Investment to scale

Custom Build Homes announces new investment to scale up delivery of self-commissioned homes

Custom Build Homes is delighted to announce that it has completed a seven-figure series A investment round led by Edinburgh-based Family Office, Greyfriars Capital and Steenvlinder, a specialist real estate developer based in The Netherlands but operational in the U.K.

The round was supported by three additional investors whose participation saw BuildStore Ltd divest itself from its majority shareholding, but retain a meaningful interest in the company. The operation will continue to be led by Founder & CEO, Tom Connor and his Management Team which includes the former Director of the UK Government’s “Right to Build Taskforce”, Mario Wolf, as Director of Planning and Strategic Engagement, and former Chairman at Places for People Plc, Chris Phillips, as Non-Exec Chairman.

Custom Build Homes is the UK’s leading Enabler of custom and self-build housing, providing the services required by landowners, developers, local authorities and housebuilders to successfully deliver custom and self-build projects, many of which are, and will increasingly be, legal duties imposed via S106 obligations to provide allocations of serviced plots on larger new build housing sites.

The investment will be used to resource the company to take advantage of the significant levels of current business and identified opportunities. It will also enable the company to fund its strategic engagement activities which aim to support larger developers and housebuilders to deliver on their obligations to provide custom and self-build housing in the most efficient, viable and sustainable way.

Consumer demand data is central to the company’s approach to placemaking and design. Tom Connor and his team built the UK’s national consumer demand database, “The Right to Build Register” while the company was incubated within BuildStore Ltd. This deal sees Custom Build Homes take ownership of the technology, on which several local planning authorities track demand for custom and self-build plots.

Custom Build Homes aim to scale its operation to begin enabling over 5,000 custom homes per annum by 2030, bringing greater design choice to homebuyers and helping to diversify new build supply through scaled-up, self-commissioned homes and modern methods of construction.

“Securing new funding has immediately ignited our growth potential. We had pent-up business opportunities during the period of raising investment therefore we’ve been quick off the mark to deliver against plan with some fantastic new projects.”

Tom Connor, CEO