# self build an a budget



## nmonaghan

We have just got pp to build a 2455 sq ft dormer style house. The bank will only give us a mortgage of 230,000, we have savings of 40,000. ( i have already accounted for the cost of legal, architect and council fees). our site costs 80,000. Can anyone give adivce if it will be possible to make the house liveable on 190,000. i would appreciete any advice you can give me.


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## Abbica

Hi, all I can say is I am just about to complete a new build dormer style 3,100sq ft house, timberframe, and we were way over the budget you have by 160,000ish.Saying that, we got a handmade kitchen whereas you could go ikea, we got solid oak doors,you go pine. You will save heaps getting some stuff in England (esp if you have a VAT number). We got a good deal on engineered antique oak floors off carpenters of york for €28 sqft floors over in England.  You can do stuff like that for the interior, right price tiles in January and got huge discounts for floor tiles. Just got to research. We got expensive wooden windows whereas you can get coloured pvc or something. We got sandstone cills and coins, you go cement. 

Saying all this though, our costs are high enough even though we had contacts which are vital in keeping costs down. We had a friend who did our foundations and another who is an electrician. I am painting the interior myself and the doors, so that is quite a saving and most other jobs, CASH IN HAND!! 

I would say by managing it ourselves, we lost €15,000 down to naiveity and trust. But I couldn't get over the cost and amount of the materials, i.e. cement, sand, bricks, pipes, plaster etc to get the house up, the foundations require an awful lot as do the walls and roof of the house. Go to a local building supplier and ask him can you open up an account and pay cash in hand and you will buy everything off him. He will more than likely take that offer than lose you to somebody else. Then there is always the labour, get the price before they start!  We did go for the passive solar air tight house, quite expensive but you could always go for the cheaper radiators and oil etc,. but obviously not cost effective in the long run.

The costs are really all up to what you choose to go with, good research and most importantly, who you know!


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## mummol

Cash in hand for tradesmen.  Be quiet clear about what you want done.  We've had a few oh I didn't realise you wanted stone and brick work . . .  that costs extra.  Get material quotes in writing so that there can be no misunderstandings.  

Don't be afraid to adapt the 'tinker' attitude in terms of haggling hard.  My dh is happily mortified at my fathers very effective haggling even with members of his own family!  

Be aware that cheapest isn't always the best.  Decisions to insulate, solar panel might be overlooked at this stage but will pay off in longest run.  

Open accounts in all local hardware shops and use their credit terms and shout for discounts.  Everyone is hungry for business.  MILK 

Get your engineer onside too to make sure that your drawdowns are enough to get you through the next stage.  Helps avoid expensive bridging finance.


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## delboy159

Yes it can be done for 190k...  But you will have to be very realistic about the standard of finish and overall quality of the house.

Before you build you can save money.  For example.  I have a bay window in the house I'm building.  The steel structure/frame to support this cost €855... Simple windows would have saved me €855 there.  Also, the amount of valleys in your roof will impact on the amount of lead you need (very expensive stuff) and the labour will be more as valleys are labour intensive...

I have paid for all of my up to floor level bills and I am close to paying all of my blockwork bills and both phases seem to come in at 70% materials and 30% labour. The price of materials are on the way up also, so as you can see for all the talk of labour increasing the cost of builds materials do make up the majority of the overall bill!
My roof budget isn't as set yet, but it's looking like 60% materials and 40% labour..

You can save big money on the finishes.  If you go for an average/poor plasterer you can save thousands of euro.  Also as mentioned before go for the cheapest doors/windows/kitchen/flooring/stairs etc. Go for the cheap B&Q bathroom suite (bath, toilet and sink) for €300.  Also, no shower!!!  Shower trays, glass doors, pumps and electric showers cost a bomb... You can get the B&Q bath suite with a shower mixer for €350 all in.  If you get a shower tray and glass doors they alone could cost €700/800 for the cheapest.  Only tile around the bath and sink - not the whole bathroom...  Do not finish other bathrooms for a few years.... Go for the cheapest floor tiles in halls/kitchen/bathroom.  Also, a big saver is to do as much work yourself as possible.  You can also leave the upstairs part of your dormer "minimally finished" for the first few years....  

