price of direct labour 2012

rurz23

hi,
i was thinking of building a new house in westmeath around 3000 sq foot...i was quoted unofficially of €65 a square foot for 2012...and this would be to a good finish - basic plastered rooms, kitchen etc.
What do people think of these prices-is this realistic or not?

Duffers11

rurz23 wrote: »

hi,
i was thinking of building a new house in westmeath around 3000 sq foot...i was quoted unofficially of €65 a square foot for 2012...and this would be to a good finish - basic plastered rooms, kitchen etc.
What do people think of these prices-is this realistic or not?

Commencing a new build myself at the end of the month. It's really going to depend on how much you will be doing yourself and how much help you can get with it. We have a lot of ppl on board giving a dig out but if we had to pay builders don't think we would achieve €65 per sq fr. Because I'm budgeting at the mo, there's a hell of a lot expense that ur not prepared for until the time comes. Every project is different! Best of luck with it!

New build in sight

rurz23 wrote: »

hi,
i was thinking of building a new house in westmeath around 3000 sq foot...i was quoted unofficially of €65 a square foot for 2012...and this would be to a good finish - basic plastered rooms, kitchen etc.
What do people think of these prices-is this realistic or not?

Hi, we too were quoted approximately €67 per sqf but this didnt include stairs or kitchen.

We are building in the midlands and a house about 2700sqf.

We got an engineer to quote for us so his fee on top of this would be about another 10k! So we think thats a waste and weve decided to go direct route too. So it would be great to see others on here providing support etc.

BryanF

We got an engineer to quote for us so his fee on top of this would be about another 10k! So we think thats a waste and weve decided to go direct route too. So it would be great to see others on here providing support etc.

Hi can you tell us a bit more about what's included/excluded for this figure?
Also what service was offered by the eng? Why you think its a waste? And how you intend to progress now? What stage are you at and have you completed a ber prov assessment ?

New build in sight

Hi,

As far as I am aware it includes everything except as mentioned the kitchen and stairs. I know it is going to be rated A3. We also have an akward window that we need to Keylite to make for us which would of increased the budget. It is approx 2700sqf.
It is a dormer so perhaps this makes it slightly less, i am not sure. We are going with UFH downstairs and rad's upstairs OFCH. Concrete floors upstairs. Double glazed windows. (I am hoping to get sliding sash windows even to the front of the house) but the windows quoted were for standard ones from a company in the midlands. Not sure if i am allowed say names etc on here.
Our engineer will just do the work of an engineer and not a project manager which is what we initially thought we would use him for but we just couldnt justify the additional cost when we were sourcing costings ourselves anyway. He is charging us standard engineer fee's rather than full project management fee's. We are working out our budget at the moment and my partner did post on another trhead about project planning etc. so we are investigating reducing this cost even further by proper planning.
Someone advised us to explore quantity surveryor options but we are so close to starting that we are not sure if we see value in that now. Trying to keep costs down is our priority right now.
I am not sure what other info you need right now, if you have more specific questions i will try and answer. I do hope i helped.

New build in sight

This thread may help others in determining costs etc http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=75706015

New build in sight

We received a contractor quote today for 2700sqf at......wait for it..... €240,000. No Kitchens or sanitry ware. Red deal stairs.
It kind of confirms going direct does save you money.

YMCA

Hi all,

I am currently in the initial stage of my ground work on a direct labour build. I got a set of drawings for the planning stage and my architect was looking for crazy money for a set of detailed construction drawings so I have thus decided to not use a set for my build and work off the planning set

I thus need a new man to access my mortgage at different stages of the build and was just wondering what is a competitive quote for this activity??? I am building in the midlands.

Thanks inadvance.

New build in sight

YMCA wrote: »

Hi all,

I am currently in the initial stage of my ground work on a direct labour build. I got a set of drawings for the planning stage and my architect was looking for crazy money for a set of detailed construction drawings so I have thus decided to not use a set for my build and work off the planning set

I thus need a new man to access my mortgage at different stages of the build and was just wondering what is a competitive quote for this activity??? I am building in the midlands.

Thanks inadvance.

