The first step towards creating your own home is to find and buy a plot of land to build on and develop. While this may not be a simple exercise, you’ll reap the benefits when you uncover a site with potential. Before you start dreaming up a design or selecting a construction system, you need to find a building plot to build your new home upon. Here is our guide to finding a plot of land for self build.

The basics of finding a building plot

Before you start looking, set a sensible budget and stick to it. It’s recommended that you spend around 35% of your overall build budget on the plot. In locations where plots are rare, and property prices high, you might need to allocate up to 50%.

Be realistic about what you can expect to buy with your cash and don’t get carried away with the charm of a certain location. You may come across a picturesque spot with stunning sea views, for example, but if you won’t have any funds left to spend on the actual development, what is the point of owning it?

Land needs to have some sort of planning permission to be a viable self-build plot – be it outline or detailed consent, or at least confirmation that permission can be gained. You should be wary of anything for sale that doesn’t have any of these assurances. You would be wise to avoid companies or individuals selling agricultural land with so- called ‘planning potential’ – this rarely has a viable development prospect.

Vendors can charge a premium for land with outline permission, which costs less than £400 to obtain. So, if the plot doesn’t have this, question why it’s not already been sought.

Places to find a building plot

1. Search online to find a plot of land to buy

If you type ‘plots for sale’ into Google, you’ll be surprised at how many results you will generate. You’ll be inundated with land listing services – and there a number of specialist self build services such as Plotsearch, Plot Finder and Plot Browser.

You can also have a look at the various property sale sites, such as PrimeLocation and RightMove. They both let you search ‘land only’, and you can review local property values at the same time. In the case of all these websites, make note of the post codes and type them into Google Maps. You can then see the satellite view of the area to see if it’s worth your while to arrange a viewing – the vendor may not have been accurate in their description, and this way you can check it out without wasting time.

2. Estate agents

Love them or hate them, most plots are sold by estate agents so they are key to finding a plot of land to build on. Visit those close to where you wish to build and give them your budget and contact information so they can let you know if and when they find something suitable. Some agents will assist with finding a plot of land to build on for you, normally in return for a commission. If you’d be prepared to pay a fee to get the right site, mention this to them when you visit.

Many plots are sold at auctions, which are often run by estate agents. You should find many knock down and rebuild opportunities here. Common lots include repossessed land and plots with permission soon to expire. Attend a couple of auctions as an observer to get a feel for how the bidding process works.

3. Urban outbuildings

All kinds of buildings lie hidden behind houses and shops in our towns and cities. Sometimes empty and ripe for demolishing. These brownfield sites might not look up to much at first, but could reap rewards. For instance, there could be potential in a cluster of old garages on a lane behind a row of houses, in a parking area or a light industrial unit/workshop. Urban outbuildings can offer many opportunities when it comes to finding a building plot.

4. Rural outbuildings

An obvious target when looking to buy a plot of land is an agricultural building. This option offers a fantastic opportunity to live in the countryside on a sizeable plot with a rural outlook. It’s likely you won’t be the first to have spotted this opportunity. Like urban brownfield sites, turn your attention to vacant buildings that were once used for industrial or commercial purposes like a car garage, petrol station, scrapyard, workshop, storage unit. The local community are likely to prefer the eyesore removed and replaced with a pretty house. Planning rules have relaxed around change of use to residential. See the Planning Portal for more information. You can save some money with this route as a non-residential building converted into a private home allows you to reclaim the VAT.

Be wary of buying unless ‘change of use’ into residential has already been put in place. Also, if there’s no planning consent, check the history on the council’s website as all past and present planning applications can be viewed online. Too many past refusals suggest a successful application is unlikely. Structures in a very poor condition may be unsalvageable, so have a structural survey done to check. 

5. Gaps between houses

Yes, they do exist! Often overgrown and hidden behind fencing these empty pieces of land on urban streets could be overlooked or dismissed as being too small. A plot that seems tight from the street could actually be deep enough to conceivably accommodate a long, narrow house.

6. Plots in plain view

Another straightforward approach is to find a detached bungalow with a decent-sized garden that you can knock down to rebuild your new home. Competition can be fierce for these types of properties so consider a bigger picture. Neighbouring properties with adjacent wide driveways and big gardens may prove fruitful. The land combined might be enough for each house to retain a garden and form a building plot, and access is already in place.

7. Buy a plot of land by scrutinising Google Maps

But how do you actually find these unknown plots? Google Maps is the perfect aerial tool for scouring towns and landscapes. Click on Satellite to see the area in ‘real life’ detail. You can zoom in and change the view to 3D to seek out gaps in the street. You can also see detached properties with big gardens, industrial areas and lonesome outbuildings. Click on Street View for a ground level eye view with 360° rotation.

