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A new design for a net-zero-carbon housing scheme in Wales, that will be powered by renewable energy, has been unveiled.

Developed by Loyn & Co Architects, Parc Hadau is a carbon neutral neighbourhood that will comprise 35 eco-friendly dwellings, built from cross laminated timber, on a scrubland site in Pontardawe.

Construction is set to begin later in 2020, with residents expected to move in during the summer of 2021. 

Environmentally Friendly

Earlier this month a study flagged that more homeowners need to be aware of the benefits of making their home more environmentally friendly, so the development of neighbourhoods like this are a great way to champion eco-friendly measures in the world of house building.

For self builders, designing a home that is more energy efficient from the outset can involve initial capital costs, but result in much lower long-term costs. 

Parc Hadau has been designed with landscape architects Farrer Huxley for Sero Homes to use passive design and renewable energy technologies to generate enough electricity to power the scheme. 

Each house will be built using cross laminated timber, which absorbs atmospheric carbon as it grows, and retains it during its lifecycle.

Externally, the homes will be clad in a mix of locally sourced and low-energy materials including timber, local stone and reclaimed brick. 

(MORE: House Cladding: A Homeowner’s Guide)

Low Energy Demands

According to Loyn & Co, Parc Hadau’s layout and form is “optimised to ensure the correct balance of daylight, solar gains, heat loss and thermal efficiency” to reduce the energy demands of the homes.

The Passivhaus principles of the homes will be combined with a mix of renewable energy technologies including solar panels and ground source heat pumps, meaning that residents will not have to pay energy bills. 

(MORE: A Guide to Renewable Energy)

“Parc Hadau will be an international exemplar of what great places to live can look like, and we hope will be one of many opportunities for us to create new neighbourhoods across the UK that enable more people access to great quality, zero-carbon homes at a time when they are needed most,” said James Williams, managing director of Sero Homes.

Once complete, Parc Hadau will comprise 11 two-bed homes, 22 three-bed homes and two four-bed homes. Residents will also share a large communal garden and community building. 

A growing minority of local authorities are using “dirty tricks” to limit the number of people joining and remaining on Right to Build registers, according to the National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA).

Around 11,400 new registrations have been added to the self and custom build registers in the past 12 months, NaCSBA has revealed, but these numbers do not match the underlying demand. 

The Right to Build is legislation that supports people who want to build their own homes. Passed as part of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, Right to Build requires local authorities to help to find plots for aspiring self builders, which is done through the Right to Build register. You can find your local self and custom build registers on NaCSBA’s Right to Build Portal.

NaCSBA believes the increasing use of “dirty tricks” by local authorities are preventing people who want to build their own home from achieving this, highlighting three areas of what it considers unacceptable practice:

• Local authorities are charging excessive fees to join registers and denying those living outside an authority to build a home there
• Local authorities are counting plots intended for building on by housing developers as being suitable for self building when they clearly are not
• Local authorities have removed the names of people who’ve joined a register to justify reducing the number of plots that they need to permission – around 8,000 names have been cleansed.

Andrew Baddeley-Chappell, CEO of NaCSBA said: “For the first time, local authorities have had to meet a statutory duty to help self builders access the plots that are needed. It is clear that overall they have come up short. In some cases, this is despite the hard work and best efforts of the authority, and we recognise those that have worked hard in this area.  

“In too many cases however local authorities have spent scarce time and effort not on delivering plots but rather on seeking to avoid their obligations. This cannot continue; not least if we are to deliver homes in the volume and of the quality that this country needs.”

Right to Build Registers Grow

NaCSBA’s research indicates that since 1 April 2016, an estimated 55,000 people have signed up to Right to Build registers across England. However, due to roughly 8,000 removals, the total currently sits at around 47,000.

The register is growing, which is extremely positive for the self build and custom build community, with 11,400 new sign-ups to the Right to Build registers between 2018-19. But, while 13,000 plots are being delivered per year, this is not enough to meet the demand.

On Right to Build Day (30 October 2019), local authorities had to demonstrate whether they had granted planning permission for 18,000 plots for custom and self build homes (to match the number of people who signed up to the self build and custom build registers between April 1st and October 30th, 2016), but NaCSBA’s bid to track which local authorities are performing in their duty to create housing diversity in the UK led to some concerning findings.

Only 45% of councils claim to have met their legal duties with regards to the Right to Build registers, 37% failed to provide any response to NaCSBA, and 18% accepted that their obligations have not been met. 

