2nd Time Builder….but out of touch and need updating!

[DavidO]

I last built in 2012 and am now seriously committed to bidding for another plot. I need to quantify service connection costs, which seemed pretty reasonable first time round but seem to have increased by much more than inflation over the last 13 years? Can anyone give me an updated steer on likely costs for what look like straightforward connections to water/sewers/electric/gas in an urban setting where all the main utilities are close by in a small market town in Northumberland?

[ProDave]

Perhaps you could post the quotes you have got?  Just because there is for example a cable right outside your plot does not mean it has sufficient spare capacity to connect another house for instance.

[nod]

We where lucky the first time round Gas electricity and water all on the pavement All around £800 each five years ago 

 

This time round No gas available Rural grant for water Less than £300 

Electricity needed to cross a 60 mph road £5000 ish The road had to be tracflighted for four days and a trench dug across the road and repaired 

I would estimate that at least half the cost was taken up with the road closure Permits Traffic management etc 

That was 13 months ago So gives you a ballpark 

[Ben1984]

We have been quoted/paid:

£370 for new drainage connection - mains sewer was already running through my garden/plot, this was just a admin fee I did the connection work myself.
£1511 for new 3 phase electrical connection - overhead cable from pole on other side of quiet 30MPH road in village (less than I was expecting)
£5800 for new 32mm water connection (~£2000 for infrastructure charges and ~£3800 fixed price for new connection in footpath)
We aren't having gas

[DavidO]

On 09/07/2025 at 10:18, ProDave said:

Perhaps you could post the quotes you have got?  Just because there is for example a cable right outside your plot does not mean it has sufficient spare capacity to connect another house for instance.

Thanks Dave….We don’t actually have any quotes yet. I’m trying to get a feel for the connection costs in order to calculate what we can sensibly afford to offer for the plot. It looks like most of the connections should be through an existing boundary wall into a back alley behind a neighbouring terrace; so hopefully short runs in a very quiet spot 🤞🏻🤞🏻?

[DavidO]

On 09/07/2025 at 17:08, Ben1984 said:

We have been quoted/paid:

£370 for new drainage connection - mains sewer was already running through my garden/plot, this was just a admin fee I did the connection work myself.
£1511 for new 3 phase electrical connection - overhead cable from pole on other side of quiet 30MPH road in village (less than I was expecting)
£5800 for new 32mm water connection (~£2000 for infrastructure charges and ~£3800 fixed price for new connection in footpath)
We aren't having gas

The water sounds rather expensive compared to your other utility charges? Is it Thames Water in Oxfordshire?

[DavidO]

On 09/07/2025 at 16:36, nod said:

We where lucky the first time round Gas electricity and water all on the pavement All around £800 each five years ago 

 

This time round No gas available Rural grant for water Less than £300 

Electricity needed to cross a 60 mph road £5000 ish The road had to be tracflighted for four days and a trench dug across the road and repaired 

I would estimate that at least half the cost was taken up with the road closure Permits Traffic management etc 

That was 13 months ago So gives you a ballpark 

Helpful….Thanks!