Question Author
I accept much of what you say but most of what you mention
is covered by the the amount of inflation which has been under 4% for the past year not the 20% which they tried to charge me. The cost of land in this area has in fact fallen but even if it hadn't the land would not have to be replaced even if the house was razed to the ground, therefore the value of the land ( which is a high proportion of the value of the property as a whole ) should not be a factor when considering a rebuild or have I missed something ? I would also query the cost of replacing the contents, the retail price index shows that with the exception of food, which has gone up, most household articles have stabilised or have fallen in price. What hasn't dropped of course is the cost of labour. Thank you all for your comments. I think you are right the important thing is always to shop around.