NaCSBA is now calling on local authorities to address the areas of unacceptable practice that have been identified, and that they act within the letter and the spirit of the law, and to ensure more plots are permissioned.

UK house prices have risen over the last month at the fastest rate on record for the time of year, new data suggests.

Research from Rightmove indicates that the average price of properties coming on the market has increased by 2.3% over the last month, with the average asking price now £306,810, a rise of £6,785 since Boris Johnson’s General Election victory on 12 December 2019.

The so-called ‘Boris Bounce’ has been attributed to the property price increase, providing a period of stability following the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, according to Rightmove.

Sellers now reportedly feel more confident about the housing market, with nearly 65,000 UK properties marketed over the last month. The number of sales increased by 7.5% between 13 December and 15 January compared with the same period last year. 

Miles Shipside, a director at Rightmove, said of the findings: “The housing market dislikes uncertainty, and the unsettled political outlook over the last three and a half years since the EU referendum caused some potential home movers to hesitate. There now seems to be a release of this pent-up demand, which suggests we are in store for an active spring market.”

The data supports findings from Nationwide last week that showed house prices increased by 0.1% month on month through 2019.

First-Time Buyers

While the healthiness of the housing market is reportedly on the up, first-time buyers are still facing crippling house prices. The average two-bedroom property now has a national asking price of £193,103, and this could increase to £482,741 over the next 30 years.

While Shipside acknowledged that first-time buyer activity has remained consistent, he added that: “the downside of this high demand is upwards price pressure, with the average price of typical first-time-buyer property hitting a new record high”.

First-time buyers struggling to get on to the housing ladder, may find that self build offers them the opportunity to create a home that meets their needs and requirements, often saving up to 30% on market value.

Self builders also typically enjoy a profit of 25% on their investment, as reported in the Homebuilding & Renovating Self & Custom Build Market Report 2017.

Work has begun to develop a Cumbria site which will eventually feature between 1,200-2,000 sustainable homes, including 25 self build plots. 

The former Royal Naval Armaments Depot site at Broughton Moor will be dedicated to the self build plots, as part of a wider development at the site, known as Derwent Forest.

Reiver Homes, part of Story Contracting, has begun work on the access and road layout to the depot site to allow the sale of the self build plots.

Planning permission has been obtained for five four-bedroom house types, although construction of the self build plots, which are available for purchase, has not yet begun. Once completed, the houses will range in size up to about 1,100m².

Each self build plot will be delivered fully serviced including drainage and connections for gas, water and electricity, according to Reiver Homes.

(MORE: What is a Serviced Plot?)

Self-Sustaining Community

As well as the 1,200-2,000 sustainable homes planned as part of the project, Derwent Forest will also showcase a 100-bedroom eco hotel and 100 tree houses and lodges for sale and rent. 

In order to develop a thriving community, the project will consist of houses set around greens in a series of distinct villages. The site will be self-sustaining, using the latest technology to produce its own food and energy. 

Phase one of the project will include the planning and sale of the first 25 plots, while the Derwent Forest masterplan states that phase two of the project will consist of a further sale of 125 serviced self build plots.

Work will be carried out in stages and it is hoped delivery of the full vision will take around 15-20 years to complete.

Reiver Homes will also work with consumer banking company Handeslbanken to assist with offering self build mortgages to aspiring homeowners, and whether conditions may enable a mortgage to be offered that finances a percentage of the plot price, plus a significant amount of the build costs. 

(MORE: Complete Guide to Finding a Plot)

Reiver Homes is now offering potential customers the opportunity to come along and visit the available plots at the Derwent Forest site, which is currently being marketed from the Story Homes Hawthorn Grange development.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that communities are potentially losing out on thousands of affordable houses, due to office buildings being converted into dwellings under Permitted Development.

The LGA argues that office conversions could have potentially resulted in 13,500 fewer affordable homes over the past four years, as Permitted Development allows these buildings to be converted without planning permission. 

The LGA reports that 54,162 new homes have been converted from offices in England since 2015 under Permitted Development, and argues that “Permitted development rules are resulting in the alarming potential loss of thousands of desperately needed affordable homes.”

Because there is no requirement for a developer to enter into planning obligations such as a Section 106 agreement with the local authority when development is conducted under Permitted Development, the local authority can lose out on applying restrictions and provisions for affordable housing.

The formal planning application process, in contrast, enables local authorities to impose obligations upon developers to make developments more acceptable in planning terms.

