Self build cost calculator
Want to know how much it costs to build your own home? Our ready reckoner, powered by the Build It Estimating Service, will help you gauge what size, style and quality of house you can achieve on your project budget
Pricing up your project? Look no further than Build It's Estimating Service to see what your budget can stretch to
One of the first things you’ll want to figure out on your new build journey is just how much it’s likely to cost. Every self build is different, of course, so the answer will depend on a host of considerations – including the size of the house, number of storeys, quality of materials and finishes you want to specify, location and more. One key benefit of building a bespoke home is your project will be zero rated for VAT – so you can get much more for your money compared to buying a new house on the open market.
The self build cost table and accompanying project advice in this article, prepared by the experts at the Build It Estimating Service, will give you an insight into what you need to know when planning your project budget. To help start your scheme off on the right foot, we’ve looked at five different sizes of new build home, along with a variety of single-storey, dormer and full house types: Two bedroom bungalow (90m2 internal area) Three bedroom bungalow (100m2) Three bedroom house (160m ) Four bedroom house (200m2) Five bedroom house (280m2)
You’ll notice that the larger the house, the lower the construction cost per square metre of usable floor area. So you can achieve better value with a bigger home – provided your budget will stretch to that size of property. This is down to economies of scale: you’ll need basically the same amount of foundation and roof on a two-storey 200m2 home as you would on a 100m2 bungalow, for example.
Ultimately, exactly which option suits you will depend on your budget, ceiling values in the area (check out local listings and speak to estate agents) and what type of project fits your site and needs. Factors such as sloping ground can have a major impact on your build costs, too, and should be reflected in the value of the plot (land costs are excluded from the figures in our calculator).