Self build house

[Ryan 2023]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am new to the forum so just wanted to pop on and say hi

 

my name is Ryan and I am from Newcastle Upon Tyne. I am planning on building a self build Bungalow / House if I can source some land within my budget / area. 
 

I am just looking for any advice from people on here that have built a bungalow or house, any builders you would highly recommend in the northeast to take on this project, what sort of money I can expect to pay per square meter to build this house, what building method people advise to keep the cost down timber frame / brick & block etc. I would be looking to do this build as a turn key project, basically get a quote from a builder and get them to build and manage the full project as I have work commitments & work away from home a lot. 
 

Architects that people would highly recommend and a fairly priced, also someone that could potentially get me planning permission granted on a garden plot that does not currently hold planning permission 

 

I would appreciate any feedback people can give me 

 

many thanks

 

Ryan 

[Thorfun]

welcome. you'll find answers to most of your questions are already on this site! as you've yet to find a piece of land you'd be wise to spend the next few months while looking for land simply reading the relevant forums. you'll soon get an idea as to the answers you're looking for.

 

best of luck with it all.

[AD1]

9 hours ago, Ryan 2023 said:

Hi Everyone,

 

I am new to the forum so just wanted to pop on and say hi

 

my name is Ryan and I am from Newcastle Upon Tyne. I am planning on building a self build Bungalow / House if I can source some land within my budget / area. 
 

I am just looking for any advice from people on here that have built a bungalow or house, any builders you would highly recommend in the northeast to take on this project, what sort of money I can expect to pay per square meter to build this house, what building method people advise to keep the cost down timber frame / brick & block etc. I would be looking to do this build as a turn key project, basically get a quote from a builder and get them to build and manage the full project as I have work commitments & work away from home a lot. 
 

Architects that people would highly recommend and a fairly priced, also someone that could potentially get me planning permission granted on a garden plot that does not currently hold planning permission 

 

I would appreciate any feedback people can give me 

 

many thanks

 

Ryan 

 

Hi Ryan, 

 

Nice to see more self builders in the Northeast!

 

First off you need to establish your budget. When you know this you can work backwards, decide on generally what size house you wish to build and to what specification. Knowing this you can then subtract this from your budget and this gives a ball park figure on what budget you have for land. Then get searching!! Finding the right plot will be the hardest part and I would suggest looking for a plot that already has at least outline permission. Gaining planning permission from scratch can be a very long and expensive process, although not impossible. Ideally, land that already has services provided/nearby is favourable.

 

You will be looking at anything from £1500 to £2500 per square meter for a turnkey project - this is the most expensive way of selfbuilding and completely depends on what you want builders to do and to what specification. Do you need a builder to decorate? Jobs like these can be easy ways to save money. 

 

I would suggest you speak to some of your local builders merchants. They will have contacts for builders and architects. Your architect should be able deal with planning side of things. 

 

Speak to a mortgage advisor if your requiring a mortgage and this will give you a good baseline on what you can afford. 

 

Hope this helps, 

 

AD

 

 

 

 

[Bozza]

+1.  As you hunt for your plot simultaneously do two things.  This forum is your new nighttime reading.   Go into every post starting with most recent and read everything.  Even the less interesting subjects or things you might not think relevant to you might turn out to be.You will begin to get a real education in so much subjects.  I don’t think there is anything that hasn’t been covered, sometimes repeatedly.  It’s like a free Open University of Self Building.  One of the best thing I found about self building was learning so much stuff during the process, including from here.  
 

Secondly google is your friend.  We are not google.  Please don’t ask us something you can find out yourself.  If you do post queries supply as much relevant information as you can and we love relevant photos as it makes it easier to answer questions.  

 

Many of us have been in your exact position.  And after several years of hard work with our own projects we are normally have a bit of time and enjoy helping and advising.  99.9% chance someone here will have experienced a dilemma you will face.  Sometimes we may have different opinions on things but will always offer our best advice.   
 

welcome. 