To get in for 190k you will not be able to pay for the best materials and you be in no way able to pay for the best tradesmen... You will have to be realistic that you will have to go for the simplest of everything in the finish and that you will have to try and negotiate cash on as many deals as possible....


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## Guest117

Agree with all mummo has said above especially re haggling - you can get 20% off goods from hardware stores maybe more. Tradesmen are crying out for work too.

Still fear for your budget though - I think it will be very tight / impossible to get it finished to any standard at tha price. Can you finish ground floor and not upstairs ?

I advise that whatever you cut costs on you don't skimp on insulation. - You will pay in oil or gas if you do. My advice - put in more insulation in every area than is the current regs. good luck


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## delboy159

mummol said:


> Be aware that cheapest isn't always the best. Decisions to insulate, solar panel might be overlooked at this stage but will pay off in longest run.


 
This is going to be your biggest problem.... You will find it near impossible to build a house for 190k of you spend money on insulation/solar panels etc... 

I personally am going for solar panels and I am going with insulated plasterboard in the house (along with standard insulation in the walls and roof). I am also going with a condensing boiler and argon filled windows. I have also gone with 100mm of foil backed Kingspan in the floor (most go with 60mm)... All these extras, which I believe will save me money in the future will add at least €15,000 to my build cost... That's 15k that a 190k budget can't manage....


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## Maribor

We are nearly finished our self build - 3500ft2 steel frame storey and a half built on family land.  Coming in at €370,000 excluding all furniture. No fancy features, basic electrical work bar a few 5amps and sound cables, middle of the road kitchen, pvc windows, oil central heating and solar panels as we could not afford geothermal, bathrooms on sale from B&Q. We did however spend an absolute fortune on insulation and manually sealing every single little gap. We also spent €10,000 on a concrete 1st floor.

Priorities were simple - can this be done again in a few years time - Y/N?
e,g, (Yes) we spent €13,000 on pvc windows instead of €35,000 on alu-clad
(No) we spent €350 on one HDMI lead for a projector which is hidden behind the plastering
(No) A concrete 1st floor cannot be put in after the fact
(Yes) We bought mostly Hotpoint appliances instead of Miele

Structurally, keeping the house design simple will save you a lot of money. Our house is a sort of Z-shape or L with an extra piece on top left, which meant 3 separate roofs (and then we added on a boiler house to the back so it ended up being 4 roofs) and a more complicated (thus costly) steel frame design process. My fiancé's sister built a broad two storey rectangle and saved €40,000! 

We were very naive and thought that we could build our house for €220,000 - €250,000. Fortunately, we decided to err on the side of having too much money and got a much bigger mortgage. We also had substantial savings so it hasn't been a complete disaster. But I do think that if we knew a year and a half ago how much the house would end up costing to build, we would have just bought a 3 bed semi in the suburbs.

If I were to do it again I would definitely spend a few hundred on a quantity surveyor and get a more realistic view of the budget.


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## sse

maribor - no fancy features yet €350 on one HDMI lead???? Hope it's v1.3 

OP - I'd say you may just get the house built for that but as other posters have said you'd need to be realistic on finishes. I think the suggestions about leaving the dormer rooms unfinished until later are good ones. Whilst labour is getting cheaper materials are getting pricier, almost by the day it seems.

SSE


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## Maribor

SSE

As I said it's all about priorities - some women want a jacuzzi or chrome light switches, or god forbid, actual furniture! As for me, when my social life is crippled by mortgage repayments, I will be sitting there on my beanbag/keg/tea chest, drinking a bottle of €5.99 wine from Aldi happy in the knowledge that I am watching Planet Earth in the way that the gods intended!!!!!!!


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## DavyJones

A mate of mine built a 2900 sf ish dormer for €120K dormer (and €40K furnishing it!). He is a chippie by trade which is a huge advantage (no more than €35K).
I would agree on haggling,(with suppliers and tradespeople or anyone esle for that matter) if you don't feel comfortable, you soon will and maybe even enjoy it. Also the cheapest price isn't always the best so get written quotes including the proposed materials(quality or not) and compare with other tradespeople. You will learn as you go. Pay VAT and tradespeople with insurance, legal complications will follow if work is done incorrectly cos you tried to save a few €€€€.
Extras will cost you more money, discuss extra with tradesperson, get a price and then decide do you want to change. if so, sign change and price with tradesperson and proceed. Do this with the smallest of extras to keep on top of budget.
And don't be afraid to kick a tradesperson off your site (future home) if you don't think they are up to the job.


