Self-Build and Custom Build Plots: Own Your Dream Home
For many people, building their own home offers something that buying an existing property or choosing a home on a traditional new-build development cannot: the opportunity to create a home around the way they want to live.
Whether you want complete control over the design or simply more choice over the finished home, self-build and custom-build housing can offer a more flexible route to owning a home that suits your needs.
At Sheldon Bosley Knight, our planning and architecture, land and new homes teams have experience across the self-build and custom-build sectors, helping landowners, developers and prospective homeowners navigate the opportunities available.
But what is the difference between self-build and custom build?
Self-build: complete control over your home
With a traditional self-build, you are responsible for bringing the whole project together.
This usually starts with finding a suitable plot of land and working with an architect to design your home. You will then need to secure planning permission, arrange the necessary services and infrastructure, appoint contractors and manage the construction process.
The biggest benefit is freedom. You have much greater control over the size, layout, appearance, materials and specification of your home.
That could mean designing an open-plan kitchen and living space, creating accessible accommodation for changing needs, incorporating energy-efficient features or simply making the most of the way your particular plot sits.
The benefits of self-build include:
Complete design freedom – create a home around your lifestyle and priorities
A truly bespoke property – choose the layout, finishes and features that matter to you
Potential to make better use of your budget – you can decide where to spend and where to save
Greater choice over energy efficiency – incorporate modern technologies and materials from the outset
The opportunity to create something unique – rather than adapting an existing house to suit you
The trade-off is that there is more to organise. From finding the land to securing planning permission and managing the build, a self-build requires time, research and careful project management.
Custom build: more choice, with less of the groundwork
Custom build offers another option for people who want greater input into their home but don't necessarily want to take on every part of the development process themselves.
With a custom-build scheme, the developer has already done much of the upfront work. The site may already have planning permission, roads and utilities in place, meaning you can buy a plot and focus more on creating the home itself.
Depending on the scheme, you may be able to influence the design, layout, specification and finishes of your property.
This can provide many of the benefits of a bespoke home while removing some of the more complicated early stages of a self-build project.
The benefits of custom build include:
Less groundwork for you – much of the site preparation and planning work has already been completed
More choice than a standard new build – you can have greater input into how your home looks and works
A simpler route into building your own home – particularly if you don't have experience managing a development
A home designed around you – with the opportunity to make decisions about layouts and specifications
Greater certainty from the outset – with the site, planning and infrastructure already established
For buyers who like the idea of building their own home but don't want to start with a piece of raw land, custom build can provide a useful middle ground.
Which option is right for you?
The right route depends on how much involvement you want to have and how much responsibility you are prepared to take on.
Neither option is necessarily better. It's about finding the approach that gives you the right balance of choice, cost, time and involvement.
A growing opportunity for homeowners and landowners
Self-build and custom-build housing are becoming an increasingly important part of the housing market.
Government policy introduced in 2015 requires local planning authorities to maintain registers of people interested in self-build and custom-build opportunities and to consider the demand when planning for housing.
For prospective homeowners, registering with your local authority can therefore be a useful way of finding out about opportunities as they become available.
There are also opportunities for landowners and developers who have suitable sites that could potentially accommodate self-build or custom-build homes.
How Sheldon Bosley Knight can help
At Sheldon Bosley Knight, we have the expertise to support different parts of the process under one roof.
Our planning and architecture team can help landowners explore the potential of a site, prepare designs and navigate the planning process. Our new homes team can help identify and market development opportunities, work with developers and ultimately bring individual plots to the market.
We have already completed the sale of a site in Wellesbourne to modular home builders Youngman Lovell for a development of 10 dwellings.
Other opportunities are also progressing, including sites at Alderminster, Halford and Cropthorne, alongside a number of schemes at different stages of the planning process.
We will shortly be marketing plots on a number of these sites through our New Homes team, creating further opportunities for people looking to build or customise their own home.
As Sheldon Bosley Knight Company Director Dan Jackson explains:
Government policy introduced in 2015 requires all local planning authorities to keep a self and custom-build housing register and provide sufficient land for such opportunities.
It is a more cost-effective way of securing your dream home and it allows you to create something bespoke. In our experience, there is a growing trend for these kinds of developments, which is very exciting.
At Sheldon Bosley Knight, we have all the relevant departments in-house who can work together to enable those who want to build their own homes to do so.
From sourcing land, to preparing architectural drawings, working on the planning application and working with developers, we have all the elements you need to get the job done.
“f you are interested in finding out how we can help you achieve this, or for more information, please get in touch.
Thinking about building your own home?
Whether you're a homeowner looking for a plot, a landowner exploring the potential of your site or a developer considering a self or custom-build scheme, getting the right advice early can make the process much easier.
Speak to the Sheldon Bosley Knight new homes team to find out more about self-build and custom-build opportunities.