should i keep haggling on price of new build?

bb12

i've currently got a quote from my preferred contractor for a new build which is coming in at €93 per sq ft. this doesn't include any footpaths around the house, kitchen, flooring or sanitary ware for an ensuite and one bathroom (they will fit and i will supply).

the new build is a fairly standard one and half storey house, no complications, pvc windows, veluxes only upstairs, plain render finishes inside and out, one chimney that will be just for a solid fuel stove. pretty standard (well slightly higher) cavity wall insulation etc., standard internal doors and skirting.

i also supply the Biocycle unit but they will hook it up...there's an established driveway and entrance into the site so no hardcore required to start off with...i also have water already onsite and the esb pole just ready to be hooked up when the house is finished so no road opening involved etc...

should i haggle them down more? ideally i would like the build to come in at €90 per sq ft considering all the stuff i'm supplying myself but i don't want to back the contractor into a corner either as i'd like to have a decent house at the end of it all.

or should i just be happy with the price i'm getting right now?

I'm

bb12, what part of the country are you in and what is the total size in sqft ? This would help in understanding if this price is about right.

kkelliher

not make him cut corners to cut the price.

Most builders price within a range. If a person quotes you €100 he might be able to do it for €90 but not €80 so you have to be careful. In building you do pay for what you get

best of luck with it

PCPhoto

bb12 wrote: »

i've currently got a quote from my preferred contractor for a new build which is coming in at €93 per sq ft. this doesn't include any footpaths around the house, kitchen, flooring or sanitary ware for an ensuite and one bathroom (they will fit and i will supply).

the new build is a fairly standard one and half storey house, no complications, pvc windows, veluxes only upstairs, plain render finishes inside and out, one chimney that will be just for a solid fuel stove. pretty standard (well slightly higher) cavity wall insulation etc., standard internal doors and skirting.

i also supply the Biocycle unit but they will hook it up...there's an established driveway and entrance into the site so no hardcore required to start off with...i also have water already onsite and the esb pole just ready to be hooked up when the house is finished so no road opening involved etc...

should i haggle them down more? ideally i would like the build to come in at €90 per sq ft considering all the stuff i'm supplying myself but i don't want to back the contractor into a corner either as i'd like to have a decent house at the end of it all.

or should i just be happy with the price i'm getting right now?

Why not just ask the contractor if he is willing to drop to €90 per sq ft

mr_edge_to_you

we were fortunate that our preferred contractor was the cheapest by quite a distance. we did discuss matter in great detail afterwards and both myself and my fiancee agrees that we would've given him the job if he was pricing the same as the others. if he is your preferred contractor then he is preferred for a reason - you obviously have your reasons.

how much more does he compare to your other quotes? eg if you got another quote for €87/sq ft you have to weigh up the reasons he is your preferred contractor against the lower cost contractor (i hope that makes sense!).

Clarelassie

I would suggest you arrange to meet your prefered builder and say that the limit on your budget is 90euro a sq foot. Ask him if there are any reductions he can do or for any suggestions on possible changes to your spec that could still not affect your finish, but could bring you within budget.
We did this with ours and although he reduced very little on his side, he did have some good suggestions on how we could save money by small changes to our spec and still achieve the same spec of u values with insulation etc. And I am still so glad we went with this builder - there has been no skimping on materials or quality of his workmen so far - in fact we have occassionally been suprised with how high the quality of both have been. Currently almost finished roof ( just ridge tiles outstanding) and plasterers are working when weather permits.
Remember the good guys will always be busy and not willing to compromise the standard of their work.
Best of luck with your decision.

paddy147

bb12 wrote: »

i've currently got a quote from my preferred contractor for a new build which is coming in at €93 per sq ft. this doesn't include any footpaths around the house, kitchen, flooring or sanitary ware for an ensuite and one bathroom (they will fit and i will supply).

the new build is a fairly standard one and half storey house, no complications, pvc windows, veluxes only upstairs, plain render finishes inside and out, one chimney that will be just for a solid fuel stove. pretty standard (well slightly higher) cavity wall insulation etc., standard internal doors and skirting.

i also supply the Biocycle unit but they will hook it up...there's an established driveway and entrance into the site so no hardcore required to start off with...i also have water already onsite and the esb pole just ready to be hooked up when the house is finished so no road opening involved etc...

should i haggle them down more? ideally i would like the build to come in at €90 per sq ft considering all the stuff i'm supplying myself but i don't want to back the contractor into a corner either as i'd like to have a decent house at the end of it all.

or should i just be happy with the price i'm getting right now?

