Building an 80m² single storey home (a footprint of 10m × 8m) at standard spec costs £121,500 to £145,000 at West Midlands rates, based on Quoteio’s pricing engine. That includes the build, a kitchen, a bathroom and an en-suite, windows and doors, drawings, a structural engineer, building regulations, the planning fee, energy calculations and a structural warranty. There is no VAT on it, because new homes are zero-rated. It does not include the land, which is often the largest single cost.
- 63m² (9m × 7m), standard spec: £105,500 to £126,000
- 80m² (10m × 8m), standard spec: £121,500 to £145,000
- 96m² (12m × 8m), standard spec: £136,500 to £163,500
Figures from Quoteio’s free calculator. Prices vary by region: see costs across the UK.
What does the build price include?
Our engine prices the house from its outside footprint, part by part: footings and slab, external walls, the roof, fascias and guttering, plastering, joinery, scaffold, drainage, electrics, plumbing and the floor construction, with labour added at the ratio we see on real final accounts. Then it adds the rooms, the windows and doors, and the fees. Here is the 80m² home split up:
| Part of the cost | Standard | Mid | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure and services | £113,387 | £113,963 | £132,315 |
| Kitchen, bathroom and en-suite | £5,900 | £9,760 | £16,200 |
| Windows and doors | £7,800 | £9,820 | £12,700 |
| Fees, planning and warranty | £4,888 | £6,038 | £7,888 |
| VAT | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Typical range | £121,500 to £145,000 | £128,500 to £153,500 | £155,500 to £186,000 |
80m² single storey home, West Midlands rates. Standard spec works out at about £1,650 per m², mid spec about £1,740 and high spec about £2,110.
The fees line covers architectural drawings, structural calculations, a building regulations application, the £588 planning fee for one new dwelling in England, SAP energy calculations and a structural warranty such as NHBC or similar, which many mortgage lenders ask for.
Why is there no VAT on a new house?
The construction of a new dwelling is zero-rated for VAT. A builder putting up your new home should not charge VAT on the building work or the materials they supply, which is why our new build estimates show none. Extensions, conversions and renovations of an existing home are different: they carry VAT at 20%.
If you build the house yourself and buy materials directly, you pay VAT at the till, but you can usually reclaim it on eligible building materials through HMRC’s DIY housebuilders scheme, with one claim made after the home is finished. Keep every invoice. Architects, engineers and other professionals normally still charge VAT on their own fees, so allow for that on top of the fee figures above.
How much does it cost to build a house in different parts of the UK?
The same 80m² home priced for every region. Labour and materials cost more in London and the South East and less in the North and in Northern Ireland, so the same design ranges from £108,000 to £134,000 in Northern Ireland to £158,000 to £205,000 in inner London.
| Region | 80m² single storey home |
|---|---|
| Inner London | £158,000 to £205,000 |
| Outer London | £142,500 to £185,000 |
| South East | £133,500 to £166,000 |
| East of England | £128,000 to £159,000 |
| South West | £124,500 to £155,000 |
| East Midlands | £117,500 to £146,500 |
| West Midlands | £121,500 to £145,000 |
| North West | £117,500 to £146,500 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £114,000 to £142,000 |
| North East | £112,000 to £139,500 |
| Wales | £114,500 to £142,000 |
| Scotland | £119,000 to £148,000 |
| Northern Ireland | £108,000 to £134,000 |
Each region has its own cost page, for example London, Yorkshire and the Humber and Scotland. For your own plot, put its postcode into the calculator.
What about a two storey house?
Our new build model prices single storey homes: bungalows, garden annexes and similar. A two storey house adds a first floor structure, a staircase, taller walls, more scaffold and a bigger roof, and we don’t yet hold enough completed new build jobs to price that honestly. Rather than scale a bungalow up and guess, we’d suggest getting a price from a builder or a quantity surveyor once you have drawings. Use the single storey figures above as a sense check on the ground floor, not as the price of the whole house.
How much does the land cost?
We don’t publish land prices, because they vary more than anything else in this guide, often from one street to the next. A useful way to think about a plot is to work backwards from what the finished home would sell for:
- Find what similar new or nearly new homes nearby have sold for.
- Take away the build cost from this guide (or a builder’s price for a larger house).
- Take away fees, utility connections, the landscaping and a contingency.
- What is left is roughly the most the plot is worth to you, if you want the finished home to be worth at least what you spent.
Before you buy any plot, check the following, ideally with a solicitor and a surveyor:
- Planning. Whether it has full permission, outline permission or none, when it expires, and what conditions come with it.
- Access. A legal right of way for vehicles, and room for deliveries, a skip and scaffold.
- Services. How far away mains water, sewer, electricity and broadband are. Long runs and a new sewer connection add up fast.
- Ground. Clay, trees, old mine workings or made-up ground can mean deeper or piled foundations. A soil investigation is money well spent.
What is not in the build price?
The estimate covers the house itself. Budget separately for:
- The plot, plus stamp duty, legal fees and surveys on the purchase.
- Utility connections for water, sewer, electricity, gas if used, and broadband.
- Community Infrastructure Levy, where your council charges it. Self-builders can often claim an exemption, but it usually has to be applied for before work starts.
- The driveway, paths, fencing, turf and other landscaping.
- Kitchen appliances, flooring, decorating and furniture.
- Ground conditions that need special foundations.
- Somewhere to live during the build, if you are selling your current home first.
- A contingency for the things nobody can see until the digging starts.
How do the spec levels differ?
| 80m² home | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Standard spec Block walls, warm flat roof, white uPVC windows, standard kitchen and sanitaryware | £121,500 to £145,000 |
| Mid spec Cavity walls, larger windows, mid-range kitchen and bathrooms | £128,500 to £153,500 |
| High spec Facing brick, pitched slate roof, premium kitchen and bathrooms | £155,500 to £186,000 |
Spec decisions compound. A pitched slate roof instead of a flat one, facing brick instead of rendered block, and a premium kitchen together move the price far more than any one of them alone, so decide early which of these matter most to you.
The short version
An 80m² single storey home costs about £121,500 to £145,000 to build at West Midlands rates, with fees included and no VAT. Add the land, connections, landscaping and a contingency, and check the plot thoroughly before you buy. For anything bigger than a single storey, get a builder or quantity surveyor involved early. You can see exactly how our figures are built on the methodology page, and if you are weighing up building against extending your current home, our extension cost guide covers the other side.
Common questions
Do you pay VAT on building a new house?
Building a brand new dwelling is zero-rated for VAT, so a builder constructing your new home should not charge VAT on the building work and the materials they supply. If you build it yourself, you can usually reclaim the VAT on eligible materials through HMRC's DIY housebuilders scheme once the home is finished. Professional services such as architects and engineers normally still charge VAT on their own fees.
Is it cheaper to build a house than to buy one?
It can be, but only once you add the cost of the plot, the fees, utility connections and a contingency, and compare that with the price of a similar finished home nearby. In areas where plots are scarce, land can take most of the saving. Work out the full budget, including land, before you decide.
Does Quoteio price a two storey house?
Not yet. Our new build model prices a home from its outside footprint as a single storey build, which suits bungalows and garden annexes. A two storey house adds a first floor, stairs and taller walls and scaffold, so get a price from a builder or quantity surveyor for that.
Do I need planning permission to build a house?
Yes. Building a new house on a plot needs planning permission, either full permission or outline permission followed by approval of the details, and in England the application fee for one new home is £588. Buying a plot with planning already granted saves time and risk, but check the permission has not expired and that any conditions are things you can meet.