Guides

Guides

Practical guides on building a home — knock-down-and-rebuild, finding a plot, planning, costs and more, from Elizabeth Homes.

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Where to start.

Knock down and rebuild: the complete UK guide

Planning, costs, VAT, the green belt and timelines for replacement dwellings.

How to find a building plot

Where to look, how to spot potential, and how to appraise a plot before you buy.

How much does it cost to build a house?

Build cost per square metre, what drives the number, the costs beyond the build, and VAT.

Self-build: the complete guide

Plots, the register, finance and VAT, planning, and how a managed build takes the stress out.

What is your land worth with planning?

How planning changes land value, the two routes for a landowner, and what drives the number.

Green belt & replacement dwellings

What you can build in the green belt, the replacement-dwelling exception, and what 'materially larger' means.

How long does it take to build a house?

A realistic UK timeline — design, planning, tender and construction, phase by phase.

How to get planning permission for a new house

Outline vs full permission, what councils assess, timescales, conditions and appeals.

Selling land to a developer

A landowner's options — unconditional, subject-to-planning, option and promotion agreements, and overage.

Construction management, explained

How CM works and why it can deliver a better home for less — market-tested package budgets, in-house interiors, and overlapping design, procurement and construction like a developer.

Do you need a project manager?

What a project manager actually does, what it costs, where the money is really saved — and an honest answer about when you are better off without one.