New-build family home
Northiam Road
Woodside Park, North Finchley N12
New-build homes in North London
New Build Homes
Bespoke houses and knock-down-and-rebuild projects, designed and built from the ground up by one team.
A new-build home is a house designed and constructed from the ground up — on a vacant plot, on a garden plot beside an existing house, or by demolishing a tired house and replacing it with one that suits the site and the family better. Compared with extending, it offers a plan without compromises, a fabric built to current Building Regulations from the start, and, where the site allows, more value than any renovation can reach.
Milkov & Son designs and builds houses in North London and Hertfordshire. Northiam Road in Woodside Park — a four-bedroom detached house with a full-width glazed opening to the garden — was taken from feasibility to handover by our team.
Who this suits
- Owners of large plots in Totteridge, Mill Hill, Radlett, Bushey, Stanmore and Hadley Wood where a 1930s house is worth less than the site
- Garden plots and infill sites in Finchley, Hendon and Barnet
- Families who want a house planned around them rather than adapted from someone else's
- Self-builders who want one contractor to take design, approvals and construction rather than managing packages
Replacement dwelling or new plot?
Knock-down and rebuild is the commonest new-build route in Barnet's outer suburbs: a dated house on a generous plot is demolished and replaced with a larger, better-planned one. Planning policy generally supports replacement dwellings of similar scale and footprint, with attention to neighbours' amenity, the street scene and trees; the value is created by building the house the plot deserves. New build on a garden or infill plot is judged more strictly on character, spacing and parking. Either way, the site is the design brief: orientation, levels, trees (which may have preservation orders), ground conditions and the neighbouring roofline decide most of the big moves before a pen touches paper.
Planning, CIL and pre-application advice
New houses always need full planning permission (fee for one new dwelling in England: £578 from April 2025), with drawings, a design and access statement where required, and often tree, ecology, flood or daylight reports. Barnet and Harrow offer pre-application advice, which we use on sensitive sites to test the scheme before submission. The Community Infrastructure Levy (Barnet CIL plus the Mayor of London's CIL) is charged per square metre of new floor space; self-build exemption is available where the owner will live in the house and follows the correct procedure before starting, and we build that into the programme because the exemption is lost if the forms are not in place first.
Building Regulations for new dwellings
New houses are built to the full 2021 editions of the Approved Documents, in force since June 2022: Part L (fabric and energy, with an SAP calculation), Part O (overheating, which limits glazing on south and west elevations unless shading or ventilation is designed in), Part F (ventilation), Part S (electric vehicle charging), plus structure, fire, access and acoustics. A new build also typically carries a 10-year structural warranty from a provider such as LABC Warranty, Build-Zone or Protek, which lenders require on sale; we arrange the warranty inspections alongside building control.
What we do on a new-build project
- Feasibility and site appraisal: planning history, constraints, indicative cost per m², value view
- Concept and planning design, pre-application advice, the planning application and its reports
- Technical design: Building Regulations drawings, structural engineering, SAP and overheating assessments, drainage and services design, warranty registration
- Demolition and site set-up, foundations (often piled or deep trench-fill in clay near trees), superstructure, roof, windows, first and second fix, kitchens, bathrooms, joinery, decoration
- External works: driveway, terraces, landscaping, boundaries
- Completion: building control certificate, warranty certificate, EPC, electrical and gas certificates, O&M manual
Cost guide · figures current as of September 2026
What new build homes cost in North London
| Item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Construction cost per m² — good-quality family house, outer North London / Hertfordshire | £2,400 – £3,300 / m² | |
| Construction cost per m² — high specification | £3,300 – £4,500+ / m² | |
| Typical 4-bed detached, 180 m², good quality | £450,000 – £600,000 construction | |
| Demolition of an existing house | £15,000 – £35,000 | |
| Design, engineering, surveys, planning, warranty | 8 – 12% of construction cost | |
| CIL (Barnet + Mayoral), unless self-build exempt | Set per m² by the councils; often £100 – £250+ / m² in Barnet | |
| VAT | 0% on most new-dwelling construction | Professional fees are standard-rated |
North London market ranges for 2026, excluding land, professional fees and CIL unless stated. New-build construction of a qualifying dwelling is normally zero-rated for VAT, which is a significant advantage over extending. A whole-project budget including fees, demolition, external works and contingency is typically 25–35% above the construction figure.
What could your new build homes project cost?
Use our project calculatorSources: Rise Design Studio — The real cost of building a new home in London in 2026; Self-Build.co.uk — How much does it cost to build a house in 2026?; Planning Portal — Application fees, England. Market guides only — not a Milkov & Son quotation.
How long it takes
- 01Feasibility and concept design6–10 weeks
- 02Pre-application advice and planning application4–6 months
- 03Technical design, engineering, tendering specialist packages8–12 weeks
- 04Demolition and construction9–14 months
Stages overlap where they can. We agree a programme in writing before work starts — see how a project runs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a house in North London?
As a 2026 market guide, £2,400 to £3,300 per square metre of construction for a good-quality family house in outer North London and Hertfordshire, and £3,300 to £4,500 or more for high specification, excluding land, fees and CIL. A 180 m² four-bedroom house is typically £450,000 to £600,000 to construct.
Is VAT charged on a new-build house?
Construction of a qualifying new dwelling is zero-rated for VAT, so the builder's charges for the build itself carry no VAT. Professional fees, and some works to existing buildings retained on the site, are standard-rated.
How long does a new-build house take?
Around 18 to 24 months from first meeting to moving in: six to ten weeks of feasibility, four to six months for planning, two to three months of technical design, then nine to fourteen months on site.
Can I knock down my house and rebuild it?
Usually, subject to planning permission for a replacement dwelling. Councils generally accept a replacement of similar or somewhat larger scale that respects neighbours and the street. Listed buildings and some conservation-area houses are the exception.
Do you provide a structural warranty?
New houses are built with a 10-year structural warranty from an approved provider, which lenders require when the house is sold. We register the build and arrange the warranty inspections alongside building control.
Completed work
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New Build Homes across North London
Based in Hendon, we work across North London and the Hertfordshire border. Each area page covers the local housing stock, planning context and the kind of work we do there.
All areasRelated services
Design & Build
Feasibility, design, approvals and construction under one contract, with one person accountable for the result.
Architectural Design & Planning
Feasibility, concept design, planning applications and Building Regulations drawings, priced with construction in mind.
Interior Design & Finishing
Kitchens, bathrooms, joinery, lighting and finishes designed with the architecture and delivered by the same team.
House Renovations & Refurbishment
Whole-house refurbishments and reconfigurations of 1930s, Edwardian and Victorian homes, managed as one project.
Discuss your project
Discuss a new build homes project
Send a few details about the property, what you want to achieve and your approximate budget. Stoyan reads every enquiry and replies within one working day.
What happens next: a short call, a site visit if it is a good fit, then a written proposal. No charge, no obligation.