Inspiration for low-cost traditional and contemporary-style self builds
(Image credit: Alistair Nicholls)
Self building on a low budget can be very tricky, but is most definitely possible. With rigorous research and detailed planning (plus a willingness to get stuck in with certain tasks), it is possible to build your own home without an extortionate price tag.
We've compiled our favourite examples of successful self-builds all created with build costs under £200,000. Take a look below to get inspired by designs, find top tips of money saving and begin your own low-cost self-build project.
Ian and Marcella Grant's new self-build on Skye was designed to be function as both a contemporary home with a low-key facade facing the street and a place for Ian to work which maximised the dramatic views facing the sea.
Insulated concrete formwork (ICF) was used to build the single-storey, two-bedroom house and was built with the help of family and friends.
Location: Isle of Skye
Size: 135m²
Build time: Five years
2. A Barn Family Home for £85K
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Not quite a full self-build, but as close as you can get with an existing structure.
Philip and Elly Handley converted and extended the derelict old blacksmith's forge on a primarily DIY basis, the only things they didn't do themselves was install the new roof and construct the timber frame extension.
Location: Shropshire
Size: 99m²
Build time: Three years
3. An Impressive Oak Frame Home for £175K
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
This beautiful two-bedroomed oak frame home was built in just 15 weeks with limited access due to the plot's high street location.
Location: South Staffordshire
Size: 140m²
Build time: 15 weeks
4. A Modern Passivhaus for Under £200K
(Image credit: c/o Paul McAllister Architects)
This certified Passivhaus was not only meticulously planned in terns of airtightness and efficiency, but was also 'value engineered' before the contracts went to tender.
The structural insulated panels (SIPs) used to construct the shell were the single largest cost of the self-build at £56,000.
Location: Northern Ireland
Size: Unknown
Build time: Unknown
5. A Compact Home Built for £35K
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Claire Williamson and Oscar Baldry transformed a former derelict newsagents, taking on almost all the building work themselves to create a characterful and energy-efficient home.
Location: Shropshire
Size: 42m²
Build time: 18 months
6. A Low-budget Modular Home
(Image credit: c/o Studio Bark)
U-Build Box House was developed as an innovative system of flat-pack timber building boxes, designed by Studio Bark in direct response to two young aspiring self-builders who has no budget for external contractors and no specialist skills to pick up jobs themselves.
The simple modules were transformed into a home by the couple in just 100 hours, using manual handling techniques alone, at Graven Hill — he UK's biggest self-build site.
Location: Bicester
Size: 95m²
Build time: 8 weeks
7. A Modern Home Built for £170,000
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Tom Allen and Natalie Scroggie built a beautiful home with a cantilevered second floor on a small garden plot.
Location: Nottingham
Size: 120m²
Build time: 1 year
8. A Timber-Clad Rural Home for £120,000
(Image credit: Alistair Nicholls)
Steve and Lisa Attfield have built a new timber-clad farmhouse in the Devon countryside for just £120,000 — finally making their rural dream come true.
Location: Devon
Size: 126m²
Build time: 1 year 2 months
9. A Low-Budget Handcrafted Home for £100k
(Image credit: John Need)
Robin Cochrane chose a tricky plot on restricted piece of land on the banks of a river in the Scottish Highlands to build his budget home.
Location: Devon
Size: 126m²
Build time: 1 year 2 months
10. A Charming Budget Cottage for £158,000
(Image credit: Darren Chung)
Ian and Helen Hardy have replaced a run-down bungalow with a charming cottage-style family home in Surrey, pulling out all the stops to achieve a remarkably low build cost of just £158,000.
Location: Argyll & Bute
Size: 145m²
Build time: 1 year 8 months
11. An Eco Home Built for £200,000
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Anthony Lamb and partner Andy Andrews’ eco self build in Somerset is a masterclass in sustainable homebuilding on a budget — built for just £200,000.
Location: Somerset
12. A Value-for-Money Family Home for £139,000
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Over the course of seven years, Jonathan and Nicola Marsh have built a large home for their growing young family in Leicestershire for just £139,000.
Location: Leicestershire
Size: 300m²
Build time: 7 years
13. A Small Low Budget Home for £59k
Offering a solution to Britain’s housing shortage, Jennifer Hope and partner Mark Higgins built their first home, and also founded the aptly named The Wee House Company, for just £59,000. (Image credit: Douglas Gibb)
Location: East Ayrshire, Scotland
Size: 40m²
Build time: 2 months
14. A Modern Home on a Budget Plot for £140k
(Image credit: Nigel Rigden)
Colin and Iona Smith have created an organic contemporary home on a stunning hillside setting in Perthshire for a build cost of just £140,000.
