Advice as I start budgeting - can I afford to self build?

[four_candles]

I have found a local plot. Almost perfectly level, slight drainage fall from just about after the house footprint. Water and electric on site, no mains gas in village. Access directly off a road, with dropped kerb in place already. The plot in the past has been very old single story longhouse and some farm outbuildings. All footings removed, plot divided into 3. The three plots vary in size slightly, and I would prefer the largest, but budget will dictate. Plots all face due south, uninterrupted view of sky and single story buildings behind (farm and campsite). 

 

Currently outline permission for a 3+ bed house (one room downstairs as study or bedroom), but the design seems 'fussy' and has a few features I know will add complexity and therefore cost, including a few extra 'corners' and beams. Surrounding buildings are typical Scottish village - mainly rendered of 1.5 storey traditional design, school as neighbour at one end, modern 2.5 storey house at other end of plot. House area of around 135m2. No garage.

 

Looking for a simple, low energy, healthy house of modest design. I do not need a grand design, I would strongly err towards a standard design or kit. I would like 4 beds if possible. I do not need en-suite, just one family bathroom and one downstairs loo & laundry space. 

 

I can do all the finishing such as painting and tiles, and I can install a kitchen and bathroom myself if needed. Landscaping I will do as well.

 

I have total of £350k. Plot will be £125, £130 or £140k.

 

- Is this doable on such a budget?

- suggestions of designs/kits to look at?

- I know all this needs designing, but I am assuming good envelope and airtightness, larger windows to south and hedge shelters to the north, good drainage to keep dry. Then ASHP and MVHR, PV solar and battery a given. Anything else to consider?

[nod]

It depends on the size and ground conditions 

Going for a kit House is very convenient But will cost considerably more than traditional 

Around a third more to watertight 

Then everything else is the same 

 

I would also say Keep your fees as low as possible People get carried away with visits to the Architects 

Get plenty of quote and shop around 

Do as much as you can yourself 

 and plan well ahead 

[SteamyTea]

Generally, if you have to ask the price, you cannot afford it.

 

Is the design set in stone?

 

You could buy the plot you want, then let the others build on the other plots. Keep an eye on who is doing the work i.e. learn from their errors.

If it all goes wrong, sell the plot i.e. sell the dream.

[Alan Ambrose]

Fork handles? What?

 

Possible to line up some mortgage finance as a buffer?

 

£2K a m^2 is at the low end but plausible - you'll see a bunch of discussion about build cost here on 't 'ub - it's well worth reading through. There are various estimators / QSs who'll give you a build cost estimate given a design.

 

How will you build? - let your architect sort it all out / use a main contractor and give them a design / project manage yourself etc and call in trades / do every damn thing yourself? That makes a 20-30% difference.

 

[saveasteading]

53 minutes ago, nod said:

Going for a kit House is very convenient But will cost considerably more than traditional 

Not necessarily. There are different kinds of kit builders.

Can I suggest you speak to your local kit fabricator. They will be in a dull shed where they nail osb onto studs and deliver the panels to you. They will have access to some standard house designs....nothing flashy, all proven.

Then you build standard foundations and slab, and a joiner will sling this house up in 2 days. 

After that you can do walls and roof how you wish. Any window company can do their bit.

Innards as you wish.

You'll get change from your budget as long as you don't play at architects. ....well I don't know where you live so, should rather than will.

 

[nod]

11 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Not necessarily. There are different kinds of kit builders.

Can I suggest you speak to your local kit fabricator. They will be in a dull shed where they nail osb onto studs and deliver the panels to you. They will have access to some standard house designs....nothing flashy, all proven.

Then you build standard foundations and slab, and a joiner will sling this house up in 2 days. 

After that you can do walls and roof how you wish. Any window company can do their bit.

Innards as you wish.

You'll get change from your budget as long as you don't play at architects. ....well I don't know where you live so, should rather than will.

We’ve just come in at slightly over £800 m2 on both our builds 

I know we couldn’t get anywhere near that with a kit 

Dont forget to mention the large upfront cash outlay before the kit even reaches site 

[SteamyTea]

13 minutes ago, nod said:

Dont forget to mention the large upfront cash outlay before the kit even reaches site 

Stick building, as is brick/block a financially more flexible option.

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, nod said:

the large upfront cash outlay before the kit even reaches site 

The one i mean is made of stud and osb in the week before delivery. So it isn't that expensive or far ahead of need. It's always a worry paying in advance, youre right.

 

I've only done this for a  4 storey one-off*, but visited the works several times,  and saw them rattling out units for developers: one of them might suit. 

 

* I costed it in masonry, polystyrene blocks, in situ timber and insitu steel and this prefab timber . It was 10 years ago but I doubt the principles have changed.

