Building a house in UK: homebuilding costs guide, Property cosy atmosphere advice
Building A House in The UK – Guide to Homebuilding Costs
13 September 2021
How expensive is it to build a house from scratch? This is the main question people who want to embark on a self-homebuilding journey have and, in most cases, the decisional factor as to whether it’s best to build or buy a house.
Many people’s perceptions of what it means to construct their own house are shaped by what they see on television: massive structures with multi-million-pound budgets. However, there are self-build home options for almost any budget, and it is not a high-risk investment if you plan ahead.
Still, because there are so many factors that influence the final cost of a self-build, it’s not as simple as pulling an approximate number out of thin air and working around that figure. You need to be as precise as possible, and only when you have an approximate budget based on research and calculations, to which you add an extra 10% for unplanned costs, can you start working on your dream house.
We are not going to sugar-coat it – it’s going to be challenging. However, it’s not impossible. You just need a bit of planning ahead. To help you out, we have put together this guide that goes over the costs of a self-built home. Continue reading and start planning!
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A solid building plan will reduce costs significantly
The design of your home will, of course, have a significant impact on the cost of construction. Without question, you’ll need to hire an expert architect that has a track record of creating similar projects, so they can help you make your dream house a reality while staying within your budget.
Otherwise, you may be faced with an unwanted situation: you think you have your budget all figured out, only to realize, not long into the building process, that you’ve been severely under-quoted and you need to figure out ways to increase your budget or compromise on quality to fit the numbers.
You’ll also need to hire a construction company that knows how to stay within the target cost cap for your project.
It is critical that your architects establish the long-term architectural design of your project thoroughly from the start. This usually refers to the structural and insulating features of the building, as well as the airtightness – all important aspects that impact the lifespan of the house.
At the tender stage, your architects should share the planning authorization, building requirements, and drawings with the builders. This is done before construction begins so that potential builders may better comprehend the design and, more crucially, properly estimate expenses. The builder you pick won’t be able to modify the building cost during construction if you do this, and you will avoid any type of disputes regarding work quality and standards.
Decide on the build quality
All houses must comply with a set of Building Regulations decided by the Planning Department. Your architect should know this and design a plan that takes all these regulations into consideration while also being mindful of your budget.
You’ll spend the majority of your time inside your new home, which is why construction quality will have a significant impact not only on the budget but on your life from now on. You have three basic quality standards to choose from, depending on your budget and tastes, and it is up to you to determine which one is the best suited. Remember that you are allowed to mix and match the different quality levels if you like, so long as they don’t break the set regulations.
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Standard quality
This is the lowest build quality approved by the Building Control and is what most housing developers will offer. It includes concrete interlocking roof tiles, softwood windows, doors, and joinery, cavity wall insulation with timber frame as inner skin, standard bathroom fittings and fixtures, oil or gas heating with radiators in all rooms, and standard kitchen units.
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High quality
If you are willing to pull some extra money out of your pockets, you can take advantage of cavity wall insulation with blockwork as inner skin, clay roof tiles, high-end joinery, windows, and doors, mid-range bathroom, and kitchen fixtures, separate WC room, as well as underfloor heating on the bottom floor and radiators in the upstairs rooms.
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Luxury quality
This standard is the most expensive one, but it also includes top-of-the-range features. Examples include cavity wall insulation with blockwork as inner skin and bricks or stone as the outer skin, hardwood joinery, clay roof tiles, custom kitchen, high-quality bathroom fixtures, shower rooms for each bedroom, underfloor heating throughout the entire house, and separate WC room.
Prioritize and divide your budget accordingly
Unless you have access to unlimited amounts of money, you will need to prioritize where to distribute your money. As construction material experts at Titan Concrete point out, some aspects of the building process matter more than others for the lifespan of your home.
To give you a clearer idea, here’s what to expect in terms of costs for each of these categories:
- Construction system: Depending on the materials used, construction systems can end up costing between £25,000 for timber frame and £45,000 for oak frame. Most builders will use concrete blockwork, which costs about £30,000 on average.
- Service connections: You will need to connect your home to all main services, which costs about £3,500 for a small family and over £5,000 for large households
- Foundation system: The lot and soil will determine which foundation system works best for you, and it’s something you won’t, unfortunately, be able to determine yourself. The most expensive solutions can end up costing about £10,000
- Exterior finishes: Brick finishes can take an extra £10,000 out of your pocket, but materials such as natural stone can be even more expensive
- Roofing: roofing material costs between £20/m² for standard quality and £80/m² for excellent quality
- Windows and doors: Doors and windows that follow standard specifications can cost around £19,000, but you can expect to pay about £4,000 more for good specifications. Excellent specifications can easily exceed £30,000.
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Glasgow Building Designs
Glasgow Architecture Designs – architectural selection below:
New Glasgow Architectural Photos
Glasgow Architectural Photos
Merchant City boutique hotel
image courtesy of architecture practice
Merchant City Property
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