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## apple1

As some of the posters alluded to above, it will be possible for you to build on your budget, but you need to be realistic about your finish.  For example, a family member has recently moved into their new build, circa 2800 sq ft (+ 500 in attic) & their spend was sub €200K. Its a damn fine pad, excellent electrical spec, marble, porcelain & semi-solid flooring, sash windows to front aspect, but just for comparison, I haven't skimmed internally yet & I've already spent almost 200K & I reckon I've another 150K to spend to get in (excluding furniture) for a slightly bigger house.  So it really depends on finishes.  You will certainly need to compromise....you'll choose fibre-cement slates rather than natural, your exterior will probably be plastered (and/or dashed) as opposed to stone (either natural or reconstituted), your cills will be concrete as opposed to granite, you'll choose rads rather than UFH, oil as opposed to pellets/geo, ceramic tiles as opposed to porcelain etc., etc.  There are also costs that will frighten you along the way....given your house is dormer style, breath deep when you go to price lead..(your's truly nearly died when he got his bill [also dormer style]) & even with the best plan in the world, you'll get hit with unexpected bills assuming this is your 1st time.  Plan on setting aside 10-15K of your 190 for contingency.  Take solace in the fact though that Rome wasn't built in a day.  Serious pressure (peer & self applied) in recent years for houses to be fully finished & furnished before people move in.  Get your kitchen finished, one living room, a bathroom (or just your en-suite & downstairs loo), & your own bedroom & finished the rest as you go.  Don't over-extend...I have & wish I hadn't now.  Its not worth the headaches.


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## lanie

Davy, where did your friend build? Did he get local builders/famly in on the work?Was it timber frame / brick? V.interested in this price! That's my sort of budget!


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## DavyJones

He is in Co. Limerick, 
He had a few local blocklayers had to run one of them off the site.

 A friend that does ground work gave some time and I installed the heating and plumbing (driving back from London twice to do it).
Electrics were done by local contractor,
He did all the timber work inc roof himself (being a chippie)
He worked every waking minute outside his own job to get things done and ready for next the next trade.
 He has a full time job and started the house the may bank holiday weekend and was in for christmas with every room finished. I was amazed.

It is block constructed, four bedrooms.


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## Pinky&dBrain

Glad to hear I'm not the only one trying to build on a budget. The house looking to build is 2100 sq ft bungalow and hoping to build for 160K in the South East area abit worried if it will be possible or not?

Would like to have solar panels but think this may wait and also would have liked to have the natural stone that sticks on not real natural stone (apologies not sure of the correct name of it) does anyone know if this can wait till a later stage. 

Have got planning now but wondering should I go ahead don't really care if not all rooms are finished with furniture etc. as long as kitchen, bathroom and bedroom are. Anyone any advise?


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## krissovo

I am getting quotes for €75 per sq/ft which would bring yourl spend on 2100 to 157k.  This is a builders finish but no kitchen or floors and basic finish.  So yes you can do it....but only just, direct labour and shopping around (a lot) should drop that into the 135+k but that would take years to build and getting trades when they are quiet.  Direct labour also might creep up with the add ons of engineers etc.


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## seawinds

I've been watching thread with interest. Would it worthwhile getting builders to quote. Surely they must be willing to work at very low margins given the current economic climate. Has anyone any ball park of building costs per sq ft?


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## Pinky&dBrain

Thanks krissovo, good to know. I think however getting tradespeople at the moment won't take too long as a friend of mine got planning and had tradespeople call to the house looking for work so hopefully I will avail of the same as I too just got my planning. I know it will take me alot of time and haggling to do it but I feel that it would be worth it in the end. 

Seawinds - I was told from others that in the Carlow\Kilkenny\Wexford area that you could build for €70-80 sq ft for a builders finish.


