New Home Builders

The length of time taken to complete a bespoke new build on an individual basis varies hugely according to the complexity and nature of the project’s design, alongside other factors such as the construction contractor selected, the presence of additional subcontractors, budget constraints, supplies, permissions and permits, and more.

An entirely bespoke home completed without external or uncontrollable delays will be completed, on average, in nine months.

Looking for a skilled, trusted construction company to complete your new build project? Whether you have precise plans for a project or don’t quite know where to start, our new house builders will be happy to guide you to the best solution for your requirements. Get in contact with us online, or visit our friendly team in person at our Hadleigh High Street office for a free, no-obligation consultation.

There are many factors to take into consideration when deciding whether to purchase an existing house or take the leap and create a bespoke property. Although unique requirements and circumstances are present in any project, our team have put together an overarching list of pros and cons for bespoke new builds:

Pros

- Custom new builds are often significantly cheaper than purchasing a property of the same calibre from a developer.

- If completed in line with an effective budget, a bespoke build can often be worth in excess of 20% more than its build cost (including land prices).

- Clients are able to influence every design element of their build, including energy efficiency.

- Stamp duty is charged on the value of the land purchased rather than that of the finished property

Cons

- Finding and acquiring planning permission for a plot of land suited to your requirements can be a long and difficult process to undergo alone. A project manager or consultant may be able to assist in this.

- During construction, the client will need somewhere to live. This may result in an extended stay in a current property, or rental property, resulting in further expense.

- Overseeing the project can be a stressful process, particularly for more complex projects.

- Without savings appropriate for the project scale, cash flow may become an issue, as most mortgage funding is released in stages.

The cost of your bespoke new build can vary significantly in accordance with the proposed design, specification, and location, alongside the chosen management and contract team selected. Due to this, it’s hard to provide any kind of answer as to how much a bespoke new build will cost without a consultation, during which architectural plans and requirements will be assessed and discussed.

Without a consultation, one of the most basic ways to calculate a very broad approximate cost for your build is by using average £/m2 building prices.

In order to discuss your project budget, or for a free, no-obligation consultation with our team of construction experts, please contact us online, or visit our friendly team in person at our Hadleigh High Street office.

Building a home is an exciting and rewarding life experience, but can be stressful if proper planning is not completed in the early stages of the project. In order to ensure your custom build goes smoothly and is completed in line with your plans, it’s essential that your first steps involve creating a brief for an architect that fulfils your key needs, setting an approximate budget, reaching out to and acquiring a team of architects and contractors willing to meet your requirements within your budget, and finally, purchasing a plot of land suitable for your project. After these steps, the real design and construction work can begin.

Depending on the build schedule of your new build, it is best to complete planning during winter and early spring, whilst taking advantage of milder weather in the spring and summer months to complete construction quickly, and without delay. Completing the vast majority of your project in the warmer months will allow for more daylight (meaning longer working days and maximal efficiency), alongside optimal temperatures for working conditions and materials on site.

If you’re considering constructing a bespoke new build home, but don’t know where or when to start, reach out to the M Jarrald team for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll be happy to help get things started.

Finding a company for your new build is easy, but finding the right company may be a challenge. To avoid getting involved with ‘cowboy builders’, comprehensive research before making a decision is vital. Ensure when looking for building companies that your options are in fact accredited; vetting their trade and credit history and insurance will give you peace of mind before committing to them.

Before shortlisting builders to vet, you’ll need to consider the scope of knowledge and skill needed to carry out your new build plans. Larger and more complex projects will generally require a specialist construction company rather than a general builder - meaning that your plans will often dictate your choices. For example, a good general builder can build a loft extension, and a good carpenter is capable of constructing a staircase - however, for a full new build house project, a comprehensive company will generally be needed to take care of the process from start to finish. This way, all of your communications will generally be with a project manager and services from planning to snagging can be dealt with in-house.

Recommendations may assist in choosing a builder from your shortlist. Family and friends will most likely be able to provide you with positive feedback on companies they’ve worked with. If you can’t obtain recommendations, deep-diving into the company’s website and social media (if applicable) will allow you to see previous work and reviews; after all, if a company is trustworthy they should have evidence of that.