Hi, we have been quoted anywhere between €1200 and €1800 for engineers services only not including project managment. I think what the engineers we spoke with quoted somewhere around 5 site visits and signing off work for draw downs. I cant be 100% certain, but im sure my partner can confirm later when he logs in here.
Is that what you mean?

YMCA

New build in sight wrote: »

Hi, we have been quoted anywhere between €1200 and €1800 for engineers services only not including project managment. I think what the engineers we spoke with quoted somewhere around 5 site visits and signing off work for draw downs. I cant be 100% certain, but im sure my partner can confirm later when he logs in here.
Is that what you mean?

Hiya,

Yeah that is all. Just the 5/6 visits to sign off. I got an initial quote of €1500 today. Thought it was a bit pricey.

I'm not looking for a project manager or anything else. Just his signature really!!!!

New build in sight

YMCA wrote: »

Hiya,

Yeah that is all. Just the 5/6 visits to sign off. I got an initial quote of €1500 today. Thought it was a bit pricey.

I'm not looking for a project manager or anything else. Just his signature really!!!!

Totally agree with you, I am surprised by the quotes we get for such limited work. Even considering transport costs/ travel etc. I think 5/6 visits at €1500 is shocking! The site visits would probably take no more than an hour and a signiature, thats €300 per hour! Wow, now multiply that by 40 hours per week and you have one hell of a money spinner! Why didnt my parents make me be an engineer!

YMCA

New build in sight wrote: »

Totally agree with you, I am surprised by the quotes we get for such limited work. Even considering transport costs/ travel etc. I think 5/6 visits at €1500 is shocking! The site visits would probably take no more than an hour and a signiature, thats €300 per hour! Wow, now multiply that by 40 hours per week and you have one hell of a money spinner! Why didnt my parents make me be an engineer!

Because you would now be unemployed and overcharging people to make up the shortfall!!!

muffler

So none of you will mind if the engineer doesn't give you relevant certs at the end of the job and he can cancel his PI insurance also just to make the job more profitable?

Sure it's only his signature that's required.

I wish you both well in your efforts.

rurz23

so has anyone gotten a quote anywhere around this price?

wirehairmax

New build in sight wrote: »

Totally agree with you, I am surprised by the quotes we get for such limited work. Even considering transport costs/ travel etc. I think 5/6 visits at €1500 is shocking! The site visits would probably take no more than an hour and a signiature, thats €300 per hour! Wow, now multiply that by 40 hours per week and you have one hell of a money spinner! Why didnt my parents make me be an engineer!

Just goes to show how little you know about the actual process involved in preparing and issuing certificates. There's at least half a days work involved with each interim certificate. And then the final certificate of compliance which must be worded correctly to satisfy all solicitors involved. I gave up doing them as they were actually not worth the hassle and the constant risk to my PI policy by uneducated know-it-all self-builders. 5-6 visits is never enough visits to properly supervise the construction of a modern dwelling. I got fed up of only receiving a panicky phone call from a client looking for another certificate because the money was running out. I always found that too much can happen in a short space of time on a building site and too much gets covered up before the supervising engineer gets to pass the work and take photo records.
Usually the Engineer is called a b****** because he/she wont sign off on shoddy work or a direct labour build not built in compliance with either Planning or Building Regulations. As is nearly always the case the self-builder knows more than the Engineer. Either that or a relative/neighbour/lad in the pub is bending the ear of the self-builder and offering advice usually ending with a ''sher it'll be alright'' and ''dont pay him until he signs off on it''.
I wont go into the anatomy of running a business, suffice to say €1500 doesnt go far when all overheads, expenses, taxes and wages are accounted for. Thats a debate for another day but I would be curious to know the occupations of some of the posters here.

New build in sight

I am not going to rise to anyone lecturing me in on what an engineer does. And i fail to see the need for the use of swear words on an open form, I am surprised the mods are thanking you for the comments, i found it unhelpful. The reason I am on this forum is to get more information because as you point out i am " un uneducated know it all self builder" hence why i am on here. We're all here to help eachother, you could of got your point across without insult.


If you read my post with a lighter heart you wouldnt of taken offence. I am very friendly with several engineers in several different verticals and they all explain very clearly to me the work involved in issuing certs etc. You do not need to patronise me.

Now i would prefer to go back to enjoying this thread for what it is, gaining information and sharing information not throwing insults thank you.

