What is a self build feasibility study?

We carry out a feasibility study for every client at an early stage to establish whether it is feasible to build the home of your choice, on your particular plot, for the funds available.

We fully realise that in the early stages few of you can afford to spend many thousands of pounds having a design drawn up and costed. So over the years, we have developed a value for money, efficient feasibility study service, which in a short timescale provides you with your design, a realistic projection of the build costs and an honest appraisal of the likelihood of that design being granted detailed planning permission.

Our feasibility study covers:

• A general assessment of your building plot and a discussion of your ideas
• An honest appraisal of the planning prospects
• The preparation of a brief to take account of design and budget requirements
• Two copies each of the front and rear elevations
• Two copies of the floor plans
• Amendments if required
• A detailed materials specification for the quality you are seeking to achieve
• Provide cost for our fully integrated service
• A summary of the feasibility study and a review of the build costs

"View an example by clicking here"

Site consultation

The usual procedure is for one of our experienced consultants to meet you on the plot. They will discuss everything with you and establish the key factors. These include the site circumstances such as views and access, the type of home you have in mind, the specification and the planning situation. They will then agree with you a target floor area, a figure for the build costs and the build route which will enable you to achieve that target.

We would stress that our consultants are not sales reps. They are experienced individuals who know and understand the business and the real selling they do is on your behalf by selling your design to the planners.

Comprehensive brief

Our consultant will discuss with you what you are seeking to achieve, paying close attention to the size and layout of the rooms and the style, appearance and overall character of your new home, taking into account any ideas and magazine cuttings you may have collected. However tempting it might be to try and draw your own plans, this tends to stifle Beverley's creative process.

A comprehensive brief will then be prepared for our design team. Working in parallel with the design team is our in house architect, a combination that ensures creative and technical synergy across all our design proposals at a level not always achieved by our competitors.

As a group they pride themselves on their ability to work with you, to put on paper the vision you have in your mind. Our Head of Design, Beverley Pemberton and the team will then prepare the first draft of your design including elevations of the front and rear of the dwelling plus dimensioned floor plans. Beverley is recognised as one of the UK's leading house designers with many accolades for her creativity, flair and most of all practical approach.

When this is ready which usually takes 3-4 weeks we will send you two copies for your comments. It is important that as our client you are involved in the development of the design and through discussion and feedback we can then fine tune your design. We then negotiate the best possible discounts on your behalf from suppliers and manufacturers and provide you with a price for our fully integrated service, which includes planning, building warrant and materials. Finally we review your build costs to ensure you they are still on track and we are then ready to make a planning application on your behalf.

In summary our design team will work with you every step of the way in order to help you create the design of your dreams and then we will work with you to ensure everything you have planned for your home is possible.

What does the feasibility study cost?

The cost of a feasibility study depends on the size and complexity of the design. The exact amount you will be charged will be confirmed at your site meeting when our consultant has assessed the level of work involved.

Some sites, particularly sloping, restricted or irregular shaped will require a survey and we can arrange this on your behalf, although the cost of this work is in addition to the feasibility study.

The site consultation will typically last two hours with the first draft of the design being ready for presentation back to you within three to four weeks.