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New research into self-build aspirations found that one in three people are interested in building an owner commissioned home. However, despite more specialist mortgages being available in the market, access to finance remains the biggest barrier to most people progressing to build.
Commissioned by the National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA) and the Building Societies Association (BSA) the research marks Right to Build Day on 30 October, the annual close of the self-build registers
The survey asked people about their homes, and found that experiencing lockdown in 2020 had made:
- 48% want more space in general, with 36% wanting more indoor space and 37% more outdoor space
- 39% want a home office space
- 31% consider home improvements as a result of lockdown
- 5% consider designing and building their own home
With regards to custom and self-building
- Nearly a third of GB adults (32%) said they were interested in designing and building their own home.
- 9% of people said they were likely to build their own home at some point in the future - this compares to around 5% of new homes currently being built as custom and self-build annually.
- The younger generation were most keen, with nearly half (48%) of 18-24 saying they were interested in self building. This decreased with age, with less than 1 in 5 (18%) over 55s interested.
- 74% said the main benefit of a self-build is the ability to design a home to their exact specifications, while half said the ability to build a home that adapts to meet their current and future needs was important.
- For most, the biggest barrier remains finding the money to finance the project, (59%). People also said the following were issues that would keep them from building: 49% said planning permission; 47% said lack of knowledge; and 42% said finding a plot.
- In terms of energy efficiency, self-build offered a route to a greener future, with a third of people wanting to live in a home that had less impact on the environment.
- Nearly 9 in 10 people (89%) said energy efficiency was important, were they to build a new home.
Download analysis of the findings
Self-build aspirations
NaCSBA and the BSA welcomed the news that almost a third of those surveyed said they were interested in having a house built to their own needs and specifications.
However, the data shows that it is the youngest generation of 18-24 who are most interested in self-building (48%), but it is this age group that tends to have the least amount of savings and less earning potential due to their age. This marries with the perception that financing the build project is the most significant limiting factor preventing people from self-building. 59% cited this as the most significant barrier.
To help meet the deposit gap, the 2019 Conservative party manifesto promised that the Help to Buy scheme would be extended to the sector, which NaCSBA continues to push for. Having a smaller environmental impact was also a key factor behind the ambition to self-build, with a third (33%) of people identifying it as a core benefit of building a home. Almost 9 in 10 (89%) of people said it was important that their newly built home was energy efficient, when asked to envision building their own home.
Housing diversification is a core part of the Government’s wider housing strategy, as England has the lowest known rate of self-commissioned homes in the world. The Right to Build legislation requires councils to grant sufficient planning permissions to match the demand evidenced on their registers. However, despite legislation in 2015 and 2016, the survey found that 83% of people had never heard of the registers held by local authorities of people who would like to build their own home.
NaCSBA urges all those looking to self-build to sign up to their local Right to Build register via www.righttobuildportal.org.
Andrew Baddeley-Chappell, NaCSBA’s CEO said, “The current lack of choice in our new homes market makes it different from every other country and every other consumer market. Only when there is diversity of choice will we get the diversity of homes that we want and need.”
Paul Broadhead, Head of Mortgages and Housing at the BSA said, “It’s great to see that there are so many aspiring self and customs builders, particularly among the youngest generation (18-24yrs). Increased levels of home working this year have led many to realise the importance of future proofing their homes to suit their individual needs. Mutual lenders are leading the way to help these self-build dreams become a reality, with 21 building societies currently lending to people building their own homes, they are the clear choice for many and are leaders in this space.”
Building societies offering self and/or custom build products:
| Bath Building Society | Beverley Building Society |
| Chorley Building Society | Darlington Building Society |
| Buckinghamshire BS | Earl Shilton Building Society |
| Dudley Building Society | Furness Building Society |
| Ecology Building Society | Ipswich Building Society |
| Hanley Economic Building Society | Mansfield Building Society |
| Loughborough Building Society | Penrith Building Society |
| Melton Mowbray Building Society | Saffron Building Society |
| Progressive Building Society | Scottish Building Society (Scotland only) |
| Stafford Railway Building Society | Swansea Building Society |
| Vernon Building Society |