New build in sight

rurz23 wrote: »

so has anyone gotten a quote anywhere around this price?

Sorry RURZ23 it seems we have hijacked your thread yes we did get a similar quote, I could PM you details if you like. The quote came from an engineer based in Westmeath actually so if you want his details let me know and i can PM you, in fact there were 2 that gave us similar quotes based in Westmeath.

muffler

I think I need to point out a couple of things here. First of all you didnt complain at all about the price you were quoted

New build in sight wrote: »

Hi, we have been quoted anywhere between €1200 and €1800 for engineers services

but then another poster thinks €1500 is pricy and its only a signature he needs

YMCA wrote: »

quote of €1500...... a bit pricey.......just his signature really!!!!

So all of a sudden you now think that you are possibly being ripped off by posting this masterpiece

New build in sight wrote: »

Totally agree with you, I am surprised by the quotes we get for such limited work. Even considering transport costs/ travel etc. I think 5/6 visits at €1500 is shocking! The site visits would probably take no more than an hour and a signiature, thats €300 per hour! Wow, now multiply that by 40 hours per week and you have one hell of a money spinner! Why didnt my parents make me be an engineer!

So then you get a rebuttal (and just for the record I seen nothing wrong with wirehairmax's post) so now your engineers are all the best thing since sliced pan

New build in sight wrote: »

I am very friendly with several engineers in several different verticals and they all explain very clearly to me the work involved in issuing certs etc.

On reflection now can you see the contradictions in those posts?

Look, you are spot on when you say that this is a discussion forum and if you say something that someone else doesnt agree with then expect an alternative reply. Some replies are more subtle than others but unless it gets abusive or the content breaches the forum charter then we (mods) have no need to deal with the posts. In the unlikely event you feel that any post or part thereof is not acceptable then just report it (little red and white triangle below the user name) and we can have a look. If anything ever bothers you then you may also PM any of the forum mods.

I hope you will be using the forums to their maximum over the period of your build and people can give you their thoughts and opinions but dont always expect everyone to be in agreement.

Finally, at the time of typing anyhow, just one person thanked the post you alluded to and that was me. That was done in my capacity as an ordinary joe soap and not as a mod

New build in sight

muffler wrote: »

I think I need to point out a couple of things here. First of all you didnt complain at all about the price you were quoted

but then another poster thinks €1500 is pricy and its only a signature he needs

So all of a sudden you now think that you are possibly being ripped off by posting this masterpiece


So then you get a rebuttal (and just for the record I seen nothing wrong with wirehairmax's post) so now your engineers are all the best thing since sliced pan

On reflection now can you see the contradictions in those posts?

Look, you are spot on when you say that this is a discussion forum and if you say something that someone else doesnt agree with then expect an alternative reply. Some replies are more subtle than others but unless it gets abusive or the content breaches the forum charter then we (mods) have no need to deal with the posts. In the unlikely event you feel that any post or part thereof is not acceptable then just report it (little red and white triangle below the user name) and we can have a look. If anything ever bothers you then you may also PM any of the forum mods.

I hope you will be using the forums to their maximum over the period of your build and people can give you their thoughts and opinions but dont always expect everyone to be in agreement.

Finally, at the time of typing anyhow, just one person thanked the post you alluded to and that was me. That was done in my capacity as an ordinary joe soap and not as a mod

Well I guess I was giving my opinion then, on what I feel is an overpaid service in my 'average joe soap' opinion and "uneducated know it all self builder" opinion. I have no doubt if you all knew what I get paid for what I do for a living you would too have an uneducated opinion on that .... food for thought.
I never once eluded to the fact I was being ripped off, I was agreeing with the other poster that €1500 is pricey but sadly we all have to pay it whether we think its pricey or not. Thats the last I want to say on the matter I never thought I would find myself in an online spat like this.

