Property prices have risen to such heights in some places that first-time buyers and people moving into the area have trouble finding a property they can afford. This has lead to an increasing number of people deciding to buy land instead, and build a home from scratch. Whilst building a house for you and your family might sound attractive, it’s a huge commitment and can cause a lot of stress. Before you finally decide to go ahead, make sure you know what you need to do.

Buy some land

Unless you already own a sizeable piece of land, you will need to buy some before you even think about building a house. You’ll need to know how much land you need – enough for the size of house you want, including a garage and any outbuildings, plus garden space. Then you must make sure that building a house is viable on that site. Even established developers are having trouble finding land that they are allowed to build on, so not only do you need to check that you will get outline planning permission for your site, you may have to bid against a developer who is intent on building a house on the same site. If you are having trouble finding an appropriate piece of land, you may want to consider looking at houses for sale that are in a dilapidated condition, so that you can demolish them and build on the site.

This is the first major spend from your budget, so make sure that you have set aside a realistic amount of money. Also ensure that the land you’re looking at fulfils all your requirements, including how near it is to amenities like schools, shops and transport links.

Get the proper permissions

You will need full planning permission before you can start building your house. Planners have the power to stop your building works and even to demolish any structures you have already built if planning permission hasn’t been obtained. Use a good architect to draw up full plans and then speak to the relevant planning office to make sure that your application is properly submitted. If the correct paperwork is not submitted then your application can be refused before the planners have even looked at your proposals. Once you have planning permission, you can only proceed on the agreed plans, and any proposed changes must be approved by the planning office before they can go ahead. Building a house is a large project and your site will be visited regularly by a building regulations inspector to ensure that all the work is carried out to the right standard.

Budget and finance

Building a house is a huge undertaking and you must be sure that you can secure the finances to see the project through to the end. A plot with a half-built house on it is worth less than an empty plot. Make sure you take all your costs into consideration when you apply for a home-building loan, including the interest payments, stamp duty and any other taxes and the cost of professional services such as lawyers, architects and surveyors. Then you need to budget for materials and labour fees, plus finishing and decorating the property once it has been built. Finally, you will need a contingency budget, so that you can afford to pay for additional items that crop up during the project.

All these considerations need to be fully explored before you even think seriously about building a house. If you can raise the finance, find the land and acquire planning permission, then you’re on your way to building a house that fulfils your dreams.

The first step in your project is to hire the right builder. Use www.findalocal-builder.co.uk to get a list of builders in your area, and then look at our other advice articles to see how to make sure you choose the best builder for you.