Finding Your Ideal Building Plot!

Finding the perfect building plot can be the stage of your building project that will take the longest amount of time!  

After all, when self building you realise that it is the location that really counts as you have a large amount of control as to what you can build on your plot - you won't be able to build just anything, the plot and its location will dictate that to a degree in most cases, but it is often best to start with location in mind.

It is important to have in mind that your perfect plot and perfect self build may not be advertised as a plot for sale. Be more open minded. It may already have a house on it that you could demolish and rebuild in its place, it could be the garden of an existing home, or it could be a brown field site.  Have you eyes fully open when looking for your building plot.

Many dedicated building plots that find it to the building plot listing sites are often not the best plots, they tend to get snapped up quicker.  In fact the first port of call for many new building plots nowadays is a local estate agency.

Start by scouring all the local estate agents in your area.  Contact them all and make sure that they have your details and know that you are looking for a building plot in the area and what you would consider.  If they come across one, they would prefer to contact you before advertising the plot, and that could be the ideal scenario for you.

If you find a plot that already has a house on it. You need to take planning advice early on. In many cases you would be restricted to the building plot size and potentially the type of property you could rebuild on the plot, but with the recent relaxing in some planning conditions this is changing in some areas and what you can build on a such a plot can be surprising.

For example, look around your local area.  You won't have to look far in many places to find a plot where a previous building was demolished and two put in its place.  Or a building was demolished and a different type of property was built in its place - a dormer bungalow or house in the place of a previous bungalow, and so on.  A rebuild with modern building methods can often realise additional space through innovative building and design.

It is also worth letting everybody know that you are looking for a building plot.  Tell your friends, broadcast it on Social Media.  Increasingly we see people doing just this and the power of their personal networks connects them with a friend of a friend who has the perfect building plot available. Even if they didn't know they did.

We have several examples of plot-hunters posting on the yourHomeBuild Facebook Page that they are looking for a building plot and finding one as a direct result. It works.

We've even heard of a great story of a keen plot-hunter posting a notice on the wall of a local pub and buying a plot the next day. 

Likewise, we still hear many stories of people knocking on the door of a property with a large garden and asking if they would consider selling part of their garden as a building plot. However, be wary as if you are introducing the idea to a home owner and they like the idea.  They will probably then get it valued and may out it to the open market as opposed to just taking your offer.

Finally, with the relaxing of planning regulations across most areas of the UK it is now worth revisiting plots that previously were unavailable as building plots.  Plots of land that may have been refused planning permission in the past may now be successful. 

In summary, become almost a plot-finding obsessive.  Let all the local estate agents know, all your friends, and shout about it. You will often be surprised by what turns up.