Nryan82

Hi all, I've got a few quotes myself for an engineer...first was 2,000...another 1,500 and the last one 1,000....I'm wondering why one would charge a thousand more than another for the same build?..is it just there own fee or does it depend on how strict they are on builders work?..may sound like a stupid reason but I'm curious to know.:D...1,000 quote is 5/6 visits...is this sufficient visits can anyone tell me?
Thanks in advance.:D

fealeranger

If I were in your shoes I would check what kind of history the engineer has. Check for previous builds and referals from his previous clients. Check that the sum total is all included(VAT included). Ask how much extra visits will cost if they are required. I don't know if 5-6 visits will cover a build any more as the bank are always looking for evidence in the form of pictures lately from dealing with my own build. We are at floor level and the engineer has been on site 4 times already. The cheapest guy is not always the best choice and a good history rating will help make the decision for you. You only get to build the house once so try to do it right;):).

Nryan82

Ya that's what I'll do...that's what I was thinking too...the cheapest is not always the best and I would definitely prefer to pay the extra for the better person. No the thousand euro doesn't include the 23% vat, so I'd have to add that on too. Thanks for the advice..;)

auditions

Hi new build in sight, could you pm me the details of the engineers in Westmeath.I'm in the preliminary stages of a newbuild in mullingar. 10k doesn't seem like a bad investment if there's a reputable engineer/pm overseeing a new build. Thanks

muffler

auditions wrote: »

10k doesn't seem like a bad investment if there's a reputable engineer/pm overseeing a new build.

:eek:

Captain Bligh

Nryan82 wrote: »

Hi all, I've got a few quotes myself for an engineer...first was 2,000...another 1,500 and the last one 1,000....I'm wondering why one would charge a thousand more than another for the same build?..is it just there own fee or does it depend on how strict they are on builders work?..may sound like a stupid reason but I'm curious to know.:D...1,000 quote is 5/6 visits...is this sufficient visits can anyone tell me?
Thanks in advance.:D

are you building direct labour. if so this is why. ie the fiurst guy knows the hand holding that awaits him the third guy is a virgin to the scene.

good luck

Captain Bligh

YMCA wrote: »

Hiya,

Yeah that is all. Just the 5/6 visits to sign off. I got an initial quote of €1500 today. Thought it was a bit pricey.

I'm not looking for a project manager or anything else. Just his signature really!!!!

and 6 years tort on his insurance for you guys to play DIY destroy it yourself

wait till the kitchen man comes to shake you by the ankles for over priced plastic coated MDF/chipboard

Captain Bligh

New build in sight wrote: »

We received a contractor quote today for 2700sqf at......wait for it..... €240,000. No Kitchens or sanitry ware. Red deal stairs.
It kind of confirms going direct does save you money.

so yeah maybe this guy is a thief.

did you get a chartered PQS to issue your project for tender. Not an architect, not an Engineer.

probably not, like the rest of the "self build save a fortune.......... opps didnt know how epensive stuff was. But now i caught myself.......so ill tell everybody i saved a fortune" gang!!!!!

show me a direct labour builder who saved a fortune and ill show you a liar.(IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE) You got to factor it all in;

Cost of rent while build runs over!
cost of mortgage while build runs over
cost of "project manager"
your time. if you stayed at your place of work on OT would you earn more, or even take a job at the golden arches flipping burgers!!:)
Fuel to-ing and fro-ing the project hand holding the subbies
fuel as above getting materials.
hire/buy scaffold
insurance
Health and safety. you are now a contractor with legal obligations.
scaffold cert to cover your bollocks
these guys will claim. dont cod yourself. then you are in the sh1t if the above requirments arent in order
lifting/loadall hire
and every single screw and nail
hire of tools and equipment
power generation
fuel for duration for same.
ESB when connected to replace the above

no wonder the country is full of massive self builds, where we "finish the kitchen/dining and bedroom" mansions:eek:

simply taking the most expensive quote and deducting it, from a boards posters costings dosen't equal your saving.

and before anybody climbs aboard the self build horse, i am qualified by examination and years of experience, am charted and a fellow of the professional body to which i am a member........ are you.

oh and one final thing, when your subbie quotes you a price this is labour only. you now buy the materials. and when its all over and you have an absolute fortune in hand who then stand over the finished article.

a funny story before i go. very very true
guy in my office built direct labour. was saving a good deal. absolute peak of boom. has to said
Under floor heating in(tested!!!!! remember this bit)
floor in (Concrete)
built house.
heat on and off
finishes done. savinigs spent here!!!
hardwood floor down.
you guessed it. LEAK LEAK LEAK
Floor F**Ked
Ring plumber. "no good mate i had it tested you witnessed must have been the concrete man"
Ring concrete man "no we use plastic shovels couldnt have been me must have been fllor fitter with a nail"
Dido to floor man "na sure that floor is glued down"
all paid. even if he had money it wouldnt cover the SH1T
nothing for it,...........................you know what came next. move back oput etc etc
END result noone to stand over the finished product with 12 months DLP or even 6 year tort.

