# looking for ideas of costs on refurbishing period home



## nyny (13 Mar 2010)

Hi there
i am currently looking at a period home in south dublin which requires full refurbishment. electrics, plumbing windows, bathrooms kitchen - the whole nine yards. has anyone any idea of cost per square metre for such a refurb in current market. any advice appreciated. thanks


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## picorette (14 Mar 2010)

It depends so much on the condition of the property & the quality of the finishes that you wish to achieve, & you should commission a report from an Architect or Surveyor.

However, as a guideline, I have just priced works for the total renovation of a 200 sq.m. protected structure at  €200,000 if that is any help.


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## onq (15 Mar 2010)

I have recently priced works to a period house which is not a protected structure for around €300,000 for an area of 325 sqm.

I note that there seems to be be a certain convergence between the prices of my work and picorettes work, although the specification may be entirely different.

That having been said, works to older houses have certain commonalities involving replacement and/or treatment of the wall plate, valley and parapet gutter repair, rot treatment generally, roof and floor timber splicing and replacement, floor strengthening and soundproofing, re-rendering/re-pointing, re-laying/damp-proofing the lowest floors, removal and replacement of binding timbers in the walls, renewal of rainwater goods and drains, replacement/refurbishment of windows, etc.

I think you might be wise to try and retain all of the existing fabric that you can even where the building doesn't have Protected Status.
This will add to the cachet of the building as a period house and this will tend to be reflected in the eventual sale price, BER Cert notwithstanding.

I think there may be BER derogations in or coming if for older buildings - not sure on this, as I haven't checked it in a while.
Picorette or some other knowledgeable posters here may know off hand.

If you have a rendered exterior you may consider external insulation.
Internal insulation is very tricky because this does several things to older buildings which can lead to a deterioration in the building fabric.

HTH

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.


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## DBK100 (15 Mar 2010)

Do check on the Local Authorities website (Record of Protected Structures) the status of this house. 
If it is protected you will need Planning Permission or a Section 5 Declaration of exemption for practically all works.

Probably the single most important budgeting item when dealing with a period property has to be *Contingency. *
Make sure you allocate a sufficient amount of money as a reserve to allow you to deal with the unexpected items of work that Will arise.
Not only will items you had not at all considered come up, but many work items you had anticipated and budgeted for will end up costing more when fabric is opened up and the extent of defects revealed.

Many people fall in to the trap of 'optimistic budgeting' - taking the maximum sum they can afford (or amount they want to spend) and apportioning it between the various work items. 
They can then reassure themselves that everything is manageable. 
There  are things that cannot be known until the project is begun, so the planning  can't be set in stone. When things turn up that cause a delay or further  costs, the time or money that is needed can be taken from the  contingency.  

How much should you allow? 10 - 15% minimum would be prudent for this type of work.

As others have said, the costs per square foot will be decided by you. Level of specification for bathrooms, kitchens, tiling, lighting, numbers of sockets & switches etc. all impact hugely on costs. 
You can decide on 5-star style fittings and fixtures throughout or you can do imaginative things with the products available in large DIY chains. Even for something like painting the house throughout - you can go with very expensive paints like Farrow & Ball or much less expensive paints from larger firms. Choices like this all have impacts on budget.

As a general observation, full refurbishment to a period house can cost as much if not more per square foot than new-build construction.

Summary:
1 - Check if its is a Protected Structure.
2 - Costs per square foot = rule of thumb only. Your choices decide final costs.
3 - Budget & schedule carefully but always plan for *Contingency.

*DBK100
http://www.mesh.ie


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