[Ryan 2023]

Hi Everyone,

 

thank you for the reply’s really appreciate it 

Thorfun -

 

Really appreciate the reply regarding my post, I have a meeting next week with a guy who has a plot of Land next to his house for sale. The land isn’t on the market and doesn’t have planning permission granted on it yet but there is some old derelict buildings on the land. 
 

I will have a good read through this forum as it looks packed with very interesting information 

 

AD1 -

 

my budget for land is 80k-120k, my budget to build the property is 250k. 
 

I got chatting to a lad in the pub a few weeks ago that has a house with a decent size plot of land that he would sell, I am going to look at that plot next week so hopefully it’s a decent plot. It has Gas, electric and water feed very close to the plot so big bonus. It doesn’t have planning permission on the plot but it does have a couple of old out buildings on the land so he’s pretty confident I would possibly get planning. I also know a guy that is an architect but not sure what the current rates are to pay for a house designed?. 
 

Is it true that you can claim back 20% vat back on the materials used to build the property?

 

Also I would probably live in this house a year or two then sell it and do it again, is there any rules regarding selling a new build house after a year of living in it ?
 

I currently live in a 1950s bungalow, I have renovated the full bungalow and extended it. Unfortunately the builder I used to work with on my other projects passed away last year hence why I am looking for a builder. I have renovated a few houses over the years and understand the process of house renovations etc so the next project was to build a house / bungalow with the builder. As I work away from home alot for a few weeks at a time I thought if I could get a build team in to build the house, get it water tight, dry line the property, first & second fix electrics, get the heating installed then I could get my friends in who are all in the trades to finish the joinery work, fit the kitchen, fit the bathrooms, paint it out and get the flooring laid etc to keep the costs down etc. 

 

Hopefully I can keep the square meter price down using some of my friends on the project, I was hoping around £1000 a square meter for a 220 square meter house but I will have to shop around 

 

Really appreciate the feedback AD1, some really great information 

 

many thanks 

 

Bozza - 

 

I have been doing exactly that every night after I joined the forum, some really good information on this forum. I will take onboard read everything even if you think it’s not relevant to me, I would love to see some pictures of houses people have built to some ideas etc. 

 

once I secure a plot I will make sure to post some pictures of the plot etc and update the forum with my progress. 
 

Bozza it sounds like you have a lot of experience regarding the self builds, have you built self builds for other people or just for your self? 
 

Again really appreciate all the information & feedback 

 

many thanks

 

Ryan 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bozza]

Ryan,

 

Yes you get 20% back google/read self build rules on HMRC website.  I’m certainly not an expert but certainly not a novice but spent years reading planning etc plus like you years of refurbing various houses I lived in, then learned load more buildings house.  I did mine turnkey.  Still get advice here ion the things I don’t know which is a lot.  I post quite a bit here because I have a bit of time on my hands, and I like helping people when I can, frankly.  And have no life.  
 

You have a massive advantage building in NE England where trades are still charging sensible prices, especially if mates rates.

Bozza.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[andyscotland]

8 hours ago, Ryan 2023 said:

It has Gas, electric and water feed very close to the plot so big bonus.

 

Welcome to the forum. One thing to watch is that just because services are close doesn't automatically mean they will be cheap/easy. I've seen people on here over the years discover that - particularly for electric - the supplier wants a big fee to upgrade the local network to add capacity for an extra connection.

 

So once you've seen the plot it may be worth getting a connection quote before you commit to buying it / price.

 

8 hours ago, Ryan 2023 said:

It doesn’t have planning permission on the plot but it does have a couple of old out buildings on the land so he’s pretty confident I would possibly get planning.

If you like the plot then a short session with a local specialist Planning Consultant may be a good investment before you commit, they should have a good sense of what may / may not be allowed and what sort of costs/timescales may be involved in getting permission