What’s not included? And why not?

The estimates do not include land purchase costs, utility works, groundworks, site works, client direct costs to build and professional services fees.

Groundworks, for example, can vary quite considerably depending on where in the UK your site is, and what ground conditions are like. In some circumstances, you may have to dig much deeper to obtain Building Regulations approval, or you may have to use piled or raft foundations. A lot of money can literally go into the ground, so we always advise doing your homework and if possible, consulting your local Building Control department for their standing advice.

Similarly, utilities costs and site works can vary from one building plot to the next. Utilities connections are costed on a project-by-project basis by the relevant providers (ie water, power, gas) – if you need a new connection, they will base their price on where the nearest existing connection is. This is something cannot easily be averaged out, as one exceptional case could distort the figures completely.

The estimates also do not make allowance for variations within a particular region. For example, in the North-West of England, you may pay more in the Lake District than Manchester or Liverpool. In the South-West, it will likely be more expensive to build in Cornwall than Bristol, Plymouth or Exeter. The same will apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland – outside of urban areas, in rural or isolated settlements, labour and/or materials may be more costly. The estimates are an average of costs in each region, so please bear this in mind.

The figures are approximations – the exact cost to build any project will depend on the specific site, project details, construction firm used and many other factors. If in doubt, add 10% – or better yet, have the build costed by a qualified professional. Our estimated build costs are only intended to be a rough guide as to what your budget may allow you to build.

About PropertyData

PropertyData is one of the UK’s leading sources of property investment resources and analytics. In addition to build costs, they can also offer data on other areas which may be of interest to small developers and self-builders, namely:

• Sites, land or plots that either have planning permission, or other significant development potential. This also includes existing houses with building plots to the side or rear.
• Property values by postcode, so you will know what your finished build will be worth using up-to-the-minute data.
• High resolution plot maps, showing buildings, ownership, boundaries and other relevant information.
• A mortgage and development finance finder, to show you potential options to fund your build.

Access to this information and much more is available to anyone, via a monthly rolling subscription. You can try the service out for 14 days via the button below – there are no limits during the 14-day free trial, other than the normal limits of the plan you are trialling. You can use PropertyData as much as you like to determine whether it is right for you. If you do decide to sign up, we receive a small commission.

Transparent data promise

Where does the raw data come from?

The construction cost data is derived from an annual survey carried out by Turner & Townsend.

How often is the data updated?

The data is updated annually when the new cost survey data is released, typically around the middle of the year.

How is the raw data processed?

PropertyData selects a subset of Turner & Townsend costs to display. No additional processes are applied to this data by PropertyData. Houseplansdirect converts the figures from £/sq. ft. to £/sq.m. for consistency across its website and to allow instant estimates based on existing house types.