Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
If you do want to write you own specification, you could try http://test.specright.co.uk. It is a case of adding pre-written clauses that apply into your document. However someone has to do the drawings and building control compliance.
Anyone willing to plough 50 to 100k+ into a building would be recommended to get professional help to draw up the necessary Building Control compliance drawings and notes, construction details, and to coordinate the structural information from the engineer, and produce a contract set of documents that set out exactly what the contractor needs to build and to what standard and specification. A loosely put together tender set will return only loosely put together prices. A cheap price from a builder will generally mean them clawing it back during the work with various extras, variations and claims which inevitability leads to a break down in trust between the home owner and the builder. As tempting as it maybe, consider particularly cheap prices with extreme caution, the builder may have made an honest mistake, but this doesn't help you budgeting, or them making a profit from the project. The main increase in building costs aren't the builders, it is the cost of materials. Timber, steel and insulation especially have risen considerably.
I would have agreed with £1400 per sq m a few years ago, but that continues to rise, and I would be tempted to put a figure closer to £1750 per sq m in all honesty, especially in the South East. For bespoke items like bifold doors you are looking at £1000 per linear m for a standard aluminium system plus installation.
Also, well worth checking the sewer plans as currently if a drain runs across your land that serves a dwelling other than yours, then this is considered a public sewer and owned by the water authority. You are not allowed to build within a certain distance of the drain, or you need to apply for a Build Over Licence which can be expensive as you will not be able to use conventional strip foundations. A quick call to either B&H Building Control, or South Water should confirm this for you if you don't have anything in your own property titles.
Anyone willing to plough 50 to 100k+ into a building would be recommended to get professional help to draw up the necessary Building Control compliance drawings and notes, construction details, and to coordinate the structural information from the engineer, and produce a contract set of documents that set out exactly what the contractor needs to build and to what standard and specification. A loosely put together tender set will return only loosely put together prices. A cheap price from a builder will generally mean them clawing it back during the work with various extras, variations and claims which inevitability leads to a break down in trust between the home owner and the builder. As tempting as it maybe, consider particularly cheap prices with extreme caution, the builder may have made an honest mistake, but this doesn't help you budgeting, or them making a profit from the project. The main increase in building costs aren't the builders, it is the cost of materials. Timber, steel and insulation especially have risen considerably.
I would have agreed with £1400 per sq m a few years ago, but that continues to rise, and I would be tempted to put a figure closer to £1750 per sq m in all honesty, especially in the South East. For bespoke items like bifold doors you are looking at £1000 per linear m for a standard aluminium system plus installation.
Also, well worth checking the sewer plans as currently if a drain runs across your land that serves a dwelling other than yours, then this is considered a public sewer and owned by the water authority. You are not allowed to build within a certain distance of the drain, or you need to apply for a Build Over Licence which can be expensive as you will not be able to use conventional strip foundations. A quick call to either B&H Building Control, or South Water should confirm this for you if you don't have anything in your own property titles.
