Hi Adam,

It might not surprise you to learn this is a really open-ended question!

There are so many factors that can affect your overall costs (from what the plot costs to the size of house you want and quality of the fittings etc) that it’s pretty much impossible to cover off everything and come up with an iron-clad figure of what you could build for.

However, there are a few basic principles you can follow to help give yourself the best chance of achieving an affordable project. For instance, a square footprint should be generally be cheaper than a rectangle (because you get the same amount of floor space with less walling). Meanwhile, timber frame and blockwork are the two ‘conventional’ systems and therefore offer great value for money… but you could go even cheaper by opting for something like straw bale construction and doing the building work yourself.

You may find some useful nuggets of advice here: https://www.self-build.co.uk/blog/how-to-self-build-on-budget

It might also be worth taking a look around the website and checking out some inspiring real-life homes that have been built on tight budgets: https://www.self-build.co.uk/12-affordable-homes-built-under-%C2%A3200000

The cheapest home you’ll find on our website is the aptly-named Wee house in Scotland, which was built for £64k on a plot of land that was already in the family: https://www.self-build.co.uk/wee-house-64k-self-build-home

Hope that helps get you started.

Best wishes,

Chris (Editor, Build It)

As Adam points out, every individual build can vary hugely depending on the plot, materials, fittings and so on. Although it would be nice to be able to put a price on it straight away, it would be misleading to claim that this can be done.

However, there is plenty you can do to work towards a price. The best thing to do would be to look into some cheap options for each individual component and then do the maths. It’s also important to factor in the time you expect to spend on this build. Particularly for people who take time off work to complete their self-build, the hours spent not earning should also be included in the overall price.

Another price savvy thing that’s really important to consider is the longer-term expense of your home. For example, be sure to install effective wall insulation. This is one instance in which it would be worth spending more initially in order to save money down the line. This should be helpful: https://www.self-build.co.uk/how-insulate-external-walls

Best of luck!

Hello,

We are an Ayrshire House Building company who offer something different – a timber house, single storey and built to your specification. If you have the land and budget, we can build you a Wee House which could be 1 or 2 bedrooms, larger if you prefer. Our houses receive fabulous reviews, they look like cottages and are very different from the traditional new build home. They are very well insulated and we can build them in just 8 weeks. The additional costs on top of brochure price are for planning consent, building warrant, transportation and connection to services. Most people get a Wee House built as a long-term dwelling, or to be used as a holiday-let. If we can be of any assistance, please make contact. Louise Wightman, The Wee House Company