Plotfinder Challenge: Monmouthshire

Plotfinder expert David Snell proves homebuilding is a family affair, as he helps son and daughter-in-law, James and Laura, to find a plot for their second self-build project.

OUR PLOT HUNTER

BUDGET: £100,000 - £120,000

My son James and his wife Laura moved to our area, Monmouthshire, to make a new life and to self-build. James and Laura built a three storey, four bedroom house with a detached garage on their first plot in a small town. This project was, however, merely a vehicle for their next self-build. It stood them in good stead — they quadrupled their equity.

They are now looking for another plot to help them towards their dream of a mortgage-free home One thing is certain — now that Joshua has started school, it must be close to Monmouth.

THE PLOT WE LOOKED AT IN DETAIL
Devauden village, Chepstow, Monmouthshire — £135,000

Devauden is a beautiful village, situated halfway between Chepstow and Monmouth in the Wye Valley. The plot is located on the village’s main road (RIGHT), and forms part of the side garden to an existing bungalow, which has no architectural merit — apart from the fact that its extensive gardens allow it to hide itself from view.

Some connection with a traditional house at the rear is evident as they will share a driveway, which also gives access to the garages of the adjoining property to the north, as well as fields to the rear.

The proposal involves a new driveway to be formed at the southern end of the road frontage. The entrance will require the removal of part of the high hedging to the road, the regrading of the existing bank and the provision of a visibility splay across the frontage. However, as the new driveway will adjoin that of the southerly neighbour, the double entrance thus formed will not require any further work to provide a visibility splay on that side.

THE OTHER PLOTS WE SAW...

Staunton, Coleford — £110,000 (ABOVE LEFT): Part of a pub car park, fronting a quiet lane in this popular village. The proposal is for a four bedroom house — worth £295,000, to set against land and build costs of £230,000.

Undy, Monmouthshire — £125,000 (ABOVE RIGHT): Not situated in a particularly desirable area — its only good point is its ease of access to the M4. Land and build costs (£130,000) equate to £255,000, to set against a return of £290,000.

THE PLANNING STORY

• Planning permission granted
• Approval of Reserved Matters required
• Restrictions over monkey puzzle tree

Planning permission was granted in September 2007. Application for Approval of Reserved Matters must be made within three years of the date of consent and the development must be commenced either within five years of this date, or within two years of the last of the Reserved Matters to be approved — this is a much longer lasting consent than usual.

The drawings available give very little clue as to the proposed development other than to outline a footprint of a ‘T-shaped’ building that virtually spans the site with the exception of a metre either side. The greatest concern expressed in the planning documents relates to the relatively small monkey puzzle tree halfway down the plot, close to the boundary with the existing bungalow. The planning consent requires a protective fencing placed in a three-metre circle around the tree for the duration of the build and care must be taken not to allow any injurious materials to contaminate the ground or to allow any construction works or services to interfere with its root. The hedge to the right-hand or southern boundary must not be removed without consent.

The proposed access arrangements will entail part of the front hedge being removed, but as this is already a double hedge of mixed cypress and the visibility splay requirements are fairly minimal, this should not detract from the site.

GROUND CONDITIONS

• Loam subsoil
• Trench-fill foundations will be fine
• No space to store surplus topsoil

Despite the fact that the land has been used extensively as a garden, little excavation has taken place. The subsoil is likely to be loam with an underlying layer of loose stone shale, providing good bearing. It may be that the trench sides will have to be shored up and it’s entirely possible that the foundations will be trench fill with a layer of mesh reinforcement. There’s not going to be sufficient space on site to store any surplus top or subsoil; arrangements will have to be made for this to be taken away.

THE SITE'S CHARACTERISTICS

• Terraced site
• One metre above road level
• Monkey puzzle tree may dictate house design

The plot is a generous 21.5 metres in width at the probable building line, and has an overall depth of around 33 metres. In its natural state the site would have sloped up in much the same way as the bungalow driveway. The ground has, however, been terraced into two main areas with a step up of one metre.

The front portion of the site is between 0.6 and one metre above the road level with the banking supported by stonework batter.

The monkey puzzle tree is isolated in the lawn and will interfere with, or dictate any, design proposals which may have to wrap around it. However, I foresee problems in the future as the tree grows and its roots spread — I cannot quite understand why such a fuss has been made over a non-native tree species.

The hedges to the front, side and rear are important, although only the one to the side of plot is protected by the planning conditions. Of greater importance will be the provision of some sort of hedging, walling or both, to screen off the existing bungalow.

POTENTIAL VALUES

• End Value: £350,000
• Build Cost: £135,000
• Land Cost: £135,000

A development in nearby Staunton follows modern estate design — nevertheless, the asking price for a four bedroom home with a single garage is £315,000 and a double garage, £325,000. Houses on a site in Mitchel Troy, with better design and use of the roof space to provide six bedrooms, are priced at up to £470,000.

Therefore, a good-looking four bedroom house, possibly with attic space, could be worth at least £350,000 here. A welldesigned four bedroom bungalow could be worth £390,000.

WHAT TO BUILD

• Neo-Georgian four bedroom home
• Or, bungalow with vaulted ceilings

I suppose most would think in terms of a four bedroom house of fairly traditional design, possibly with rooms in the roof to take it up to a potential six bedrooms. The design could be neo-Georgian, using natural stone for the walling with a natural slate roof.

However, I think this site also lends itself to a bungalow. The new build need not look like the existing bungalow — it could be more complex in shape, with vaulted ceilings and cathedral windows and light towers to shed sunshine to its interior.

DAVID'S RECOMMENDATION

With build costs for a standard four bedroom house at around £135,000, the total costs would be approximately £270,000. This is only just within James and Laura’s reach, and Laura would need to return to work. If they could manage, there’s a potential profit of £80,000 to be made. But as you can guess, as we looked they felt it was beyond their budget — but I then began to contemplate it for myself. If the sale of the bungalow I’ve just built goes through, I’ll have a go at this one — if not, then we’ll keep looking for them, and for me!

WANT TO TAKE PART?

If you’re currently looking for a building plot and would like to spend a day with David, please contact us at Homebuilding & Renovating, Sugar Brook Court, Aston Rd, Bromsgrove, Worcs B60 3EX with a brief summary of who you are, where you are looking for a plot and your budget, along with your picture. Participation in this feature is over-subscribed but you’ll have a better chance of being selected the more flexible your brief to David is. Unfortunately we cannot respond to all correspondence. Meanwhile, check out our Plotfinder.net website for the latest opportunities in your area