With the prices of buying a house skyrocketing, many of us are tempted to building our own house. This is sometimes an excellent choice, but you will first need to understand the costs of building a house from scratch. As per a general estimate, the cost of self-build ranges between £300 per m2 to £3,000 per m2.
As you can see, this is quite a variation in price from lowest to highest. Location is a prime factor in determining the costs. Building a house in London and the South is more expensive compared to other regions. Aside from location, several other factors make up the price.
Self-manage with subcontractors
You hire professionals directly like builders and carpenters. You also buy all the materials yourself allowing you to get the best prices.
Hiring a main contractor with other subcontractors
You will first need a main contractor who will help to create the watertight structure for your house. For the rest of the work, try hiring out subcontractors. Make sure that you buy all the materials yourself to get the best price.
External cladding materials
If you are looking to install other external material other than brick, you will also need to factor in the cost for the same.
Here are some example prices:
• Render on blockwork costs around £25 per m²
• Timber cladding is around £25 per m²
• Hand¬made all-weather tiling costs around £54 per m²
• Rubble walling or flint is around £90 per m²
• Reconstituted stone costs about £48 per m²
• Natural stone is about £75 per m²
Make sure to include these costs when coming up with the estimate.
Roofing materials
Non-standard roofing materials tend to add more to the cost and therefore you will also need to account in for this factor.
Here are some examples:
Welsh slate – £60 per m²
Second-hand slates – £35 per m²
Handmade clay tiles – £65 per m²
Reed thatch – £80/m²
If you choose to add any unique material to your roofing, be sure that you remember to factor in its cost.