Self build project feasibility in Lincolnshire

Whether the project works financially, and where the pressure points are. We assess the land cost, construction cost, professional fees, statutory costs, finance and a realistic contingency against the value and the budget available. The output is a stage by stage picture of what you will need to spend and when, plus a clear list of the risks that could move those numbers.

Before you buy the plot if at all possible, and certainly before you appoint a design team. Those two commitments are where most of the early money goes, and both are far harder to reverse than a feasibility study is to commission. Plenty of people come to us after planning is approved and discover the scheme was never going to work at the budget they had.

We can tell you what it is likely to cost to build on, which is usually the deciding factor. Access, ground conditions, services, drainage, levels and planning constraints all affect the build cost significantly, and two plots at the same asking price can differ by six figures once you account for them. We are not land agents, but we can tell you what you would be taking on.

Broad, but reasoned, and that is the honest answer. Early figures carry ranges rather than false precision, with the assumptions written down so you can see what would change them. What matters is that the number is grounded in what building actually costs in Lincolnshire right now, not a national average per square metre, which is where most early self build budgets go wrong.

Foundations are the most common, because ground conditions are the biggest unknown on any plot. After that: service connections that are further away or more expensive than assumed, drainage that cannot go where the design wants it, access constraints, planning conditions carrying real cost, and specification creep once the project is underway. Each is manageable if identified early and expensive if not.