New build housing estimates from one plot to a full site

New build housing is about house types and repetition, so the estimate has to work at two levels: the cost of each unit and the cost of the whole site. We price each house type across every trade, from substructure and superstructure to roof, services and finishes, then multiply across the plots and add the site-wide items. Getting the unit cost right is what makes the development appraisal stand up.

The infrastructure between the houses is often the difference between a profitable site and a loss. Roads, footpaths, estate drainage, attenuation, services to each plot, street lighting and the public open space all sit outside the individual units but have to be paid for. We price the externals and infrastructure separately so they are visible, because a price built only from the houses will miss a large slice of the cost.

Specification and standards drive the unit price hard. The energy and building standards a new home must meet affect insulation, airtightness, heating and ventilation, and the sales specification, the kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and external works, sets the finish level. We price to the specification given, carry clear allowances for the finishing items, and flag where planning conditions, affordable housing or adoptable standards add scope to the scheme.