Our house plans

help_me1

Hi we have planning for a story and a half house. Please find attached the floor plans. Just wondering if anyone has any ones-both positive and negative! We are planning on taking out the void on the right hand side of the stairs and having an arch between the dining/living area. Thanks

Carlow52

dont u/stand void question: as dont know what u mean by right: better to say east/west/wahtever or adjacent to ....

what is the benefit of arch way against current open plan?

larder/hob/sink/fridge layout fine if it includes a Luas:)

Hot water pipe runs look very long/wasteful

TV over stove not a great idea

where/what is heating system?

do u need all the dormers with such a large footprint?

I would square it off at the back.

curved staircase waste of mula.

put w/c in west end of utility room and make downstairs bedroom en suite

Big project: good luck:)

help_me1

Hi thanks for the reply.
1) I thought the arch would separate the eating area to the living room a bit while it would also give us a corner wall for us to put a glass stove into it as the OH isn't keen on the tv over fire as well. The other option is to put the tv on the wall adjacent the stove-but we are a bit worried about that as it is the only 'free' wall.
2) We were planning on changing the kitchen
3) We were planning on putting a thermal store in the hot press and have a oil boiler in utility with back boiler off stove as well
4) The OH has always wanted a curved staircase-may have to go if money becomes an issue
5) Might look into squaring it off- a few people have said that, but will we have to re apply for planning
6) Didn't really want to put en suites-guests can use their legs to walk!!!
Thanks

Carlow52

help_me1 wrote: »

Hi thanks for the reply.
1) I thought the arch would separate the eating area to the living room a bit while it would also give us a corner wall for us to put a glass stove into it as the OH isn't keen on the tv over fire as well. The other option is to put the tv on the wall adjacent the stove-but we are a bit worried about that as it is the only 'free' wall.
2) We were planning on changing the kitchen
3) We were planning on putting a thermal store in the hot press and have a oil boiler in utility with back boiler off stove as well
4) The OH has always wanted a curved staircase-may have to go if money becomes an issue
5) Might look into squaring it off- a few people have said that, but will we have to re apply for planning
6) Didn't really want to put en suites-guests can use their legs to walk!!!
Thanks

3: IMO back boiler stove just not worth the hassle
4: depending on the spec you may not have much change out of 450k so the differential cost on the curves just may get lost in rounding:)
5: TBH the bedroom down stairs along with the big disabled/wet room bathroom is a decent idea, just need the cremo in the garage:) However the ensuite gives a lot more privacy and in fairness the guests dont need all that space for a quick JR. I dont mean o/night guests but for dinner parties etc.

If you do need to use it for someone who is incapacitated/in wheelchair/zimmer frame etc the ensuite offers a lot more dignity. Been there, done that....

BryanF

help_me1 wrote: »

5) Might look into squaring it off- a few people have said that, but will we have to re apply for planning

if you did this you may have a few grand extra to go for a higher specification, but a fresh PP will slow you down:( if you did go for planning, consider putting a bedroom in where the WW/ En-suite(ES) is. this could give 3 Upstairs rooms southern windows. your Master could still be circa 4m in width, with ES & WW where the main wc is pushing the main wc above the Dis wc. keeping wc's storage etc more to the north. (all of this was just purely an 'if you did':))

have you considered MVHR, its best to keep it within the heated envelope, maybe include a drying cupboard also, that would easily fit in the utility.
I don't see a problem with the void, unless you've a better use of space planned for landing, I'd even consider enlarging it a bit. I like the idea of having a bath by the window, but have a think about some kind of auto-blind and low sill to enjoy the view while your in it:). all those dormers will add a little to the budget and please ensure that your architect gets the detailing, specifically the air-tightness details right on them:).

Mellor

I don't see why you have a disabled access ramp at the rear door. Especailly at 1 in 12. It would require a handrail for a start.

The requirement is for level access not a ramp. Ramps are for converting an existing building or level changes. A new house should be able to do this with a slight fall from the. Preferably the front door.

help_me1

"depending on the spec you may not have much change out of 450k so the differential cost on the curves just may get lost in rounding"- we were hoping to get in done for a lot less that this:eek:
Yes we were planning on putting in MHRV
We didn't realise that the dormer adds a lot to the budget. We didnt think the council would give us a two story
Wish we had thought of squaring it off before planning if it was going to be cheaper!

Carlow52

we were hoping

This project is far too big for hoping on cost

on the cost I presume you have a bill of quantities at this stage so it should be easy enough to price up, especially on finishes.

