New Build Construction in Eastbourne, East Sussex

What we build

We take on new build construction as a main contractor: individual houses on infill plots, replacement dwellings, annexes and garden rooms, and small schemes of two or three units. We work from an architect’s drawings and engineer’s details, and we handle the whole build from setting out and foundations through to a finished, certificated building.

A new build is a different job from an extension or a refurbishment, mainly because everything has to be evidenced. Building control inspect at set stages, the structure and drainage have to be built exactly to the approved details, insulation and airtightness are tested against the energy calculations, and the paperwork at the end is what makes the house mortgageable and saleable.

We work across East Sussex for private clients building their own home, for landowners with an infill plot, and for small developers who want one contractor accountable for the whole build.

What we will not do is start on drawings that are not resolved, because that is where new build costs run away from people.

Where new build projects run into trouble

Groundworks and drainage. Foundation design depends on the ground, and made up ground, clay, high water tables or nearby trees all change the design and the cost. Drainage has to run to a workable fall to an adopted sewer or an approved private system, and connections need agreement in advance.

Then the conditions attached to the permission. Planning consents routinely carry conditions on materials, landscaping, drainage strategy, ecology and construction hours, and each usually has to be discharged formally. Missing one holds up completion.

Third, the energy and airtightness requirements. Insulation, thermal bridging, ventilation and airtightness all have to be built as calculated rather than approximately, because the building is tested before it is signed off.

And utilities. Water, electricity and drainage connections have long lead times and are frequently the item that delays completion rather than the building work.

How we build

We price against the drawings and the engineer’s details rather than against an assumption, and we tell you where the drawings are silent so those items can be resolved before they become variations.

We manage building control and the inspection stages, the utility connections, and the discharge of planning conditions as the build proceeds rather than at the end.

On site we set out accurately, keep records and photographs of everything that gets covered up, and build the insulation and airtightness detailing carefully because that is what gets tested.

At handover you get the certificates, test results, warranties and manuals collected together, which is what a lender, a buyer or a surveyor will ask for.

Pre start and programme

Pricing against drawings rather than assumptions, flagging anything the drawings leave open, and agreeing the programme, planning conditions and utility applications before work begins.

Groundworks

Setting out, excavation, foundations to the engineer’s design, drainage, soakaways and private treatment plants where there is no mains connection.

Superstructure

Masonry and timber frame, floors, steels and lintels built to the approved details and inspected before they are covered, through our structural works.

Roof and envelope

Roof structure and covering, windows and doors, insulation, thermal bridging detail and airtightness, which is tested rather than assumed, with our roofing team.

Services

Heating, hot water, ventilation, plumbing and electrics with full certification, plus utility connections coordinated with the programme.

Fit out and handover

Plastering, joinery, kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and decoration, external works and drives, then building control completion, test results, warranties and a snagging list closed out.

Sorting the long lead items early

On most new builds the building work is not what delays completion. These are the items to start early, and we deal with them as part of the job.

Utility connections. Water, electricity and sometimes gas each have their own application, charge and lead time, often measured in months rather than weeks.
Drainage strategy. Connection to an adopted sewer needs agreement. Where there is none, a treatment plant and its outfall need designing and permitting.
Structural warranty. Lenders generally want a recognised warranty or a professional consultant’s certificate, and the provider has to inspect during construction. It cannot be arranged retrospectively.
Discharging planning conditions. Materials, landscaping, ecology and drainage conditions usually need formal approval, some before work starts.
Party wall and access. Neighbouring foundations and boundary walls, and how plant and materials reach a tight plot.
Long lead materials. Windows, roof coverings and specific bricks can take many weeks, so they get ordered against the programme.

Ring us on 01323 671001 and tell us what stage you are at, and we will tell you what to get moving on first.

Building on infill plots in East Sussex

Most new build work around Eastbourne happens on tight sites: a garden plot, a gap in a street, or a replacement for something that was there before. Those sites are workable, and the constraints are practical ones rather than design ones.

