Manufacturers and builders are being very coy about giving an estimate to build a 3 bed house on a greenfield site.
All I want is a ball park figure, something along the lines of £100k basic, up to £130k with extras.
But, all (well, ok, I’ve only contacted 2) say they cannot give an idea until they see the plans. I don’t have any plans, initial thoughts are a 3 bed, timber framed building, with excellent insulation.If the initial estimate is lower than expected, we can get a bigger living area etc.
Someone must know a figure within a range of £50k.
This is because of a potential move from the English Midlands to Southern Scotland. The first plan was to rent for 6 months, and then buy somewhere, but, it appears the cost of a new build to our design on land we can buy, may be more suitable for our requirements.
If we go ahead, caravan life will be for us for up to a year, but we get the house that will be suitable for us, rather than modifying an existing one that will not be insulated to modern standards, not have a layout that we want (possible 2 room B+B for bikes, both powered and pedal).

Surely without plans they can’t quote, your idea of a 3 bed house might be 5 times the size of there’s, you may expect ensuite to every bedroom and they one bathroom, two floors or three, geology of the land, services access, quality of fittings etc. Too many unknown variables = no quote. I am not a builder.

the cost of a new build to our design on land we can buy, may be more suitable for our requirements.

You someone to give you an estimate without even knowing anything about the plot of land, access, services, gradient, etc etc ?

Surely there are online calculators you ca use, like this (I am  in Ireland so the link is for an Irish price guide)

Build cost estimator

Could find a timber framed house group on fb or similar and ask people for some ideas on what they’ve paid? This would give you an idea of price vs size. Then add 30% or more if it’s more than a year ago to allow for the current crazy construction market.

Look at Scotframe, Fleming Homes and numerous other timber frame kit companies and they’ll give you a price. Talking to someone who is starting a self-build in the new year is expecting a price reduction of 10% in the new year – sawmills are starting to catch-up with production and a few of the bigger builders are scaling back / putting projects on hold.

These guys are roundwood timber framed specialists, but the cost should be fairly similar I imagine.

Timber Construction Frequently Asked Questions

How much will roundwood timber framing cost?

We have created 3 bedroom houses, frame, walls, roof, and floors- ready for first fix, for as little as 60K. Cabins for a couple have been built in their entirety for 27K.

I used to work for a timber frame manufacturer- we supplied & fitted frames for house builders so groundworks were already done & following trades still had to be done. On average a 3 bed semi would cost c£15k.

Think typical build costs for a finished house were stated at roughly £1500/sq metre, but this was a year ago before I changed jobs and covid affected prices

£2000 per swm (include both floors)
Plus services , plus external works , plus final floor finishes, plus fees . You could spend more than £2k per square metre depending on bathrooms , kitchen etc

I was thinking approx £2,000 /sq.m ***
One-off detached housing: 2 storey £2,090 – 2,310 , found on web.
But consider plot, orientation where is the sun (very important….to me)
What services are available, mains or do you need private water supply, sewage, power, fibre…etc
What about VAT, consultants fees, planning, warrant, other fees, EPCs and such.
Also which builders/subbies are available and how will you manage the project…we’ve all seem grand designs…
*** plenty of small print…
you may have noticed I think some other forum folk have built in Scotland, so maybe able to help.
Once you have a design DO NOT change your mind OR it will cost, so take your time…but plot first and I hope you get a view:)

Builders get asked all the time, their time is not free and most are very busy atm, general observation. Enjoy the journey.

Edit, forgot ground works, often the stuff hidden costs more, again watch grand designs and find some deep pockets.

Best estimates for self-build timber frame construction are £1.2-1.5k/m2 for a completed house, so £130k is going to get you about 100m2 max. A lot depends on how much work you can DIY and access to trades at cheap prices. If getting a builder to do it all for you, you’re easily looking at £2k/m2. Bit of a self-build boom at moment depending where you are, with some folks are busy through to end of next year already.

What about VAT

New builds are zero rated for VAT

If you’re aiming for the south these guys can probably give you a ballpark on the framework cost:

http://www.alexanderstimberdesign.com/index.htm

We are 3/4’s through our second self build just now. It’s dragged on due to planning issues, covid and now some materials. To keep costs down design needs to be simple. Decent spec without going over the top and shop wisely.
Internet can sometimes beat local suppliers and amazing what you can pick up off eBay

say they cannot give an idea until they see the plans. I don’t have any plans

seems fair.

Its entirely possible to build 2 identical looking houses that perform very differently from an insulation perspective for vastly different amounts of money.

If you want early numbers, wouldn’t exploring a catalogue design from a prefab warehouse built company be a better option. the biggest variable being prepping your site to suit the building footprint?

To qualify my comments, I had a house completed earlier this year – original plan was to self-build on the Isle of Mull but with COVID the ‘nearest’ suitable rental we could find was 4 hours away in Moray so ended up going turnkey. House is 110m2 with a timber frame over a steel portal frame – we paid £1,800/m2, but that was a fixed price contract – materials prices have gone up plus there are shortages of skilled trades add in delays / extra costs. Saved a lot of money by designing and specifying the kitchen and bathrooms ourselves. Our builder has all but closed shop for the foreseeable even though he has outline permission for 20+ houses. With the OP’s budget you’d really need to be a builder with lots of mates to make it work.

