Is Buying really cheaper than building?????

derferjam

I have my own site and was hoping to build a 4 bed bunglow in the country-side in carlow. Does anyone think that its still cheaper to buy in this situation than build....
Anyone also know reliable contractors and architects

kkelliher

derferjam wrote: »

Anyone also know reliable contractors and architects

mod note: by pm only

FrontDoor

I'd say you could get a bungalow in rural Carlow for less than the cost of a new build.

The trouble is, it will be a 1970s-80s job, with small rooms, poor light, bad insulation, etc.

A new A-rated build will be a far more comfortable and livable environment.

MizMix

You'll definitely buy cheaper but rarely are you comparing like for like. Unfortunately building prices are rising again (new regulations being a big part of it) but for us it's still worth it. We will be building this year and will end up spending more than we were going to 'buy' with. However there will be no comparison in terms of the design of house, insulation, comfort, efficiency etc etc. We spent 2 years viewing houses and yes they had hugely dropped in price but they either needed a lot of work or were built using much lower quality materials and low tech re insulation/heating etc.

derferjam

MiizMix while the house you are building will not exactly compare with ones you may buy however, how much do you reckon extra you will need to build the house in comparison to built one.

Also how much more do you reckon the new regulations has added to your build?
Also do you know which is the best option to take as I am thinking of going the architect route as opposed to the other options.

The more I work with my figures the harder it seams to get this job up and running even thought I have farm land and a site to build on.

MizMix

It's such early days with regulations that to be honest nobody really knows- we agreed an extra 3k with our architect to cover the assigned and design certifier role but even he can shed no light on how much more contractors will charge due to additional admin. Supply/demand this year will also impact on costs- last year our architect told us competition for work was fierce in our area so contractors were working on very low margins. He thinks this is changing this year.

I don't think it would help to compare price of what we were looking at buying versus what we'll build for as being honest we don't yet know what it's going to cost us to build! And something like windows can vary so much (we've a lot of glazing and will be aiming for triple glazed aluclad which could cost around 40k alone I think! Stick with PVC and you'll slash that cost). Plus prices vary around the country so much. Site prices etc all make a difference. But here goes- we were looking at spending around 250-290k on a house in a sought after area. Most houses we were looking at are around c1 energy rating, pvc windows, cheaper materials, cheap kitchen etc. With site (again in highly sought after area), professional fees, pretty high spec architect designed house we're hoping to keep it in or around 350k excluding kitchen but I've a feeling it will come in closer to 370/380! Keep your size modest if you can- we've been given ballpark figures of around 1100-1400 per square metre to meet current regulations. PS our site was 80k so you are saving that cost.

Again to stress the cost comparison above of buy versus build is for two houses that will be worlds apart.

Beene

Hi mizmix,
What floor area are you calculating those numbers on? Also what heating system have you budgeted for? We are planning to build a 2600 sq ft house, want aluclad windows + geothermal heating + solid kitchen. We have about 290k to spend. Want to get it to a '"move in" stage but don't need all the rooms finished. Worried that I am going to be shocked when we start to get quotes from builders!
Beene

MizMix

2040 square feet. Heating- we're undecided between geothermal and air to water - we need to do some more research on it. Air to water seems cheaper (but I could be wrong) and might be a way to reduce costs. I have my heart set on a particular german kitchen but I'll sacrifice it if budget runs tight and replace down the line (rather than sacrificing something like aluclad). Like yourself we need the house 'liveable' but don't mind a few rooms unfinished (although baring in mind this won't save a fortune!!).

Also- looking at getting bathroom stuff from Germany (xxxxxxxx.com).

If you have to could you loose a 100 or more square footage? We tried to cap at 1900 square feet and kept quite close to it.

Beene

I would be slow to reduce the sq footage from what we have. Would prefer to wait another year and save more.
Think air to water is cheaper to install as the underground pipes cost a bit to install in geothermal. Borehole geothermal most expensive due to the drilling cost. Air to water is a bit more expensive to run in the wintertime than geothermal.
Have you already decided on your windows supplier?

galwaytt

Beene wrote: »

I would be slow to reduce the sq footage from what we have. Would prefer to wait another year and save more.
Think air to water is cheaper to install as the underground pipes cost a bit to install in geothermal. Borehole geothermal most expensive due to the drilling cost. Air to water is a bit more expensive to run in the wintertime than geothermal.
Have you already decided on your windows supplier?

Fine: but bear in mind building costs will continue to increase, so be careful that the period saving isn't overtaken by increases in the interim.

kkelliher

Beene wrote: »

Would prefer to wait another year and save more.

most materials are rising by a min of 5 to 10% year on year at present (and for the last couple of years) and dont expect wage rates to stay low (given most builders are quoting work at below REA rates) for much longer so you may have to take a long term view if you decided to hold off in the hope of saving more. If you already have planning you are also in a 5 year window and may already be well into it.

newbie2013

kkelliher wrote: »

most materials are rising by a min of 5 to 10% year on year at present (and for the last couple of years) and dont expect wage rates to stay low (given most builders are quoting work at below REA rates) for much longer so you may have to take a long term view if you decided to hold off in the hope of saving more. If you already have planning you are also in a 5 year window and may already be well into it.

Not true!! I priced some materials for building a new house (not building again but thinking of it) 6 months ago and some where same price as when I bought in 2004! I know some won't believe it but its true!

derferjam

You might be right with respect to materials but labor will soon rise once market gets going again I know many builders/tradesmen saying they are getting paid next to nothing for the work they get

kkelliher

newbie2013 wrote: »

Not true!! I priced some materials for building a new house (not building again but thinking of it) 6 months ago and some where same price as when I bought in 2004! I know some won't believe it but its true!

insulation, timber, cement and the like have all gone up. simple fact that anyone in the industry will be well aware of. Of course you can find items the same price and cheaper if you shop around or depending on relationship with local suppliers but generally they are all gone up and will continue to do so.

BryanF

newbie2013 wrote: »

Not true!! I priced some materials for building a new house (not building again but thinking of it) 6 months ago and some where same price as when I bought in 2004! I know some won't believe it but its true!

What about some examples?

galwaytt

BryanF wrote: »

What about some examples?

XPS went up twice this year: March and July (5%)
C24 timber went up 7% on July 1st
OSB went up twice this year.

These are what I buy in bulk every week, and I've had to adjust product end price accordingly.

kkelliher

galwaytt wrote: »

XPS went up twice this year: March and July (5%)
C24 timber went up 7% on July 1st
OSB went up twice this year.

These are what I buy in bulk every week, and I've had to adjust product end price accordingly.

+ cement is 3-5% every year without fail.

derferjam

anyone know how much concrete is per square meter

kkelliher

derferjam wrote: »

anyone know how much concrete is per square meter

that would depend on the depth but assuming you mean per cubic meter you should allow 70-80 depending on strength and aggregate size