New concept to make self and custom build easier and more accessible.

[Roger440]

23 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

Why do people think that self building a home is cheaper, and better, that getting professionals to do it.

Just imagine what carnage there would be on the roads if people built their own bicycles from components, let alone a motorbike or car.

 

This comment, and that of Ed, is so true.

 

The building game is in the dark ages, everything is a one off, even for volume builders. Its bonkers.

 

I cant understand why no big corparate has entered the marke with a disruptive product thats better. Its happened in every other sector one can think of, but building seems stragely "off limits"

 

And so we continue to mess about, paddling in mud, mixing up concrete, mortar and plaster, and chopping up bits of wood in said mud to build stuff!

 

One day someone will.......................................

 

[saveasteading]

33 minutes ago, Roger440 said:

lining other peoples pockets for reports, surveys, etc etc.

 I don't agree  with that.  we need legislation and control of it.

Yes there are also specialists who write themselves in to planning control.

The archaeologist or naturalist who says that it may be a sensitive site and that they themselves should be paid to research further.

(I'm not mentioning these at random, and it bothered me a lot at the time)

But a good planning agent or designer can cut through some of that. Also these costs come off the land not from the builder.

 

An acre of farm land in SE England is worth £10,000.   Get planning permission and that becomes 800k to £1M or even much more. £50k may go to the community.

Someone's garden worth £30k to the house value sells for £200k with permission for a house.

 

I'd be interested to hear the equivalents around the country.

 

These windfalls are where the money goes.

Another discussion might be on why the big sites sell for so much money when years before they were worth next to nothing... is there a value below which they will not stoop?

and is there a value above which the developers wont increase. None of them.

[Roger440]

27 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

 I don't agree  with that.  we need legislation and control of it.

Yes there are also specialists who write themselves in to planning control.

The archaeologist or naturalist who says that it may be a sensitive site and that they themselves should be paid to research further.

(I'm not mentioning these at random, and it bothered me a lot at the time)

But a good planning agent or designer can cut through some of that. Also these costs come off the land not from the builder.

 

An acre of farm land in SE England is worth £10,000.   Get planning permission and that becomes 800k to £1M or even much more. £50k may go to the community.

Someone's garden worth £30k to the house value sells for £200k with permission for a house.

 

I'd be interested to hear the equivalents around the country.

 

These windfalls are where the money goes.

Another discussion might be on why the big sites sell for so much money when years before they were worth next to nothing... is there a value below which they will not stoop?

and is there a value above which the developers wont increase. None of them.

 

You might not agree with my assesment of lining pockets, but that its often 10's thousand i dont think is really debateable. 

 

As each year rolls by, more and more "stuff" gets added. Councils just demanding a report on everything, soil contamination, newts, bats, archealogical digs etc. Even where this is absolutely no evidence that its needed. But it generates an industry of people who are seen/licensed/recognised as experts in those field, who all charge handsomely for often very little. You suggest it can (could?) be reduced with a good planning agent. Sure. But again, more (unknown) costs. They charge handsomely too.

 

Eventually (well in some places already have) we arrive at a point where its simply uneconomic to build at all as the "non building" costs just keep going up. Which of course happens everytime government "meddles" and adds more layers of complexity. I saw the £76K figure reported. In some of the comments a couple of developers (big ones) pointed out that the report did not include planning costs (which it didnt). One of them said his planning costs per unit were greater than the £76k.

 

Ok, all anecdotal, but its all adding up. Theres someone on here who paid over £10k for a bat survey!! Thats just ludicrous.

 

There are few people willing to enter into building there own house when there are so many costs that cannot be known before you start. Of course there are a few with unlimited cash, and thats great for them, but thats not most people.

 

That so many on here manage to see it through to the end, is in itself amazing, and hats off to those that do. I couldnt cope with that level of financial uncertainty as i couldnt simply rustle up and exta 20, 30, 40k based on a councils whim.

 

The thread started around comments about what stops more people self building. 

Edited 4 minutes ago by Roger440

[MPx]

On 26/08/2026 at 18:39, SteamyTea said:

Why do people think that self building a home is cheaper, and better, that getting professionals to do it.

Just imagine what carnage there would be on the roads if people built their own bicycles from components, let alone a motorbike or car.

I never expected it to be cheaper

I always expect it to be better than getting professionals to do it

Many years ago I did build myself a car - great fun to do and use.  No carnage.

 

The problem with "professionals" is that its inherent to try to make as good a living as possible.  To do this they must take the minimum amount of time and move on to the next job.  If there is any competition they price low to get the work, then work down to the price doing all sorts of short cuts and bodges.

 

Any whiff of its not so much the price as the quality of work that's important to me and its like having "mug" tattooed across my forehead and ridiculous numbers spring forth - and even if agreed, the speed at all costs working methods are so ingrained the attention to detail still doesn't happen.  Example: One of my pet hates are the plastic inserts that are used to edge tiles.  To avoid that I spend ages mitering the tiles around window reveals and the like giving an even grout line all through.  I expect a professional could do that probably better and quicker than I can - but none do - or at least none that I've ever come across and I've seen a lot of tiled bathrooms in my life.  You see mostly plastic, some up market metal can look better, and some make no attempt at all and just leave the tile edge on show.  But we all like different things and that choice obviously suits most.  Me - I'd rather do it myself and get a "better" result.