Orientation

From choosing a plot to handing over the keys

Building your own home starts with good preparation. This page brings together everything you need to get oriented: the step-by-step plan for reserving a plot, a comprehensive self-build guide, a glossary of the key terms, an overview of additional costs and a progress list to track your own journey.

The step-by-step plan, the guide and the glossary are free. The overview of additional costs and your personal progress are part of Kavelradar Pro.

Plot passport, soil & grid capacity

Build envelope, heights, soil survey and grid congestion

Build envelope versus plot surface: You may never build across the whole plot. The boundary defines your property line, but the build envelope dictates where the foundation must go. The remaining area is garden and mandatory boundary clearance (typically 2 to 3 metres).
Gutter and ridge height in practice: A low gutter height (e.g. 3.50m) forces the roof structure to start directly on the first floor. A gutter height of 6.00m or higher allows a full second storey or a cubist villa.
Soil & foundation risk: Ask straight away for the municipal preliminary soil survey; for a plot that is already building-ready, the municipality has often already done this. Whether you still need your own additional cone penetration test differs per municipality and per plot, so check this with the municipality or your contractor. Soft peat or clay layers require piles up to 18 metres deep, which can add € 15,000 to € 30,000 to your foundation costs.
Grid congestion & utility connections: Due to national grid congestion, grid operators (Liander, Enexis, Stedin) do not guarantee a timely power connection everywhere. Municipalities nowadays often have you sign an additional agreement for this, or already state in the purchase agreement that they are not responsible for delays to the connection. Ask the municipality whether the utility infrastructure is ready for building and apply for a construction connection via mijnaansluiting.nl right after reservation.

Practical check: benchmark elevation Do not start designing before the official street level (NAP) is fixed. A house that must be built 20 cm above ground level requires heavy sand fill and retaining walls at your own cost.

The three building routes compared

Catalogue/prefab, shell + fit-out or fully custom?

Criterion	1. Catalogue / prefab	2. Shell + fit-out	3. Custom architect
Design freedom	Fixed factory shells and grids	Free layout inside a standard shell	100% unique, fitted to sun & plot
Cost control	Fixed base price; expensive extras for changes	Competitive shell purchase; subcontractor risk	More preparation, but open tendering of the contractor
Lead time	Short: 6 to 9 months	Medium: 9 to 14 months	Longer: 12 to 18 months
Design review	Risk of rejection under a strict design quality plan	Facade finish can be chosen to measure	Designed in line with the plot passport from the first sketch

Rule of thumb for your choice: Only choose catalogue building if a standard model fits 90% straight away. Do you need to move load-bearing walls, add extensions or change dormers? Then an architect is often just as expensive in the end, and you avoid rejection by the design review committee.

Financing, land bridging & escrow

Why a self-build mortgage works fundamentally differently

The mortgage catch: no money without a permit: Lenders only settle a self-build mortgage once the environmental permit is irrevocable and a signed contractor agreement is in place. You have to pre-finance the design phase, permit fees and soil tests (if applicable) with your own funds.
Land bridging for a municipal deadline: Does the municipality require you to take over the land within 6 months while your permit is still pending? Then you need a plot bridging loan or temporary land loan. Always arrange this before reserving with a mortgage adviser who specialises in self-build.
The construction fund & interest loss during the build: The building cost is paid into a construction fund. Contractor invoices are paid in instalments after progress is inspected. Allow for interest loss: you receive interest on the part not yet drawn, but as the build progresses your net monthly costs rise.

Contracts, guarantees & Wkb

Insolvency protection, provisional sums and the Building Quality Assurance Act

Woningborg or BouwGarant completion guarantee: A recognised insolvency guarantee (completion guarantee) is not a legal requirement, but is worth considering. If the contractor goes bankrupt during the build, the guarantee fund ensures your home is completed by another party at no extra cost. With large, established contractors the bankruptcy risk is lower, and not every mortgage lender requires this guarantee. Extra security does cost extra money, so it is ultimately a trade-off you make yourself.
The quality assurer (Wkb: approx. € 2,000 to € 4,500): Since 1 January 2024 (Wkb), the municipality no longer checks the structural quality of homes itself. Instead, an authorised quality assurer must check the construction, and without their final statement the home may not be occupied. If you build through a contractor, they usually arrange the quality assurer for you and the cost is part of the contract price; check this in your contract. If you build yourself and hire parties separately, you must arrange the quality assurer yourself, before construction starts. For projects whose permit was applied for before 2024, the old system still applied.
The provisional sum trap: Contractor quotes often look cheap because they include low provisional sums for sanitary ware, electrics, tiling and heat pumps. Always ask for a detailed technical specification before you sign to avoid unexpected extra work.

5% retention arrangement at the notary: For new-build homes you may legally keep the last 5% of the contract sum in escrow at the notary until all completion defects have actually been fixed within 3 months after handover, unless you agree otherwise with the contractor or the contractor offers equivalent security, such as a bank guarantee. It also does not apply to every construction contract, so check this in advance.

Phasing your 12 months of option time

What do you do when, so you do not miss deadlines?

Months 1 to 3: feasibility & sketch Option phase 1

Have soil tests carried out, draw up the brief, hold pre-consultation with the design review committee and have a mortgage check done. Cancelling with the municipality at this stage is often still free of charge, but you may already have incurred costs such as an architect if you engaged one.

Months 4 to 6: permit & contractor Definitive option

Option fee (usually 1% to 2.5%) paid to the municipality. Final design ready, environmental permit applied for with the municipality and quality assurer (Wkb) contracted.

Months 7 to 12: notary & construction start Realisation

Permit irrevocable. Mortgage deed and purchase agreement pass at the notary (land transfer). The contractor starts groundwork and piling.

This information is a general guide and not legal or financial advice. Procedures, deadlines and amounts differ per municipality and change regularly. Always check the current conditions of the municipality concerned and get advice from a notary, mortgage adviser or architect where needed.

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