mattstant

Anyone can object but if they dont have a legitimate complaint then it wont stand only thing is it slows down the process.

look for land that is a plannng "gain" ie anyting you can knock down or will improve surroundings.
planning authorities are desperate to ease the pressure on "green space" so small infill developments are most likley to pass quickly

As an aside a large portion of house price increase is down to the lack of decent building land and the very slow planning process

yes james that is with planning permission for 400 k we can put 15 plots on and should clear about 200 k profit from a toal outlay 1,000,000 (land and build cost)

[Edited by mattstant - 12/10/2002 2:04:52 PM]

JAMES BUSHELL

Hi Anyone on here gone down the self - build route..?

recently been looking into it...and would be interested to hear any case studies...?

size of house... overall cost, etc.....

any info apreciated...

Thanks..

James

MarkO

Check out the Grand Designs site on Channel 4. Also, look at http://www.self-build.co.uk. Best source of info I found, though, was the UK Self-build list on yahoogroups.

mattstant

Building is the easy part finding the land is the hard bit
We are paying 400,000 for one acre at the moment and its nothing special

Mr evolution

The land is easy to get its the planning thats hard because every brain dead tosser in the vicinity thinks they should object even though they can't even see the site from their house . The funny part is that some of the people objecting live in houses less than twelve years old yet some how their eye sore housing estate replacing a field and parkland is OK but one big house in a 200 acre field is too much for them. Between them and the uckwitted planing officers its enough to make a man invite every low life gypsy rapist and thief in to the area on the condition they devastate and gentrify the area.

JAMES BUSHELL

thanks..

yeah, it's a shame that some people object... just jealous i guess..

where abouts is your 1 acre plot.. 400- i take it that's with PP then.. for that sort of money..

i've found a 6 acre plot with Woodland and a lake for £50k.. but that's without PP. the likelyhood of getting it, is quite slim, but i'm still going to try...!

JAMES BUSHELL

Blimey.. 40k per build. that's cheap..


they're gonna be small plots though if it's only a acre..!

rik1471

Barbie Houses?

mattstant

cheap ??? not especially but pay no vat and obviously get big discounts on materials and can deal direct with manufacturers

RON

James,
I am in the process of doing my first and last house, there's more to it than I realised, mind you, I have done a heck of a lot of it myself, the house is about 1500sqft, build cost will be about 120k, plus the land, but we've owned that for years, however it was valued at 120k too, but the upshot is, the finished house will be worth about 350k, not bad for a years graft, but I'm gonna live in it, too much work to flog it!!
if you do it, be very wary of some builders, get prices for everything, and get it on paper!!!!!!!

JAMES BUSHELL

Ron..

i know what you mean... my Girlfriend drives an incredibly hard bargain.... so she can & will haggle with sub contractors if that's the route we take...? we currently live in a converted chapel.. and she really knows how to deal with them..

sent a letter to the local planning officer today to enquire whether possible PP is ok for the site that i've found.. will have a look at it on sunday..

will let you know the progress..

mattstant

James let me know the exact term for refusal (always assuming that this will be the case)and i will let you know if there is a glimmer of hope.
planning officers will shy away from anything controversial and give loads of seemingly plausible reasons that are just smoke screens.
deal with each issue in isolation be a pest and you will be surprised how far you can get

gravelexpress

£40k a house my ar** if you could do that you would be a builder (earning massive margins) the cost split is usually 46%materials and 54% labour so unless you are building them entirely yourself or have slave labour your talkin ballxxxs

mattstant

errm think youd better check my profile gravel express and its most definitley not bolloxs this is for an average 3 bed semi try reading the whole topic then engaging brain before opening mouth

or how about a decent reply like

"My isnt that cheap on what is that based my i ask as those figure quite surprise me"

oh no that requires manners doesnt it

[Edited by mattstant - 12/16/2002 4:44:33 PM]

gravelexpress

no i probably do lack manners - but even though I dont state it in my profile - I am a Chartered Surveyor - Construction division - so my expertise is in construction financing and costs - and I know that you wont get a build for 40k for a 3 bed semi.

rich1231

Plans off the shelf, cheapest possible construction methods, low quality finish (no insult intented). £40-50k or close is doable. Many of the costs are shared amongst the 15. I bet they are cacky houses though.

mattstant

and thats why we never employ chartered surveyors

oh and by the way we have an excellent record with both local authority and NHBC (for what its worth) which most volume builders would be envious of

And a very happy loyal and well paid bunch of subies who's workmansip far outstretches any national builder
most definitley not "cacky" houses

I couldnt sleep nights doing it this way and we design in house (saves a fortune on architects and surveyors fees)and have approximatley 4 office staff (low overheads)and dont forget we dont pay essex prices in the midlands rich

By the way its a family firm and has been so for Forty years



[Edited by mattstant - 12/21/2002 7:16:49 PM]

gravelexpress

Your company sounds very unprofessional and not for the fact that you dont use Chartered Surveyors -

I cant understand how a little firm of 4 people can design houses in compliance with current Buiding regulations and statutory byelaws without the expertise of an architect. Then again you do claim to build them for 40k so obviously you are not building a high specification product.