Location: Perthshire
Size: 164m²
Build Time: 1 year
15. A Starter Home on a Budget of £80,000
(Image credit: Dave Burton)
Phil Coe and Flo Cooper’s first home was built to a tight budget of £80k in his parents’ back garden.
Location: Yorkshire
Size: 130m²
Build Time: 2 years
16. A Low-Energy Lifetime Home for £175,000
(Image credit: Darren Chung)
Jeff and Rose Tanner have built a low-energy home in Buckinghamshire, complete with a wide array of eco features and designed to last a lifetime, for just £175,000.
Location: Milton Keynes
Size: 156m²
Build Time: 1 year
17. A Log Cabin on a Small Budget for £180,000
(Image credit: Alistair Nicholls)
Paul Constable and Lucy Fallon’s log cabin in Derbyshire looks right at home on their woodland plot, but it is hard to believe it took only 59 days to build and cost just £180,000.
Location: Derbyshire
Size: 167m²
Build Time: 4 months
18. A Cutting Edge Self Build for £123,000
(Image credit: Andrew Lee)
A cutting-edge design in a stunning location, Nick Middleton and Kate Prentice’s new home is one of the most energy efficient on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, yet was built to a tiny budget of £123,000.
Location: Argyll & Bute
Size: 70m²
Build time: 9 months
19. A Low Budget Home for £95,000
(Image credit: Nigel Rigden)
Retired joiner Mike and his wife Jane have designed and built a one bedroom eco home in Somerset on a DIY basis for just £95,000.
Location: Somerset
Size: 72m²
Build time: 1 year 10 months
20. A Stylish City Self Build for £139,000
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Tom and Emily Hunt’s contemporary, eco-friendly, self build home combines style and substance for an affordable £139,000.
Location: Sheffield
Size: 140m²
Build time: 6 months
21. A Family Eco Home for Under £200k
(Image credit: Nigel Rigden)
The demolition of a post-war bungalow has led Louise and Ivor Nicholson to create a bright, minimalist eco home, calling on family favours to help them keep to an impressive budget of just over £185,000.
Location: Aberdeenshire
Size: 160m²
Build time: 10 months
22. A Cottage-Style Budget Home for £115,000
(Image credit: Nigel Rigden)
Eco homes don’t need to break the bank — as Nicky and Robin van der Bij proved when they designed and built their stunning coastal cottage for just £115,000. Even better, it costs just £270 a year to heat.
Location: Cornwall
Size: 100m²
23. A DIY Self Build for £98,500
(Image credit: Simon Denison)
Rob and Alithea Dawson bought a 35-acre woodland site for £10,000 and spent seven years in a mobile home trying to get planning on it. They have eventually built themselves a remarkable home in oak on a DIY basis for just £98,500.
Location: Powys
Build time: 2 years
24. A Low-Budget Self Build for £171,000
(Image credit: Simon Maxwell)
Isabel and Mal Voller have built a low-budget, energy-efficient self build cottage clad in brick and flint in Hampshire for their retirement — it cost just £171,000.
Location: Hampshire
Build time: 1 year 5 months
25. A Timber-Clad Cabin for £125,000
(Image credit: Nigel Rigden)
A timber frame cabin on the Isle of Skye, built for just £125,000 by Nigel Rigden, shows how contemporary design can sit comfortably within a rural setting.
Location: Isle of Skye
Size: 95m²
Build time: 4 years 1 month
26. A Straw Bale Home on a Budget of £67k
(Image credit: Simon Maxwell)
Designed and built by the homeowners, Justin and Linda Tyers, this two-bed cottage demonstrates the spirit of self build like no other.
Location: Somerset
Size: 95m²
Build time: 11 months
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Amy is an interiors and renovation journalist. She is the former Assistant Editor of Homebuilding & Renovating, where she worked between 2018 and 2023. She has also been an editor for Independent Advisor, where she looked after homes content, including topics such as solar panels.
She has an interest in sustainable building methods and always has her eye on the latest design ideas. Amy has also interviewed countless self builders, renovators and extenders about their experiences.
She has renovated a mid-century home, together with her partner, on a DIY basis, undertaking tasks from fitting a kitchen to laying flooring. She is currently embarking on an energy-efficient overhaul of a 1800s cottage in Somerset.
