Cost to build The Diddly Squat Farm Shop

We don’t blame you for wanting to know the cost to build your own farm shop. After all, you’re probably thinking if Jeremy Clarkson can do it, then why can’t I?

As long as you own your land and have some money set aside, it could be a great business for you.

If you, like many others, have seen “Clarkson’s Farm” on Amazon Prime, then you will know that it wasn’t plain sailing for Jeremy. Hopefully, you’re not in a part of the UK that sees 8 weeks of non-stop rainfall too, that really does mess with your timings!

Setting aside all the rain and little planning permission issues, let’s take a look at how much it would cost to build your very own Diddly Squat Farm Shop.

Estimated cost to build your farm shop

If we’re basing the cost on Jeremy’s business, then we estimate this build costing between £25,000 – £35,000. This estimated cost is based on a 10m x 4m floor area farm shop. The costs however will vary depending on the size, design and materials you decide to use.

The ballpark cost above covers the construction steps that were shown on Amazon Prime’s “Clarkson’s Farm”.

The steps to building your farm shop

Get your plans approved – the cost of planning permission

Assuming that, like Jeremy, you have your land sorted, your first step will be to sort planning permission. The full planning application fee in England is currently £462. Check out our cost guide on planning permission costs for more information.

Learnings from Clarkson’s Farm:

• Put together a business plan for your new venture – the locals in Chadlington, Chipping Norton, rejected his farm shop build until he had a business plan. It’s tough to take a guy seriously who blew up his own house.
• Check your Land Title – keep an eye out for any restrictive covenant in the Title for your land. Make sure there are no access gates restricted to agricultural use only.

Start building your farm shop

Once planning permission is granted, you can get to the construction of your farm shop.

Here’s the construction process for the Diddly Squat Farm Shop:

• Strip the topsoil
• Set out the site
• Construct the strip foundations
• Build the below-ground blockwork
• Pour oversite concrete
• Build the internal blockwork
• Add the stone cladding exterior stone – giving a nice agricultural/farm style (Cotswold Stone £169 – £180 per bulk bag/ton)
• Screed the floor of your farm shop
• Fix the slate roof (The planning of the Diddly Squat was slate = £25.00 – £35.00 per m2)
• Fix the wooden access doors

Cost to get power and water

If you’re next door to a camping site, then like Jeremy, you could ask your local camping site to borrow theirs. Be prepared to do something in return, like a cheesy TV ad. But you’re not Jeremy Clarkson, so they may ask for some free eggs and potatoes every now and then.

If you’re not so lucky with a friendly neighbour to supply power, then you will need to add service connections costs to your farm shop construction cost.

• Electricity and telephone – at least £10,000
• Water and sewers – £3,000 to £5,000
• Gas – £2,000+

Cost to supply and fit the interior of a farm shop

As a ballpark cost, here’s the average cost to fit out a shop per square foot:

• Low specification shop fitting – £60 per sq ft
• Medium specification shop fitting – £90 per sq ft
• High specification (category B) shop fitting – £140 per sq ft

If you’re scaling back the shop and only require custom shelving to be put up, then you should work with a carpenter. They will likely charge around £475 for MDF material and installation. Other materials will push this price up.

You can also work with a carpenter or joiner to fit a rustic checkout desk too. The cost for this will vary, but it’s good to know that a carpenter or joiner’s day rate is usually around £200.

For more on the cost to fit your shop, check out our shop fitting cost guide.

Cost to make the car park

As you will have learned from Jeremy, you will need access and a cark park for your customers.

For a 100m2 stone and Geotextile membrane car park, you can expect the cost to be around £1,800 – £2,500, depending on the depth of the stone required.

If you need to build a road, check out this cost breakdown to build a road and provide access to customers.