RockandGrohl

Hello all, thank you so much for the time, encouragement and warnings. All messages heeded. Land may well be, as predicted, the most worrying aspect. Will look at derelict plots and see what can be done!

Looking at the dire state of housing in the UK it's little wonder I'm put off for slapping down £220,000 on a bog-standard uninspired brick & mortar cube with cracked concrete driveway in a crap area, just to have 3 bedrooms to start a family Myself and my partner have been looking down the route of self-building and at heart we are DIY'ers, so we're not afraid of a challenge, can recognise when certain tasks absolutely require a pair of professional hands etc. We're looking at prefab A-frame homes courtesy of Avrame, their Trio 150 house would probably be the last house we ever need and comes in at approximately 35,000 Euros for the kit, which is just the frame, inner and outer walls, flooring, roof, insulation material and instructions that state - "So easy two people with an intermediate knowledge of DIY can build it in a short timeframe" Now let's say the whole kit and caboodle is going to cost us about £70,000 - that's about £30,000 for the "home", then the rest for the essentials - finishing, kitchen, bathroom, appliances, electricity, plumbing and heating. So now have to look at land. Need 140m2 for -just- the house footprint and ideally would want a garden area and driveway. Looking in Gloucestershire and I hear the best places to look are to actually just start inquiring whenever you see unused bits of land that you may be able to obtain planning permission on after purchase. Failing that, plot websites seem to range between £80,000 - £120,000 depending how lucky you can get. Then we need electricity, water & internet connection. Various applications to councils, plus the rest. I would rather not require a gas supply so we can look at a heat pump as an alternative to a boiler, but that's another £10,000 tacked on. So where are we now? >£150,000... Well we have a shared ownership mortgage at the moment valued at something like £65,000. My question is, we are definitely going to be over our heads, but is all of this worth it? Is it possible for a young couple in their mid to late 20's can do a self-build home, getting help where needed, with a final outcome that's both cheaper and more spacious than just buying a property?