Brochure (print edition) | Brock Hatherton

01 · The self-build case

Times have changed…

Buying a home is not the investment it once was. Here’s why:

Stamp Duty

puts you in negative equity day 1.

House Prices

aren’t rising as they once did.

Buyers Compromise

wrong layout, old heating, high bills.

Renovating a House

is costly, inflating every year.

It’s time for a different route. It’s time to build your own.

+10% equity

Our target on every project: a finished home worth 10% or more over land & build costs, measured by independent valuation at completion.

Up to 39% lower energy bills

New builds cost up to 39% less to heat and power than older homes (Home Builders Federation, from EPC data).

10-year warranty

Brand new, with no immediate maintenance to budget for.

To your spec

Spaces designed around you, future-proofing your family’s needs.

Brock · HathertonThe self-build case01

02 · Case study

A family new-build,
Henley-on-Thames.

A family new-build in Henley-on-Thames — A Family New-Build · Henley-on-Thames

Project at a glance

Plot: 0.36 acres
Home: 3,468 sq ft
Planning: 4 months
Build: 12 months
Warranty: 10 years

Windows

Traditional timber windows obtained at trade prices with a 10-year product warranty – a significant discount passed on directly to the client without a markup, as is the case with all supplies and services from our trade partners.

Brickwork

The decision to paint the external brickwork – debated at length – proved a fine one, softening the built form to settle the house comfortably into its village setting.

Foundations

Following a ground investigation, an engineered raft foundation was required, adding slightly to the relative cost but ensuring a 10-year warranty could be secured on the development.

Brock · HathertonCase study02

03 · Sample transaction

Sample transaction.

Self-build versus buying the same 2,000 ft² home on the open market.

Buy Existing

Open Market

Self Build

Our Route

Step 01 · Purchase£1,250,000

Market value for a 2,000 ft² home, from local Sold Price* data.

Step 01 · Target Value£1,250,000

Market value for a 2,000 ft² home, from local Sold Price* data.

Step 02 · Legal Fees£2,850

Charged separately for the transaction.

Step 02 · Land Purchase£400,000

Land acquired at the agreed price.

Step 03 · Stamp Duty£68,750

Charged on the full purchase price.

Step 03 · Stamp Duty£10,000

Charged on the land only.

Step 04 · Improvements

Updating an older home can add substantial renovation costs that are disruptive and difficult to schedule.

Step 04 · Build£705,000

All costs, incl. architects, planning, consultancy, legal, build costs, landscaping and monthly self-build mortgage payments.

Total Price£1,321,600

Total Price£1,115,000

Negative Equity −5.7%−£71,600

Positive Equity +10.8%+£135,000

Financial benefit of choosing to self-build

+16.5%£206,600

* Market value based on local sold prices in the last 12–18 months, per propertydata.co.uk. Illustrative only – figures assume a 2,000 ft² home, a £625/ft² finished-housing valuation. Stamp duty shown at residential rates current at the date of publication.

Brock · HathertonSample transaction03

04 · The process

How it works, end to end.

Six steps, from plot to positive equity.

Access the land

A curated bank of plots – some with planning already secured, some without – where Brock Hatherton obtains the permission at our own cost and risk.

↓

Plan the budget

We walk through the full budget to buy your preferred site and complete the build, including the choices that move the project costs up or down.

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Purchase with confidence

We guide you through the land purchase, with our specialist self-build mortgage partners on hand where finance is required. Specialist lenders now advance up to 95% of land costs and up to 95% of build costs – making self-build a viable option to anyone with income and savings, not just the cash-rich.

↓

Design it your way

Once the land is yours, you decide – refining the internal spaces, choosing the finishes and dictating the technical specification in accordance with our advice and the pre-agreed budget.

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Build, managed for you

We manage the entire build process so you don’t have to, delivering to the agreed schedule.

↓

Positive equity, from day one

Our structured target is a finished home worth 10% or more than you pay in land and build costs combined.

Brock · HathertonThe process04

05 · Peace of mind

Self-building, de-risked.

Self-building is not the risk Grand Designs makes it out to be, if structured and approached professionally. Here’s how we take away uncertainty.

