Can I reclaim VAT on a self-build?

New builds can generally recover VAT on eligible materials through the DIY housebuilders scheme, subject to conditions and deadlines. Conversions are treated differently. Keep every invoice from the first day — reconstructing records later is where claims fail.

Do I need a structural warranty?

If you are borrowing, your lender will almost certainly require one, and it makes a resale within the first ten years far easier. It has to be arranged before work starts.

How do self-build mortgages pay out?

In stages, either in arrears or in advance of each stage. Advance-stage products suit people without significant cash reserves, and the valuation timetable needs coordinating with the build programme.

Is a design and build route cheaper?

Not necessarily cheaper, but usually simpler, because one team is accountable for both the drawings and the delivery. That matters most when you cannot be on site every week.

Self-build · Cornwall

Self-building in Cornwall — the sequence from plot to completion

Self-build in Cornwall is dominated by one constraint: plots are scarce and most of the obvious ones have been refused before. That makes plot appraisal — not design — the stage where the project is won or lost, and it is the stage most people rush.

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Appraise before you buy

A plot with a lapsed permission, an access issue or a drainage problem is not a bargain. Before exchange, we would want to see the planning history, the access arrangement, evidence on drainage and services, and any designation covering the site.

Planning history, including refusals and the reasons given
Access rights and visibility splays — highways objections are a frequent killer
Drainage: mains connection, or percolation testing for a treatment plant
Designations: AONB, Conservation Area, World Heritage Site, flood zone
Covenants and ransom strips, which the planning system will not tell you about

Procurement routes

How you buy the build changes cost certainty, your workload and your risk exposure. There is no universally right answer, but there is a right answer for how much time you actually have.

Main contractor on a full plans package — most cost certainty, least involvement
Design and build with a single team — fewer interfaces, one point of accountability
Self-managed with trades — cheapest on paper, and a genuine second job

The administrative side nobody mentions

Structural warranty, stage-payment self-build mortgage requirements, site insurance, CDM duties as a domestic client, and the VAT reclaim on a new build, which requires the paperwork to be kept correctly from day one rather than assembled at the end.

Frequently asked

Straight answers.

Can I reclaim VAT on a self-build?: New builds can generally recover VAT on eligible materials through the DIY housebuilders scheme, subject to conditions and deadlines. Conversions are treated differently. Keep every invoice from the first day — reconstructing records later is where claims fail.
Do I need a structural warranty?: If you are borrowing, your lender will almost certainly require one, and it makes a resale within the first ten years far easier. It has to be arranged before work starts.
How do self-build mortgages pay out?: In stages, either in arrears or in advance of each stage. Advance-stage products suit people without significant cash reserves, and the valuation timetable needs coordinating with the build programme.
Is a design and build route cheaper?: Not necessarily cheaper, but usually simpler, because one team is accountable for both the drawings and the delivery. That matters most when you cannot be on site every week.

Looking at a plot in Cornwall?

Send us the address before you exchange. An appraisal is far cheaper than a bad plot.

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Tell us about your project — we usually reply within 2 hours (working day).