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## shergars

In Dublin they used to say it cost 225Euro a per SQ foot but I have a feeling you could do better now


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## Christine222

Hi,

Just to let you know that we are currently building a dormar 2300sq house. As from today the house is completly plastered and we have spent €105K so far. We had to pay €7,500 to the council for fees out of the mortgage also. My DH is a blocklayer so that helped. We are hoping to have the house completely finished between €180K and €200K. We have pumped loads of insulation into the house and are installing solar panals. The grant is now gone for new builds so we are having the plumber install everything and get the actual solar panal after we are living in the house for a year, then we can apply for the grant, its €2K.
I do believe you can build the house for €190K and not everything has to be the cheapest thing, you just won't have UF heating (costs abt 20K) or a jacuzzi which you prob don't want anyway. We have allowed for a kitchen to the value of €12K.
Direct labour can be a headache but it will save more in the long run.
We are building in Mayo. Best of luck


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## Christine222

That was the quote we were getting for geo thermal, we didn't go with it in the end, we put in loads of insulation and we'll have a stove to heat the house and solar panals for water for some of the year and oil for when we need it.
We needed the radiators to help dry clothes in weather like this.


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## ssiaman

Some very good info here. I am at the very early stages of planning on building a four bed house in the country. I have a large site so space is no constraint.  I am wondering how much extra does the dormer bungalow cost. i.e what would the difference be between using just 3 velux windows or using 3 dormer vertical windows. I wish to have two bed upstairs bathroom and hotpress. Do you have much more height upstairs rooms with the Dormer windows? 

please understand I am a complete amateur when it comes to this area.

Thanking you in advance


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## galwaytt

ssiaman said:


> Some very good info here. I am at the very early stages of planning on building a four bed house in the country. I have a large site so space is no constraint. I am wondering how much extra does the dormer bungalow cost. i.e what would the difference be between using just 3 velux windows or using 3 dormer vertical windows. I wish to have two bed upstairs bathroom and hotpress. Do you have much more height upstairs rooms with the Dormer windows?
> 
> please understand I am a complete amateur when it comes to this area.
> 
> Thanking you in advance


 
Tbh, dormers are a right pain in the neck from a roofer's perspective.  More expensive to build, valleys, flashing, how to finish the dormer walls, small fiddly detailing for fascia & soffits, etc.

From an owners perspective, they are: useless.  Dark, and do not contribute anything of note to room size  - you'll still hit your head off the rest of the roof..........

We moved out of our dormer after 10+ years and.........never again !!!

BTW - downer on velux's is........noise.  Especially rain.   Deafen you in a storm, tbh.......and on windy nights.  I know someone who sold their house over it, it was so bad..........


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## cowboy

was talking to a roofer who said you would want to allow 2500 for each dormer on a house build.


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## Clerragh

After spending half hour reading all the posts, I decided I'd tell nmonaghan that it's possible but wit alot of patience time work and sweat.
My helpers(Fiancees father, my father, my 3 brothers, numerous friends) to be known as CO.
Were presently building a 2900 sq.f. dormer in Roscommon. Started June bank holiday 2007. Borrowed digger and couple of dumpers from work and dragged some of CO. out of bed at 6 o clock sat sun mon and tue, and worker through till dark 11 - 11:30. Got access to site, site levelled(around 3m dig at rear) foundations dug poured in weekend.
Got block layer for footings. Didn't start footings till October due to mortgage reasons.
Meself and mates done radon and insulation.
Meself, F in L, cousin and uncle done concrete floor.
Block layer to joists. Cousin(Chippy, all through books) done Joists. 
Got scaffolding from work and again CO. gave a hand for day and got it up. (adjusted it meself than ahead of plasterer).
Went 2 blocks above joists which gives that little bit extra room inside.
Cousin done roof with one dormer(because council wouldn't give me planning for two), 2 velux's, 4 valleys, 2 chimneys, and a one storey roof lower than main roof(again through books)(17k for helping at concrete floor, doing joists, doing roof)
I priced roof in 3 hardwares. My local was the dearest and the owner knows me well(I think €1400 on lead alone, which I didn't leave at the site)
Ended up buying slates in northern ireland. Done 2 trips with trailer and got them €700 euro cheaper than anywhere in republic.
Windows are black PVC, again shopped around and prices were 4 grand in differ from lowest to highest.
Have 2 gables in stone approx 110sq.m. which I should get built(on going) for €10000(this includes cost of stone, being built by non nationals, who are excellent)(got price of Irish stone mason for €10.5k plus VAT)
Have a well drilled(€3400)
Sheeted out first floor with ply, myself and CO..
Done timber studing myself and CO.
Slabbing it at the minute myself and CO. and me cousin helping alot too, with advice and alot of saturdays(not through books). Another 2 weeks should finish slabbing.
Not sparing insulation though. 
All external walls 50mm cosy board. 
300mm fibre glass in attic.
4 inche(Quintherm) & 2 inche & 50mm cosy board between rafters on pitch.
2 inche behind studding(1500mm partition walls) and 100mm fibreglass between studding.
100mm rockwoll in internal studded partitions.
4 inche (Quintherm) behind studding @ dormer and 100mm rockwool between studding and cosy board.
150mm Rockwool in first floor joists.
Outside is plastered, Hopefully I'll have slabbing done in 2 weeks and he'll start inside.
I'll have builers finish, No(stairs, kitchen, fitted wardrobes painting tiling) 
will include(prefinished oak doors and skirting, sewrage treatment plant, all legal fees, council development charges(which I hate as I had to drill my own well, own sewerage, no bins by my house)Well and pump)
All done for 135 - 140
Solid Oak kitchen(U shape 3.8, 5.2, 3.8) with Granite worktop, fridge, carracells, dish washer. and massive island €17.5. Again shop around and make sure your clear what your getting
P.S. going to try up north today for baths showers etc as sterling in good(for us that is)


