How much would it cost to self-build a home?

johndoe20

Hey guys!

im 100% positive this has been answered elsewhere on the forum but i cant find a thread that relates to my situation

basically i have no previous experience in this field but i'd like to build a bog-standard home. im not intending on selling it in the near future so added value isnt an issue to me. i know it varies MASSIVELY between what options you have but im not thinking of any more than 3 bedrooms and im willing to accept literally, the cheapest there is if you like! i've seen on other forums that 'doorhandles could cost between £5 and £50 so its impossible to say' well assume i would go for the £5 option. literally, im trying to save a few quid.

if i was looking to sell it on id be looking for between £125k and £175k

Thanks guys!

Doozergirl

If you buy, or even just open one in the Newsagent, a copy of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine then it has quite a concise build cost estimator based on where you are, the quality of build, the size of the house and the route you take to build it (DIY, main contractor or a bit of both). It comes out at somewhere between £850 and £3000 per square metre.

Economies of scale are incredibly evident on new build, therefore it's cheaper and more profitable to build big. Obviously it depends on where you are but a house worth £125-175k is probably going to cost more to build than sell! A modest three bed house might be 100 square metres, easily cost £120k to build and then the cost of the land based on being a third of the final value (say £175k) it would be £60k to buy the plot.

Bigger is better with self-build. Connecting gas is expensive and costs the same regardless of house size, ditto sewerage, ditto electricity. And so it goes on - if the bricky is doing a run, it's cheaper comparitively to go another couple of metres along and you end up with another 20 square metres perhaps for little extra - it brings your cost per metre down.

leveller2911

There are far too many variables to give an accurate answer for instance Location plots cost can vary widely for instance in the South East it use to be around 30% of the total cost whereas now its 50%.

How much you spend on the just getting out of the ground can vary too, if you dig the footings hoping to pour them 1m deep and find theres tree roots in the trenches the building inspector can make you go down 3m so bang goeas another £10k and your not even out of the ground yet.Even things like tiles and slates can cost as some local authorities may insist on Welsh slate rather than the Chinese slate you wanted to use which was 30% of the price of Welsh slate..

It really isn't possible to give any sort of figure which would be even close to accurate.....One word of warning with self build magazines take all of the articles where they show self builds being carried out by people and posting land costs,build costs and values of finished houses with a very large pinch of salt.Remember they have a vested interest in encouraging people to 1:buy the magazine 2: Try and do a self build .......

ormus

the latest figure ive got for a small 2 bed house, is 65k in building costs. not inc any land costs.
thats probably the cheapest you can get one built for.

after that, how long is a piece of string?

muckybutt

Have a look for Scotframe, we're currently looking at getting one of their designs, their cheapest kit starts at £17k for a 2 bed bungalow