Finding land to build your new house on may seem quite difficult - but with the right investigation, you’ll be able to source the perfect location. Here are some things to keep in mind whilst searching for a plot:

Local amenities
Are you looking for a new school? Do you need a local shop or gym? What about public transport? There are many amenities available across different pieces of land, and priorities vary from person to person. Think about what matters most to you and go on from there.

Reduce search radius
A large search area can produce a wide range of results, but searching across an area that is simply too big can be a common mistake people make. Reducing the size of your search area will produce more manageable results and allow you to conduct further research into each suitable plot.

Do your background checks
If you’re thinking about moving out of your comfort zone or to somewhere completely new, doing some background checks on the local area will reassure you of your decision. This could include researching local council information, whether your location is under a flight path or even looking into sites such as police.uk for local crime statistics.

Vast projects such as housebuilding generally require significant preparation before construction begins. When outlining the process of bringing your new build to life, make sure you have a realistic budget; you don’t want to build an extravagant house that you can’t afford and enjoy. Speak to trusted financial advisors to set practical outlines that you can sustain.

Finding and choosing the right area to build in can be tricky and a pricey part of your self build project. This process requires lots of research and consideration in order to achieve what you personally desire. The same goes for the design of your home - whether you work with an architect to formulate a bespoke design or pick a pre-existing plan.

With the budget and land confirmed, it’s time to think about who will be constructing your home. You may want to project manage and have different contractors for different parts of the process. In this instance, you’ll want to gather your team of experts and discuss the plans for your new build home to ensure a smooth operation. However, some construction companies can offer a turnkey service to take the responsibility of planning and timing the phases of your build; this is a great way to ease pressure if you’re not familiar with housebuilding.

The list of things you can discuss with your builder is endless. Here are a few:

Trust marks - Identifying whether a company is registered as limited or not could determine your confidence in them. Companies can also prove their knowledge, experience, and authority through trade association memberships - enforcing their accreditation within the building industry and making them a trusted company to work with.

Trader Accreditation - The people involved in a company can also sway your decision massively; for example, having registered heating and electrical engineers (even if you think you may not need them) available to you will enhance your experience with your chosen company/tradesperson. Ask who else is on hand and if they too are members of approved trader schemes; support/clerical staff will also be a great help in your construction project for management and administration.

Insurance - Confirming sufficient insurance and policies are in place before signing any agreement documents and contracts is imperative. You want to ensure that any risk of negligence or illegitimate action is covered by a reputable insurance company to avoid any extra costs or responsibilities being thrown your way. An up to date health and safety policy should also be confirmed.

Passion - Finally, do your chosen builders have a genuine interest in your project? To have tradespeople or a construction company on board is one thing but for them to have the same passion for your build is another. Find a company that is just as excited as you are!

Plans for your new build house and preparing the location/site will be the first things to get completed; you can’t start building without a plot! Foundations will follow; excavation of trenches, pouring cement and damp proofing will be included.

Building the shell of your house will be an exciting process to see; at this stage, your home isn’t just drawings on paper but a physical structure. Houses can vary from timber frame to brick and block which means timeframes will depend on the chosen method. Once the walls are up, the roof frame is added, felted and tiled.

Doors and windows will be added once the superstructure is complete. For structural integrity, all air/water leakage points will be sealed to get your house watertight. Carpentry, plumbing and electrical works will then commence, known as the ‘first fix’. External fixings and plumbing such as waterworks being connected to the mains and drive/pathways will be completed.

Attention will turn to the inside of your home; plasterboard is fixed, a skim coat added and flooring is laid. Next will be your kitchens and bathrooms, units will be installed and plumbing fixed then doors will be hung.

Before decorating and snagging, you’ll want to complete a thorough clean of your new home to ensure no builder’s dirt and dust interferes with painting and soft furnishings. Remember to keep a list of any knocks and scrapes you see when decorating to form your snagging list to pass to your builders to rectify.

For full construction jobs of new build properties, it’s recommended to get the assistance of a local professional architectural designer. They can help with planning the exact structure of the building and make sure that all of your goals are realistic and attainable. While we have expertise in architecture, we give you freedom to select independent contractors to perform architectural design work, if that’s the way you want to approach your project. Some talented professional architects have regularly collaborated with our clientele, including Tim Moll, Architecture ONE, LHA Architecture and Design, and Box Valley Architectural Design. The projects they have supported over the years have been a pleasure for our construction team to work on.

For more information about how we handle the architectural design stage of our construction process, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team!