How much does it cost to build a house?

[Kleiber]

I've always wanted to have a house built to my own specifications. Does anyone out there have any idea what it would cost? I have the land, so that won't be a consideration (providing I can get planning permission, of course) and am thinking about a 3 or 4 bedroomed, possibly timber framed dwelling (not a bungalow). I just need a rough idea please. Thanks. (by the way, I'm in west Wales, if that gives anyone an idea on builders' costs.)

[monkeyeyes]

May I offer my Architectural services..................at a very competitive rate ?

Work on � 600 per completed square metre or floor space ..........ish :o)

[Hymie]

Phone a few insurance companies, pretending that you want to insure a property in the area (be prepared to supply a post code) and ask what the re-build costs would be, for insurance purposes. Alternatively, do the same on the net � the quote supplied will give re-build costs.

As a result of your investigation, you will find that a typical �200,000 house will cost less than �80,000 to re-build.

[Kleiber]

Cheers, guys! Hymie, I've got a rebuild quote on my current house insurance and I thought it'd be something like that.
Monkeyeyes - are you serious? If so & you're nearby, I might well take you up on your offer!

[buildersmate]

This is a 'how long is a piece of string' question. You can put a cheap roof on a house of beastly concrete interlocking tiles for say �3k (just the material cost) - the same roof in Welsh slate might cost �20k. Equally you can spend �750 on kitchen units or �15k. That is why this question is pretty impossible to answer.
For budgeting purposes, use a figure of �1000 per square metre of floorspace (a bungalow costs more psm) - Monkeyeyes figure is too low these days.
There is a huge myth about the price of houses - the price is driven by what the customer will pay, NOT the price of the land. If the customer is willing to pay more, the price of the land goes up - that is why so many folks with big gardens have been tempted to sell some off and make a fast buck.
What do you know about Planning policies? - unless your land is within an existing settlement boundary (all cities, large towns and some villages have them) you are unlikely to get PP. The rule for anyone wanting to self-build is find your land with PP first - then worry about the build cost. Until then �1k psm should be a good enough benchmark for you.

[Disco Fever]

Ive just rewired 4 new houses in Uppingham and they were on average �130,000 each to build and they are 4 bedroom dwellings....

[matt1e]

hey disco how come 4 new houses needed REwired? were they not wired right in the first place?
but i'm only teasing I know you mean wired lol

[Kleiber]

Again, thanks for your answers. Buildersmate, as I said, I haven't got planning permission yet, but the land belongs to me (I've got 5 acres) and we're in an area where the local council are keen to expand the tourist industry. What I thought I'd like to do (probably a pipe dream, but, hey, if we don't dream.....) is get the new house built as per above and then rent out the cottage in which we live at the moment, as a holiday let. Hopefully, the rental from it would cover the costs of the building in a few years. I'm hopeless with all this sq. mtr. stuff - all I want is a rough guide for a 4-bed house, timber framed. Perhaps I should do some measuring up first?? Anyway, thanks for all your input, fellas!! K xx

[miapaco]

Can anyone clear this up for me.
When people refer to the build cost per square foot or metre, how is that calculated?
I've also seen the cost given as metres cubed.
What is considered the standard?