Best of luck, and the Self builder was a suitably qualified person but you cant be there for every spoon of concrete!!!

Nryan82

Captain Bligh wrote: »

are you building direct labour. if so this is why. ie the fiurst guy knows the hand holding that awaits him the third guy is a virgin to the scene.

good luck

Hi captain Bligh, no im not going direct labour. Contracting the build.

Captain Bligh

Nryan82 wrote: »

Hi captain Bligh, no im not going direct labour. Contracting the build.

well then

if the builder is well established, insured, tax cleared, homebonded(means feck all but ticks a box) then id go the cheaper option

nothing to be gaied by fecking away money for 6 certs.

get a little contract/email outlining terms of employment

and his/her hourly rate/mileage rate and cost per visit.

im saying you might want him to call an extra time and thus his price is fixed or perhaps stay a while on site to go through stuff.

if your down south i can forward you "a few good men":D

best of luck

Nryan82

Yes my builder defo ticks all them boxes and he has an excellent reputation. Yes I'll make an appointment to see the engineer and have a talk with him about what you've said to ask etc..thanks.:)

Ya send me a few contacts regardless...no harm in checkin them all out. Thanks again.

muffler

Nryan82 wrote: »

Ya send me a few contacts regardless...no harm in checkin them all out. Thanks again.

Just to advise that he has closed his account so dont expect a PM

Nryan82

Ohh..ok muffler..thanks for lettin me know..;)

coastcooler

I've had quotes to get a builder to build a 2,500sq ft house, to my horror quotes between 230-280. This is huge price or am i wrong, im open to been corrected on this. Based In midlands, think I will have go direct labour even do I'm far out knowing anything bout the build process 8-(

Any ideas or suggestions I'm looking for people's opinions etc on going direct or with builder!!

fealeranger

coastcooler wrote: »

I've had quotes to get a builder to build a 2,500sq ft house, to my horror quotes between 230-280. This is huge price or am i wrong, im open to been corrected on this. Based In midlands, think I will have go direct labour even do I'm far out knowing anything bout the build process 8-(

Any ideas or suggestions I'm looking for people's opinions etc on going direct or with builder!!

I would be going the direct labour route if I were you. Even at the cheapest quote you have posted here €230000 it is costing €92/sqft:eek:. Even if that is fully furnished that is crazy. That quote would be expensive in the boom time. A builder finish quote was around €65 over a year ago, could be less now. Material is gone up in price especially insulation due to oil prices. I went direct labour and it is running around €55/sqft all in. It might deviate up €1-3 extra if we decide to go for a higher finish standard as in more expensive doors,tiles, timber flooring and furniture but we have a good finish in the €50 as it stands. If you get a builder at them prices mentioned in your first post you would be mad.

coastcooler

It's hard to know, been told to get it up 2 current build regulations triple glaz window 2 north facing of house, more spec on insulation as my designer has 6 different roofs on it makes it an expensive design!! With council they don't want one chunk of house they want it broken up into parts e.g. I've my kitchen and utility as sgle storey, then also master b/r ensuite robe and sitting room as another sgle storey part. Then back house as builder put it quite lot of glazing.

Does any1 know out there if builders materials are cheaper anywhere else in world. And cud be shipped 2 Ireland or another thing I've my head if you got northern quotes as builder and direct labour is this cheaper??

Just wondering as I'm single applicant have purchase site also so funds is limited. Was hoping get house built part finished for 200k or fully finished for that money.

kkelliher

fealeranger wrote: »

I would be going the direct labour route if I were you. Even at the cheapest quote you have posted here €230000 it is costing €92/sqft:eek:. Even if that is fully furnished that is crazy. That quote would be expensive in the boom time. A builder finish quote was around €65 over a year ago, could be less now. Material is gone up in price especially insulation due to oil prices. I went direct labour and it is running around €55/sqft all in. It might deviate up €1-3 extra if we decide to go for a higher finish standard as in more expensive doors,tiles, timber flooring and furniture but we have a good finish in the €50 as it stands. If you get a builder at them prices mentioned in your first post you would be mad.

