Tips for keeping costs down....

nantony98

Im in the very early stages of planing a new build. The house will be a decent size, maybe 4 bedooms and will be built in a remote part of Donegal. It would be a holiday home for the foreseable future.

I need the build to be as cost effective as possible and so I was hoping to get tips on how to save money (well, spend less money) on the build.

Obviously shopping around for materials. Not cheap stuff but the best price on good stuff.

I know some builders so direct labour would be the way to go.

Someone mentioned that windows can be expensive so limitiing the size of these will help.

I was told to get decent insulation but not to worry too much about an all singing, all dancing heating system as its for a holiday home.

Thats where you come in. Any more ideas

Do-more

Good design will help to limit costs in the first place. A simple square box gives you the most amount of living space for the least amount of fabric. So deviate from that as little as possible to keep the cost down. This will also contribute to a simple roof design which will also minimse costs.
Design the internal layout to keep all plumbing as close together as possible, i.e. bathrooms, en-suites back to back directly overhead of downstairs toilets and kitchen.

Tefral

As a qs, the easiest way to keep costs down we see is to make sure everything is in standard sizes, if you go for windows, doors, rad's etc that are bigger than standard then expect to pay. Look into kingspan roofing systems too, they have good slate's with insulation backing too that can save money. Also build your garage first, this way bags of cement etc wont get spoiled and you have security too,you'd be suprised how much walks off building sites. Negotiate for everything too, dont just accept the status quo, builders are willing to do anything for work these days, best take advantage of that.

nantony98

Good tips so far.Keep them coming. As i'm looking at different designs i will keep plumbing in mind when sketching.

I want to use natural slate because of the harsh enviroment. Manufactured slate might be a false economy, but i will look at Kingspan products.

What type of house design will give best bang for your buck? 1.5 storey, Dormer, 2 storey?

Leadership

No offence to women but keep them away from boutiques, high quality outlets etc! I know from my own experience where the house itself will come in at €83 per sq ft but once the €30k kitchen and marble tiles are factored it will rocket to €128 per sq ft.

On a series note if you restrict your shopping for bathware, flooring, tiles etc to builders merchants you will keep the budget down. Some of the larger outlets even have kitchens that are very reasonable or Ikea kitchens are fairly cheap.

ThePiedPiper

cronin_j wrote: »

Negotiate for everything too, dont just accept the status quo, builders are willing to do anything for work these days, best take advantage of that.

Not just the builders themselves.. Building materials, tiles, fireplaces, furniture, electrical fittings, etc. Upfront cash even in retail shops has gotten me savings of over 30% on nearly everything from the marked prices.

If there's anything you can do yourself, do it.. We did landcaping ourselves on an acre.. took a week or 10 days of raking and gathering stones but saved a few thousand there..

If you've not applied for planning yet, consider the appropriate size for a holiday home.. Does it necessarily need a second sitting-room, a garage, a conservatory, ensuites in more than one bedroom? Bear in mind to kit out and tile each bathroom could cost in the region of €4,000 or more.

Try and choose items that are relatively low maintanance.. If it's a holiday home, the last thing you want to be doing on your two week holiday every year is painting, cleaning, and repairing. For instance, a grey wetdash or stone exterior will never need painting unlike a plaster finish.

Can't think of other ways but there are hundreds of little things that can be done..

ThePiedPiper

nantony98 wrote: »

What type of house design will give best bang for your buck? 1.5 storey, Dormer, 2 storey?

Have a look around at the houses in the area, you may not have the option to build a 2 storey if it doesn't blend in with the area..
Personally, I feel the lost floor area in dormers is a major disadvantage.. 1.5 storey has the best of both worlds in my opinion. No useable space is lost upstairs..

sydthebeat

nantony98 wrote: »

What type of house design will give best bang for your buck? 1.5 storey, Dormer, 2 storey?

the roof construction tends to be about 40% of structure costs... therefore a full 2 storey is best bang for buck if viewed from a "per sq ft" basis.... being that a single storey / bungalow has 200% of the roof and foundation area that a 2 storey has.

the tendency in order of house type from dearest to cheapest is:
single storey
dormer
1 1/2 storey
2 storey

obviously planning will play a huge part in the determination of your house type, design and finishes....

Technophobe

From my current and on-going experience so far;)

As previously said, keep the shapes simple, roof and windows included...
My architect didn't and I was asked whether I wanted to buy shares in Lead companies before my Lead order was priced/processed by one prospective supplier:mad: :rolleyes:

When planning the room sizes etc, DO NOT fall into the trap of "ah sure 1 extra sq foot or metre couldn't hurt"...it's only space...BUT it's extra space/size that has to be roofed, insulated slated and eventually heated and so on...

Do bargain with 1) the concrete and block companies....agree a price per block up front before u even open an account 2) all the Building Supply merchants...3) do use the Internet alot to check prices..


Hope this helps

One of the most important tips is

Don't make unecessary changes during the build - this is one of the quickest way to throw the budget!

nantony98

What do you think about the following ideas, havent done research on prices yet just thinking out loud...

Coloured render, never have to paint the outside, save over time.

Natural slate to tile the bathroom.

A divorce, the wife already wants a winding staircase a-la Gone with the wind

dfcelt

nantony98 wrote: »

What do you think about the following ideas, havent done research on prices yet just thinking out loud...

Coloured render, never have to paint the outside, save over time.

Natural slate to tile the bathroom.

A divorce, the wife already wants a winding staircase a-la Gone with the wind

Do a quick search on coloured render, I personally have seen very few well installed installations & once its on there is very little you can do.

Natural slate: Matter of personal choice really, again, view an existing physical installation as opposed to google images/glossy brochures to get a real feel for the finished article.

Divorce
We're at slabbing/plastering stage now & so far I've switched from a std stira type access with small room space in attic for future conversion to a fully converted open plan 10m x 5m attic with open thread white oak staircase access & associated electrics + plumbing/velux on newly acquired 3rd floor :rolleyes:
If your contemplating it now wait till you see the grey hairs/blood pressure etc etc in about 6/12 months......

Phrase of the week... Is that all that you did last week, I thought that (insert relevant task here) would have been finished ages ago.

Best of luck with direct labour, that the route I went down.
Plenty of work involved but greatly rewarding, or so I've been told.

Do-more

dfcelt wrote: »

Phrase of the week... Is that all that you did last week, I thought that (insert relevant task here) would have been finished ages ago.

:D:D Welcome aboard, it's a big club!

muffler

Leadership wrote: »

No offence to women but keep them away from boutiques, high quality outlets etc! I know from my own experience where the house itself will come in at €83 per sq ft but once the €30k kitchen and marble tiles are factored it will rocket to €128 per sq ft.

Classic!