So Nmonaghan I think it's possible, with alot of shopping around, haggling, and hard word, saying that I probably saved €5-7 grand digging it myself(and co) and another €10k+ doing all the work we've done ourselves(radon, studding, insul, slabbing)

Hope this is off good help


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## damac

where in the north did you get slates and how much ,i am building in donegal thanks


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## Clerragh

Trutone plus slates off *F R Cathcart Ltd*
[broken link removed]
I have no direct link with this company. 
The main difference at the time was the sterling/euro. 
Hope this is off help to you.

Clerragh


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## paddyp

<quoted ad removed by mod>

Sorry to raise this old post but I was just trawling through the velux posts and notice that Decoman has made only two posts both advertising this site so take his advice with a cellar of salt.


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## onq

nmonaghan said:


> We have just got pp to build a 2455 sq ft dormer style house. The bank will only give us a mortgage of 230,000, we have savings of 40,000. ( i have already accounted for the cost of legal, architect and council fees). our site costs 80,000. Can anyone give adivce if it will be possible to make the house liveable on 190,000. i would appreciete any advice you can give me.




Every deviation from a rectangular plan form costs money
Every subdivision of a simple one-room building costs more money.
Every deviation from a 

single-bathroom 
single kitchen 
no utility 
one downstairs bathroom
house costs money

Think about the spatial complexity you absolutely need for living.

Larger windows costs more money
More windows cost more money
Internal doors cost more money
Iiternal partiitions/room dividers cost more money
Anything more than white ceiling paint on good plaster walls costs more money.

That having been said; 
Leave service connections in place for later appliances - do your clothes and dish washing by hand for now.

Commit to your Part L compliant spec house NOW and reap the benefits for years to come in terms of saved heating bills.

Some nice timber floor finishes wouldn't hurt though...



ONQ.


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## Jewel

fyi... we just coming to the end of a self build. 
2,800 sq feet. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms , playroom, utility,  
good spec e.g. polished porcelain tiles, good engineered (walnut) wooden floors, underfloor heating upstairs and down, hollowcore flooring upstairs, walnut doors, black PVC windows inside and out, fab contemporary high-gloss kitchen, natural stone (not cladding) on some of house, contemporary bathrooms, very unusual tiling (i.e. not plain white tiling or anything), solar panels. 
We hve 2 small kids so I am not moving them into a building site - all the rooms will be finished, furnished and VERY habitable for under 200k. 

Did it direct labour, and my husband did as much of the donkey work himself - he is not tradesman, but is handy e.g. bought the solar panels then he and his brother installed them.... His brother and his dad and he did all the ground work, clearing site, levelling it, laying about 6 lorry loads of stone on the driveway..... he is doing all the painting, and would have done the tiling except I insisted on getting a tiler in to do it. 

You wouldn't bring it in under 200k with a contractor I'd say (times haven't changed that much, have they?) , but direct labour you should.


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## Leo

paddyp said:


> Sorry to raise this old post but I was just trawling through the velux posts and notice that Decoman has made only two posts both advertising this site so take his advice with a cellar of salt.


