The cost of your plot needs to be taken into consideration as part of
the overall cost of building a home. The transfer fee is
approximately 7% of the value of your plot at the time of
transfer. This is not necessarily the price you paid, or the price
you and the seller agreed to tell the Land Registry that you paid.
They will value the land themselves and you have no say in the matter.
The Civil Engineer
The Civil Engineer is the chap who will design the basic structure of
your house and draw up initial plans. He will design your house with
anti-seismic properties in accordance with local regulations. The
Civil Engineers fee will be approximately 1% of the cost of the building.
The Architect
The design of your house is very important, and should be carried out
by a qualified architect. Failure to use a qualified architect can
cause major problems down the road and you will be unable to claim
compensation. You may even end up with a house that's downright
dangerous to live in.
The architect will cost anything from 4% to 8% of the building cost,
depending on the size of the house. A bigger more prestigious house
will be nearer the top end of that range, while a smaller more average
house will be nearer the bottom of the range. It's not a hard and
fast rule though, and you'd be advised to shop around and negotiate the
best price.
You might want to negotiate a fixed price with the architect if it's
going to be a complicated build, as costs can go up dramatically if there
are problems during the build and it takes longer than originally planned
for.
