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Live in garage/granny flat while building house?

  • 17-11-2013 10:44am
    #1
    wheats999
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 ✭


    Hi all. Partner & I are thinking of building house. Have site from parents but not much money, therefore we need to live on site whilst building.

    SCENARIO: 2 adults, 2 pre-teen girls so we can't live in a mobile home. Its just not gonna work!! Also, Wicklow Co.Co. already told me that they do not allow temporary structures bla bla bla. I know plenty of people who chanced it anyway but its really not something we want to do unless its a last resort.

    Our next idea is to build a garage first, live in that, then after year or two of saving, move onto starting the house. We're thinking if we could get away with 15k to start the garage (granted we have roofers, carpenters, block layers, plasterers, diggers etc in the family to call on for favours) could it be a reality? This will be a really basic finish, nothing fancy at all. Is this figure way off?

    Due to family commitments, our plan is that no matter what we build, we will have a granny flat for a family member. Wicklow Co. Co. says that this needs to be part of the house with access through so that it can be incorporated back into the house when no longer used. Whether or not it is attached to the house is not a concern for us. Ideally I would have liked a separate building to allow us both to live with some privacy, but its not a deal breaker either.

    So keeping in mind that once we build our own part of the house, the garage/granny flat will be immediately occupied by our family member, so it has to be kitted out with kitchen/living, bathroom & bedroom areas regardless of whether we live in it first or not. So its not like its going to go to waste.

    Some questions arising include;
    Do we need a proper septic tank from the word go?
    How much are we talking for connection to ESB?
    Is it a good idea???!
    Have any of you done this before?

    If anyone has any experience in this field you could share with me to help my frazzled brain it would be much appreciated! :confused:


Comments

  • #2
    BryanF
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 10,146 Mod ✭✭✭✭BryanF


    wheats999 wrote: »
    Our next idea is to build a garage first, live in that, then after year or two of saving, move onto starting the house. We're thinking if we could get away with 15k to start the garage (granted we have roofers, carpenters, block layers, plasterers, diggers etc in the family to call on for favours) could it be a reality?
    have you approached the planners about this, you'll get the same response as the mobile home;)
    1. Do we need a proper septic tank from the word go?
    2. How much are we talking for connection to ESB?
    3. Is it a good idea???!
    4. Have any of you done this before?

    1. prior to occupation, contractor is obligied to provide facilities under the
      Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act - Health and Safety Authority
    2. approx 1800
    3. live in a garage/granny flat? NO. from what you have said its against the planners direction.
    4. designed a granny flat? attached to a dwelling, yes. it should be on the ground floor built to same regs as any house and subject to its planning permission


  • #3
    Cargin14
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7 ✭Cargin14


    great idea but planners dont like it. they have two concerns which involve the possibility that you wont actually build the house and/or that you will have the possibility of renting it out when you have built the house. thats of course that a neighbour reports you to them.
    as an idea its good especially but only if its two storey, that you mean to keep the upstairs layout, minimal work downstairs ie open plan, and you intend on reusing a lot of stuff once your house is complete.
    be interested in hearing from anyone who fought the planners on this, on what points.....and won!


  • #4
    sheff the ref
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 618 ✭✭✭sheff the ref


    How did this end up?

    Have heard of a few cases of people living in garages while they main dwelling was being built. From what I understand the blockwork was built to roof level on both Garage and Dwelling house. Then roof was put on Garage, windows put in etc. etc. Plumbing and electrics put in, and septic tank put in which all have to be done anyway.

    Basic lino floor, temporary stud partition and a very basic kitchen would be the only real extras as many garages have a toilet and electric shower anyway.

    Another extra cost would have been the insulation. A finished garage needs most other stuff.


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