Lynch Brother Homes carried out a renovation at my home, from start to finish I felt in safe hands. The tradesmen were polite, courteous and helpful. The end product was what we imagined and more! We would not hesitate to recommend Lynch Brother Homes to anyone searching for a trustworthy building company.
01865 420063
New homes built from the ground up in Oxford
New Build House Builders in Oxfordshire
Most of what ranks for new homes in Oxfordshire is either a developer selling a plot on an estate or a portal listing someone else’s stock. This page is for the other kind of new build: a one-off house, designed around you, built on your plot or ours to find together. That is exactly what our two most recent new build projects are — Wayside House and Sun and Abbey House, both in Kennington, both finished and lived in.
Lynch Brother Homes works out of Bradley Farm in Cumnor with more than fifty tradespeople on the books. Henry and John Lynch, the directors, trained as carpenters and split the live sites between them, so the person who priced your house is on it every week. The Lynch building story in Oxfordshire runs from their grandfather’s Oxford sites in the 1950s through the family firm founded in 1984 to today, where new builds sit alongside the extensions, loft conversions and renovations we carry out county-wide.
Two new houses you can go and see
Wayside House in Kennington is a high-end new build we ran as main contractor from first dig to handover: piled foundations, brick and natural stone elevations under a clay-tiled roof, an oak front door and a landscaped courtyard garden. Henry and John filmed a walkthrough of the finished house, and the project page carries the full build gallery from groundworks to handover.
Sun and Abbey House, a few minutes away in the same village, answers a different brief: a brand-new home you would struggle to pick out as new. Coursed natural stone with brick dressings and chimneys, an oak-framed porch, painted timber casements and oak floors inside. Not many independent firms can point at a pair of finished new houses in a single village — our Kennington page leads with them, and so do we.
What building a house in Oxfordshire costs
Realistic budget figures first: new build costs in Oxfordshire typically run from £1,500 to £3,000 per square metre, and a typical project takes six to twelve months on site once planning is in place. Where your project lands in that range depends on a handful of drivers, and we would rather set them out than quote a teaser rate.
| Cost driver | How it moves your £/m² |
|---|---|
| Ground conditions | Poor ground means engineered foundations — Wayside House went up on piles. A soil investigation early on turns this from a surprise into a line item. |
| External materials | Natural stone, handmade brick and clay tiles cost more than render and concrete tile, and in conservation settings the planners may decide this for you. |
| Design complexity | Simple forms build economically. Complex roofs, large structural openings and high glazing ratios push both structure and labour up. |
| Internal finish | Kitchens, bathrooms, joinery and flooring span the widest range of any category — the same shell can finish at very different budgets. |
| Build route | Masonry, timber frame and SIPs each trade speed against cost differently — our construction methods guide compares them in detail. |
Every quotation we give is itemised and written, produced after a site or plot visit rather than from a rate card.
How we take a new build from plot to keys
Oxfordshire has five planning authorities — Oxford City, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, Cherwell and West Oxfordshire — and they do not behave identically. Green Belt policy, conservation areas and village infill rules can all decide what your plot will take before an architect draws a line. Our process is built around getting that right first:
Feasibility and plot appraisal. Before design fees are spent we look at the planning position, access, services and ground, and tell you honestly what the plot can carry. Design and planning. We work alongside your architect, or help you appoint one, and prepare the application with drawings and structural calculations done before submission — planning permission in Oxfordshire is a specialism of its own. Construction. One team, one main contractor, with rendering, screed, plastering and decorating handled inside the Lynch Group by J & H Lynch and Noble Painting & Decorating rather than subcontracted out. Handover. Snagging, building control sign-off and the paperwork your warranty and lender need.
We are TrustMark registered, members of the Federation of Master Builders, and were shortlisted for Property Developer of the Year at the 2025 Oxfordshire Business Awards.
Where we build new homes
From Cumnor we cover the whole county. Recent enquiries and work cluster around Abingdon, Didcot, Kidlington, Woodstock, Bicester, Wantage, Banbury and Henley-on-Thames, and the villages between them — see everywhere we work as builders in Oxfordshire. Village plots often mean Green Belt or conservation-area policy, which is exactly the territory our completed work sits in.
Paying for a new build: VAT, CIL and self-build finance
Three pieces of money knowledge save self-builders real sums, and none of them are secrets — they are just easy to get wrong.
VAT. A builder’s work constructing a qualifying new dwelling is zero-rated, covering both labour and the materials the builder supplies and installs. Materials you buy yourself carry VAT, but HMRC’s DIY housebuilders scheme lets you reclaim it after completion — claims now go in within six months of the building being finished. Getting invoicing right from day one makes that claim straightforward.
The Community Infrastructure Levy. Self-builders who will live in the finished house can claim a full CIL exemption, but the sequencing is unforgiving: the exemption must be applied for and granted, and a commencement notice submitted, before any work starts on site. Start early and the exemption is routine; start digging first and you can lose it.
Self-build finance. Self-build mortgages release money in stages as the build progresses rather than in one advance. We are not financial advisers and do not recommend products, but talk to us early about your lender’s stage schedule and we will map the build programme against it, so valuations and releases land when the project needs them.
New build questions, answered
How much does it cost to build a house in Oxfordshire in 2026?
As a realistic guide from our current pricing, £1,500 to £3,000 per square metre depending on ground conditions, materials, design complexity and finish level. A 150m² house therefore spans roughly £225,000 to £450,000 in build cost, before land and fees. Quotations are itemised, written and follow a plot visit.
How long does a new build house take?
Six to twelve months on site is typical, depending on size and complexity. Design and planning run ahead of that: allow several months for a well-prepared application, longer where Green Belt or conservation-area policy applies.
Do you sell new homes, or build them for clients?
We build for clients. Lynch Brother Homes is a contractor, not an estate developer: if you have a plot, a replacement-dwelling project or a self build, we design, manage and construct it for you. If you are looking to buy a finished home on a development, we are the wrong page — but if you want a house nobody else will have, keep reading.
Is there VAT on a new build house?
Not on the builder’s work: constructing a qualifying new dwelling is zero-rated, including materials we supply and install. VAT on materials you purchase yourself can be reclaimed through HMRC’s DIY housebuilders scheme within six months of completion.
Can I avoid the Community Infrastructure Levy on a self build?
Usually, yes. A full self-build exemption exists for people who will occupy the finished house, but it must be claimed and granted before work commences, with a commencement notice submitted first — miss the sequence and the exemption can be lost. Each Oxfordshire district administers the levy its own way, so we confirm the position for your site before anything starts.
Where can I see a house you have built?
Kennington. Wayside House and Sun and Abbey House are both finished, lived-in new builds in the same village, with full galleries on their project pages and a video walkthrough of Wayside House by the directors. We are happy to put serious enquirers in touch with past clients.
Talk to us about your new build
Tell us about your plot, or the one you are trying to buy, and we will give you an honest read on feasibility, planning and budget before you commit to anything. Call 01865 420063 or send us the details and one of the directors will come back to you.
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