Building a cottage is an exciting and rewarding experience but can be expensive if you don’t do your research ahead of time. You might end up sourcing overly priced materials, machines, and so forth.
This guide will help you get started by giving you the average money you will spend on building a cottage. It will also give you some tips on saving money when building.
How much should you spend on building a cottage?
A cottage is a relatively small home that has been built for use as a holiday or weekend retreat. In most cases, they are not intended to be permanent homes. They are usually smaller than houses and have limited amenities such as electricity and running water.
Hence, if you are planning to build one, it’s clear that you should never spend much on it if you are on a budget. However, if you are willing to shell out a fortune, then the amount you should spend will depend on:
- Your savings
- The amount available from the sale of a previously owned cottage
- Funds available via a mortgage or other avenues
How much does it cost to build a cottage?
Currently, the price of building a cottage is higher compared to the way it was three years ago. This rise in prices has been caused by a huge spike in demand caused by COVID-19 and Brexit. As of 2o22, before you even start building your cottage, you will need the following amounts:
- Legal Fees: £500 – £1,000
- Stamp Duty Tax: The first £500,000 is exempt from taxation, so you might not pay this if the value of your cottage is below the figure.
- Topographical Site Survey: £350 – £500
- Design Fees: Architects will charge you 7-15% of the total build cost.
- Planning Application Fee: £462
- Building Regulations Fee: £500 – £1,000
The cost of your cottage will depend on its design, materials used, how big it is, and so forth. Here is a breakdown:
- Foundation: The price of your foundation is dictated by your soil type and the size of your house. In the worst-case scenario, this will cost you £10,000.
- Building material: This factor also depends on the type of material you use. It will cost you £350 to £1000 per square metre for bricks. For natural stones, add £20 per square metre.
- Roofing: The cost here will depend on the roof type you choose, structure, insulations, and flashings. Increasing your roof pitch by 5% will double the costs involved. A 10% increase will triple the costs. Roofing will cost you about £20 per square metre for standard roofing
- Floor: Tiling will cost you £64 per metre squared.
- Doors: For this, we recommend using cottage internal doors. They are very durable, easy to install and come with a one-year guarantee. A single door will cost you anywhere from £148 to £295, depending on the type you want.
- Windows: A uPVC window costs between £500 to £1250.
- Bathroom and kitchen: A standard bathroom with plumbing and WC will cost less than £3500. A simple finished kitchen will cost less than £8,000.
- Electrics: You will shell out about £38 to £45 per metre squared for a standard installation.
- Furniture: You can decorate your cottage with french style furniture to get that classic look. You can easily buy french furniture online from Nicky Cornell.
- Wall Art: You can buy some acrylic prints to decorate your cottage walls with personalised art.
Conclusion
The above are only estimated costs. You should get a quotation from an architect who can give you more accurate information depending on the type of house you need. If you need internal or external oak door quotes, you can always contact us, and we will be happy to assist you.