To build or not to build?

JimFly

Hi, New to this forum and just wanted to ask a few basic questions. We are looking to build a house. Just speaking to architects at present & we have a site already (gifted). Myself and my wife have little experience or knowledge in this area and are still a bit hesitant about the whole idea. We currently live in Dublin in a 3 bed semi and have been toying about making the move to Kildare for sometime. We went along to the self build show in Citywest at the weekend and are even more confused. There are just so many choices out there for everything! Where does one start? builder vs self build? architect for all stages or just design & planning? heating system? etc etc just seems to be massize amount of information and products out there. Any advice welcome thanks

JuniorB

Where does one start? You're in the right spot here !!

Get in touch with an Architech or Architechtural Technician that is local to your site. They should be able to deal with most of your initial queries and guide you along the design and planning route.

Has anyone else built in that area lately? Do you know them? Call in and have a chat with them and they will hopefully have decent local knowledge of the professionals in the area and builders etc.

Oh and maybe chat your bank and see if they'll give you a few quid.

Best of luck anyway.

RKQ

If I had a gifted site and I thought I could get Planning permission and a mortgage, then I build my own home to a modern contemporary design.

Think how you live now and how you'd like to live if you had the space.
Then design a contemporary new home. Investigate Eco heating & insulation, Passive House, Timber frame v's concrete block work etc.

Avoid building a mock georgian or victorian mansion, built 21st century - very few people want to drive a Modle T Ford car or watch a black & white tv yet we think its good to build "pretent" houses????

Bitten & Hisses

RKQ wrote: »

Avoid building a mock georgian or victorian mansion, built 21st century - very few people want to drive a Modle T Ford car or watch a black & white tv yet we think its good to build "pretent" houses????

Best of luck using that approach with certain county planners. Many of them aren't happy unless it's an identikit rectangular bungalow with no distinctive features and a 5.5metre ridge height.

RKQ

Bitten & Hisses wrote: »

Best of luck using that approach with certain county planners. QUOTE]

It works for me.
Thankfully tv programmes like Grand Designs (back this week) has educated the public to the possibilities of good design.

Bitten & Hisses wrote: »

Many of them aren't happy unless it's an identikit rectangular bungalow with no distinctive features and a 5.5metre ridge height.

This is the approach that has led to a bland landscape. IMO The "bungalow bliss one size fits all" is not desirable.

mr_edge_to_you

Well Jim,

you're in a great position if you already have a site.

There is no right time to do these things. If yourself and your partner really want to build your own home go for it! Not sure whereabouts in Kildare but we spent 2 years in Maynooth and had a ball - really great location.

You should go to a few more of the self builds. It gives a flavour of what type of products are on the market. We all started out on this build with no knowledge - you'd be amazed at what you will learn.

My circumstances regarding the early stages of the build are unusual so didn't have any hassle to get planning permission but like the lads have said a good architectural technician will really help to you get up and running.

But if you're prepared to take your time go to as many self build shows as you can. I discovered the dream product that is AluClad windows at a selfbuild when I was asking about dual coloured PVC windows.

It sounds like a bit of a cliche but the new series of Grand Designs starts this Wednesday and it shows what can be done. It also provides you with loads of unusual ideas. I've been watching many of the older episodes and in them the notion of heatpumps and passive houses seemed like mad scientific stuff but it's quiet the opposite.

I can recommend an excellent mortgage broker in the Kildare area that has loads of selfbuild experience. We found that it made a massive difference!

mr_edge_to_you

I should've added that we went the contractor route. We had no previous building experience.

The amount of calls I had to make during work during the build was mad. If we went direct labour I probably would've had to take days off work here and there. Unfortunately in the current climate I'd be very nervous about spending time in work doing stuff that wasn't work related.

I think as well that if you going direct labour you need to be onsite EVERY DAY making sure that everything is in order.