Have you ever considered building your own home? TV programs such as the ever popular Grand Designs have made many of us dream of building our own home, so just how do we go about it?
Have you ever considered building your own home? TV programs such as the ever popular Grand Designs have made many of us dream of building our own home, so just how do we go about it?
Firstly, if you are thinking about building your own home expect the expenditure on your building plot to amount to around 30% of the total cost.
Finding a suitable plot of land is going to take time and effort and a plot with any form of planning permission is likely to cost upwards of £100,000. Alternatively you may find a property with the potential to demolish and rebuild.
To increase your chances of finding a suitable plot, be prepared to take the time to look and also to build good working relationships with local estate agents.
Things to consider when searching for the ideal building plot
Be clear about the type of home that you want. Is a beautiful location the most important factor? Or is the design itself most important to you? If you dream of uninterrupted views, for example, your design will need to ‘fit’ with its surroundings.
Think ahead, if you buy part of a field with an amazing view, will the landowner sell off more land in the future, how will this impact on the view? Some sites, for example a contaminated plot or one that is on a steep slope, will cost more to develop than others.
If you want to move to an area that is new to you, you need to be even more focused about your search criteria. Research the area thoroughly, build relationships with local estate agents and remember that repeated speculative visits can be time consuming, costly and disheartening.
Thoroughly research possible locations and investigate what has and hasn't been allowed in that area recently.
How to find your building plot
Use one or more of the landfinder sites such as:
Register with and talk regularly to estate agents in your target area.
Professionals such as architects, planning consultants and surveyors may be useful sources of information.
Let people know you are looking - word of mouth can generate leads.
Put adverts in local papers, village magazines and on appropriate websites.
Developers and local Councils sometimes have 'landbanks' and occasionally they will pass on smaller pieces of land.
Train and utility companies have land bordering facilities or land left vacant after company restructuring.
In urban areas plots become available when companies fold or move.
Buy through local auction, look at websites such as http://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/
http://www.uklanddirectory.org.uk/building-plots.asp is a useful resource and a good place to start.
If you are thinking seriously about building your dream home, we strongly recommend that you consult an architect in the early stages of the process.
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