8. Scour the council’s Brownfield Land Register to find a building plot

Many brownfield sites have already been identified as the council is obliged to publish details of those that have potential to be developed into housing – though planning permission isn’t guaranteed. If you find a suitable building plot, contact the owner as they may be willing to sell you a serviced plot if the development goes ahead.

9. Register for the ‘Right to Build’

Under the government’s ‘Right to Build’ legislation, councils have to keep a register of people interested in building their own home. They also have to supply enough serviced plots of land for self build to meet demand. See the Self-Build Portal for more information.

10. Look at online planning applications

When you find a potential building plot, in order for a piece of land/building to become a bona fide building plot it needs outline planning permission. This is an agreement in principle setting out the scale and nature of the development rather than full planning for a detailed house design. Applications for outline planning suggest the owner is unlikely to be building a house for themselves. They are simply increasing the value of their plot ready to sell on. You can view applications online through a council’s website. A suitable plot of land for self build may not be on the market yet so you could be ahead of the game if you approach the owner now.

11. Knock down & rebuild

One of the easiest ways to buy a plot of land is to buy a rundown property, demolish it and start from scratch. Because a residential use has already been established, you should find it much easier to get planning permission. You’re simply stating your case for demolition and negotiating what you will create in its place. Many people have gone down this route, and been successful in proposing replacement homes that have a marginally larger footprint, yet are hugely superior in terms of sustainability. Look out for rundown detached properties, often post-war builds, which can’t be saved or aren’t making the best use of the plot. You could even go to auction where you could snap up a bargain. With this route you can save on construction costs by for example, making use of the existing foundations and keeping one or two external walls – although you need to factor in demolition costs. Also, unlike renovating, you’ll be able to claim back the VAT. Check the latest rules with HMRC first www.gov.uk/vat-building-new-home/how-to-claim. 

It’s important that you do your homework as there is always a risk that you might not get planning permission to replace the property. Also, the planning department could place restrictions on/or demand the new house have the same size footprint and/or head height. Broadly-speaking, they’ll take into account the surrounding vernacular and the proportions of the new design in relation to the plot size

12. Just ask

If you don’t ask, you don’t get! Remember this when finding a building plot. If you come across a potential plot of land to build on don’t stay silent. Approach the owners and find out if they’d consider selling – pop a letter through their door with an offer. It may be that they are totally receptive to the idea, but they had never even thought about the possibility of selling part of their garden, for example.

The key here is to come to a conditional agreement. Make it clear that you’re only able to proceed with purchase if the council is willing to give planning permission. You may want to draw up an option contract, where you buy (for a small sum) the right to purchase for a set period of time. These contracts are used frequently in property development, but ensure you employ a solicitor with relevant experience.

13. Extend instead

Finding a plot of land will ultimately mean a compromise of sorts. Don’t rule out extending in oak to create the home you want. The Bowden’s thought their dream was over when they were told they couldn’t replace a tiny rundown property with an oak-framed house. A clever design led to a complete house renovation and two stunning oak-framed extensions on either side.

Basic terms when buying a plot of land 

Brownfield

Councils will look favourably on applications to redevelop brownfield sites. However, if the land is ex-industrial or commercial it could be contaminated. It’s worth getting a soil survey done before you buy a plot of land that is a brownfield site so you can see exactly what you are dealing with

Clauses

Check whether your plot is subject to any covenants, such as rights of way. make sure you review the deeds. Some legal issues may restrict what and where you can build on the plot, or even if you can build at all, regardless of outline planning permission

Flooding

It is essential that you check whether or not a plot is in a flood risk zone. In many places this will have been looked into when planning permission was initially granted. However, things do change over time and you need to have an up-to-date overview. Check out what locations the Environment Agency is monitoring by logging on to environment-agency.gov.uk

Greenfield

Virgin plots are few and far between. If you live in an area where your council is flexible on the development boundaries – to create affordable homes, for example – then you may be able to bag a viable site. If you simply see this type of plot advertised without permission but with so-called ‘potential’ you are best to avoid it. Your council may never amend its local plan to develop homes outside the settlement boundary.

Permission

Most plots advertised to self-builders will come with planning consent. You may see one that doesn’t, therefore question the vendor as to why. You may see something you are concerned about therefore ask a local planning officer to give you an indication of whether it truly has development potential. If so, ask how you can get it

Services

Getting utilities connected to some rural sites can be the stuff of nightmares. It can add a significant chunk to your budget, too, especially on a secluded plot. Take this into account in your valuation