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Graven Hill: How to Reserve a Plot
There are 8 steps in this guide
The first step to identifying the right site for your project is to shape your ideas. How much space do you need? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Would you like a rural or more urban setting? How much do you have to spend in total?
Armed with the answers to these questions, you can start to narrow down which of the many opportunities at Graven Hill will prove a good fit with your style preferences and lifestyle needs.
What plots are available at Graven Hill?
Graven Hill will continue to release phases of plots over the course of a decade until the whole of the site is built out, at an average of about 200 homes per year. Each phase includes a variety of property sizes within a selection of different Character Areas, so there’s always choice for buyers.
You can log on to www.gravenhill.co.uk/map for an interactive map with easy-to-navigate plot listings. This includes guide prices and downloadable Plot Passports for every self-build opportunity, plus notional designs in some cases, to help you get an idea of what will suit your needs.
Currently, there’s a range of self build plots available to purchase in the Community Street, Rural Lane and Tree-lined Boulevard zones – as well as a number of Tailored Finish opportunities. Sites in additional Character Areas will become available as further parts of the Masterplan come onto the market.
You can visit the Plot Shop at Pioneer Square in Bicester, which is designed to give you a unique insight into the prospect of building your own home at Graven Hill.
Staff at the Plot Shop can provide advice and information about every aspect of the development – from design and planning through to reserving a plot, securing finance and more.
“You’ll be able to see visuals and case studies, as well as arrange for an escorted site visit to see what you’re buying,” says Karen Curtin. “In the future we’ll have a marketing suite on the site, too.”
How to reserve a plot at Graven Hill
If you want to put your name down for a serviced site, you’ll first need to have an assessment to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to acquire the land and proceed with the build.
From here it’s fundamentally a step-by-step process to purchasing your construction-ready self-build serviced plot:
- Pay a reservation fee based on the value of the plot. From here the goal is to exchange within seven months.
- Come up with your initial design drawings.
- Progress your plans with your designer and a Graven Hill development liaison manager.
- Gain planning consent via the 28-day fast track service.
- Exchange contracts. This triggers delivery of the Golden Brick, which usually takes four to 10 weeks.
- Graven Hill provides a completion contract once the foundations are done.
- You pay the rest of the money for your self-build serviced plot and become the legal owner.
While this process progresses, you can arrange for delivery of the rest of your scheme – for instance by commissioning a package home company, hiring a main contractor or managing individual trades.
As a condition of the contract on Graven Hill self-build plots, you must complete your scheme within two years of exchanging. This requirement is in place to ensure neighbours don’t have to live next door to a long-term building site.
Follow Build It’s Real-Life Self Build at Graven Hill
Build It magazine’s Self Build Education House is a real-life, access-all-areas project that will give you a unique insight into the process of creating your own bespoke home. The Build It House, created in partnership with Graven Hill, will be an innovative education space that gives you a unique insight into the process of self building. From the earliest sketch designs through to core structural decisions and the final snagging checks, we plan to share the detailed journey of how a home building project goes together. Find out more: Welcome to the Self Build Education House |
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