House Build

[wcel]

I'm looking to build a house (in Scotland) but being new to this, it's a minefield out there and I feel a bit lost.

We've identified a plot we would love to live on, but am trying to work out a likely market value for a completed house on that plot, and then work back to a likely build budget however that doesn't mean anyone would lend me that amount of money.

I thought I'd approach a mortgage lender to get an idea of what they would lend against our income however they want detailed plans etc before processing the application.

If I approach a builder, they want to know what my build budget is before discussing further.

I feel like I'm stuck in a bit of a chicken and an egg moment

Anyone got any advice?

P.S I am a powerfully built guy, but I'm no company director and I'm not interested in hammering frozen sausages in anyones lawn (actually that's a lie but that's another story)

[worsy]

wcel said:

I'm looking to build a house (in Scotland) but being new to this, it's a minefield out there and I feel a bit lost.

We've identified a plot we would love to live on, but am trying to work out a likely market value for a completed house on that plot, and then work back to a likely build budget however that doesn't mean anyone would lend me that amount of money.

I thought I'd approach a mortgage lender to get an idea of what they would lend against our income however they want detailed plans etc before processing the application.

If I approach a builder, they want to know what my build budget is before discussing further.

I feel like I'm stuck in a bit of a chicken and an egg moment

Anyone got any advice?

P.S I am a powerfully built guy, but I'm no company director and I'm not interested in hammering frozen sausages in anyones lawn (actually that's a lie but that's another story)

Have a chat with buildstore (https://www.buildstore.co.uk/) to see your mortgage options. You will need 15% deposit minimum, and I'd advise more to ensure you can keep the build ticking over whilst you wait for drawdown funds.

For value, you can only hazard a guess based on other comparable builds. You might wish to talk with a local agent to understand their view. However that being said, many self builds are not commercially profitable because you simply cannot get the economies of scale that building firms will apply. In addition a single plot may have particular issues where costs can easily mount up.

There are various calculators available which will give you a likely cost per square foot, but as a complete newbie without a friendly builder to help, I'd go and see a local architect with good QS experience who can give you a steer.

[Equus]

Assuming you have no plans drawn up, yet:

1) First make absolutely sure that the plot you're looking at is a serious prospect for Planning Permission and can accommodate what you want to build, before committing to purchase.

2) Work out how big (m2 floor area) the house you want to build will need to be, realistically.

3) Multiply (2) by an estimated build cost per m2, depending on the likely cost of the sort of design/quality and method of contract management you have in mind

4) Add (3) to the land value, to arrive at a total estimated project cost.

5) Look at similar properties in the area, to establish a likely value.

6) Subtract (4) from (5), and if the number is anywhere close to being negative, run away!

Give me a (brief, please - I'm very busy at present) call, if you want to talk though any of the above; contact details on my profile.

[wcel]

worsy said:

Have a chat with buildstore (https://www.buildstore.co.uk/) to see your mortgage options

I spoke to them previously, before I had the deposit side of things, but had totally forgotten about them, so thanks for reminding me.

The plot already has outline planning so should be relatively easy to get full planning (but won't be purchased till everything is in place). I've had a look at the market round about to gauge a ceiling price for commercial values of houses

The one thing I can't seem to find a guide figure on is for groundworks up to slab level. Anyone able to suggest likely costs per sqm for going from a grass field to concrete slab with trench fill foundations?

[Shenanigans]

Depending on the council in which you plan to build in....make sure you allow for educational contributions. It can potentially be a project killer!

[Equus]

wcel said:

The one thing I can't seem to find a guide figure on is for groundworks up to slab level. Anyone able to suggest likely costs per sqm for going from a grass field to concrete slab with trench fill foundations?

You won't find a cost/m2 for foundations, because for obvious reasons they're measured in linear metres, not square metres.

...and even just with trench fill, costs can vary dramatically according to depth (and foundatiosn costs can vary even more dramatically if you get into other construction techniques due to ground conditions, or whatever.

It's a waste of time to try to get into this level of analysis, without having a design - stick to overall cost/m2 to start off with, and refine your cost model as you go along.

[Equus]

Shenanigans said:

...It can potentially be a project killer!

If you don't have a decent Planning Consultant.

