Current situation is I've sold my existing house while I'm in the process of renovating my new one.

However, I have just came across this plot of land locally with planning permission for a 4 bed house:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-44762948.html

I have no idea on the feasibility of me obtaining a mortgage for such a project, but I'd love to build my own house at some point and if I sold my renovation project once complete I'm sure I could do something with my equity.

So questions:

1. What type of design would you go for on a plot that size? I'd like a modern, highly efficient ecohome but would probably need to blend in with surrounding houses (in the pictures)
2. What is the average cost to build say a 3 or 4 bed house to suit said plot?
3. Anything you think I should research first?

Doesn't it say the footings are already in? If that's the case I'd be looking to see if I could live with the design, and just 'robustify' (!) it in thermal terms.

Posted By: Victorianeco1. What type of design would you go for on a plot that size? I'd like a modern, highly efficient ecohome but would probably need to blend in with surrounding houses (in the pictures)
2. What is the average cost to build say a 3 or 4 bed house to suit said plot?
3. Anything you think I should research first?

A1. I'd stick with the existing design but go timber frame and loads of insulation.
A2. If you do loads of work your self £800 to £1000 per m2
A3. Get a copy of the planning application, get the legal pack from the EA. Restrictive covenants.

Go in with a very low offer, say you don't want someone elses foundations, offer £50k ???? Only you know it's value.

Posted By: CWattersI make the floor area of the approved house about 182sqm. Build cost per sqm varies a lot but I would have said at least double your £80K estimate say £175-200K. How much do 4 bed houses sell for?

Except that if the footings are in and still usable, then that reduces the risk.

Could be a self build gone wrong so need to check on existing warrant etc.

Self-builders on the old Yahoo Selfbuild forum were, like myself, motivated by primarily the possibility of owning a home at considerably less cost than buying and secondly, by the possibility of building something that would really be what they imagined as their dream home.

We have self-build contributors on here that I believe, are aligned with these goals-

The self-build road is arduous and if you have other motivators, for example, to sell on, and you have limited skills and experience, I think you are very likely to run out of steam and end up getting a builder in to finish for you. Bang goes your profit. So don't underestimate what it takes to self-build, you won't be the first to walk away and at least one contributor on the old forum suffered a coronary from the stress involved.

For more info. talk to Mark Brinkley, the author of the House Builder's Bible on:

http://markbrinkley.blogspot.com.es/

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: Victorianeco</cite>Nah, no way is that £200k to build that house. Surely it is is £800-£1000 per m2 of ground floor area not first and ground combined?

A 4 bed house in that location with no garden won't get that much.

Not many 4 beds local to that to compare to but this one is £235k:
<a href="http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46384162.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46384162.html</a>
Lovely sized garden etc

<a href="http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32665917.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32665917.html</a>

<a href="http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-31816124.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-31816124.html</a>

So the land would need to be got for £30k if you assume those build prices stated to just about break even... Not worth the hassle</blockquote>

When you quote a cost per m2 its all the surfaces , not just the ground floor.

Over here in France you would be looking at 800-1000 euros m2 for the total floor area, self build.

So here is the 2004 planning application. http://vogonline.planning-register.co.uk/PlaRecord.aspx?AppNo=2004/01290/FUL&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

I've got to ask what happened to the original builder and why did they pack up at foundation level?

This was the first planning approval I found for the plot, maybe there have been others. I'd suggest you do your homework, might be worth asking the neighbourhood about the history of the site and why after ten years nothing has been built?

okay, to be honest at the moment I think the project would not be worthwhile so going to give it a miss till I at least complete the sale of my one house then re asses.