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Finding and buying a site

If you have plans to build your home yourself then one of the first things you need to do after planning your budget and finances, is to find and buy a site.

Finding a site

You will need to survey the site and ensure it meets your requirements.

Some suggestions for finding a site are:

  • get together with a group of other potential self builders and buy a bigger development plot
  • contact developers and ask whether they have any individual sites they would be willing to sell
  • contact the local council in case they have any sites for sale
  • contact other potential land sellers - sometimes utility organisations such as water, gas and electricity companies sell surplus land
  • contact local land and estate agents
  • contact specialist land finding agencies and plot developers
  • look out for sites with an existing low-quality or unslightly building which could be demolished
  • assess the potential of building in a large back or side garden

Do as much research as you can.

A visit to Land & Property Services (LPS) Customer Information Centres enables you to search for the register of registered properties and unregistered properties in Northern Ireland.

LPS Customer Information Centres are at

Lincoln Building
27-45 Great Victoria Street
Malone Lower
BELFAST
BT2 7SL

and

Academy House
121A Broughshane Street
Town Parks
BALLYMENA
BT43 6HY

Assessing a site

Tips from the National House-Building Council (NHBC) on assessing a site include:

  • before you buy a site, make sure that it holds valid outline planning permission
  • remember, planning permission does not mean that building will actually be possible
  • land with consent can have restrictive covenants which may limit what you can do with the land, for example if the site lies above mineworks or old tunnels, then building on the land might well be expensive
  • organise a site appraisal of the land.to assess the suitability of the land for building on, evidence of potential problems of previous use, such as old foundations, wells, tipping operations, and so on
  • consider buying a site that already contains a run-down building and then constructing a replacement dwelling - the initial cost of the site might be higher than an empty plot, but you may benefit from existing access to services such as highways, electricity, gas, mains drainage and water supply
  • before you begin to spend any money or employ any contractors, turn yourself into an expert
  • get as much information as you can about all aspects of self building by carrying out research -the more you know, the less likely you are to slip up

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