According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors: “In the case of the first category of planning obligations under Section 106, the impact of PD is a significant reduction in affordable housing contributions.”

The LGA attests that Permitted Development means communities cannot ensure high quality standards are met, and fails to ensure that infrastructure such as roads, schools and health services are supported by the development.

Defending Permitted Development

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has rejected criticism of Permitted Development and defended its record of helping to deliver homes in the UK. 

Jenrick, answering questions in parliament this week, insisted that Permitted Development schemes had led to the creation of homes that otherwise would not have existed.

“Those rights have led to a large number of net additions that would not otherwise have been brought forward,” he said.

“Last year, we delivered more homes than any other [government] for 30 years. Therefore, the planning reforms taken forward by my predecessors […] have contributed to getting the homes built in this country that we desperately need.”

Jenrick added the he had received the final report from the Building Better, Beautiful Commission — set up by his predecessor James Brokenshire — and will review the recommendations before responding in due course. 

“The recommendations of the commission, that we will publish shortly, speak to all forms of housing, including co-operative housing and social housing, where, of course, there have been some fantastic examples of good-quality design.”

LGA president Alan Jones insists that changes need to be made immediately. He said: “Permitted Development rights give developers the green light to cut corners and sidestep standards put in place to ensure people can live healthy lives. The government must scrap this policy as a matter of urgency.”

Self build homes have been designed and built to meet the individual needs and tastes of those who live in them and, as such, they come in all manner of shapes, sizes and specifications.

With this variety comes a broad variance in build costs which can make it difficult to prospective self builders to get a handle on what kind of home they could build on their budget.

To help demonstrate that great design and a home that meets your needs is achievable whatever your budget, take a look at this list of great self build homes that have been organised by build cost.

As a disclaimer, these are build costs only and do not include land costs. Land costs vary so wildly across the UK and so make for an unfair comparison (additionally some of the self builders listed below already owned their plot).

(MORE: Estimate your build costs with our free Build Cost Calculator)

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Skip to

• £100,000 and under
• £100,001 – £199,999
• £200,000 – £299,999
• £300,000 – £399,999
• £400,000 – £499,999
• £500,000 – £599,999
• £600,000 – £699,000
• £700,000 – £799,999
• £800,000 – £999,999
• £1million and over

Self Build Homes Built for £100,000 and Under

Straw Bale Home: £67,000

Justin and Linda Tyers self built a two-bed straw bale home for just £67k under Exmoor National Park’s affordable housing policy.

The couple kept costs low by taking on much of the design and building work themselves.

(MORE: How much does it cost to build a house?)

Log Cabin Self Build: £60,000

Jude Hesselgrave and Roger Page built a log cabin, which they subsequently extended and transformed over the years to create a characterful home — for just £60,000.

(MORE: How to build a house for under £150k)

A Starter Home on a Budget: £80,000

Phil Coe transformed an old agricultural building into a modern home using skills he learned in college and tutorials on the internet.

Contemporary Barn-Style Self Build: £80,000

Taking inspiration from the local vernacular, Niall and Helen Maxwell built their own sustainable home fit for modern living using local materials and labour to keep costs down.

A Handcrafted Home on a Tricky Plot: £100,000

Insulated concrete formwork (ICF) was used to build this home over a stream on a restricted plot. The homeowner, Robin, took inspiration from the internet to teach himself different skills and built the majority of the house himself.

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Self Build Homes Built for £100,001 to £199,999

Timber-Clad Scottish Cabin: £125,000

This contemporary cabin-style self build home was built inspired by Scandinavian architecture and interiors and includes extra insulation and solar panels to compete with the harsh northern climate.

A Home for Life: £130,000

David Snell and wife Linda have completed their fourteenth (!) self build home on the edge of the Forest of Dean.

An Oak Frame Family Home: £135,000

Proving that building on a budget doesn’t have to mean low-spec, this family home was constructed from Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and timber frame with a simple design to keep costs down.

A Stylish Contemporary House: £170,000

A clever cantilevered design means this self build home makes the most of a tight plot and near-by neighbours, while vaulted ceilings on the first floor mean that the space feels open and light.

Zero Carbon Mountain Home: £175,000

Pioneering the idea that a low-energy home can be built using ordinary building materials, these homeowners made sure to include renewables in this house design.

Traditional Oak Frame Home: £198,000

This timber-clad home was completed in the majority by the homeowners who took on all work except from the installation of the oak frame, roof and windows.

