Choosing the site for your house is one of the most important steps in planning a self-build and there are a number of factors that you will need to bear in mind to ensure that it will be suitable for your new home.
Size
A building plot should be at least 0.1 acre in size (400 sq m) to allow space for an average size home with room around the property. You may also need an area for off-street parking with enough space to allow you to turn the car around.
Condition
Some plots are unsuitable for building as they're too steep or require prohibitively expensive foundations. You may also need to employ a specialist to ensure that the ground is not affected by industrial or agricultural pollution or is prone to flooding.
Restrictions
Check that there are no rights of way, water pipes or high-tension electricity lines that may restrict building.
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You can obtain further information about a property online at the Land Registry; for a small fee you can search a detailed history and ownership of the property that includes information on the land, planning permission and rights of way.
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Access
When buying land it is vital to ensure that there is sufficient access for cars and other vehicles and that the access is available to a public highway, either directly or by means of a private driveway or right of way. This access should not be obscured by a hill or corner so that road safety is not compromised. If you are providing off-road parking, you must make sure that there is provision for turning the car to prevent reversing into a busy road. This may require a separate entrance and exit for the driveway, a turning bay or a turntable.
It's also important to check that another party does not own a 'ransom strip'. This is a small strip of land, sometimes as narrow as 15 cm (6 in), dividing the plot from an access. These strips are often used as part of a deliberate policy to either gain from the land's eventual development or prevent it in some way. You may find that the price of this strip is up to one third of the value of the plot you are interested in.
Services
Do beware that the cost of providing utilities and services in a remote rural area may be prohibitively expensive. You should also take the property's proximity to other services into account; you may find that being located close to shops, schools and public transport will become important factors when it comes to resale value.
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| Self build homes account for approximately 13% of all
residential properties built - that's over 20,000 every year. |
Planning
If you buy land from an agent, it will generally already have planning permission, but if it doesn't, you must make sure that you make it a condition of purchase. A plot of land with planning permission already granted can cost up to 5 times more than land without approval. However, if the land is sold as having planning permission, you must ensure that it is still valid and has not lapsed.
Buying a plot next to an existing development may increase the likelihood of planning permission being granted and you may also benefit from already established communications and easy access to utilities and services.
One way to reduce the planning issues connected with your new home would be to buy land that already has a house built on it and apply for permission to demolish and re-build a new house in its footprint. Planning permission for this residence will (probably) have already been obtained.
Package Deals
Many builders offer package deals that include the plot and the cost of building a home. However, if you decide to take this route, make sure that you shop around first and compare separate land and building costs. You should also insist on separate contracts for the land and the building, and obtain the title deed for the land before signing a building contract.
It's also important to make sure that you have a receipt showing the plot is correctly presented in the land register and that you've checked for yourself that the correct planning permission has been obtained - don't take the builder's word for it. If the planning permission is flawed you may need to pay extra to alter the building or it may even have to be demolished.
Cost
The cost of land in the UK varies considerably depending on the area and can range anywhere for a few thousand pounds for land without planning permission to over £1 million. As a rough guide, the plot should equate to approximately 35% of the market value of the entire property, although this figure will vary between locations (i.e. you will need to spend proportionally more in areas where land is generally expensive, and less where it is cheaper).
One way for self-builders to save money is to buy a house with a large garden and use half or more of the garden to create a new building plot and sell the house with a smaller garden. Alternatively you can buy a plot of land with a derelict building on it and divide the land into two (or more) smaller plots and sell one to recoup some of the cost.
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