What if I can’t get planning?

We secure planning permission at our own cost and risk before you commit to buying the land – so you never buy a plot you can’t build on.

What if it costs more than planned?

Budgets are set with a developer’s cost-discipline and agreed before we start. You choose finishes against a known number, and we track every figure – including VAT owed back to you.

What if the build drags on?

We manage the entire programme to an agreed schedule, with the same trades and oversight we use on our own developments.

What if the finance won’t stack up?

We introduce you to specialist self-build lenders, and in certain cases cover your interest-only payments through construction.

What if something’s wrong at the end?

Every completed home carries a 10-year structural warranty – brand new, with nothing to fix on day one.

Brock · HathertonPeace of mind05

06 · Why work with us?

Pioneering a different way to develop land, with a structure that benefits you.

With a combined three decades’ experience in property development, we bring a developer’s project-discipline and budget control to every scheme. But the real advantage lies in our structure.

A modern joint venture

Think of it as a modern joint venture: we partner to build your home, we skip the cost of selling and financing it – and in return you keep the developer’s margin as equity.

100%

of the cost of obtaining planning permission – covered by us.

markup on consultants, tradesmen & suppliers – you get the same prices developers obtain.

Up to 100%

of your self-build’s mortgage interest (related to the construction) covered by us, for free.

15 & counting

unique plots in the areas of Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Meet the founder

Sebastian Brock

Sebastian trained and qualified as a Solicitor out of Magic Circle law firm Allen & Overy LLP in London. He subsequently set up a property development business in 2013, focusing on new-build developments around Henley-on-Thames. Alongside the operation of the main business, Sebastian has built two homes for himself since that time, and with nearly 14 years of relationship-building in this space, he is well placed to guide you on your self-build journey.

Brock · HathertonWhy work with us06

07 · Our self-builds

Some of our self-builds.

Infill Cottage, Berkshire — Featured · Infill Cottage · Berkshire

Slate roof

In a conservation area, natural slate was required by planning condition. Given the cost of Spanish and Welsh slate, Chinese slate tiles were sourced at nearly a third of the standard alternative.

Project at a glance

Plot: 0.05 acres
Home: 860 sq ft
Planning: 10 weeks
Build: 9 months
Warranty: 10 years

Header banding

The blue header banding course was deliberately designed into the primary elevation, to help the house blend with the historical appearance of its neighbours.

Permeable paving

To meet building-regulation requirements for sustainable drainage, permeable block pavers were sourced through our trade partners – water dissipates into the ground rather than running off into the street.

Riverside House · Berkshire

Country Estate · Oxfordshire

Farmhouse · Oxfordshire

Brock · HathertonOur self-builds07

A quick gut-check

Is self-build right for you?

✓You’re struggling to find the right house.

✓Your budget doesn’t always stretch to meet local market prices.

✓You’re planning to stay for 10+ years.

✓You’d rather create your dream home than renovate someone else’s.

✓You value long-term quality over short-term convenience.

Book a free feasibility appraisal.

If you nodded to three or more, let’s have a conversation – an honest, no-obligation look at your objectives, budget, and the advantages we bring to the table.

Book your appraisal

From day one, Seb brought not only an incredible depth of knowledge and experience, but also reassurance, patience, and a calm head when things felt overwhelming.
Chris & Mel · Berkshire

Invaluable service that made our build much less stressful. Seb guided us at every stage and really helped us make the right decisions.
Pam · Berkshire

Brock · HathertonIs self-build right for you?08

Brock · Hatherton

Self-Build · Land · Legal

The case for building your own.

brockhatherton.com · seb@brockhatherton.com · 07703 035 139

Brock Hatherton Limited is an independent consultancy providing advisory services on unreserved land and self-build matters. All strategic legal advice is delivered exclusively by our Founder, Sebastian Brock, a fully qualified practising solicitor bound by the SRA Code of Conduct. As Brock Hatherton Limited is not a firm of solicitors, it is not authorised or regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Where reserved legal services are required, clients are referred to SRA-regulated firms with whom we work closely.

© 2026 Brock Hatherton Limited · Registered in England and Wales, Company Number 17228179 · Registered Office: 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