As a structural engineer friend of mine said to me during a chat a few weeks ago.......theres only so far you can go and haggle with a builder before he works against you and then wont do the job propperly or help yopu out with any extra little details that arise.

soldsold

I ended up paying my blocklayers a couple of hundred extra as they were so helpful as we came across different tricky situations while extending the house. I paid it just after they finished the walls to eaves level, and after they helped out getting the hollowcore in. A small gesture in the greater scheme of things but it bought a lot of goodwill, you really want your tradesmen on your side and I haggled as much as I thought was reasonable at the start but then began to view money as being a little less important than getting the job 100% right.

Crab

I have heard prices quoted at €61 a sq foot for a block built house with concerate slabs between floors for a builderas finish, this is in the south of the country. i got this information from my Architect whom received as a result of a tender

sacundai

In what county was this quote of 61 per sqft?

spillcoe

Crab wrote: »

I have heard prices quoted at €61 a sq foot for a block built house with concerate slabs between floors for a builderas finish, this is in the south of the country. i got this information from my Architect whom received as a result of a tender

I'd be interested in hearing where this quote came from as well. Please PM me if you have the details

bdoo

I'm hoping to start soon getting quotes at the min, one works out at €75 /sq.ft and the other at € 67.

the €/sq. ft. is a blunt instrument in fairness so for info this is a 3000 sq ft house, builders finish, fairly high electrical spec (a **** load of downlighters etc) oak doors and stairs with w/deal skirting and architrave.

Also it includes the septic tank, percolation area, paths, etc.

Not cowboys either two well established family building companies. I'm pricing up direct labour at the min too but for the amount of hassle i'd get I think the savings might not be worth it - herself is expecting no.2 in the summer, no.1 is only 10 months - so I think it'll be a contractor even though my heart tells me to go direct.

Crab

the € 61 per sq foot was in the country area of cork

hitman79

bdoo wrote: »

I'm hoping to start soon getting quotes at the min, one works out at €75 /sq.ft and the other at € 67.

the €/sq. ft. is a blunt instrument in fairness so for info this is a 3000 sq ft house, builders finish, fairly high electrical spec (a **** load of downlighters etc) oak doors and stairs with w/deal skirting and architrave.

Also it includes the septic tank, percolation area, paths, etc.

Not cowboys either two well established family building companies. I'm pricing up direct labour at the min too but for the amount of hassle i'd get I think the savings might not be worth it - herself is expecting no.2 in the summer, no.1 is only 10 months - so I think it'll be a contractor even though my heart tells me to go direct.

What part of the country are you from bdoo?? Looking to build a 2000sq foot house myself at some stage this year and your quotes seems more than reasonable.

bdoo

Kildare

rebelontour

we were in a similar position when we put our new build out to tender - our preferred builder came in originally as the most expensive - when he enquired why he had'nt heard back I was honest and said he priced himself out of it. He asked me what figure we were going to go with and he then went as close as he could. We choose to go with him as he has a great rep and we have seen his work first hand. Maybe he had a job that fell through and needed the work which is why he reeled his price in mind - it certainly was'nt his conscience!

PLIIM

OP that sounds very expensive

rebelontour

it was'nt really - already a few changes have had to be made and he has'nt charged whereas the other guy would have. It meant us stretching a little bit but it gave us piece of mind going with the builder we wanted. However, I suppose its all well and good wanting certain builders but at the end of the day budgets make decisions.

DSN

OP seems expensive in current climate we're about to to start with our preferred contractor 2500 sq ft + garage fairly high spec insulation & electrics rest relatively standard for €75 after bit of negociation (doesnt inc kitchens, bathrooms, floor materials either) we got 5 quotes and this was the middle range one - got two cheaper but just didnt click with the builders and got great recommendations for the guy we going with. our architech reckons we'd be lucky to save 10% going direct and would take forever. we're in clare by the way.

waynecur

bdoo wrote: »

I'm hoping to start soon getting quotes at the min, one works out at €75 /sq.ft and the other at € 67.

the €/sq. ft. is a blunt instrument in fairness so for info this is a 3000 sq ft house, builders finish, fairly high electrical spec (a **** load of downlighters etc) oak doors and stairs with w/deal skirting and architrave.

Also it includes the septic tank, percolation area, paths, etc.

Not cowboys either two well established family building companies. I'm pricing up direct labour at the min too but for the amount of hassle i'd get I think the savings might not be worth it - herself is expecting no.2 in the summer, no.1 is only 10 months - so I think it'll be a contractor even though my heart tells me to go direct.