At €55/sqft you must have alot of free labour? As it is sinply not possible to be in this range for a standard house if everything is included in the cost. I note that all of these discussions are conpletly off the wall on the basis that no comparison is been made to specification yet everyone is simply comapring the bottom line prices.... Its like comparing how much money you make with your friends without any idea of what jobs you each have or hours you work.

The only way to compare the cost of contract v self build (and to be fair to any builder saving money with free labour from yourself/friends should be noted) is by working up a schedule / boq and having it priced like with like on the same specification. I have yet to actually meet a self builder who saved money (again taking out items with free work) when you compare all the costs. Most self builders, self build on the basis of hearsay and only when they are finished and have paid for everything realise the true extent of the process. Self building involves substantial time, emotion and hasstle for any individual not aware of the process

You also need to hire the right peole and should always have professional assistance ( which does cost money to provide properly despite some of the resiculous posts earlier on this forum)

Best of luck to you all with your projects and everyone hire a quantity surveyor (😇)

fealeranger

kkelliher wrote: »

At €55/sqft you must have alot of free labour? As it is sinply not possible to be in this range for a standard house if everything is included in the cost. I note that all of these discussions are conpletly off the wall on the basis that no comparison is been made to specification yet everyone is simply comapring the bottom line prices.... Its like comparing how much money you make with your friends without any idea of what jobs you each have or hours you work.

The only way to compare the cost of contract v self build (and to be fair to any builder saving money with free labour from yourself/friends should be noted) is by working up a schedule / boq and having it priced like with like on the same specification. I have yet to actually meet a self builder who saved money (again taking out items with free work) when you compare all the costs. Most self builders, self build on the basis of hearsay and only when they are finished and have paid for everything realise the true extent of the process. Self building involves substantial time, emotion and hasstle for any individual not aware of the process

You also need to hire the right peole and should always have professional assistance ( which does cost money to provide properly despite some of the resiculous posts earlier on this forum)

Best of luck to you all with your projects and everyone hire a quantity surveyor (😇)

I paid for all the labour. The labour is the cheapest part of the house. I didn't get anything free in this house only the site and I have factored that into €55/sqft. The house will not be far off passive standard when it is finished. Some people think because they pay a load of money they get the best product. That is not the case. Design can influence the price but a smart engineer/architect will advise people on these points. If you venture away from rectangular/square shapes and start inserting big corner windows you will need steel reinforcement and special windows and that will add great cost to a build. A cut roof will make labour higher. A small bit of thought and compromise will get a good value house. Also council will be a factor in the price. Some want small windows for traditional look and more want large windows to provide solar gain for heating. The biggest waste of money I spent so far was for the quantity surveyor but it was not too expensive as I only got the BOQ which has not being correct for any stage so far. It was over calculated by at least 10% for most stages. Most guys who are pricing will tell you what quantity you need for the job once you have agreed the labour price with them. You can always calculate the quantity yourself.

kkelliher

fealeranger wrote: »

I paid for all the labour. The labour is the cheapest part of the house. I didn't get anything free in this house only the site and I have factored that into €55/sqft. The house will not be far off passive standard when it is finished. Some people think because they pay a load of money they get the best product. That is not the case. Design can influence the price but a smart engineer/architect will advise people on these points. If you venture away from rectangular/square shapes and start inserting big corner windows you will need steel reinforcement and special windows and that will add great cost to a build. A cut roof will make labour higher. A small bit of thought and compromise will get a good value house. Also council will be a factor in the price. Some want small windows for traditional look and more want large windows to provide solar gain for heating. The biggest waste of money I spent so far was for the quantity surveyor but it was not too expensive as I only got the BOQ which has not being correct for any stage so far. It was over calculated by at least 10% for most stages. Most guys who are pricing will tell you what quantity you need for the job once you have agreed the labour price with them. You can always calculate the quantity yourself.