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Self Build Homes Built for £200,000 to £299,999

Angular Eco Home: £221,200

Simeon Rich and Sara Farquharson have made the most of a small plot with their eco self build home with build costs of just £825/m².

Contemporary Woodland House: £237,000

This modern cedar-clad home situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has the wow-factor and luxury of a hotel on a sloping plot in the woods.

Passivhaus Self Build in London: £250,000

Elizabeth Sharp has self built a 110m² Passivhaus on the site of her former home’s garage and rear garden, and now has heating bills of around £300 per year.

Oak Frame Family Home: £265,000

Homeowners Wendy and Steve worked with Border Oak to build their dream 185m² oak frame home in Herefordshire.

Barn-Style Stone Home: £296,000

This self build home is a great example of when great design and well thought-out specification meet to create a truly unique property. The use of traditional materials and form means that this new build looks like it has stood for centuries.

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Self Build Homes Built for £300,000 to £399,999

Modern Home on an Awkward Plot: £300,000

The clever design of many features combats potential plot problems in this self build — working with the curve of the road, the house is split into three ‘sections’ and angled windows reduce overlooking.

Beautiful Passivhaus in the Woods: £308,000

Built using a steel frame, this contemporary treehouse embraces its surroundings like no other. Imaginative budget solutions combined with beautiful Passivhaus design mean this house is like no other.

Self Build Medieval Manor: £350,000

A amazingly eccentric self build home that looks like it has been standing for centuries. A large amount of work was done by the homeowners and an effort to stay true to the local vernacular inspired the use of reclaimed brick for the exterior.

Colonial Pavilion-Style Home: £360,000

Built in a flood zone on the edge of the Thames, this self build is inspired by the architectural influences of the homeowner and architect, Jon Wallsgrove. Exotic materials are also incorporated into the home, including Brazilian slate and interior railings from France.

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Self Build Homes Built for £400,000 to £499,999

Swiss Chalet in Yorkshire: £415,000

An incredible total of five balconies adorn this self build home which, inspired by Swiss design, is finished in a mix of render, stone and timber with beautiful pine cladding throughout the interior.

New Oak Frame Home on a Greenbelt Plot: £449,000

Shelagh Krasno’s new self build home in Hampshire was built using an oak frame and features dormer windows and weatherboarding and an L-shaped design.

Oak Frame Passivhaus: £450,000

Phil and Yvonne Garnett’s self build home is the first oak-frame home to achieve Passivhaus certification in the UK.

Oak Frame Self Build Home: £464,000

Jo and Dave Reeves have combined modern methods of construction and energy efficiency with traditional green oak framing and building materials for their first self build.

Light-Filled Contemporary Family Self Build Home in Scotland: £470,000

These homeowners have designed an upside down house to make the most of the location’s spectacular views. The result is a contemporary home, flooded with natural light.

A Barn-Style SIPs Home: £474,000

Using a fabric first approach by using SIPs, Colin Amor, built an energy-efficient home clad in hard-wearing Siberian larch.

Traditional Highland Stone Home: £480,000

Single Storey Oak Frame Home in Surrey: £491,000

Homeowners Sheila and Geoff McGaughey built an oak frame bungalow on their Conservation Area plot in Surrey. The couple worked with Border Oak to bring their vision to life.

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Self Build Homes Built for £500,000 to £599,999

Charming Traditional Coach House: £500,000

It was quality first when building this house as high standards and a great home design created a traditional home that looks like it has stood for years.

Steel Frame and Stone Home: £500,000

This contemporary home sits comfortably in the countryside setting without becoming an imposing presence. Low energy living was embraced by the homeowners and the house boasts underfloor heating, high insulation and a mechanical heat ventilation system.

Woodland Oak Frame Retreat: £530,000

This oak frame design had family at the heart as Gerald and Debbie Rogers built it to care for Gerald’s mother. The result is a beautiful and understated home ready for the future.

Oak Frame Replacement Dwelling: £586,000

Not many people choose to prepare for their wedding day by building a house, but Amanda and Colin Sheppard built a stunning home on their Oxfordshire plot.

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Self Build Homes Built for £600,000 to £699,999

Low Maintenance and Energy Efficient Timber Frame Home: £600,000

Melvin Starling and Sandy Garfield self built their own home in Surrey using timber frame. The property has a clean, uncluttered appearance and is low maintenance and energy efficient.

Modern Oak Frame House: £620,000

This traditional-style home was built using green oak but is filled with hi-tech gadgets such as automated windows, integrated lighting and entertainment systems and – less glamorously – a bio-digester sewage treatment plant.

