18 October 2013
A custom build project in Yorkshire has already been hailed a resounding success after being swamped with interest.
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All 23 plots at Hill Top Farm in Gawber – earmarked for a mixture of three/four bed semi-detached and detached homes – have already been snapped up. And over half of the successful applicants are first-time buyers.
The project management company, Site 4 Self Build, only gained full planning consent in July this year, after successfully bidding for a slice of the £30million Custom Build Investment Fund administered by the Homes and Communities Agency.
The homes come with a high specification, including triple glazing and under floor heating, and buyers are fully involved in the design process. Initial purchase prices start at £94-£119k with end-values reaching £125-170k. Site 4 Self Build has worked closely with the Ecology Building Society to enable buyers to put down a deposit of just £5,000 for a three-bed semi to get started.
Paul Wright, from Site 4 Self Build and a seasoned self builder who has already built three homes for himself, said: “It only took us about four weeks to sell Hill Top Farm out! We have two more projects on the drawing board – one for 25 homes at Thurnscoe and another for 30 Code 5 sustainable homes in Barnsley.
“This is about building modest homes. If you purchase collectively and project manage collectively – representing a number of owners, typically in excess of 12, but preferably over 20, with up to 30 plots – then the economies of scale really start to kick in to bring the final build price in at around 65-70% of the market value.”
Construction on Hill Top Farm is due to start on site within the next two weeks and there is currently a waiting list of 200 people for the next projects.
