Hey! New here, looking to do a self build around MK

[BHACHA16]

Hi,

 

New to this space of self building! Me and wife looking to possibly embark on the self build journey however we want to get a rough idea on how much our potential dream home would cost to build so we have a better idea in terms of financials compared to buying an interim house and then maybe look to do in a few years time.

 

We have a rough idea on how we want the house to look including layout etc so what would be the best way to start the journey?

 

We would look to fund the land 100% and mortgage 100% of build cost ideally.

 

Thank you

[Russell griffiths]

Show us some pictures and what your looking to do, then give us an idea of how much you are wanting to do yourself. 
a lot of people on here are doing loads of work themselves, it’s the only way to keep the costs under control. 
if you go for a main contractor doing 100% then I bet it costs more than you ever imagined it would. 

[Redoctober]

Hi @BHACHA16  We moved from MK to our current location some 7 years ago. From what I can recall of MK, land / plots are scarce and come at a premium. 

 

Your introduction raises many questions, which if answered, may assist you and other members, to provide you will more informed details.

 

Have you secured a plot? 

What size house or you planning?

How much of the work are you intending to do yourself?

What is your preferred construction method? 

etc ..

 

[nod]

It will also depend on how much you are doing yourself 

and if you have decided on Timber frame or traditional 

[LDNRennovation]

You can do it a few ways! Very exciting. Do come back and update here.
 

You’re looking about 1.5k-2k per m2 to build a house from foundations up. I’d look for a plot of land and think about how much you want to spend to start. Costs 10% less if you self manage.
 

Then you can get a planning appraisal, from a planning consultant or architect. They might suggest a pre-app.
 

Sometimes you can buy land on the assumption you will get planning. Also, you can buy a bungalow or something where it’s more likely to get planning. You can find land a number of ways, through the planning portal, rightmove, or approach farmers or people with big gardens (polite note through the door with your details).
 

You can then give your ideas over to a designer, I’d recommend a lone architect or designer, avoid a technician at this stage. Include images from Pinterest and the planning appraisal. Visit self build shows, research heating and insulation. Get through planning. 

 

Then you can approach a timber frame company or a builder. You will also need building regs using the build you have chosen. 

[BHACHA16]

Appreciate all the replies from everyone! 

 

In terms of design of the outside I love the image attached by Tony Holt, however ours would be on a smaller scale at around 3,000 sqft for the house size.

 

We haven't secured a plot yet, still very early stages.

 

I have experience in doing internal finishings (flooring, internal walls, painting etc ) so will aim to do this myself and also have good friends around me that do plastering, etc 

 

So I would look to hand out trades individually rather than get 1 main contractor to complete the build. 

 

I am still researching what would be the best build material for something like the one below.

 

I visited the build show at NEC in March which was insightful, and hope to go back to the one in Surrey coming up in June with the Mrs.

 

I think our budget would be around £600k (exc land) inc foundations for the total project - is this reasonable?

[MikeSharp01]

3000 ft² is roughly 280 m² £600K divided by 280 gives you £2143 per meter² which is a relatively low budget and you will need to do a good deal of it yourself to get to that. £3K m² is more doable but won't be a very high end finish - unless you do even more yourself. So as ever you can spend money saving time or spend time saving money or make the house smaller and play with the ratio's that way.

[BHACHA16]

Hi,

 

Happy to play around with the ratio’s and look towards more the 2,500 sqft mark and use ways to make the house feel bigger by being open plan and usage of large windows.

[SteamyTea]

Welcome 

 

I lived and worked in MK 25+ years ago, great place.

 

I heard that they wanted to expand the place south, taking in Soulbury. Is that still happening?

 

The local council may encourage self build, but it may just be a list of potential self builders, rather than a genuine scheme like Bicester has.

 

Work in Si units and think of ways to integrate PV.

Energy usage can be very low on a new build, but it has to be designed in from the very start. You can't change your floor insulation once you have a house sitting on it.

[Conor]

How big a house do you need? We're a family of 4 and have a 253m² net house and it feels huge. Better to build to the budget you have and get it right.

[BHACHA16]

Difficult to say really, right now we are a family of 3, and looking to grow to family of 5. So just trying to future proof ourselves to avoid moving again.

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, BHACHA16 said:

Difficult to say really, right now we are a family of 3, and looking to grow to family of 5. So just trying to future proof ourselves to avoid moving again.

Stick to your guns.  

[BHACHA16]

If I were to build something like the above, how do I know whats the best construction method to use? wether that be Timber, Brick and Block or even SIP? Is this something the architect would decide?

[BotusBuild]

To back up what Mike said above, we are 270m², and doing as much of the build ourselves as possible (so far subbed out about £20K in labour costs, excluding professional fees). We are currently projected to build at a cost of £1300-£1400 per sq m. We are not using costly internal fittings, although once we have sold our current house, we may replace a few things later on. The more you sub out, the higher that figure goes, and the more high-end (Costly) materials you use, the same - we could easily have been above £2,000 per sq m.

 

Don't be put off by this, just make sure you cut your cloth according to what you can afford.

Edited 17 hours ago by BotusBuild
Added last para

[BHACHA16]

I completely understand how costs can increase the more you sub out, and when it comes to internal fittings I am quite savvy into making things work even with cheaper alternatives. 

 

Are you an experience builder? 

 

I have experience in DIY and have built a room within a garage etc, putting up plasterboards etc I can do myself however I am looking to do more work but just need someone to guide me through it.

[BotusBuild]

1 hour ago, BHACHA16 said:

Are you an experience builder?

Nope 🙂

After I wrote the above, I remembered your comments about internal stuff, and thought "he'll do a grand job".

 

I think you'll be surprised about how much you can do depending on what build method you use. We did ICF so only needed someone to pour a lot of concrete 🙂 In addition we had a steelworker, window fitters, plasterers and ASHP installers.

 

You'll be fine

[BHACHA16]

ICF looks interesting, just doing some research on this..

 

Are you using a brick slip system for the external? 

 

Thanks

[Russell griffiths]

3 hours ago, BHACHA16 said:

If I were to build something like the above, how do I know whats the best construction method to use? wether that be Timber, Brick and Block or even SIP? Is this something the architect would decide?

Months and months of research 

by the time you have found a plot, you should have the build method set in stone in your head. 

[G and J]

10 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

Months and months of research 

by the time you have found a plot, you should have the build method set in stone in your head. 

And then you find the plot, and everything you’ve decided (both design and construction wise) goes out of the window and you start again.  But you start again from a more knowledgeable position.

[Russell griffiths]

16 minutes ago, G and J said:

And then you find the plot, and everything you’ve decided (both design and construction wise) goes out of the window and you start again.  But you start again from a more knowledgeable position.

I thought that as I was typing it yesterday. 🤦🏻‍♂️

 

[BotusBuild]

12 hours ago, BHACHA16 said:

 

Are you using a brick slip system for the external? 

 

Stone, but it's the same basis as the brick slips. You can tile, so you can do this. Saved me over £8k doing it myself (not just what you see here)

[BotusBuild]

Here is a blog entry about the ICF install