We were recognised for our input into the Tadpole Garden Village development in North Swindon, Wiltshire. This site encompasses the best features of a garden village, with a high proportion of open space and countryside for residents to enjoy.
Working in conjunction with housebuilder Crest Nicholson, Potton Custom Build delivered 14 plots for the custom build phase, creating a range of designs in line with the overall framework and vision for the site.
“We have demonstrated how custom build can integrate beautifully within the parameters of a new-build development,” says Martyn Tharratt custom build manager at Potton Custom Build.
“The project shows that personal designs and aspirations have a place within housing developments, both large and small. Custom build opens up the housing landscape to individuality and innovation, which can only be good for clients and for the self-build / custom build industry as a whole.”
Crest Nicholson provided the serviced plots (utilities already connected), each of which had a ‘passport’ as to the size of property to ensure planning approval would be forthcoming.
Services provided by Potton Custom Build in addition to the overall design for each property, working through building regs, organising structural warranties and working out energy calculations. Customers were offered a choice of Potton’s high-spec insulated timber frame and SIPs product as well as a selection of external door and window options, a choice of stairs and joinery packages.
What is custom build?
Let’s start with what it’s not. It is not simply a case of giving a potential buyer a choice of windows or doors, or allowing them to opt for their preferred style of kitchen.
Under The Right to Build, local authorities are required to keep a register of people who wish to build their own homes and they have to provide enough plots to meet that demand.
Furthermore, self-build and custom build, as defined by the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 and the Housing & Planning Act 2016, mean that buyers have to have significant input into the design and layout of their homes. So, as a builder, if you’re offering custom build plots then the buyer of each plot chooses the look, layout and build of their home from the start, within the parameters of the plot passport and the overall design code for the site.
For the developer
As builder, your responsibility is to link utilities to the plot and within the plot passport, to identify the build and garden areas, driveway and parking, landscaping requirements, boundary treatments and primary frontage, among other matters. This is where Potton Custom Build comes in. We offer a variety of services to developers and builders, using as a base our many years’ experience in the self build sector.
We have a wealth of knowledge and strategies to help you realise your custom build scheme. These include creating the design code, layout, build rules and plot passports, providing designs for each site, assessing the market value for each plot, instigating a sales and marketing strategy as the selling agent for each plot, and acting as site compliance surveyor (adhering to main site activity and planning conditions).
We also purchase the plots from you – so fulfilling your section 106 obligations – and act as the selling agent, facilitating affordability checks, mortgage information for prospective purchasers, and providing legal contracts.
As a build route it is ideal for customers who want an input into their build, but who don’t want to undertake the full self-build journey.
What does a custom build development look like?
Some developments are totally custom build, while others, such as Tadpole Garden Village, are hybrid sites offering a mixture of new-build homes from large housebuilders and custom build plots. For home buyers, this gives greater choice – to live as part of a small community, or opt to be part of a larger development.
While not so long ago custom build was a term few were familiar with, today it is growing in terms of understanding and popularity. As a method of construction, self and custom build account for more than 50% of all built homes in mainland Europe. While in the UK this figure is still only around 10%, it is increasing and is expected to grow further in coming years.
Who does custom build appeal to?
For prospective buyers, custom build can be considered a halfway house between self build and the off-the-shelf designs generally available through house builders. It offers customers the opportunity to design their home – choosing the internal floor plan, external materials and structural features such as vaulted ceilings, as well as the option of energy saving features. These could include air source heat pumps, solar panels, solar lighting and EV charging.
While there are limitations not found with self build plots, such as specific requirements around design that feed into the site’s overall identity, there are benefits. The buyer is purchasing a plot that already has utilities connected to it, access and outline planning permission.
For housebuilders, custom build offers another market option and could be considered as an extra income stream with growth potential, even for small developers.
Custom build finance
The Government’s Help to Build Equity Loan Scheme launched in June 2022 with the aim of bringing self and custom build within the reach of many more people. It is similar to the Help to Buy scheme in that buyers need at least 5% deposit and a mortgage (self build); the loan is equity-based (from 5% - 20% of the estimated total cost, up to 40% in London), and there’s a £600,000 limit to the cost of the build, including land.
The scheme is intended to both facilitate the journey and increase the number of people building their own homes (whether through self or custom build). Together with Right to Build and the resulting local authority self build registers, the build process is becoming more accessible and more affordable, which should in turn lead to a greater take up of custom build opportunities among prospective home purchasers.
To find out more about the Help to Build equity loan, check out the government website.