 
Please use the 'Report Post' function to make the mods aware of such suspicions.
Leo


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## bigbuild

Hi All,

Only new to this site, have been looking at the threads and most give a good breakdown of costs etc. Im hoping to start building a 2800 sq ft 2 storey next yr. Just wondering how much it would cost for stonework and quoins on front of house only. Anyone got a ballpark figure? Also do you think id manage to make the house live-able for €200K? My dad and brother are electricians and plumbers and my brother is carpenter so they would be doing that work, also have a painter and digger driver in the family who will do that work for cheap.


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## Jewel

bigbuild said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Only new to this site, have been looking at the threads and most give a good breakdown of costs etc. Im hoping to start building a 2800 sq ft 2 storey next yr. Just wondering how much it would cost for stonework and quoins on front of house only. Anyone got a ballpark figure? Also do you think id manage to make the house live-able for €200K? My dad and brother are electricians and plumbers and my brother is carpenter so they would be doing that work, also have a painter and digger driver in the family who will do that work for cheap.


 
Yes bigbuild - I think it's possible to make it very live-able for 200k - ESPECIALLY considering all the trades you have in your family. 
See my post above detailing how we are coming to end of self-build,same size house as yours, and we are bringing it in at that cost without having any trades in the family. 
Good luck with the build!


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## bigbuild

Hi Jewel,

If you dont mind me asking, how much did your stonework cost? Did prices vary much?


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## krissovo

bigbuild said:


> ust wondering how much it would cost for stonework and quoins on front of house only. Anyone got a ballpark figure?



We were going to stone the front of our 2500 sq ft house, the quotes we got back were €12k for the stone and €2.5k in labour.


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## TripMeUp

Hi Krissovo,

that must be some stone...!!
That seems a very big gap between the stone cost and the labour......
I got mine done and costs will be split roughly 50/50 between labour and stone...


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## krissovo

The frontage of the house is very big and L shaped so more stone than a flat front I suppose.  Stone quote came direct from supplier, labour was from a few stone masons


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## bigbuild

Krissovo,

Do you mind me asking where you are getting the stone?


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## TripMeUp

Krissovo.

Make sure you view their work and bring someone knowledgeable with u if u can....I viewed work of 4 or 5 before settling on someone and looking at it being built now, I am absolutely delighted with the choice..


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## Pope John 11

TripMeUp said:


> Krissovo.
> 
> Make sure you view their work and bring someone knowledgeable with u if u can....I viewed work of 4 or 5 before settling on someone and looking at it being built now, I am absolutely delighted with the choice..


 
Would you mind me asking what type of stone are you using & is it expensive to buy, labour etc


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## TripMeUp

Stone can be various costs, depends on what you have in mind. Granite, limestone, Quartz etc etc...I got a lovely (to us anyway) Sandstone that has a green hint/tint to it and it now looks very well as it is being built......Planning on cream fascia and soffit and cream windows so should look well...The stonemason I got wasn't actually the most expensive one in the end, so it is a matter of making a decision on the basis of what u have seen and maybe someone with experience to help....I brought my brickie who is very fussy and in the game a while..

Stone mason costs have come down a bit and can vary from 50 euro per sqm upto 90 I found....


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## corkgal

How expensive is lead? There is a load of the stuff in my shed left by the builder/previous owner. Can I sell it!!!!! Can't exactly get rid of it in the pay by weight bin.


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## ++cathal+

Hi All, I am living in Co Dublin and am looking at doing some extention to the house. does any one know what the builing cost are now per/sq foot V's this time last year.


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## bigbuild

Just started to get prices for a 2700 sq ft house with 2 story garage, quotes so far as follows (for labour only)

Building 15000
1st and 2nd fix carpentry 10000 (including slating roof, the whole hog)
Plastering 10000

Anyone got any idea of how this stacks up?

Also anyone used a quantity surveyor to estimate buliding materials, is this money well spend or an unnessary cost? Advice would be appreciated.


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## z101

The most of this thread is over a year old. Is there anyone who posted or is starting to build found a big drop in prices toward 2008? or have any updates that might be usfull.
Cheers


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## z101

This question is aimed at self build or anyone using a builder and especially someone who weighted up both. Especially in the South East.