It's this sort of thing that makes it laughably false economy to try to 'save' money by not using experts.

[GetCarter]

O/P

I built a house (with zero knowledge) in NW Highland Scotland 14 years ago.

I 'blogged' it >>> http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm

Feel free to e mail me for what little advice I can offer.

[Jaybmw]

GetCarter said:

O/P

I built a house (with zero knowledge) in NW Highland Scotland 14 years ago.

I 'blogged' it >>> http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm

Feel free to e mail me for what little advice I can offer.

Spent an hour in the sun reading this while I should be in my bjj class. Thank you sir you are mental

[wcel]

GetCarter said:

I built a house (with zero knowledge) in NW Highland Scotland 14 years ago.

I 'blogged' it >>> http://www.stevecarter.com/build/build.htm

Absolutely brilliant reading, and thank you for sharing it! Found myself snorting along at various bits, and having experienced similar issues with tradesmen whilst building my parents house, it's left me feeling that a turnkey package is the way to go nowadays

GetCarter said:

If I could have found a building firm to take my plans and turn them into a house without bothering me - if they could have been given a budget and stuck to it, and a timeframe that they would keep to and phoned me up two years later saying, 'Your house is ready Mr Carter' I would do it again at the drop of a hat

Thats exactly what I'm hoping to do, just need to get the price at a sensible level that allows them profit but doesn't leave me penniless for decades!

[wcel]

Almost 4 months from my original post, I have an update.

Missives have been concluded on the plot and the architect is now, hopefully, designing our dream house. The builder is lined up and its all coming together slowly

Exciting, stressful, and expensive times ahead

[NorthDave]

wcel said:

Almost 4 months from my original post, I have an update.

Missives have been concluded on the plot and the architect is now, hopefully, designing our dream house. The builder is lined up and its all coming together slowly

Exciting, stressful, and expensive times ahead

Good work! I'd love to do this one day. Please do keep the thread updated. There are loads of people on here who can sanity check the architects plans too.

[hornmeister]

wcel said:

I'm looking to build a house (in Scotland) but being new to this, it's a minefield out there and I feel a bit lost.

I would suggest looking at a different plot as clearing the mines may well be expensive as it will be a specialist job.

[VEX]

Congrats. Its stressful, but get it right it will be worth it!

Happy to help out with tech advice and remote consults etc if needed.

V.

[drgav2005]

wcel said:

Almost 4 months from my original post, I have an update.

Missives have been concluded on the plot and the architect is now, hopefully, designing our dream house. The builder is lined up and its all coming together slowly

Exciting, stressful, and expensive times ahead

Congratulations!

I'm currently on my second house build in S. Lanarkshire. Last one was in 2008 and the current one started this January and we're hoping to be in early March next year.

Get ready for making millions of decisions! Feel free to give me a shout and I'll pass on my (limited) experience. Good Luck!

[cmvtec]

I've just spent a quiet few hours in the office reading your blog, absolutely fabulous.

[MOBB]

hornmeister said:

wcel said:

I'm looking to build a house (in Scotland) but being new to this, it's a minefield out there and I feel a bit lost.

I would suggest looking at a different plot as clearing the mines may well be expensive as it will be a specialist job.

Underrated post

[hobbiniho1]

congratulations on getting this far, i can recommend you joining the forum at buildhub (forum.buildhub.org.uk) as there is an absolute massive wealth of information availiable and some very experienced self builders

[Jambo85]

Sounds like you’ve got everything lined up OP but I’d be happy to recommend our builder if you put it out to tender.

Question everything!

[wcel]

A year since this thread and I suddenly remembered about it and thought I'd have a look back and see what advice had been given.. It's quite entertaining reading how green I was about it all.

A year later, and I'm still very much green, but always learning.

The site is coming along nicely - foundations are in and the drains/structural floor slab are going in imminently. The timber frame kit should be on site this month too

We had originally planned to spend around £x on the build, but we're building bigger than we thought, and always seem to pick the more expensive of any options given, so budget has now risen to about £1.7x

The house was going to be a stop gap for up to 10 years, however I'm now planning this as a long term house

The only advice I'd give myself for next time, or anyone else planning it, is nail down the budgets from the start (if money is important/tight). Don't just go with the flow like I have (but thankfully am in a position to do so)