Advice for hiring someone to design and build a house

7 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I'm curious about what it would take to hire someone to design and build a house and if it would be beyond our means. Does anyone have any experience in this? For us I think there are two things holding us back from doing this:

The first is finding some land and the right location. I hear it can take people years to find land in the right location for the right price.
The second is what route we take to design and build our house. Some people might choose to self-manage it themselves, others might choose to hire someone to take care of the design and build together.

I wanted to hear the communities thoughts on these two points. What did you? How did you find the land? What actions did you take to make sure you find the land you wanted? Any websites you can share? Did you hire someone to design and build your house or did you manage the build yourself? Did you use a kit home to make it easier and save money?

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PRO

Nicola Scannell Design and Property

7 years ago

Gavin If you want to have a chat about your requirements I might be able to help you find something. I have spent years finding run down houses and transforming them into modern home. Do give me a call on 07961 310 505

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Comments (12)

PRO
Smart Showers Ltd
7 years ago
We don't have experience of this but have done a bit of googling and hope these two articles help...

http://www.about-home-design.com/house-design.html

http://www.housebeautiful.com/home-remodeling/interior-designers/tips/g569/what-i-learned/?slide=1

Hope you get some advice from fellow Houzzers with hands-on experience soon!
Gavin McFarland thanked Smart Showers Ltd
PRO
Nicola Scannell Design and Property
7 years ago
Having looked for years for building sites, depending on where you are in the country I can confirm that it can take a long time to find a site. Once you do I would really strongly recommend that you have someone who helps you from design to finish with project management. Unless you have alot of experience already, costs can spiral out of control as can time. Further things can go seriously wrong if all issues are not properly anticipated. So my advice would be work with a designer/project manager from the beginning. If you used my service for instance you would always save money because of the great discounts and time I save my clients. I don't know where you are in the country but please do get in touch if you want to discuss.

And finally if you can't find land, consider a modernisation project. You will be amazed at how a house can be transformed.
Gavin McFarland thanked Nicola Scannell Design and Property
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Gavin McFarland
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you for taking the time to share your advice. Your work looks amazing and I can see why. I am hearing similar advice from friends who know of others who have done custom builds. I think it would be good to have a bit of piece of mind knowing that not everything rests on my own shoulders alone.

Our biggest problem would be finding the right location and land because my partner and I work in London so would like something with a good commute. My fear is because the commute is such a vital part of our requirements that that we would be limiting ourselves to look for land only. I think we are open to a modernisation project, but it would have to have the right potential we are looking for. I'm assuming we would be best looking at houses at auction to get as low a price as we can so we have more for the design and architectural changes we might look to make.
PRO
OnePlan
7 years ago
To some degree too - it might be good to know the style of home that floats your boat - so you can look for the correct aspect of land that will work ... ie facing the correct position or in the right shape etc - so maybe start looking a various house designs to hone down things that make your heart sing !!!
Happy hunting !!
:-)
acew1234
7 years ago
We found a house which is on an amazing hard to find plot. We heard whilst visiting someone that the owner was beginning to think about putting it on the market. We pounced, the house unfortunately is too far gone to be viable so we have a beautiful rather expensive large plot. Local contacts were really useful to us.

We have had an architect designing our new home and we will have a contractor to take it to dry shell stage, we will then take over and take on trades as and when we need them.

We looked at kit homes but decided we would prefer to build something that suited us and the plot.
Gavin McFarland
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for sharing your experience of finding a plot of land. I bet your house will look amazing when it's all complete.
Gavin McFarland
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks Nicola, I will give you a call next week for a quick chat.
hecateh
6 years ago
I'm a bit further down the same road. I have the land (my garden) and now have planning permission. Mine is very small. It is a way of downsizing without moving into a tiny box. Something I wish I had done was find my builder first. A good architect that you can work with is essential but a builder even more so. Also they will have ideas too and if you do it this way round you will have ideas from your builder before you even start to talk to your architect.
PRO
PWJ Architects Ltd
6 years ago
Hi Gavin,

A number of implications can determine whether a site is suitable to build on and what would be permitted in terms of the buildings scale, mass and design. The planning authority at your local council will be able to give pre-application advice on your best approach.

Most architectural practices and building contractors have years of experience in design and project management and we encourage you to look at their portfolio.

The construction processes involved with a new build can vary on which contractor you employ and what details have been specified in the building regulation drawings, all determined by your budget and any other conditions applied during the planning process etc.

In the mean time, would suggest that you contact the planning department at your local council and to also contact a local architect/building contractor to query on the process.
PRO
i-architect
6 years ago
Hi Gavin,

Good questions. These are really vital points to consider but the answers are complex and very dependent on what suits you.

1. Finding property - yes that can be tricky but it depends on what you are looking for, where and at what price. As others have said, consider property as not necessarily simply a plot of land but potentially a building (and not necessarily a house) that could be demolished or remodelled to give you what you want. However, before you go through with a purchase, check with the local planning department that what you are hoping to achieve on any prospective site is likely to be supported / meets local planning policy. Auctions can be good places to look. A quick search on Rightmove or other online platforms using filters for location, price range, etc... is a good starting point. Also many architects, as I do, can offer you a reasonably priced pre-purchase assessment of a property to check that there is scope there to achieve the type of home with the size and spaces that you would like.

2. The second is also a complex question that relates to you and your personal situation. It can come down to budget, as well as your skills / knowledge of construction and the amount of time you have available to either project manage / carry out work yourself. If you have little to no construction knowledge nor time then it would not generally be advisable for you to project manage / build the project yourself. There are pros and cons to all options. The traditional approach is to commission an architect to carry out the design work and they then tender the building work to contractors, who would then project manage the build while the architect inspects the work and deals with any arising site queries. This typically gives you the most control over quality and cost of build. Another option is a turnkey approach by a design and build company, this typically gets you a completed project at a fixed pre-agreed price and timescale, but with very little control over quality. There are many other options and I could spend all day writing them out! Taking a look at the JCT contract options can help illustrate many of the most commonly used approaches.
PRO
Scandia-Hus Ltd
6 years ago
Hi Gavin. Designing and building your own house can be an exciting and fulfilling project which allows you to create your vision of a dream home. If you're thinking of going down this route, why not take a look at our website? It has ideas on styles, floorplans, prices guides and information to help answer your questions.

https://www.scandia-hus.co.uk/design-build/start

If you want to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact us - sales@scandia-hus.co.uk

We also have a show home in Sussex (see above) and you're welcome to visit to discuss your ideas.

Hope this helps! Charlotte from Scandia-hus.

Advice for hiring someone to design and build a house

Nicola Scannell Design and Property

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Advice for hiring someone to design and build a house

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