Thankyou all, some good thoughts there. Scotframe have some pretty decent looking kits.
This one for starters:
Scotframe house

Which starts at £58k. That is in our budget. We could probably just about go up to £200k,with borrowing and selling my current house, though less would be better.
Plots of land are £40-60k. I’m an all-round tradesman, electrical is my trade, but I can do pretty much all the plumbing, woodwork, kitchens/baths etc myself. I’ll need groundworkers, brickies, plasterers and a few other trades. Possibly Ground Source heating too, which will be £20k.
As for no plans – its difficult starting, knowing what we have to spend, and then adjusting the plot/house to suit the budget. The link above has shown it can be done, so that’s a good start. Does anyone remember the Grand Designs house built on Skye – 2 Ladies, I think total budget was £200k, and they did it for less IIRC.

TV House: Convention-breaking eco home in the Isle of Skye

Some rule of thumb prices here:-

Price Guide

Friends are building one currently
Steel frames with sips 6ft x 8ft panels
OSB3 with 100mm celotex insulation
Theses are like huge tongues and groove with a slot to take in 4×2 timbers
The panels are glued and screwed to the skeleton
Once underway build time very fast
9mtr x 12mtr build. 1 week for the steels, 1 week for the 1st floor, 1 week second floor and roof
Second floors open plan hence different build speed.
Grand designs last week had a similar build, but ground floor was blockwork, top floor sips panels with a beautiful suspension roof hanging from huge external beams

Plots of land are £40-60k.

Rarely see anything more than an in-fill postage stamp around here (Borders)…

And +1 Flemming Homes (our youngest worked there previously), also what about Oregon in Selkirk but unsure whether they just build for Barratt now (as owned by them).

If you end up with a conversion, it’ll be dearer than a framekit IME

Rarely see anything more than an in-fill postage stamp around here (Borders)…

There are 3 plots available at less than £60k at the moment from a short search yesterday, one looks very promising, but, we wont be able to afford it before it is sold.
Crailing land.

Another in central Selkirk, but overlooked by a car park, another near to Heriot, but next to the road.
We’d also be happy with Dumfries and Galloway. A friend moved to Drummore, the back of beyond in Galloway. He loves it. Got a job immediately at a farm, and hasnt been happier.
I’ve just watched the GD Skye build. Inspiring. They were clueless in the build, so paid for everything,but it was stunning. We’d be able to save a lot by doing stuff ourselves.

That site in Crailing is near to me. It’s been on the market a long time. Nice area. Our timber frame is was made on site by our joiner saving a fair bit. If you go Scotframe or Fleming I think they offer a service to do plans through to building warrant stage. Worth asking as it will save you some fee’s

There are 3 plots available at less than £60k at the moment from a short search yesterday,

The Borders are a huge underpopulated area and kinda shows how crap it is in the UK for self-builds.

Look at Scotframe, Fleming Homes

We’ve been to the Homes & Renovation Show today.
We spoke to Scotframe, Fleming and another which I cant recall now.
All were reassuring. Fleming seemed to be the best quality wise, and they have a shorter lead time, 16 weeks against 22 weeks. However, they need Architects drawings etc to give a price, whereas Scotframe supply everything, and give a price on the web, so you can clearly see what everything costs.
From talking to Architects at the show, I dont think a self-planned build would be any cheaper then the Scotframe offering.
Thanks all for the pointers.
Costs estimated so far – Land 50-60k, Timber building 50-75k, utilities 10k, heating – who knows, could be £2k if it is insulated well, up to £20k for a small GSHP and underfloor heating. Labour £20k. So within our budget so far.

Good stuff. Also bear in mind that if you make separate purchases for the land and the cost of the house, then you won’t pay stamp duty. Also, if you’re thinking of adding a garage or outbuilding, get it included on the planning and as part of the ‘development’ build and you won’t pay VAT on that either. You probably need to add a grand or two for solicitor’s fees though depending on how it’s purchased /whether needing a mortgage etc.

I think Fleming Homes will do the architects drawings, planning and building warrant applications (for a fee) – they did when I had discussions.

If pretty much every episode of Grand Designs is anything to go by 3 – 4 times the amount you have!

Are you talking timber framed conventional house or a log cabin type affair? I looked into this about 12 years ago, so am not much help, but the best cabins were made in a hangar in Lithuania iirc then disassembled and re erected on your prepared site.
The prices then were about £60k for a very impressive (to me) three bedroomed cabin with a verandah. It was only obtaining planning permission which put the brakes on it.
Worth a look, if you havent already.

It was similar to this, but not from this company.
https://www.newforestlogcabins.co.uk/log_houses.html#

Are you talking timber framed conventional house or a log cabin type affair?

Conventional. The ‘house kit’ is ~£60k (they do do smaller ones for ~£35k). That includes pretty much everything to finish the fabric of the building. Plasterboard is supplied, along with all doors, windows and wood finish bits.Cables and pipes need to be fitted as an extra, along with kitchens, bathrooms and plastering.
Extra insulation can be added on the basic package.Making it a passive house is possible but time consuming and more expense,the added benefits of lower heating costs may not be worthwhile overall compared to their standard enhanced insulation offering.
This is the one she likes, I’d be happier with a bungalow with a large fancy window:
Scotframe grouse house

Having spent the last year contemplating this very thing in the Borders , all I will add is that if a plot is advertised for sale, it’s because there is an issue with it.
If there wasn’t , a developer would have bought it.

50k will get you enough space for a house, but forget a garden.
And good luck with Borders planing dept.