of your neighbours. That feels rather good.
Your land costs sound horrendous, but may be reasonable for the areas you're looking at. Get an account with Plotfinder (http://www.plotfinder.net) and take a look round some sites to get a feel for the range of options. Remember you're competing against builders who would want to stick at least five houses on a plot that size, so they're working on completely different economics to you. Ideally you want to find a plot where they can't do that, either due to planning restrictions or local conditions.
The professional house builders here will tell you that you can build for £2.50 a square metre, but realistically as an 'amateur', you'll be paying professionals like them to do most of the work. That means you pay their wages and other incidental expenses that they would be experts at keeping down. You will also be getting your materials at 'one off' rates from the builder's merchants. You can negotiate decent discounts, but as you're only (ever) going to be building one house, there's not much incentive for a them to give you rock bottom prices.
So the bottom line is that the prices in magazines like Homebuilding and Rennovation are probably about right. If you're looking at a high spec house the last time I looked (admittedly about two years ago), that works out at £1500 per square metre. So a modest 4/5 bedroom house at 200 sqm works out at £300K. Go and look at houses in your area to get a sense for what that size means before you think it's too expensive/a bargain.
The biggest problem is spec creep. When you're building for yourself, the temptation will always be to upgrade a little. Buy cheap door hinges at £1 a go, or good quality ball bearing hinges at £3 a go? It only sounds like a couple of quid extra, but you've just blown your budget by 200%. I've met hardened builders who'll freely admit that when they've built for themselves, they end up doing just the same and buying the 'next one up' and going over budget.
Get the Housebuilders Bible (http://www.housebuildersbible.co.uk/) which covers the whole process and many of your options.
Oh and finally, don't underestimate how much time and energy this will take. Watching Grand Designs, you'd think a house can be built in an hour. Pay attention and you'll notice that they glossed over the 9 year long planning battle, year of negotiations to buy the plot, 6 months of down time due to unexpected problems (foundations, money, weather, suppliers), and two years of actual building. At the end of all that, the final big reveal usually skips over the room(s) that haven't been finished, the missing skirting boards, the complete lack of furnishings and fixtures and fittings like curtain rails and the other details that will probably take another six months to finish.
On the other hand, you can end up with a house that exactly matches your needs, to a higher spec than you could otherwise afford and with better running costs than any of your neighbours. That feels rather good.
blueg33 said:
Depending on exactly where in surrey, the land value seems ok to me.
I've just been looking at current prices - rather glad we bought our plot when we did!On the other hand, if you're willing to live in the middle of nowhere:
http://www.plotfinder.net/plot/group-4-barns-set-3...
£300K for 3 acres and full PP for a 750sqm house. That'll make a lovely property.
AdvocatusD said:
Is it possible to do this all in for 1 million? 500k on the land and 500k on the house build (not including furntiure, but including fixtures like a kitchen etc).
I doubt it in Esher or everyone would be doing it! The only good sized plots that I have seen in that area come with old fashioned houses already built on them and are still £1m+, and then you would have to allow for demolition costs etc.
I don't think that £500k for building a house is too far out, but the land in these expensive areas will cost loads.
Here is a half acre plot a few miles away for £1.75m
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
Esher is a bit cheaper than Coombe, but not by much. If you get offered a plot for £500k in Esher, make sure you check it isn't right next to the A3!
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