RON

Mr Gravel Express,

I am not a firm, and I'm building a house which more than complies with current regs, so surely a firm with an office staff of four, + all the on site workers can do it, I'm doing a one off, hopefully I've managed to put a pic of my new house here for all to see.

House from the front!


House from the rear!


Pic showing the vaulted ceiling in the low part of the roof, and the chimney we can walk right around!


Underfloor heating!


Open plan living!



All this for 100k so far, reckon another 20k to go!!
Current value about 350k, plot value when I started about 120k, so couild make a nice profit, but gonna live in it instead!

paul w

Ron,

Looks nice mate,well done.

Nice place dorset,mackeral fishing on chesie beach arrh must come down next year.

Anyway back on topic slightly how longs it taken you cos that greenary on the front looks well and truely set in.

RON

Paul;,
Started a year ago, although we've owned the plot for yonks, had the trades in until it had a roof, I've done EVERYTING since, weel, all except the plastering, thats a skilled job, sparkying, and chippying is simple!
planning on being liveable for easter, we put the 'greenery' in so that it get a hold before we do, damn thing was growing so fats I had to stand there and keep tieing it up!
hand made everything helps with the looks on the outside, and the timber on the ceilings looks good to!
I;'m calling it 'the house of three halves'
one half Barn,
One half Swiss chalet,
One half cottage!

RON

Oops, double trouble!

[Edited by RON - 12/24/2002 12:35:05 AM]

gravelexpress

ROn,
thats looks an excellent house. So did you design the house? or is it a kit that you have built? or was it designed by an architect?

RON

Self designed, no architect, a friend did the drawings for me, but we had to get an engineer to do the stresses due to the open plan layout and where we wanted the walls, lots of smalll niggles along the way, but overall, very pleased with it, and it's coming in under budget too!!!!!!! = more toys for Scooby!!

mattstant

.

after some consideration and calming down it occurs to me this could be a wind upvery vague ????

if you can answer 2 very simple questions i might be convinced you are what you say you are

1. what does SMM stand for and what is its latest edition number
2. what does JCT stand for

if you can answer those two qusetions correctly the following applies:-

Unprofessional how the flying **** would you know about my business i have an o level in building construction (i had to start somewhere)a 3year BTEC (hnc)in building construction work experience in an architects office and 15 years experience designing altering and building houses and factory units
oh and the MD (my father) is an architect!!!!

I know more about the technical requirements than any newly qualified architect.

I had to set out a building for a friend of mine who is an architect when he first qualified because he didnt know how to!!!!

oh and nice place by the way Ron Im on the look out for a site to build for myself and i intend using underfloor heating as well I assume it is a wet system judging by the size of the piping.
how are you getting on is it finished

RON

Matt,
nearly there with the heating, I put the upstairs lot in a while back, but waited to do downstairs until after it was plastered, also waitng to do the stairs, as they're gonna be left natural, (sort of) and also they're open risers, well as much as you can have nowadays to comply with the fri66in buildin regs!!!!!!
Anyway, I've used a batten floor system downstairs, 3x2 battens, with 2inch Celotex in between, then the pipes (yes it's wet, 20mm pipe!) then the chipboard flooring on top of this, thought I'd made a ****-up today, nearly put a screw though a pipe! literally 1/2 inch away! phew!
when I've got the floor done, 'all' thats left is plumbing, gas (corgi man) kitchen, bathroom, shwer room, and utility room, oh, and architrave an skirting, and outside!!!!! so I guess a bit left yet eh!
pic from the landing, looking down into the lounge,on the right of the chimney.

looking from the landing down into the lounge on the left of the chimney!

The dining room, with the lounge in the backround, if you can see it!



The system I've used uses, Hep2o pipe, it's a bit awkward in tight spaces, glad I've done it all now!
Ron

gravelexpress

Standard Method of Measurement - currently on the 7th edition, a method of measuring quantities in construction works.

Joint Contracts Tribunal - the organisation that has produced the standard forms of contract used in many construction contracts.

Why are you so wound up? You state that you save on architects fees by designing in house. However, you dont state that you have I assume a RIBA qualified architect designing for you. Yes I dont know anything about your company however, I think the majority of people would agree that a HNC in building is no substitute for the qualifications and expertise of an architect.