Building a House - Where do I start?

Funkyjaw

Hey everyone,

I want to build a house next to my family home in Dublin, as we have a large site to the side. This seems to be the best option as house prices increasing in Dublin have priced me out of the market.

Does anyone have any views on where I should start?

Do I need to transfer the site into my name before I build?
Who should I consult (solicitor/bank/builder/architect/council) first?

Does any experienced builder know roughly how much start to finish what this might cost? I know asking that question is a 'how long is a piece of string question', however it will be a very basic 3 bed 2 bath with regular furnishings. Nothing fancy!

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks in advance!

Funkyjaw

ryan101

My advice for someone in your situation would be :

First and foremost, get a good, practical, practicing and qualified architect who has done this type of work before (personal recommendation is best) and give them an idea of your needs / budget. (Also talk to some banks to get a ballpark figure of what they will finance and the repayments you can afford). Those first two steps will get the ball rolling for you. When you are choosing your preferred layout / specification for the house, always remember everything is usually a compromise between three things : "cheap, quick and good." When making each choice for your house, 90% of the time you have to pick which two things out that list are your highest priority, you'll rarely achieve 3 out of 3.

The Architect will help you with all the rest, including advising you on if your planning application is likely to be successful on your chosen site or not, and what the planners will be seeking, dealing with neighbours, minimising objections etc.(You can apply for planning permission on a site you don't own, provided you have the owners written permission. So best to see how the planning goes before you consider any site transfer.)

When you've settled on a design and get your planning permission, the Architect will help you with obtaining / choosing tenders / quotes from at least three reputable contractors. Meanwhile you can go shopping for the best mortgage deal.

When you've settled on your builder and price you then agree approx. stage payments with the bank. Again the Architect will advise you on this.
The last hurdle will be ensuring your Architect provides you with good site supervision during construction. Even the best contractors need an eye kept on them. The building regulations are very tight now about getting a professional to supervise and sign off on all stages. "Self build" may become a thing of the past, there is a lot of debate about the consequences of the new building regs at the minute. Self build is not all its cracked up to be anyway, the mistakes, hassles, and lack of experience often cancel out any perceived savings.

As you can see, it's key to get a good Architect to help you, so choose wisely.

Anyways, good luck with your new home.

Once you've finished building and moved in, it's unlikely you'll ever want to do it again, you'll know what I mean when you get there

galwaytt

I'd start in the Planning Office - to see if what you dream of is going to be even possible, planning-wise.

ryan101

Hmmm, for what could be a tricky urban site in Dublin, I'm not so sure. I'd look around for precedents in the area, and carefully approach them in conjunction with the Architect with a pre planning query. Yes it should be done as early as possible in the process, before you spend any money on detailed design, but you don't want to trigger any outright 'No's' or shaking of the head from them at the outset. That's a big hill to overcome. So how this initial approach is handled is key. There is too much at stake, imo.

4Sticks

Funkyjaw wrote: »

Does anyone have any views on where I should start?

Simple look around - there ought to be many examples of once large side gardens built on in your area.

Funkyjaw wrote: »

Do I need to transfer the site into my name before I build? Who should I consult (solicitor/bank/builder/architect/council) first?

Assuming there is plenty of precedents then - Bank - solicitor - architect.

Funkyjaw wrote: »

Does any experienced builder know roughly how much start to finish what this might cost? I know asking that question is a 'how long is a piece of string question', however it will be a very basic 3 bed 2 bath with regular furnishings. Nothing fancy!

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks in advance!

Funkyjaw

Budget €2000/m2 from start to move in covering everything.

Funkyjaw

Thanks for everyone's input.
There are two houses on the street behind freshly build, that were in the same situation as me, so there is precedent.
I will get started and keep you updated with my progress/hurdles and maybe one day ill post a picture of the finished article.

ryan101

Funkyjaw wrote: »

Thanks for everyone's input.
There are two houses on the street behind freshly build, that were in the same situation as me, so there is precedent.

That's a very good sign from your point of view.
Have a long look at those houses and how they fitted them into the sites and their design/layout/orientation/entrances etc. Even consider calling to the houses and have a quick doorstep chat with the owners for a few hints and tips, and also recommendations about Architects and Builders. Obviously don't be too probing or nosey, or ask about budgets, just a casual chat, and let them give you a bit of advice. Anyone who's recently been through the experience will know where you're coming from. Ask them with hindsight, what their main advice would be. Nothing like learning from other peoples experiences, and you could save yourself a lot of hassle, time and money finding out the hard way.
Also very carefully consider your neighbours and overlooking their property/ blocking their light and how to minimise this and any other impacts on them and their services/drainage etc. Many's a project was halted due to a disgruntled neighbour putting a spanner in the works.

Gumbo

Funkyjaw wrote: »

Hey everyone,

I want to build a house next to my family home in Dublin, as we have a large site to the side. This seems to be the best option as house prices increasing in Dublin have priced me out of the market.

Does anyone have any views on where I should start?

Do I need to transfer the site into my name before I build?
Who should I consult (solicitor/bank/builder/architect/council) first?

Does any experienced builder know roughly how much start to finish what this might cost? I know asking that question is a 'how long is a piece of string question', however it will be a very basic 3 bed 2 bath with regular furnishings. Nothing fancy!

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks in advance!

Funkyjaw

PM me your exact address if in the Dublin city council area and I will pass on the details of the planner you need to talk to to set up a pre planning consultation or similar.

If you want of course.