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Whatever style of home you are building, from a fully-fledged eco house to a straightforward knock down and rebuild dwelling, you are going to need to arrange connections to the necessary services. This includes your supplies of electricity, water and telephone/broadband – as well as mains sewerage and gas, if they are available.
In this article, I’m going to look at how to get your self build home connected to services and utilities, and the key considerations to note for a successful connection.
You can’t really organise service connections too early. Once you own the plot of land and planning permission is looking likely, you should get the ball rolling straight away. Here’s why:
For self builders working on a replacement dwelling, connection should be relatively easy. The chances are that the site’s existing property will already be linked up to the essential facilities. Here it should be a simple case of isolating these as part of the demolition procedure, and arranging reconnection to the new dwelling. A quick call or note to the current service provider is all that is needed and in many cases, things like existing telephone numbers can be retained.
It is a different matter for self build plots where there’s no existing supply. The question of where these services will come from – and how much they’ll cost – should always be a well-researched part of your plot evaluation.
Land that has been sub-divided from an existing property, such as garden developments, should not present too many problems – connection should ideally form part of the terms of sale agreement. It would be in the vendor’s best interest to arrange for services to make the plot more attractive and command a higher premium.
Virgin plots and remotely located conversion opportunities can be an entirely different prospect so some serious consideration, and not inconsiderable cost, may be required. A common pitfall is to assume that because there are electricity supply poles in the vicinity, it will be possible to tap into that source. Remember that if you have to cross someone else’s land to do this, there may well be an additional cost involved.
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Most properties will require a mains water supply and a drainage connection, too, if you’re within a sensible distance of a sewer. Here’s how to connect your home to mains water and sewerage facilities.
Most self build plots and properties are within a reasonable distance of a mains water supply. If you are not sure whether or not your plot has existing connections to water supplies, you can arrange a CON29DW drainage and water enquiry report (this can cost between £50-£70 depending on location). This report will identify the location of the nearest water mains and sewer, and will highlight any risks such as low water pressure.
Those that aren’t connected to a mains supply are usually serviced by a private borehole. These are expensive to drill, but once approved by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, will provide you with your own mineral water supply.
To find out your options, contact your local water company who can arrange for a new supply and will quote for all the work required to bring connections to your site. You will need to fill in an application form and provide a 1:500 site plan showing the plot boundary and entry points – they’ll then work out a scheme and a price for you based on that.
Your ground worker would then be responsible for connecting this supply to the house. Any trenches dug will need to be inspected by the specified water company (who will want 21 days’ notice) before they are back filled. Water pipes are usually 25mm or 32mm polypropylene lengths, which are laid at a depth of at least 750mm and no more than 1,350mm, bedded on pea gravel to prevent damage.
For ease of identification, water supply pipes and associated conduits are always coloured light blue.
Looking to self build, Katy and Alan Pateman found a site which had previously been an allotment next to the village hall. It had lapsed outline planning for a two-bedroom, Essex-style cottage and had been on the market for three years. The couple engaged Welsh Oak Frame to help bring their design to life, with builder friend Greg Marston from Marston Contracts taking on the project with enthusiasm, despite having not built a complete house before.
Photo: Nikhilesh Haval
Construction work began on site in November 2022, and the build team used a generator until services were finally connected. The water company shut off traffic to lay its pipework, while the distribution network operator ran the electric supply on the same day – both up to the property’s border. Greg’s experienced team then picked up the feed, taking it to the site of the cottage, where they were already working on the foundations, right alongside the cabin Katy and Alan would live in during the rest of the works.
Photo: Nikhilesh Haval
The couple moved into the cabin in March. Not long afterwards, the oak frame arrived to the site be erected by a team from Wales, organised by Welsh Oak Frame. “The team told me it would take three weeks to erect the frame, but they got everything finished in just two – they were really amazing,” says Katy.
Local authorities will usually insist that a mains connection be used if at all possible, but they will be pragmatic about the practicalities. Connection from the boundary to the main sewer will have to be undertaken by an approved contractor from a list provided by your local authority. This will ensure that any work to highways and pavements will be made to the appropriate standards.
As a rough guide, if you are within 200m of a main sewer, it will be cost-effective to connect to it. Any more than that and you may need to consider an alternative, such as a septic tank or treatment plant.