So the €55 sqft also includes the site cost?

coastcooler

Did anyone ever hear of anyone shipping material from outside of Ireland 2 build their house because its cheaper. or getting northern builders?

kkelliher

coastcooler wrote: »

Did anyone ever hear of anyone shipping material from outside of Ireland 2 build their house because its cheaper. or getting northern builders?

It generally does not work out unless you have a massive quantity due to the cost of transport. On some items it will be it needs to be worth the hasstle. Some materials fluctuate from north to south and you will find that it various as to where is cheaper.

The northern builders are no different than southern ones in that they can be hit and miss and are not always the cheapest.

fealeranger

kkelliher wrote: »

So the €55 sqft also includes the site cost?

Yeah. All in for €55.

fealeranger

coastcooler wrote: »

Did anyone ever hear of anyone shipping material from outside of Ireland 2 build their house because its cheaper. or getting northern builders?

I looked into this and it can be done but you would have to be very exact with quantities and exceptional at planning. You would have to get all the materials in the one place as I doubt the truck driver will spend a day or 2 driving shop to shop loading up. You could look into renting a container and loading into it and then delivering it to Ireland. The delivery is charged per KM. I priced a container from Poland and it was almost €2500 over a year ago. Shipping would be cheaper but did not look into this too much. You might still workout cheaper than buying here but time is required to look around and purchase all the material.

Going Demented

Quotes that came in for me were pretty similar from each builder.
1750sq ft bulgalow.
168000 which doesn't include landscaping, kitchen, painting.

kkelliher

fealeranger wrote: »

Yeah. All in for €55.

by a substantial amount and irrespective of specification you are quoting possibly the lowest cost for a build I have ever heard.

fealeranger

kkelliher wrote: »

by a substantial amount and irrespective of specification you are quoting possibly the lowest cost for a build I have ever heard.

This is not a quote. This is an actual live build. I'm 2/3 of the way there and actually under my budget so far. I will be doing the lawns myself as I have the tools at my disposal but there you go. I let the builders do their job while I argued like a demon with builder providers to keep material priced down. It has paid off as I have saved nearly €9,000 so far by placing quote against quote and letting them beat each other down. The way they see it is, it's better to have a small profit than to have none at all, and they are still making profit. That saved money will sort out council fees, ESB connection and go a long ways to sinking a well for me. Money is hard earned so I am not willing to part with it so easily.

john_cappa

fealeranger wrote: »

This is not a quote. This is an actual live build. I'm 2/3 of the way there and actually under my budget so far. I will be doing the lawns myself as I have the tools at my disposal but there you go. I let the builders do their job while I argued like a demon with builder providers to keep material priced down. It has paid off as I have saved nearly €9,000 so far by placing quote against quote and letting them beat each other down. The way they see it is, it's better to have a small profit than to have none at all, and they are still making profit. That saved money will sort out council fees, ESB connection and go a long ways to sinking a well for me. Money is hard earned so I am not willing to part with it so easily.

So is it 55 to date with 2/3 of scheduled work complete? or 55 what you expect the final cost to be per foot?

fealeranger

john_cappa wrote: »

So is it 55 to date with 2/3 of scheduled work complete? or 55 what you expect the final cost to be per foot?

€55 is the final price. I am an target to achieve this.

john_cappa

fealeranger wrote: »

€55 is the final price. I am an target to achieve this.

Even if it was the other way it is still almost unbelievable!

kkelliher

fealeranger wrote: »

This is not a quote.

I said figure quoted as in what you had stated not "quote" as in estimate received

fealeranger

kkelliher wrote: »

I said figure quoted as in what you had stated not "quote" as in estimate received

Sorry:o. Misunderstood the post.

fealeranger

john_cappa wrote: »

Even if it was the other way it is still almost unbelievable!

It is fairly impressive. When I researched all this at the start I thought the direct labour route would crucify my but I gathered myself together and planned out a schedule(which is 6 weeks behind time but on target price-wise). I let the builders do their work, Engineer checks it and lets them know if adjustments are needed and I bargain for the material. I did spend plenty time on the phone but it has eased off thank god. It should be finished around May/June so provided no disaster pops up it should be fine. Although people do say it is the finishing that will soak up the money so time will tell.