morsing

Ok, Thanks, definitely some food for thought. I'll start by seeking out the local planning policies. Adding £400 000 to the plot cost will put a damper on the build itself. I do think setting a minimum plot size for builds would stop the cramped developments popping up all around where we live. Regards, Henrik Morsing

Hi, Thanks for the thoughts. I see why costs was brought up. I didn't realise I was looking at cheap problem plots, I had been going on onthemarket over the last year setting pricing between £0-100k having no idea what it should cost, and most plots were £20-40k so assumed that was what to expect. Even if they come with planning permission, they wouldn't come with permission for our specific design though? I'm hoping a very low (height-wise) and low-key bungalow would attract less arguments. We have been looking at this a couple of times (potentially offering to buy half of it): West Leith Land for sale - £100,000 (onthemarket.com) But when I called the agent, he said there was alpacas on it and we'd never get planning permission for a property. I find that statement extremely odd, what is he basing that on? Regards, Henrik Morsing

Good morning and thanks for the comments. Not sure why cost was brought up, I was mostly interested in time-scales and planning. It seems like planning permission is what generally causes problems. What in particular? Annoying neighbours? Council? And why? Hopefully a fairly low, un-obtrusive bungalow won't be too offensive. Speaking to Ström and explaining what we were after, they said £3 500 - £4 000/m2 but I hadn't shown them a photo, so without the glass and fancy stuff they normally do, I am hopping with their fees we can stay around £4 000/m2. Yes, drains, electrics, water, Internet, etc will very much depend on how far away the plot is from other buildings and roads. I wasn't there, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't over six months. And it is superb quality, they have lived there ten years this year, and it wasn't a kit either. Built on site. Ok, so council planning takes time, got it. Fair enough, my sister's plot was a new road built and prepared by the council with fixed plots. So pre-approved planning (almost) and land already prepared, cleared and with utilities coming in. Cool, will have a look at those, thanks. Many cool plots have sold on auction for £30 - 40 000 in the year we have been looking. Cost isn't the problem, it's location. And buying an £800 000 house only to knock it down is way, way out of our budget. At non-British standards? I'm not joking, the people we have had come out to our current house to do work, especially the bathroom, all use WWII building techniques. The bathroom company was definitely a higher end place, spent £21 000 on it, and they were the only place I found that had even heard of tanking. Despite this, the installer did it all wrong and I had to spend a late night doing it myself. Not sure what you mean by £3.5kpm? And we're not planning 400m2. When I spoke to the director she was happy to take on our £900 000 project. If, after some more initial meetings they turn out to be too expensive, we will just have to find someone else. Quality being my main concern such as someone's comment here (that I now can't find) about British flat roofs. Flat roofs have been standard for 3-4 decades in other countries with no issues. I'd rather pay someone like Ström extra to make sure it won't cause problems. But good to hear comments, it prepares me a bit for talking to Ström again if we manage to find a plot. Regards, Henrik Morsing

Hi all, We live in Buckinghamshire and we are disillusioned with British houses. Main issues are: - No thought put into layout and usability - No utility rooms - Virtually no insulation, even on new builds - Old fashioned - Low quality So were have been thinking about having our own built and have been in touch with Ström Architects who seem good but expensive. We're not into Grand Designs. To me, that is bling over substance. My sister had their house designed and built and we are thinking something similar. It is a flat-roofed bungalow: Top down view: We're struggling a bit to find a plot though, amazingly difficult. Ström said 3-6 months to prepare land and build, which aligns with the time-line for my sister's house of around 4 months (not with Ström). I'm curious to know though, as anyone we mention these plans to always go off on a tangent with horror stories, why do people seem to always get stuck in dead-end, seven year projects, twice over budget? It didn't happen to my sister, and Ström also seem quite clear on cost. They must know from having done this many time before. We were also considering either living in a static caravan on site (would need hooking up somehow) or building a more permanent cabin that can also be used in the future. Regards, Henrik Morsing