Accessible Contemporary Eco Home: £630,000

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Mike Bray and his wife Linda self built a bespoke accessible home with the help of their son, Oliver..

Traditional Wealden Barn House: £650,000

A Wealden-barn style design was chosen over a traditional barn-style home in order to achieve planning permission and optimum natural light throughout the building.

Contemporary Cotswolds Home: £692,000

The limestone and oak cladding decorating this build were sourced locally and the unconventional design of the house is complimented by the comforting interior finished with open fireplaces and bamboo and slate flooring.

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Self Build Homes Built for £700,000 to £799,999

Sustainable Farmhouse with Tilted Roof: £700,000

This off-the-grid home was built using locally-sourced materials with a motivation for sustainable living. The design and the exterior finish means the house melts seamlessly into the landscape.

Oak Frame Lakehouse: £720,000

Sensitively built, this oak frame home is a masterclass in sustainable living as the design includes both passive and active eco features.

Striking Glazed Self Build: £740,000

Replacing a tired mid-1950s house, this modern love letter to wood and glass stands strong, taking full advantage of the views surrounding the plot.

Barn-Style Package Build: £746,000

A unique package-build experience gave way for the timber and steel clad home in the form of a contemporary-style barn.

Low Maintenance Modern Home: £750,000

Suitable for retirement and completely future-proofed this cantilevered house is full of drama and wow-factor as much as it incorporates practical solutions.

Contemporary Home on a Riverside Plot: £750,000

Nigel and Alison Maddocks chose a stunning riverside location for their spectacular contemporary self build home in Worcestershire.

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Self Build Homes Built for £800,000 to £999,999

Idyllic Eco Home for Retirement: £800,000

The homeowners journey for their home for retirement was stress-free thanks to the detailed planning and design process by Oakwrights.

Curved Oak Frame Home: £848,466

A beautiful example of organic architecture, this contemporary home seems to grow from the rolling hills.

Amazing Riverside Home: £850,000

The bold design and striking exterior of this home contrasts wonderfully with the white chalky cliffs on the brownfield plot.

Bespoke Traditional Home: £928,000

Full of character, this traditional oak-frame house was built by local craftspeople and sits firmly within the vernacular of the countryside setting.

Stunning Brick and Oak Build: £989,000

Where most couples downsize as their children move out, Geoff and June Gaffney were determined to build enough space in their home to accommodate their ever-growing family.

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Self Build Homes Built for £1,000,000 and over

Contemporary Cliff-top House: £1,000,000

A striking new build on the Cornish coast, this home is finished to a beautiful degree, making the most of the stunning views with an interior to match.

Sloping Site Contemporary Home: £1,000,000

Utilising a tricky sloping plot to a design advantage, this home is spread over three levels, all of which incorporate large elements of glazing.

Baronial-Style Eco Home: £1,000,000

This modern family home in the form of traditional Scottish mansion was the long-standing dream of the homeowners and it stands stoic against the beautiful landscape.

Remarkable Oak Frame Forever Home: £1,200,000

Despite the sensitive, historic nature of their plot, as well as the fact that it was prone to flooding, Rachel and Darren Luke have overcome every challenge to build a stunning, oak frame ‘forever’ home.

Replacement Family Home: £1,300,000

In place of their former family bungalow, homeowners Mel and Pauline built a unique dwelling that boasts a dining hall atrium, swimming pool, huge cathedral-style windows and a wine-drinking retreat in the basement.

Industrial Home on a Sloping Site: £1,710,000

Interlocking larch-clad boxes on top of a solid concrete base give this home a unique split-level flooring layout.

Modern Stately Home: £1,800,000

The square-nature of the Georgian-style houses – this one built with Hemcrete, a modern mix of lime and the inner core of the commercial hemp plant – was  chosen for it’s energy-efficiency. The high-spec materials and fixtures used throughout the build make sure the finish is beautiful inside and out.

Cliff Face Boathouse: £2,400,000

A self build like no other, this impressive home is spread over four floors and is so deeply imbedded in it’s surroundings that it looks as if it has grown organically from the complex rock-face.

Architecturally Imaginative Home: £2,500,000

The quirky and creative design of this house is a great example of architecture at its best. Built using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), the home pushes boundaries and is a testament to self-build done right.

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This year marks the very special 30th anniversary of Homebuilding & Renovating. Over the next 12 months, we’ll be sharing some of our favourite memories and bringing you special content to mark the occasion. Thank you for celebrating with us.