Build or Buy?

Wavey

Evening all,

I know this is a very vague question but I would like to hear peoples opinions.

If you already have a site bought for x amount in a rural area, lets say Wicklow,

Would it be cheaper to build a house on the site or to just buy a similar house next door?

I know 10 years ago it was cheaper to build, but is that still the case with the increased cost of labour and materials?

Has anyody got any quotes recently for the sqaure footage cost for a new build in the Wicklow/Kildare/Meath areas?

Yours needing advice,
Wavey.

AJL

Building your own house is going to be cheaper or at least you will get a much higher quality house for the same price. I am doing a self build and estimate between 100-120 per sq ft to build

paulocon

wavey,

If you have a site in any of Wicklow/Meath/Kildare then you are in a very priviliged position. If you have planning permission to build on that site, even more so.

There is no doubt that building your own house is not only the cheaper option (for what you get) but it is by far the more rewarding one.

If you have the site, you can't go too wrong building as the value of the finished house will be far more that the money you put into it..

yop

Agree with the lads, you would expect to have a cheaper and higher quality house, of course you could give the house over to a builder to build and end up with a lesser quality house or you could try and manage it yourself.

We have built in Mayo for 81 euro per sq foot, fully furnished and the quality of the finish is much better than you could buy.

Wavey

Thx for the replies lads.

Those square footage costs, what kind of houses were they? Bungalow/dorm etc?

Would have to hand it over to a builder to manage as I wouldnt have the time to do it myself.

Although....

Is it possible to manage a build in a typical project management way.

ie.
get 3 bricky quotes
3 elec quotes
3 carpenter quotes
etc

and tie them down to costs/ time scedule?

I cant see a builder putting too much time into quote for one house.

Has anybody done it this way?

Thanks again
Wavey

yop

Wavey,
What you are on about there is a self build/
You could define "Self Build" in a number of ways, there is the "Self Build" where someone goes, buys a site and gets a builder in to build the house and don't get involved at all.
Theres a "Self Build" where they buy a site and source a tradesman themselves for every job. The only job here for the person is to oversee.
Another "Self Build" is where you buy the site, source the trademen and do a number of "Trades" yourself ie painting, tiling etc
Then there is the extreme "Self build" which is rare is where you buy the site and do all of the work bar maybe one of two.

House size is 2100 sq ft dormer.

yop

yop wrote:

Another "Self Build" is where you buy the site, source the trademen and do a number of "Trades" yourself ie painting, tiling etc
Then there is the extreme "Self build" which is rare is where you buy the site and do all of the work bar maybe one of two.

My "self build" is somewhere between these two desciptions, If you go down this path you need to be sure that you have the staying power, be willing to learn or have the knowledge about all stages of the building process.

You must be familiar with the building regulations etc

good luck if you decide to go this way