Attic conversion

D

dearg

Guest
Hi,


We were thinking about getting our attic converted (we thought that the current downturn would result in prices coming back down to something normal), but the quotes we got were both higher than we expected at €18-20k (24 ft X 16ft). The missus mentioned this to a neighbour and he said we should get tradesmen to do the individual jobs (e.g. Carpernter to do the stairs etc) and we'd save “about 10k”.


I'm somewhat dubious that the mark-up is that high, what does one anyelse think? Also, does anyone know anyone operating near north County Dublin who would do the job for a more reasonable fee (in needs RSJ and would have to be properly cetified/insured)?


Thanks


Dearg
 
18-20k is quite a good price. Got ours done last year for 24k that included an en-suite & everything finished. I doubt you would save 10k getting everything individual.
In fact all the snagging at the end could cost you more.
[broken link removed] is the company that done ours
 
-You could easily save around 8-10 K doing a self build so to speak, I saves 18k on a small extension getting a self build done,I don't understand Colm who said the snagging would cost more, If self build it might be hassle pressure and take longing to do, but if you saved 10 K then it would be worth it, get good known tradsmen,ensure you get planning if you need it ,talk with architect the usual things, but I would say go for it.
 
Your neighbour should do the work for you if he or she knows so much.
Maybe they could Project Manage it for you and pay them a percentage on the money they save you.
There is no way you would save that kind of money.It is very easy to give advice when it does not come back and bite you.
Get three to four qoutations and always compare like for like.
Things that are cheap are cheap for a reason.
At the same time comparing like for like will give you a more educated decision.
If major structural work, its better to get an architect and get it certified.
 


Thats a ridiculous price for that size conversion.

If you have to contact people in the North to do it.

I would say no more than €10k to convert an attic that size. including heating, certification etc. Maybe a little more if there is to be bathroom there.

The days of calculating the cost and multiplying it by a random numbr are gone. Dont put up with it.

Get a breakdown of the costs into materials, labour and time taken. Then phone around with that list. I cant stress enough how cheap you can get companies frm the North to do this.

Also make sure you have seen several examples of their work first hand and spoken to the customers.

Its time for builders to wake up here.
 
The great thing about using Northern contractors is; try getting them back if you have a problem.
Tinnelly Construction from Rostrevor Have a very good name as far as the cross border lads are concerned.
But there are a massive load of chancers coming down too.....
Everyone has this misconception that Irish Contrators are ripping people off, granted some are, but not all of them.
There is a web site called pick a pro and theyactually check out who joins their site.
The national guild of master craftsmen i am not at all sure about judging by some of the vans I have seen their logo on.
I have worked in central europe in development and can tell you that our new memeber states trades men are nothing to write home about either.
And yes our systems are different to theirs, even if the principals are the same. For example we have a totally different climate, we use A.C and they use D.C, true to say gas is gas but we have I.S 813 they dont and since Raglan House our gas regs are one of the highest.
 
Last edited:
I really cant understand people skrimping on something like an attic conversion.
€18-€25k is around average. Like NoelF suggested get 5 or 5 quotes & see whats average. Going for the cheap option on something which affects the structural integrity of your entire property, for the sake of a few k is just plain stupid.
 
DavyJones said:
Do you judge tradesmen by the vans they drive?
Click to expand...

I do if they drive Junk, would you attend an interview in shabby clothing.
I am not saying they should dive ML's X5's or Range Rovers.
However a vechicle being used for a service, in my view, is part of his equipment and if his equipment is shabby I can only believe everything he does is shabby. And that goes for his appearance also. Feel free to PM me if you wish to have a chat about this.
As far I know these discussion boards are to give opinions not for Pee'ing competitions. Sorry if my views offend you.
 


You views don't offend me. IF my question came across as blunt, I haven't intended it to. I am just interested in what your opinion is.

I agree with what you say, old junker is bad. equally as bad is a brand new 4 x 4 or van. People may think you charge too much.

However I wouldn't discount a tradesman esp plasterers,brickies on the condition of their vans. they are a work tool that gets abused on the large part.
 

I think 'balance' is the word, particuarly during a downturn where there's guys trying to take the same mark-up as they did when everyone was flush. There's little point in paying more if there's no difference in what you get either, and the assumption that you'll get the best job, rather than the biggest chancer. We got a 2 storey side extension (2.5m wider, nothing fancy, not including fitted kitchen, painting or anything) on the house about 2.5 years ago (height of the boom), and with very specific specs in the drawings, most quotes were 110k-160k, but one chancer said 280k (swear to God). The same guy arrived 2 hours late to look around - which didn't impress on his professionalism - and when I said it sounded high he said something about if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.....

lad we got did a good job (we used a great surveyer who saved us 25k on a previous house purchase and he said it was very well done) and was less than half what yer man quoted. In terms of the North, would want to be sure they could get a cert for it, but that's with anyone who we got to do it.

Thanks for all the replies anyway!

Dearg
 
As with everything, the term attic conversion can mean very different things to different people. The cost of doing this can vary widely.Before believing anyones estimate, here or anywhere else, list your requirements

The buggest variant is what is necessary to make the conversion structurally sound.
I haven't seen your house, and neither has anyone else here, so any estimate is
a complete guess, based on no information.

Other issues that can affect the price.
1) Quality of staircase
2) Quality of insulation
3) Quality of flooring
4) Bathroom
5) Decoration

My advice - find out about the structural issues, make a list of requirements, get a few quotes, get the advice of an engineer and only go direct labour if you know what you are doing or employ an engineer to supervise.
 
I used to work at this and since i left the trade, i've got quite a few attic conversions done over the years by contractors.

Trust me. Ireland is rip-off territory for these.

Visit some UK forums about it - and see what people are paying over there.

Then get your quotes here and see how much you are being ripped off.

There is not much to an attic conversion really. They are like sun-rooms and conservatories. massively overcharged over here just because people were re-mortgaging and could afford massive amounts of money over the odds the last few years.

Do not be that sucker. Get the breakdowns of materials and labour costs and then post them here.
 
€10K tops if you do a mixture of DIY and getting contractors. The biggest problem is all the mullocking involved, cutting out the hole, dragging materials up, dumping the waste, going for materials etc.

Figures:
Stairs €1000
Window €200
Plumber €200
Plasterer €500
Electrician €200
Carpenter €500
Other Materials €3000

Thats about 6K so if you allow 4k to get in labourers or handymen etc. to open the hole, fit RSJ, fit window etc. etc. you are well covered at €10K.
 

I would love to know where you got those figures?
 

More or less what i would have said. Maybe a bit more on Electrician, plumber and windows. And dont forget you need to get it certified. You can get this for less than €400.
 
€200 euro would get you a plumber for a day labour only. It would be atleast two visits to site, maybe a pump upgrade. I think that breakdown is unrealistic. there is no way you would get a sparks and plumber with materials for €400.
 
DavyJones said:
€200 euro would get you a plumber for a day labour only. It would be atleast two visits to site, maybe a pump upgrade. I think that breakdown is unrealistic. there is no way you would get a sparks and plumber with materials for €400.
Click to expand...

Price based on a job I have just completed. Plumber should be able to do two half days given most of them are struggling for work, so €200 total. Electrician depends on your spec, but again 2 half days for a couple of sockets and lights, again €200

Materials are included under my €3K estimate.

A basic attic should cost €10K tops finished, timber floors, painting etc. if you coordinate it and do some of the grunt work yourself.
 

Labour figures here are totally unrealistic.
 

People are in for a surprise if they belive good tradespeople are struggling for work and willing to do jobs for next to nothing.

I assume you paid cash?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register