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## onq

bigbuild said:


> Just started to get prices for a 2700 sq ft house with 2 story garage, quotes so far as follows (for labour only)
> 
> Building 15000
> 1st and 2nd fix carpentry 10000 (including slating roof, the whole hog)
> Plastering 10000
> 
> Anyone got any idea of how this stacks up?
> 
> Also anyone used a quantity surveyor to estimate buliding materials, is this money well spend or an unnessary cost? Advice would be appreciated.



Units of currency would be nice. 

The building costs half as much again as the carpentry/plastering?

Define "building" because I estimate that you'll sink at least €15,000 into the foundations, rising walls and substructures.

What do you need a two storey garage for, a bus?

ONQ.


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## bigbuild

ONQ- 

Currency- Euro's
By building i mean blockwork, thought maybe you may have copped that!
The 2 storey garage is for my 2 pet girraffes!


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## Voodoo

Hey Bigbuild,

Depends if your prices include material or are they just labour? I presume the build cost is just labour as as ONQ says, you will pay about the same for foundations and build upto roof level... 

With regards to the others, they seem pretty good prices (assuming they are ex-vat)

You don't mention where you are located but I have recently gotten quotes back and here are mine for same - 

Labour/build costs  - 3 quote - €19,000, 19,600 and third was 6,000 for groundworks, pouring foundations and 10,000 for blockwork upto roof level

1st & Second Fix Carpentry - one quote so far - €17,000 including roof, felt & lat, slates, installation of soffit & fascia, 1st and 2nd fix

Plastering - €11,500 and €13,000

Should have said that my prices were for a 2,500sqft house and a garage - nap plaster finish on outside. 

Would be interested to see what your electrician costs have been. I am looking at getting standard electrical work plus CAT5 cabling to about 5 rooms in the house with electrics out to the front gate, outside sensor lights etc. 

Hope this helps


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## byrnsey09

Hi voodoo, your prices seem very good. Can I ask you does the build, carpentry and plastering prices include labour and material? What part of the country are you building in? Are you building a 2 storey or bungalow? Sorry for all the questions, will be starting my own self build over the next few months and trying to keep an eye on prices!


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## Voodoo

I am building in Laois. The costs are just labour costs - no materials...

Meant to say that the costs I have for the electrician come in at about 7,700e for full electrics including Cat5 cabling around the house...

House is a two storey house - 2,500sqft


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## bigbuild

Hi Voodoo,

My prices are just labour, will have no cost except for materials for electrics as my da and brother are both electricians. My uncle will be doing site clearance and foundations etc. Do your prices include materials, if so they sound good? My carpentry quote is for 1st and 2nd fix labour only, however my brother will be doing 2nd fix as he is a carpenter. Had asked the other carpenter to price for roof only but came back with a price for 1st and 2nd fix. Getting window quote tonight and ufh quote at some stage this week also.


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## galway.

hi guys just posting costings thati had done up for me to self build for two storey 2100 house. 

substructure
hardcore, excavation concrete, steel, radon barrier and floor screed -- 19,563.00

external wall
lintels, external plastering, insulation --- 25,273.96

internal walls
internal block work, lintels, flue liners, plaster and paint internally, timber stud partitions and plasterboard finish to 1st floor.--- 13,404.88

windows and doors externally 
u.pvc windows and doors externally, windowboards.. -- 12,237.00

first floor 
suspended slab skim finish and insulation --- 12,500.00

roof
cut roof, concrete tile finish, upvc fascia soffit ---20,482.00

plumbing 
boiler, rads, oil tank sanitary ---- 20,000.00

electrial
lighting and sockets---5,350.00

2nd fix carpentery 
door skirting--- 18,213.00

kitchen--- 10,000.00

tiling--- 4,000.00

floor finishes--- 12,000.00

Site works 
septic tank and treatment area, concrete kerbing, percolation area--- 23,678.65

total--196,702.49

Vat-- 26,554.84

total inc Vat-- 223,257.33


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## bigbuild

Hi Galway,

Do your quotes include lbour and materials?


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## byrnsey09

Hi galway
Are the prices for contractor or direct labour?


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## kojak

hi galway,

would be interested to know if prices are including labour + materials also ??
and was it contractor or self-build ??

Very detailed quote, fare play for putting it up though i wish more people would do the same.


