how much to build a house?

ali-t

I am putting my house on the market in the next few weeks and although I have been looking for property I haven't seen anything that I love yet. The ones that have been great have been miles away and at the top of my price bracket which would mean that with fuel to get to work I would struggle to afford them.

Ideally I am looking for a 2 or 3 bed, or 2 with the potential to extend later if required and a large garden so the dogs have loads of space to play as neither of them get off the lead where we currently live.

There are a number of plots in areas I would consider and I could get a plot for less than £100K which would leave me with around £140K to build a house, any required landscaping and legal/architect costs etc.

I have no diy skills or any savvy at all in relation to house or building stuff so would need to hand over to someone to project manage the whole thing.

I am thinking this is totally unrealistic but can only dream.

taxsaver

The term 'self-build' is a misnomer really.

Many, many people do not do any of the building themselves, but merely organise and manage the project to a greater or lesser degree. There are a couple of self-build magazines that you can usually pick up at newsagents, plus a wealth of online data. Do some reading for a few months and then decide whether or not you think it is for you.

You will find that you can build a very nice house indeed with £140k.

Doozergirl

I'd get the magazines too because it shows you what people can do. It all depends on the size of the house but £140k would be enough for a house, it's just whether that is the house you want.

There are package companies as well - they will give you a price with no surprises.

We're hoping to do it soon and our budget will be around £150k.

ali-t

Do you need to have the money up front and if not what percentage is required? I could pay for the land upfront after selling the house but would need a mortgage for the house unless it could be done significantly cheaper with a loan rather than a mortgage which would be even better.

Doozergirl

http://www.buildstore.co.uk/finance/selfbuildmortgages.html

http://www.money.co.uk/mortgages/self-build-mortgages.htm

SailorSam

When people go into self-build i think it could be a good idea if you can get an old caravan to live in on site while the build is going on. That way you'll save rent and you're there to make sure the work is being done. And even without Diy skills you may be able to keep the cost down just by being a dogsbody and doing some labouring.

princeofpounds

This book is also very good, make sure you get the latest edition and it will give you a good idea of costings.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Housebuilders-Bible-Insiders-Construction-Jungle/dp/0952485249

quintwins

building a house can cost very little or as much as you want, we're planning to build at some point (maybe not our next house but our forever house) and we have only bugeted 60k however we can get alot of mates rates and hubby can do alot himself, saying that we have discussed and it would be a simpel design and to get us in we would prob have an ikea kitchen and an off the shelf bathroom and then upgrade when we are in a better position to do so

it's also worth remebering you can claim back any vat on a new build however you can only do this once so have to wait til your finished so can't really take that into account when budgeting for the acual build

ali-t

princeofpounds wrote: »

This book is also very good, make sure you get the latest edition and it will give you a good idea of costings.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Housebuilders-Bible-Insiders-Construction-Jungle/dp/0952485249

Thanks prince of pounds, I ordered the current version and it arrived today. I have had a flick through it so far and was hoping it would put me off self build but it is sounding quite appealing.

For anyone lookingfor the newest edition here it is with £10 off

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1905959443/ref=oss_product