Foul drainage and surface water drainage are almost always considered separately – the latter would not be allowed into the foul system. A popular option to tackle surface water is to install a rainwater harvesting system. These are highly sustainable and will reduce the sewerage element of your water bill considerably.
Pretty much every home will require mains electricity, even if it is fully loaded with all of the latest renewable generation technologies. Site-generated renewable electricity is hard to store at times when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. If you have a hydro-electric system that generates enough power 24 hours a day, you are very lucky indeed, but for most of us a mains supply is the only option.
As with water, it is a case of contacting the lead provider and asking for a new connection scheme to the boundary of your new property. Your electrician will then connect up the meter. From there, it will be fed into the house via your consumer unit. Your building control officer should be able to help if you don’t know which electricity company is the lead distributor for your area.
This distributor will be responsible for providing a new meter for the property together with its own unique number, and will supply you with electricity initially. You don’t have a choice of supplier at this stage, but once the meter is in and you have the unique number allocated, you will be free to switch companies as you wish.
For identification purposes, electrical cables and conduits are always coloured black.
Connection to mains gas is dependent on the availability of supply in your area – which is always on tap in urban zones. If you are out in the sticks, then alternatives such as oil, LPG and electrically powered heat pumps will be the norm. It’s important to note that gas boilers are being phased out after 2025, so you’ll need to look at alternative heating systems, such as a heat pump.
To get connected, you will need to contact your regional gas transporter, such as the national grid, to establish a new supply. As part of their standard service (the norm for new domestic connections) they will dig trenches up to 2m from the house, supply and fit a suitable meter box and then make good by filling the trenches.
You would then speak to a gas supplier who will install the meter and connect to the supply. Alternatively, you could ask your gas company to arrange for the whole thing – they will charge you for the connection, all pipework, their own fee plus a meter installation charge.
The cost to connect to the national grid can vary from a around £200 to over £4,000. With that in mind, it will be a judgement call as to whether mains gas is practical and affordable for your project.
Gas pipes and conduits are always coloured yellow to distinguish them from other services.
BT has responsibility for new telephone connections and there is a standard charge of around £140 if you are within easy access of the existing network. The price may be reduced if you take BT’s calls and broadband bundle.
Things get more expensive if you’re self building in the countryside, and may well involve a survey to determine the cost of connection. BT will pay up to a certain limit, but depending on the results of the survey, there may be an additional cost to bear. Under the UK’s broadband Universal Service Obligation, BT/Openreach must absorb up to around £3,400 of the cost. Anything beyond that may be charged to the self builder/homeowner.
Don’t discount other providers, such as cable companies, if you have the option. But in a rural location the chances are it will be BT or bust. If you plan to have an underground phone line, BT will usually provide the necessary cable ducting for free.
Mark Stevenson has worked as a construction professional for over 35 years and is a serial self builder. He runs project management consultancy Elsworth Projects and, as chair of NaCSBA, advocates for the interests of self builders and contributes to the success of the emerging custom build industry.
When it comes to connecting a new build to electricity, delays usually come down to planning or coordination issues. The most common culprits are:
The best way to avoid all this is to apply early (ideally several months before you need power), avoiding changing your designs, and stick to the process the service provider wants you to follow.
An MPAN, or Meter Point Administration Number, is the unique identifier for your electricity supply point. It’s essentially the address of the connection within the national grid system. You won’t get an MPAN until your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) has processed your new connection request and issued the official connection offer. Once you accept that offer and pay the fees, the MPAN is generated. It’s then used by your energy supplier to set up your electricity account and arrange meter installation. For self builders, this usually happens once the permanent supply has been confirmed but before the meter is fitted.
Yes, a temporary water supply can be arranged during construction and enables the build to have running water for construction and welfare requirements without waiting for the full, permanent connection. A temporary supply is usually connected via a standpipe or a feed from the mains, and is metered. Once the house is ready for occupation, the connection is converted or replaced with a permanent one that meets standard domestic requirements.
Delays when connecting to the water mains tend to mirror the delays associated with electricity connections – paperwork issues, revisions to designs, or poor trench preparation such as inadequate depth are all common. Sometimes, the local water authority also has to plan off-site works such as road crossings which can slow things down if road closures are required.
To avoid holdups, apply well in advance, ensuring the site layout matches the application, and follow the process meticulously. Keep in contact with the water company to confirm all inspections and complete groundworks on time.
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