Buying an existing house always involves compromise. The kitchen is in the wrong place, the third bedroom is a box room, or the garden faces the wrong way. A custom-built home removes most of those compromises, but it brings its own decisions, costs and timescales. If you’re weighing it up, it helps to know what the process actually involves before you speak to a builder in Stevenage.
Start with the plot and the planning position
Everything begins with the land. Whether you’re building on a plot you’ve bought, replacing an existing bungalow or building in a large garden, the first questions are what planning requirements apply and what the local authority is likely to accept.
Stevenage has a mix of new town estates, older areas like the Old Town, and edge-of-town plots, and each comes with different considerations around size, height and design. An experienced local builder can give you an early view on what’s realistic before you spend money on detailed drawings.
Design around how you actually live
The main reason people choose a custom build is the control it gives over the layout. That might mean a large kitchen and family room at the back of the house, a ground-floor bedroom for a parent, or a proper home office rather than a desk on the landing.
It’s worth thinking about how you’ll use the house in ten years, not just today. Children grow up, parents get older and working patterns change. A layout that can adapt, with wider doorways or a room that could become a bedroom, costs very little at the design stage and a lot to retrofit.
The main stages of a build
Most custom builds follow a similar sequence:
- Design and planning, including surveys and building regulations drawings
- Groundworks and foundations
- Building the shell: walls, floors and roof, so the house is watertight
- First fix: plumbing, electrics and heating before walls are plastered
- Plastering, second fix, kitchens, bathrooms and finishes
- Landscaping, driveways and final sign-off from building control
The timescale depends on the size of the house and the complexity of the design, and planning alone can take several months.
Where budgets usually go wrong
The most common surprise is groundworks. Poor ground conditions, drainage issues or tree roots can add significantly to foundation costs, and they’re difficult to predict until the site is investigated. A ground survey early on is money well spent.
The second is changing the design once building has started. Moving a wall on paper costs nothing; moving it once the steel is ordered costs a great deal. The third is under-budgeting the finishes. Kitchens, bathrooms and flooring are where people tend to upgrade, so allow a contingency.
Energy efficiency built in
A new build is the easiest time to make a home efficient. Good insulation, airtight construction, well-specified windows and the option of heat pumps or underfloor heating are all simpler and cheaper to include from the start than to add later. They also make the house cheaper to run and more appealing if you ever sell.
Choosing your builder
Look for a builder who has completed similar projects locally, can show you finished homes and will talk you through costs honestly, including the risks. You want someone who will tell you if an idea won’t work rather than simply pricing it.
At GB Build Ltd, we’ve been building and renovating homes in and around Stevenage for more than 25 years. If you’re thinking about a custom-built home, call us to talk through your plot and plans.