Prefab Timber was best on price and speed, with the bonuses of all the internal stud walls and floors in place and services very easy to run through.

[nod]

57 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

The one i mean is made of stud and osb in the week before delivery. So it isn't that expensive or far ahead of need. It's always a worry paying in advance, youre right.

 

I've only done this for a  4 storey one-off*, but visited the works several times,  and saw them rattling out units for developers: one of them might suit. 

 

* I costed it in masonry, polystyrene blocks, in situ timber and insitu steel and this prefab timber . It was 10 years ago but I doubt the principles have changed.

Prefab Timber was best on price and speed, with the bonuses of all the internal stud walls and floors in place and services very easy to run through.

Ah 

Large shed 😂

[saveasteading]

2 hours ago, nod said:

Large shed

The opposite. More like a beehive. 

 

It was a nursing home so 40 ish bedrooms, lots of facilities and a couple of big spaces.

From concrete slab to complete framework was a remarkable change.

All these internal walls and 3 to 4m spans lent itself to the system.

[Nickfromwales]

7 hours ago, four_candles said:

- Is this doable on such a budget?

Get a QS to do a full bill of quantities, including the prelims, and then get a stiff drink and read all the things you didn't know about that need to be factored in.

[four_candles]

By Kit Build I did more mean a standard design and timber frame supplied, but I am totally open to other ways of building. I know back in the day that EcoArch were building some real low cost PassivHaus buildings by stick building in standard timber lengths on site...

 

My £350k is purely in house equity, and of course looking at built value. I have more if needed, but I would rather not!

 

Things like cash outlay or a mortgage are not an issue, as I am nowhere near what I could borrow etc, this is a lifestyle choice to do away with any mortgage or loans etc.

 

I was thinking that I would oversee build, use contractors as needed, and do as much as I can at weekends and evenings. I have built extensions, attic conversion, cellar conversion and full refurb of Victorian terrace house before. I also used to work for Natural Building Technologies, so have half an idea (albeit old) of envelope first, simplicity of design, passive solar and use of technology. I would not be looking for certification to AECB or PassivHaus.

[ToughButterCup]

Your project (any project) has four main aspects (sometimes called 'pillars' in management speak)

 

Scope, Time, Cost, and Quality

The only one not mentioned above is Time.

 

Your question is this doable is YES.  Stretch the Time aspect above and you can do anything.

[saveasteading]

44 minutes ago, four_candles said:

I would oversee build,

Keep reading on here and you will learn a lot. 

Do you have management skills from elsewhere?  Consultants can cost a lot, but usually for good reason.

A company adds about 20% so if you can use gangs of direct workers, or diy  you save that.

Against that is the risk of good talkers/ poor skills. So be tough.

 

Most of all....you don't know what you don't know and it can be expensive education.

Add at least 5% for unknowns.

No make that 10% for a beginner.

Another 5% for weather.

 

And another 10% for changes as you go unless you absolutely won't.

 

I've just added 25% to your cost. But what a result if you avoid spending it.

[ToughButterCup]

2 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

...

I've just added 25% to your cost. But what a result if you avoid spending it.

 

Not a bad estimate of what has happened to us - stretched over ten years. But we have the house of our dreams. (nearly) 🫣

[four_candles]

Indeed my renovation experience says 'double the budget and time - and add a bit' to get into the right ball park.

Reading on here overnight it seems doable to aim for around £1600-1800 /m2, therefore a 135m2 house comes in at £240k+site, so just about doable in my budget.

My thought of an 'off the shelf design' is that it is proven, fewer decisions and changes needed, simpler QS and supply of materials.

[Nickfromwales]

Sounds like finding a couple of decent carpenter/joiners would pay huge dividends. They should be able to help with setting out and founds etc if you find the right guys and they're open-minded. Carpenters seem to be able to turn their hands to a few things.

 

DIY'ing the foundation is relatively simple, and you can still get good (excellent) results with a simple strip + block & beam structure if you want, using EPS blocks instead of concrete blocks, and putting a further 140-160mm (or more) atop before screed/slab.

 

Airtightness will be of paramount importance, more so than huge amounts of insulation imho, but I would also steer away from PIR and try to go to a fully blown cellulose filled structure with better decrement delay and acoustics.

 

Time will be the one thing you can't save on, so that's the con here.

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

Sounds like finding a couple of decent [ ... any trade ... ] would pay huge dividends.

 

I couldn't agree more.

The right tradespeople who are - trustworthy, open, experienced and handle communication well make the difference between a hard slog and getting on with it.

 

It's finding them.

And there's your time budget ... ticking away  - the most silent of thieves