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## house

HI galway, 

thanks for your post

the item that scares me the most is 2nd fix carpentry 18K, please clarify what this includes/excludes

by some of the figures i doubt you used did any of the work yourself


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## CharlieR

I am currently looking at an ICF house in Cork, 3500sq ft, builders finish excluding Plumbing and excavation and door frames. Prices coming in at 285K euro.


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## CharlieR

Not yet, i have a rough idea of what is required but looking for a good electrician.


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## Brigid

Hi, 

We have just got our first quote for labour only for the construction of our house.  The foot print is 53sqM and the overall floor area is I believe 2,900 sq foot.  I wonder if anyone could tell me what they think of these figures.  In particular the substructure - is this a bit high given that someone else will be doing the ground works? I expect that the substrucure will mean bringing the building to the stage of polished floor.


Substructure6,404.75Upper floors2600Roofs and Roof Coverings11807.5Wall finishes externally (plinth only)325Wall finishes internally5603Ceiling finishes3997Preliminaries500Scaffolding1500subtotal (excluding VAT)32,737.25VAT @13.5%4419.529total37,156.78


Maybe it isnt high at all ... I dont have much of a clue and would be very grateful for any guidence. thank you.


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## Firefly

Brigid said:


> I dont have much of a clue and would be very grateful for any guidence



Me neither, but the first thing I would do is hire someone who does. Plenty pointers and good advice on this site, but Im think you have an aweful lot to lose if you're not educated in this field.


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## isofrio

*I Agree!! Insulation Priority.*



badge55 said:


> Agree with all mummo has said above especially re haggling - you can get 20% off goods from hardware stores maybe more. Tradesmen are crying out for work too.
> 
> Still fear for your budget though - I think it will be very tight / impossible to get it finished to any standard at tha price. Can you finish ground floor and not upstairs ?
> 
> I advise that whatever you cut costs on you don't skimp on insulation. - You will pay in oil or gas if you do. My advice - put in more insulation in every area than is the current regs. good luck



I Agree!! Insulation Priority. Even if you dont get the finer things you will at least not burn your money on fuel if you get good insulation.


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## mike tr

put you insulation on top of your list if money is tight cut back on things like doors kitchen bathrooms but heating wiring and insulation are the most important if they aren't right your bills will be high and you'll never enjoy your home.

you can alway put in a small kitchen and in a few years put in the one of you dreams. 
hope this helps


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## NorthKerry

*Approximate cost of a storey and a half 2400square foot house???*

We are planning to build a 2400square foot house in North Kerry in the coming year. It is a storey and a half with no stone.  I would love to get any feedback from people who have built similar size/type house and the cost involved? Like everyone these days we would like to save money on the build and do feel that we should be able to get a good price in this recession.  
What do people feel would be a good builders finish price on this house? We would prioritise insulation, double glazed windows, red deel skirting, stairs etc.
Also, could we save money realistically by going direct labour?


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## lowCO2design

NorthKerry said:


> We are planning to build a 2400square foot house in North Kerry in the coming year. It is a storey and a half with no stone.  I would love to get any feedback from people who have built similar size/type house and the cost involved? Like everyone these days we would like to save money on the build and do feel that we should be able to get a good price in this recession.
> What do people feel would be a good builders finish price on this house? We would prioritise insulation, double glazed windows, red deel skirting, stairs etc.
> Also, could we save money realistically by going direct labour?


with the advent of the new building legislation
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/BuildingStandards/News/MainBody,32735,en.htm and the new h&s legislation, I have stopped discussing 'self-builds' on 'new builds' with my clients.

I would strongly suggest you get a full and detail tender package from arch & eng before seeking prices from builders. and if you haven't already get a BER provisional assessment done before this tender package is complete - it IS difficult to meet the current building regulations and it gets more expensive if the regs are only considered during actual build. 

If saving money is your goal, give the builder (ie main contractor) the sole responsibility for the basic 'shell' of the house, up to and including commissioning of M&E services, MVHR/ air-tightness. then if you wish manage the finishes: flooring,fitted furniture, kitchen, tiling, painting, landscaping etc on yourself. make sure you employ a good architect to oversee and provide the correct certification in line with the new regs. 

i fail to see under the new regs how anyone will get a mortgage payment realised, unless (at a minimum) the above is carried out. And even then, you would want to carefully plan and have agreements in writing with both bank and architect as to how the finishes etc are signed off and paid for.


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