Access is usually the first. Getting a digger, concrete and materials onto a plot behind an existing house shapes the whole programme and sometimes the construction method, and it is worth thinking about before the design is finalised. Neighbouring foundations and boundary walls often bring the Party Wall Act into it as well.

Ground and drainage come next. Parts of the coastal strip have made up ground, and inland towards Hailsham, Heathfield and the levels there is a good deal of clay and some high water tables, all of which affect foundation design. Where there is no sewer to connect to, a private treatment plant and its outfall need designing and consenting early.

Coastal exposure also affects specification. Wind loading, driven rain and salt mean roof fixings, flashings, render systems and external joinery need choosing for the position rather than to a standard schedule. You can see examples of our completed work on our case studies page.

Questions we get asked

Do you work as main contractor on a new build?

Yes. We take on the whole build as main contractor, working to your architect and engineer’s drawings, managing our own trades and any specialist subcontractors, and dealing with building control, inspections, utilities and planning conditions. You have one contract and one person accountable.

Do I need an architect and a structural engineer?

For a new build, yes to both. You need drawings good enough to get permission and to build from, and calculations for the foundations, floors and any steelwork. We can work with your consultants or introduce you to people we have used for years. It is money well spent, because vague drawings are the main cause of new build cost overruns.

How long does building a house take?

A single one off house is typically nine to eighteen months on site, depending on size, method and ground conditions, and that is after planning and technical design. Small delays are normal on a new build; what matters is that the programme is realistic at the start and updated honestly as it goes.

Can I get a mortgage or warranty on a self build?

Usually, though lenders generally want a recognised structural warranty or a professional consultant’s certificate, and they release funds in stages against inspections. Sort the warranty out before work starts rather than afterwards, because most providers need to inspect during construction and cannot certify retrospectively. We build to the inspection regime the provider sets.

What about connecting water, drainage and electricity?

Each utility has its own application, lead time and charge, and they are frequently the longest lead items on the whole job. We apply early and coordinate the connections with the build programme. Where there is no mains drainage, a treatment plant needs designing and permitting, which also takes time to arrange.

Do you build garden rooms and annexes?

Yes. Garden offices, annexes and outbuildings are regular work for us. Some fall under permitted development and some need permission, particularly where they include sleeping accommodation or are to be used as a separate dwelling, and habitable buildings need building regulations approval, insulation and certificated services. We check what applies before pricing.

Can you build to Passivhaus or low energy standards?

We build to whatever the drawings and calculations specify, including high insulation levels, careful thermal bridging detail and demanding airtightness targets with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery. Those standards are won or lost in the detailing and the site discipline rather than the materials, so they need the design resolved before work starts.

How are payments handled on a new build?

Against completed stages, valued as the work proceeds, rather than a large sum up front. Where a lender is releasing funds in stages we work to their inspection points. We set the payment stages out in the quote so everyone knows what triggers each one.

Where we work

We are based on Hyde Gardens in Eastbourne, so the town and the villages around it are home ground for us. We are out working here most days and we know the housing well, including the older seafront terraces, the Victorian and Edwardian houses in Upperton and Meads, and the newer estates and blocks of flats nearer the edge of town.

From Eastbourne we cover the whole of East Sussex. Along the coast that takes in Bexhill, Hastings, Seaford, Newhaven, Brighton, where salt air and driving rain are hard on any building. Inland we work regularly in Polegate, Hailsham, Pevensey, Willingdon, Lewes, Uckfield, Heathfield, Crowborough, Battle and the smaller villages between them, where period cottages and country properties often need a gentler approach and older materials matched carefully.

Being local matters for new build construction. We can get to you quickly to take a look, we know the buildings and the ground conditions, and we are never far away if you need us again. If your village is not on the list there is a good chance we still reach you, so give us a call on 01323 671001 and we will tell you either way.

Backed by recognised standards

We are Gas Safe registered and members of the Federation of Master Builders, NAPIT and the FSB. Those memberships mean our gas, electrical and building work is measured against recognised standards, and that an outside body has looked at how we work rather than us simply saying we are good at it. For a family business our reputation matters more than anything, and we have built it one customer at a time.

New build construction