New Build Construction · Manchester & Greater Manchester
Ground-Up New Builds
Run By One Site Team —
Foundations To Keys.
Self-builds, infill plots, replacement dwellings and small-site housing across Greater Manchester — full main-contractor delivery with one programme, one budget and one number to ring.
FMB Member · Fully Insured (£2m PL & EL) · Fixed Written Quotes
Service Overview
New Build Construction —
The Brief, In Plain English.
What It Is
Full new build construction — site clearance, foundations, drainage, superstructure (timber frame, traditional masonry or SIPs), roof, weathering, first fix, second fix, M&E coordination, finishes and external works. One contractor, one programme, one accountability line to Building Control and Warranty providers.
Who It's For
Self-builders with a plot and planning permission; landowners delivering an infill or replacement dwelling; small developers building 1–6 unit sites; clients who've had architects and consultants quote and now need a competent builder to actually run the job.
When You Need It
Once planning is granted and Building Control plans are stamped. We can start at any package — design coordination, demolition, foundations, or take over a stalled site mid-build. The earlier we're involved, the more buildable the drawings end up being.
Why It Matters
New builds fail on coordination, not bricklaying. The plumber arrives before the slab is right, the kitchen arrives before the floor is laid, the warranty provider rejects a detail no one checked. A contractor running it as a real programme — with the trades sequenced, materials called off and inspections booked — is the difference between 9 months and 18.
What Happens If You Wait
The Cost Of
Doing Nothing.
New builds run over time and over budget by default. Most of the cost overrun isn't in the bricks — it's in stationary scaffold, idle subcontractors, late material deliveries and re-work after a failed inspection.
Risks Of Ignoring It
- →Programme slippage of 3–6 months — every month of running costs adds £4–8k of finance, rent and storage on a self-build.
- →Failed Building Control inspections requiring sections to be opened back up — slab insulation, fire stopping and cavity barriers are the usual culprits.
- →Warranty (NHBC, LABC, Premier, etc.) refused because key stages weren't witnessed by the inspector — affects mortgage-ability and resale.
- →Subcontractor disputes mid-build — different trades blaming each other while you carry the cost of standing time.
- →Final account creep — 'extras' on every variation because the original scope wasn't priced tightly.
Common Mistakes Customers Make
- ×Self-managing while holding down a day job — works for some, costs most clients more than a main contractor's fee would have.
- ×Choosing the lowest tender without checking programme realism, retentions, payment schedule and references.
- ×Letting the architect appoint the contractor without competitive tender on a like-for-like spec.
- ×Cutting structural insulation, breather membrane brand or fire-stopping spec to save money — re-work always costs more than the saving.
Our Process
First Call To
Final Sign-Off.
01
Pre-Construction Review
Drawings, specifications, planning conditions, structural calcs and warranty requirements reviewed line-by-line. Buildability flagged before tender.
02
Fixed Tender & Programme
Itemised tender against the spec, week-by-week Gantt programme, payment schedule and provisional sums clearly listed. Signed contract before works begin.
03
Site Setup & Substructure
Welfare, secure hoarding, CDM file. Site strip, foundations (strip, raft or pile), drainage, slab insulation and DPC — all witnessed and signed off.
04
Superstructure & Weathering
Frame or masonry up, roof on, windows in, watertight. From this point internal trades work in dry, secure conditions and the programme accelerates.
05
Fit-Out, Snag & Handover
First and second fix, finishes, external works. Pre-handover snag, Building Control completion, warranty registration, O&M pack and keys.
Credentials
What Stands
Behind The Work.
Fully Insured
£2m public liability and £2m employers' liability cover.
FMB Members
Federation of Master Builders — verified profile.
Structural Work In-House
Carried out by Ultra Build's own team — not subcontracted out.
Garden & External Works
Handled in-house alongside the main build.
NAPIT-Registered Electricians
Electrical work carried out by our NAPIT-registered specialist subcontractors, with certification on completion.
Gas Safe-Registered Engineers
Gas work carried out by our Gas Safe-registered specialist subcontractors, with certification on completion.
The Team
Around 7 full-time staff, and 20+ including long-standing subcontractors we've worked with for 5+ years.
Why It's Worth It
What You
Actually Get.
One Programme, One Accountability
One contractor signs the contract. No trade-on-trade blame, no client managing 14 separate quotes — one Gantt, one site manager, one final account.
Buildable Drawings From Day One
We review architect and engineer drawings for buildability before tender — catches the clashes that would otherwise stop work mid-frame.
Warranty-Ready Detailing
Every concealed-zone detail (slab, cavity, fire stop, junction) photographed and logged so the warranty inspector signs off first time.
Tight Final Account
Provisional sums and variations priced against the original tender rates — no opportunistic mark-ups when something changes.