Can you pm me these companies u found please. have my plans for similiar 3100 house. cheers

bb12

thanks all for the replies. the house will be in north co dublin. this is my preferred contractor as they seem very easy to deal with compared to other builders i've talked to and have a good reputation. they originally came in middle of the range with their quotes last year. as some people said i just don't want to squeeze them too much or they might work against me, but then when i see people getting quotes at €75 sqft here, it really makes me think! i haven't gone back to negotiate more yet as I'm still going through my plans and their last quote and making some changes but when I'm happy with my final spec then I'll have to sit down with them again and really hammer out a deal.

btw their quote also includes solar panels and a combi boiler to deal with oil and solar heating, standard plumbing and heating with rads (no kitchen installation, will supply own bathrooms for them to install), standard electrics. (am currently trying to up the electric spec with more sockets/lighting etc) but no underfloor heating, floors, wardrobes, tiling etc. (includes rockwool insulation in first floor joists to help cut down noise).

mr_edge_to_you

bb12,

I hear you man!! We are building in Meath but still not too far from Dublin.

I have to say when we started out we saw various prices on boards and to be honest I couldn't find one quote that compared to it. I still worry when I see quotes like the figures mentioned above. Like I said before our preferred builder was the cheapest - we got 6 quotes and the cheapest was a figure close to what you mentioned. There's a house just finished down the road from us and it was built for €80 per sq ft - apparently. We got the same builder to quote us and he was about €130 per sq ft so you do have to be very wary of what people say. I think people in general talk down their costs, maybe I'm wrong. We have cut no corners in our build but our house is far from extravagant - 2200sq ft.

Our builder came in about 100e per sq ft. We asked him if there was anything else he could do on the price and he said straight out that he priced our house to get it. Based on the prices we got he was right. He was significantly cheaper than all the other local builders.

If you have a few quotes that are all in within a certain range of each other then you can see for yourself how much your house is going to cost to build!

mr_edge

MENACE2010

Hi
We're planning to build a house in Clare area and have yet to get quotes from builders for approx cost.....how much info do builders need to give quote ? we don't yet have plans drawn up....as what we build will depend on what it will cost.....anyone in the Ennis area getting quotes recently ? is it better that we wait and get plans first ?

FirstRabbits

Folks,

Its interesting just reading about the quotes ye are receiving from builders. I have received planning permission recently and I am considering using one contractor for the majority of the work. I now wish to put together a tender document to send to 4 or 5 builders. To do this I want to spec the build out correctly, though I am not fully sure how to write a spec for tender up.

is there any chance somebody who has done this, could send me their tender document to give a good idea of the detaik I need to include?

Any help would be much appreciated ....feel free to pm me.

Thanks.

mr_edge_to_you

MENACE2010 wrote: »

Hi
We're planning to build a house in Clare area and have yet to get quotes from builders for approx cost.....how much info do builders need to give quote ? we don't yet have plans drawn up....as what we build will depend on what it will cost.....anyone in the Ennis area getting quotes recently ? is it better that we wait and get plans first ?

A bit like the kerryman been asked for directions by the tourist and replying well i wouldn't start from here. You can work off the notional 100e and our 4/5 bed 1.5 sq ft storey is 2200 sq ft. Just keep your house design simple and build a reasonable size house. A good architect/engineer will help you design and build a house you can afford.

new boy

Crab wrote: »

I have heard prices quoted at €61 a sq foot for a block built house with concerate slabs between floors for a builderas finish, this is in the south of the country. i got this information from my Architect whom received as a result of a tender

Hi. You might PM re builders finish. In process of gettin prices. Any help much appreciated:)

paddy147

Theres only so much you can haggle with a builder before he goes against you and basicly tells you to pi55 off.

Remember,a builder has to make some sort of money too in this day and age.

Everyone seems to be in a state of,its a recession and I want this that and the other for allmost nothing.

Pi55 a builder off too much,and he will basicly tell you to pi55 off too.

mrshappy

FirstRabbits wrote: »

Folks,



is there any chance somebody who has done this, could send me their tender document to give a good idea of the detaik I need to include?

Any help would be much appreciated ....feel free to pm me.

Thanks.

This is what I am looking for at the moment firstrabbits - did you manage to get a copy that you could pass on?

AckwelFoley

bdoo wrote: »

(a **** load of downlighters .

Dont. Seriously dont.

I dont know you, you dont know me, but if you are referring to recess ceililing lights dont.

I advised the same to a man i build a house for last year.. he didnt listen, 6 months later, hes sorry he didnt.

I know of another man, just finished 2 cottage refurbs in athlone, his son was about to move in the next day.. one of the cottages went up in flames.. heat of the light, melted the plastic surround in the ceiling, went on fire.

I know that story is not at all common, but ther is alot of heat generated from them.. the same heat causes the bulbs to blow regularly.. there is a proper procedure involved in fitting them and combustable materials need to be kept back well over 12 inches from them, but my opinion is that despite their nice appearance, they're too much hassle to maintain