there are a wide range of options
any of our building types can be customised
More and more people want to design their own home. And there’s a simple, structured way to make that possible. Custom Build gives individuals the opportunity to shape the layout, features and finishes of their future home, while offering developers, councils and housing providers a practical route to deliver more diverse, better-designed housing. With our flexible system and experienced team, we can support you at every stage, from site strategy and plot layout to working directly with future residents to create homes that are tailored, efficient, and built to last.
Custom Build is a route to owning a bespoke home, delivered through a range of housing models facilitated or supported by a landowner, developer, contractor, or enabler, with much of the work already taken care of.
The homeowner-occupier purchases a serviced plot of land with planning permission already granted. The design and specification parameters for the home are set out in a Design Code, which forms part of the planning application.
A Custom Build development is often a multi-plot site, but it can also be a single plot. Where there are multiple plots being sold by the developer, each will have its own Plot Passport, identifying the limitations specific to that plot. Serviced plots must have access to a public highway and be connected to electricity, water, and wastewater services.
While the technical definition assumes the homeowner takes responsibility for constructing their own home, at Wudl we guide our clients (the homeowners) through the entire customisation and build process.
You’ll find additional resources at the bottom of this page, and we also recommend this helpful guide from Build It magazine: What is Custom Build?
Custom Build for developers & social housing providers
Custom Build is more than just a niche – it’s a proven tool to diversify housing delivery and meet planning requirements.
Local authorities have a legal duty to maintain a Right to Build register and to make land available for Self and Custom Build housing. Some, like South Gloucestershire Council, now include Custom Build in Local Plan policies for developments of 10+ homes.
While traditionally aimed at owner-occupiers, Custom Build can also be adapted for affordable rent or supported housing, enabling landlords to commission homes tailored to specific needs, whether for individuals or groups. These aren’t technically Custom Build (as the occupier isn’t the owner), but they still offer the same benefits of bespoke design, better fit, and long-term satisfaction.
Even allocating just a small proportion of Custom Build plots within a larger development can unlock major value—from planning advantages to financial flexibility.
Paragraph 73(e) of the National Planning Policy Framework encourages the subdivision of larger sites, to help accelerate delivery and enable SME participation.
There are also specialist mortgage products available for Custom Build, including advance-stage payment options that cover the land and build costs, reducing the need for bridging finance. These complement Wudl’s type-approved, mortgageable building system.
There are three typical routes for delivering Custom Build homes, depending on scale and ambition:
Single Plot – where an individual home is delivered for a homeowner on a single serviced plot
- Wudl provides the building shell, and an assembly contractor completes the structure on site.Multi-Plot Site – for Custom Build, community-led, or co-housing schemes
- Wudl supports the developer or landowner in selling serviced plots, and coordinates with local assembly contractors.Larger Housing Project – where Custom Build forms part of a wider scheme alongside speculative or affordable homes
- Wudl can provide design, delivery, and turnkey solutions in partnership with the main contractor or developer.
resources…
Self-build and custom build housing (England)
Following the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 a briefing paper was published providing impartial research on the size of the market, demand, barriers and Government policy initiatives.
A copy can be found here: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06784/SN06784.pdf
Independent Parliamentary review
‘The Bacon Review’ was commissioned in 2021 to determine whether self-build and custom housebuilding is in fact playing a crucial role in providing more homes since the 2015 Act - this excellent report by Richard Bacon largely looks at his recommendations for increasing this supply of housing.
PDF copy: https://tinyurl.com/dv2bd468
NaCSBA & The Right to Build
The National Custom & Self Build Association’s mission is to make custom and self build a mainstream choice for all those seeking a home of their own. There is a huge amount of useful information, resources and case studies on their websites:
https://nacsba.org.uk / https://righttobuild.org.uk
(note: free registration is required to access some of the key information)
NPPF (December 2024)
The new policy supports ‘mixed tenure sites’ that include ‘plots sold for custom or self-build’ (Section 5, Paragraph 71) and Paragraph 73 states ‘small and medium sized sites can make an important contribution to meeting the housing requirement of an area.’
A copy can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/4xkc5598
A Right To Build
There are a number of excellent reports calling for more self and custom build homes in the UK - led by Alastair Parvin, this one investigates how individuals and communities can collectively form a bottom-up, sustainable and affordable mass-housebuilding industry.
A copy of this report can be found here: https://www.architecture00.net/00projects/a-right-to-build