Self building on a low budget can be very tricky, but is most definitely possible. With rigorous research and detailed planning (plus a willingness to get stuck in with certain tasks), it is possible to build your own home without an extortionate price tag.
We've compiled our favourite examples of successful self-builds all created with build costs under £200,000. Take a look below to get inspired by designs, find top tips of money saving and begin your own low-cost self-build project.
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1. A Modern Live/Work House for £130,000
Ian and Marcella Grant's new self-build on Skye was designed to be function as both a contemporary home with a low-key facade facing the street and a place for Ian to work which maximised the dramatic views facing the sea.
Insulated concrete formwork(ICF) was used to build the single-storey, two-bedroom house and was built with the help of family and friends.
- Location: Isle of Skye
- Size: 135m²
- 构建time: Five years
2. A Barn Family Home for £85K
Not quite a full self-build, but as close as you can get with an existing structure.
Philip and Elly Handley converted and extended the derelict old blacksmith's forge on a primarily DIY basis, the only things they didn't do themselves was install the new roof and construct thetimber frameextension.
- Location: Shropshire
- Size: 99m²
- 构建time: Three years
3.一个令人印象深刻的橡木框架回家£175 k
This beautiful two-bedroomedoak framehome was built in just 15 weeks with limited access due to the plot's high street location.
- Location: South Staffordshire
- Size: 140m²
- 构建time: 15 weeks
4. A Modern Passivhaus for Under £200K
This certifiedPassivhauswas not only meticulously planned in terns of airtightness and efficiency, but was also 'value engineered' before the contracts went to tender.
Thestructural insulated panels(SIPs) used to construct the shell were the single largest cost of the self-build at £56,000.
- Location: Northern Ireland
- Size: Unknown
- 构建time: Unknown
5. A Compact Home Built for £35K
Claire Williamson and Oscar Baldry transformed a former derelict newsagents, taking on almost all the building work themselves to create a characterful and energy-efficient home.
- Location: Shropshire
- Size: 42m²
- 构建time: 18 months
6. A Low-budget Modular Home
U-Build Box House was developed as an innovative system of flat-pack timber building boxes, designed by Studio Bark in direct response to two young aspiring self-builders who has no budget for external contractors and no specialist skills to pick up jobs themselves.
The simple modules were transformed into a home by the couple in just 100 hours, using manual handling techniques alone, at Graven Hill — he UK's biggest self-build site.
- Location: Bicester
- Size: 95m²
- 构建time: 8 weeks
7. A Modern Home Built for £170,000
Tom Allen and Natalie Scroggie built a beautiful home with a cantilevered second floor on a small garden plot.
- Location: Nottingham
- Size: 120m²
- 构建time: 1 year
8. A Timber-Clad Rural Home for £120,000
Steve and Lisa Attfield have built a new timber-clad farmhouse in the Devon countryside for just £120,000 — finally making their rural dream come true.
- Location: Devon
- Size: 126m²
- 构建time: 1 year 2 months
9. A Low-Budget Handcrafted Home for £100k
Robin Cochrane chose a tricky plot on restricted piece of land on the banks of a river in the Scottish Highlands to build his budget home.
- Location: Devon
- Size: 126m²
- 构建time: 1 year 2 months
10. A Charming Budget Cottage for £158,000
Ian and Helen Hardy have replaced a run-down bungalow with a charming cottage-style family home in Surrey, pulling out all the stops to achieve a remarkably low build cost of just £158,000.
- Location: Argyll & Bute
- Size: 145m²
- 构建time: 1 year 8 months
11. An Eco Home Built for £200,000
一个nthony Lamb and partner Andy Andrews’ eco self build in Somerset is a masterclass in sustainable homebuilding on a budget — built for just £200,000.
- Location: Somerset
12. A Value-for-Money Family Home for £139,000
Over the course of seven years, Jonathan and Nicola Marsh have built a large home for their growing young family in Leicestershire for just £139,000.
- Location: Leicestershire
- Size: 300m²
- 构建time: 7 years
13. A Small Low Budget Home for £59k
- Location: East Ayrshire, Scotland
- Size: 40m²
- 构建time: 2 months
14. A Modern Home on a Budget Plot for £140k
Colin and Iona Smith have created an organic contemporary home on a stunning hillside setting in Perthshire for a build cost of just £140,000.
- Location: Perthshire
- Size: 164m²
- Build Time: 1 year
15. A Starter Home on a Budget of £80,000
Phil Coe and Flo Cooper’s first home was built to a tight budget of £80k in his parents’ back garden.
- Location:Yorkshire
- Size:130m²
- Build Time:2 years
16. A Low-Energy Lifetime Home for £175,000
Jeff and Rose Tanner have built a low-energy home in Buckinghamshire, complete with a wide array of eco features and designed to last a lifetime, for just £175,000.
- Location: Milton Keynes
- Size: 156m²
- Build Time: 1 year
17. A Log Cabin on a Small Budget for £180,000
Paul Constable and Lucy Fallon’s log cabin in Derbyshire looks right at home on their woodland plot, but it is hard to believe it took only 59 days to build and cost just £180,000.
- Location: Derbyshire
- Size: 167m²
- Build Time: 4 months
18. A Cutting Edge Self Build for £123,000
一个尖端的设计在一个惊人的位置,尼克Middleton and Kate Prentice’s new home is one of the most energy efficient on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, yet was built to a tiny budget of £123,000.
- Location: Argyll & Bute
- Size: 70m²
- 构建time: 9 months
19. A Low Budget Home for £95,000
Retired joiner Mike and his wife Jane have designed and built a one bedroom eco home in Somerset on a DIY basis for just £95,000.
- Location: Somerset
- Size: 72m²
- 构建time: 1 year 10 months
20. A Stylish City Self Build for £139,000
Tom and Emily Hunt’s contemporary, eco-friendly, self build home combines style and substance for an affordable £139,000.
- Location: Sheffield
- Size: 140m²
- 构建time: 6 months
21. A Family Eco Home for Under £200k
The demolition of a post-war bungalow has led Louise and Ivor Nicholson to create a bright, minimalist eco home, calling on family favours to help them keep to an impressive budget of just over £185,000.
- Location: Aberdeenshire
- Size: 160m²
- 构建time: 10 months
22. A Cottage-Style Budget Home for £115,000
Eco homes don’t need to break the bank — as Nicky and Robin van der Bij proved when they designed and built their stunning coastal cottage for just £115,000. Even better, it costs just £270 a year to heat.
- Location: Cornwall
- Size: 100m²
23. A DIY Self Build for £98,500
Rob and Alithea Dawson bought a 35-acre woodland site for £10,000 and spent seven years in a mobile home trying to get planning on it. They have eventually built themselves a remarkable home in oak on a DIY basis for just £98,500.
- Location: Powys
- 构建time: 2 years
24. A Low-Budget Self Build for £171,000
Isabel and Mal Voller have built a low-budget, energy-efficient self build cottage clad in brick and flint in Hampshire for their retirement — it cost just £171,000.
- Location: Hampshire
- 构建time: 1 year 5 months
25. A Timber-Clad Cabin for £125,000
一个timber frame cabin on the Isle of Skye, built for just £125,000 by Nigel Rigden, shows how contemporary design can sit comfortably within a rural setting.
- Location: Isle of Skye
- Size: 95m²
- 构建time: 4 years 1 month
26.一个Straw Bale Home on a Budget of £67k
Designed and built by the homeowners, Justin and Linda Tyers, this two-bed cottage demonstrates the spirit of self build like no other.
- Location: Somerset
- Size: 95m²
- 构建time: 11 months