Manchester Supply Chain
Local brick merchants, steel fabricators and plant hire on call — short lead times, faster substitution when a material runs out.
Post-Handover Defects Window
12-month defects period as standard — anything that moves, cracks or fails in the first year, we come back and fix it.
Workmanship Guarantee
Written Into
The Contract.
Every Ultra Build Northwest contract carries a workmanship guarantee in writing. It covers defects with the structural build and plumbing issues such as faulty fittings — not just a verbal promise.
10
Years
On Roofs
2
Years
On Extensions
Up To
5
Years
On Internal Renovation Defects
In Detail
New Build Construction —
Every Variation Covered.
Materials, methods and the situations each variation applies to — so you know what you're buying before you buy it.
Working across
Manchester · Cheshire · Oldham · Salford · Stockport · Alderley Edge · Altrincham & Hale
Full Service Area MapSingle Plot Self-Builds
Most of our new build work is one-off houses on inherited or purchased plots — replacement dwellings, garden infill and farm conversions. Typical programme 9–14 months from breaking ground to handover, depending on size and complexity. We work with the client's architect or recommend ours.
Small-Site Housing & Plot Splits
2–6 unit sites where the client is acting as developer. Phased construction so units can be sold or rented as completed, plot-split drainage and shared infrastructure handled, S38/S104 adoption coordinated where relevant.
Frame Choice — Masonry, Timber, SIPs
Traditional brick-and-block cavity walls remain the default for one-off houses in Greater Manchester — robust, breathable, easy to detail. Timber frame and SIPs accelerate weathering and improve U-values where the design warrants it. We build whichever the structural design specifies, and price each fairly.
Foundations, Drainage & Groundworks
Strip footings, raft slabs, mini-piles into soft ground, ground beams on poor ground — designed to the engineer's spec and witnessed by Building Control. Foul and surface water drainage, soakaways, attenuation crates where SUDS apply.
M&E, Renewables & Building Regs
Heat pumps, MVHR, EV chargers, PV, smart wiring — coordinated into the build so first fix isn't a guess. Part L and Part F compliance baked into the spec, not retrofitted at sign-off.
Residential vs Commercial
We focus on residential new builds and small mixed-use schemes (e.g. shop with flats above). For pure commercial new build, see our commercial building works page — same team, scoped to commercial programmes and tenant fit-out.
Questions
Straight
Answers.
Cost, timeline, guarantees, lifespan, emergency availability — the questions everyone asks, answered before you call.
Ask YoursHow much does a new build cost per square metre in Manchester?
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Typical mid-spec new builds in Greater Manchester run £2,200–£2,800 per m² in build costs (excluding land, fees, VAT and external works). High-end specs with renewables and bespoke finishes push £3,000–£3,500 per m². We issue itemised fixed-price tenders so you see exactly where the money goes.
How long does a new build take from start to finish?
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A standard 3–4 bed detached takes 9–12 months on site; larger or more complex builds 12–18 months. We programme week-by-week from groundworks through to handover and report progress to the client weekly.
Do I need an architect before I contact you?
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Not necessarily. We can come in early to advise on buildability and refer you to architects we've worked with successfully. If you already have planning permission and Building Control drawings, we'll quote from those.
What warranties can you build to?
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We build to NHBC, LABC Warranty, Premier Guarantee and Build-Zone standards — the four most lender-accepted structural warranties. The choice is normally driven by what the mortgage lender requires.
Do you handle Building Control inspections?
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Yes — we book and attend every stage inspection (foundations, DPC, slab, drainage, frame, insulation, completion) with the appointed inspector and photograph each concealed zone for the warranty file.
What's included in a fixed-price tender?
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Everything in the drawn and specified scope, called off against measured quantities. Provisional sums (kitchen, sanitaryware, tiles, lighting) are listed separately and reconciled against actual cost at the end. Variations are priced against the tender rates, in writing, before they happen.
Can you take over a stalled or part-built site?
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Yes. We survey what's been done, identify the gap between as-built and drawings, quote the work to complete on a remeasure or fixed-price basis depending on how much is still unknown, and pick up the warranty inspections from the relevant stage.
Do you offer a defects guarantee after handover?
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Yes — 12-month defects liability period as standard. Anything from a stiff door to a settlement crack, we return and rectify. The structural warranty (typically 10 years) runs separately through the warranty provider.
Are you registered for VAT zero-rating on new builds?
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New build dwellings qualify for VAT zero-rating on most labour and materials under HMRC rules — we invoice accordingly. Your accountant will confirm the precise treatment for your project.
Next Step
Build It Once. Build It On Programme.
Free site survey across Greater Manchester, fixed written quote — no obligation. FMB member, fully insured with £2m public liability and £2m employers' liability, Manchester-based.
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