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When looking for a plot to self build, it can be challenging to identify what size home you can build on a site and therefore how big the plot should be. Location and context will determine what’s possible, adding to the variables at play. In some places, you may be able to build a larger house on a smaller plot, but in different locations you might need to leave more space around the house between neighbours or retain the context and density of development.
Think about how much space you need in your home and any other requirements for your plot, such as car parking and access, outbuildings etc. This will help you to identify the size of the plot you need. The desired scale and layout for your design will not work on every plot and, to be successful in planning, your development has to work with the particular site and its surroundings.
Working out your priorities will help in narrowing down your search for land, whether that’s its location or your property’s design or scale. For example, could you compromise with a smaller house and a larger garden in order to get a plot in your preferred location? Think about the long-term implications of these factors in terms of cost and maintenance, not just about what you can achieve planning permission for in the short term.
The challenge remains that every house will need to be designed to enhance the site it sits within and the surrounding context. This might mean rethinking your plans and having to compromise along the way. Nevertheless, it is still helpful to start with an idea or vision of what you ideally want or need in terms of size of home and the space around it.
Planning is challenging, as there are no hard and fast rules as to what size a home or plot needs to be for any particular development, but there are some things you can think about which might help you define this.
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At a basic level, there are minimum space standards for new homes set at a national level by government. These dictate the minimum size of any new dwelling and can be found in the Nationally Described Space Standard document.
These apply internal space standards to new dwellings and set out requirements for the gross internal floor area (GIA) depending on occupancy (how many people the property accommodates) as well as floor areas and dimensions for key parts of the home, such as bedrooms and storage.
Rod and Trudy Molyneux’s 0.4-acre plot in Northumberland came with permission to build a 213m² home. The couple designed their Potton timber frame within this footprint, building an additional 24m² garage. Photo: Potton
For example, a three-bedroom, four-person house over two storeys should be a minimum of 84m² with 2.5m² of storage. These minimum standards are generally fairly compact and most self builders will probably be seeking something larger. The sizes may only be a challenge or consideration on smaller or more constrained sites, but your architect would be able to advise whether they can be met, along with any other technical design standards your project or site might need to accommodate.
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Land vs house size – how big should your home be?It’s important to consider the ratio of the dwelling size to the plot size. Generally speaking, the larger your site is, the bigger you might be able to build. A better approach can be to figure out the general size of house you need, and then match the plot size to it. This illustration shows the same house with, a gross internal area (GIA) of 154m², on varying plot sizes for comparison.
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From a planning perspective, there are other considerations in terms of what makes a property appropriate in terms of scale on a site. Each local authority is likely to have its own design and space stipulations for the delivery of new homes. These will include considerations such as the amount of amenity space associated with each property, which includes garden provision and balconies, for example.
These local policies will also prescribe the amount of off-street car parking required along with the distance between houses and windows of neighbouring dwellings. These are considerations which will affect the scale and design of any dwelling on a site, as well as where it’s built on the plot of land in relation to surrounding properties.
Pauline and Frank Mace built their 388m² Frame Technologies home on a 1.5-acre site. The couple bought two plots of land, one with existing planning consent, and the adjoining field, therefore ensuring no development could take place on the site and interrupt the beautiful views from their home. Photo: Shooting Reels
In terms of design and scale, it is worth noting that these polices are different to the rules around permitted development (PD) rights that, for instance, allow for development within certain distances of the boundary of a site. In the case of new development that requires formal planning permission, you may find that the rules are more restrictive than you might expect.
In a more urban location, the national and regional standards can be more challenging to achieve than in a more suburban or rural location, as the properties are likely to be closer together and the sites more constrained. These may require innovative design solutions to achieve floorspace and meet all the amenity demands.
Susan and John Shearer knocked down their 30m² holiday home in the Cairngorms National Park and successfully replaced it with a 200m² self build home. At the time, the other replacement dwellings being built in the national park were of the same footprint and scale as the existing structures. So, architect Gokay Deveci had to convince planners of their proposed scheme’s exceptional design, sustainable architecture and considered ecological approach. Photo: David Barbour
However, in more rural locations, particularly if a site is in the green belt, there may be much stricter parameters in terms of the scale of dwelling achievable compared to non-designated areas. It is therefore important to understand this planning policy context early on to define the development potential.
When thinking about the scale of property that would be likely to be acceptable on a plot at an early stage, it is useful to consider the surrounding development. Look at the scale of nearby properties and the pattern of gardens and car parking.
KEY TIPS for determining the size of your build
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In general terms, if the size and shape of homes surrounding the site you are looking at are very consistent, with similar-sized gardens and off-street parking, then this is a good starting point for the expectations of an appropriate scale. If the area has some replacement dwellings which are larger, or the scale is more varied, then it is an indication that there may be greater flexibility in terms of what is achievable for your project.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, it may be that you already have a site, or have seen one you’re interested in, that is much larger than you would need to accommodate the scale of dwelling that you’d like to build. It is important to think about the scale of the dwelling you actually want and need – and that might be affordable – in this sort of scenario. You may be keen to go as large as you can because the site permits it, but then find that the cost of delivering the house and maintaining it is prohibitive.
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