Its not hard to do even in a simple spread sheet

for example count up all the interior doors and they can cost anything from 100 to 1,000 euro {paper mache vs solid beech) supplied and fitted.
Flooring: say for laminate type, anything from 7 to 70 a sq meter
same for tiling etc

then the kitchen can be cheap and cheerful from ikea or similar for 5 or 6 k

to xx,000 from Blah blah:)

On appliances plumb for hot and cold to dishwashers and cloth washers and then look carefully at appliances that will take hot water, especially if u have the thermal store and perhaps solar

ditto for windows, external doors, radiators and of course bathroom fittings and the 2 stoves

ps this is not a comprehensive list by any means but its where you can do a lot of very useful work

BryanF

help_me1 wrote: »

We didn't realise that the dormer adds a lot to the budget. We didnt think the council would give us a two story

I didn't say

adds a lot to the budget

i said it 'will add a little', but you missed the point of what i was saying. its achieving the air-tightness (especially with MVHR!) that can be difficult with lots of dormers, you'll need a proper spec and good supervision to get it right:)

Wish we had thought of squaring it off before planning if it was going to be cheaper!

the square plan is about floor area as well as the additional roofing costs.
while your doing your tender drawings consider the passive house standard of building. http://www.passivehouseacademy.com/downloads/New-Build-Passive-House-Guidlines.pdf

homewardbound11

hi,
just had a quick look at the down stairs plan. The focal point of the house is your kitchen diner and it is a shame to have the only entrances to it either through a utility room or under a stair case.
Have a think about people coming to visit on a casual basis. They would be entering through a utility room that is usually untidy at the best of times or under a stair case. If hte light isnt good there it would make it dreary.
Just my thought.

ShiverinEskimo

Carlow52 wrote: »

4: depending on the spec you may not have much change out of 450k so the differential cost on the curves just may get lost in rounding:)

450k? Are you serious?

Even at a high-spec'd 100 euro a sq foot it'll come to 280 and the few loose quotes we've been given for our plans so far indicate about 70 to 80 euro per sq ft for decent spec is correct.

I don't know where you're getting 450k from. 160 per sq ft seems insane to me.

BryanF

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

450k? Are you serious?

Even at a high-spec'd 100 euro a sq foot it'll come to 280 and the few loose quotes we've been given for our plans so far indicate about 70 to 80 euro per sq ft for decent spec is correct.

I don't know where you're getting 450k from. 160 per sq ft seems insane to me.

ShiverinEskimo,
I'd recommend you get the Aug/Sept addition of construct Ireland magazine. I would consider the passive house standard a high spec which does not have any bearing on the finishes, floors, kitchen etc). there over a dozen examples of low energy buildings and not one was built as cheap as 100€ sqft

160€sqft is not insane, its still less than many paid in the boom, and most of us would at least like to live to in a building that is built better than many were during that time..

may i ask

1. have you done a phpp or a provision BER/ part L check.
2. are you going for a turn key or self build?
3. if your going for a turn-key what spec, details, drawings have you giving your builders for these quotes?

I'm all for low prices but i question are many 'low budget' homes built with border line Building relation compliance. and is this low pricing by builders just to get any work they can, causing short-cuts and more crap homes to be built?

ShiverinEskimo

I haven't been that far yet but our plans were drawn up by our architect with a budget in mind. We asked for high-spec and have been given loose quotes (just to approach the bank with) by two builders of 180k and 190k respectively for air-tight block build. I'm considering adding a HRV system so I expect that to increase accordingly.

It's a 2200sq ft dormer bungalow in Louth.

I've not a BER check as yet.

Apologies if my post came across as snide, that was unintentional - I was actually genuinely wondering as I thought 160 euro per sq ft was very high from the experience I've had so far. I'm (clearly) not an expert though so am very open to correction.

sydthebeat

you will get a reasonably good speced dormer dwelling for €100 per sq ft.

Contractors quotes for a basic builders finish are in the region of €70-85 in the area i work in. Put a HRV system and a reasonable air tightness strategy on top, plus the economics of building a dormer and i think you can build, and finish out, a very reasonably well spec house for €220,000.

fitz01

just wondering how did it all go I am looking at building and looking at the rough cost of building I am looking at something similar myself. I will do all the carpentry myself plus all the slabbing I have an electrician in the family who will wire for free. PLan on labouring for the block layer also.

yoloc

fitz01 wrote: »

just wondering how did it all go I am looking at building and looking at the rough cost of building I am looking at something similar myself. I will do all the carpentry myself plus all the slabbing I have an electrician in the family who will wire for free. PLan on labouring for the block layer also.

Will sit back and await the usual responces in here when someone mentions doing the work themselves lol. IMO, i say do as much work on it as you can to save on the euros.

I know theres new regs coming in here in 2014 but im sure there will be ways around it legally that will still see us still doing as much as we can. Me, im capable in alot of trades in construction and im well capable of building a house from scratch. On paper i dont have any skills because i left school over 20 years ago and straight onto site up untill this recession hit. It aint going to stop me from building my 2nd home in the coming years.

BryanF

yoloc wrote: »

Will sit back and await the usual responces in here when someone mentions doing the work themselves lol. IMO, i say do as much work on it as you can to save on the euros.

I know theres new regs coming in here in 2014 but im sure there will be ways around it legally that will still see us still doing as much as we can. Me, im capable in alot of trades in construction and im well capable of building a house from scratch. On paper i dont have any skills because i left school over 20 years ago and straight onto site up untill this recession hit. It aint going to stop me from building my 2nd home in the coming years.

yoloc change the record, thanks