Finding a plot of land for a self-build

tommyedinburgh

We have been looking for exactly a year for a suitable plot of land for a self-build. I didn’t realise is was a full year until a local rural minded estate agent phoned today to ask if we were still looking. 

Does anyone have any tips as how we could be more proactive in finding something? We’ve registered with all local agents who typically manage the sale of plots. We’ve an ad on Gumtree. 

Wondering if its literally reasonable to start writing to farmers in the area etc. 

Any suggestions? Struggling to think out the box here. 

babyblade41

what is your budget and what area are you in... If it's a building plot then local builders will hear of it first .

My MIL has 12 acres in SE  but no hope of a building plot. You need a lot of money to buy with PP, and buying without and hoping you will is a big risk 

tommyedinburgh

babyblade41 said:

what is your budget and what area are you in... If it's a building plot then local builders will hear of it first .

My MIL has 12 acres in SE  but no hope of a building plot. You need a lot of money to buy with PP, and buying without and hoping you will is a big risk 

South Ayrshire in South West Scotland. 

We don’t want to move to the neighbouring authorities of North / East for a couple of reasons, work, schools, amenities etc. 

In terms of the budget, ideally an absolute maximum of £125,000-£150,000. 

ProDave

Plots are usually easier to find in Scotland that other parts of the UK

Have you tried ESPC.COM ?  A quick search in "South Ayrshire" currently shows 2 plots both in Girvan one at £110K and the other at £135K

P.S for all things self build, go and look at the Buildhub forum https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/

tommyedinburgh

ProDave said:

Plots are usually easier to find in Scotland that other parts of the UK

Have you tried ESPC.COM ?  A quick search in "South Ayrshire" currently shows 2 plots both in Girvan one at £110K and the other at £135K

P.S for all things self build, go and look at the Buildhub forum https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/

Those plots didn't quite meet our needs sadly.

Thanks for the link to Buildhub.

ProDave

Try looking for potential plots and approach the landowners.  Farmland is less likely to be a viable plot unless it is in or adjacent to an established settlement.  More likely plots are bits of land in between existing houses, or very large gardens where the owner may be willing to split the plot.

Our own plot was a very unusual and lucky one. It was sold in 1980 as a plot with planning permission but the purchaser never built on it.  It sat for 30 years turning to scrub and when we eventually met the owner it took several years to persuade him to sell it to us.

lincroft1710

Any chance of finding a piece of land with either a run down old detached bungalow or redundant commercial buildings which can be demolished?

tommyedinburgh

lincroft1710 said:

Any chance of finding a piece of land with either a run down old detached bungalow or redundant commercial buildings which can be demolished?

We tried to pursue this option during the summer but found it impossible in the end. The owner was letting out the field which the derelict building was on to another farmer. He didn’t seem interested.  

ProDave

Just a word of caution.

Looking at houses for sale in that area, I have concluded that plots are selling for roughly double what they are here (Highlands) yet complete houses appear comperable in price to what they are here.

The new build I have just completed, with the construction cost pared to the bone by doing a lot of the work myself, is only just worth a little more than the cost of land plus construction.  Given your higher plot prices, and the presently rising cost of building materials, I fear that by the time you have bought a plot and built a house, the cost of your finished house is very likely to exceed the market value of that house.

The only way it makes sense is id the plot and the house you build on it are both something special.  something you would not get any other way other than self building.

tommyedinburgh

ProDave said:

Just a word of caution.

Looking at houses for sale in that area, I have concluded that plots are selling for roughly double what they are here (Highlands) yet complete houses appear comperable in price to what they are here.

The new build I have just completed, with the construction cost pared to the bone by doing a lot of the work myself, is only just worth a little more than the cost of land plus construction.  Given your higher plot prices, and the presently rising cost of building materials, I fear that by the time you have bought a plot and built a house, the cost of your finished house is very likely to exceed the market value of that house.

The only way it makes sense is id the plot and the house you build on it are both something special.  something you would not get any other way other than self building.

I agree with everything you’ve said - makes perfect sense. 

We do have a very set ‘wish list’ and it’s proving difficult securing a house that meets that list. 

We have dabbled with the idea of relaxing what we aren’t looking for, compromise a bit. We actually explored that recently but the property listed was actually of commercial use when listed so we couldn’t secure the funding needed. 

ccbrowning

Good luck! We've been thinking of doing the same in the same area for months, but the market seems totally wild over there now.