Looking for cost of building a house in 2015

893bet

hexosan wrote: »

€5 a chase
€30 a point

I assume that's a cash price?

Does this include labour and materials?

hexosan

893bet wrote: »

I assume that's a cash price?

Does this include labour and materials?

That's a ballpark price for you to work out the labour, material would be extra.

Most electricians are only charging cost price for material as there's little to be made off the cable.

893bet

hexosan wrote: »

That's a ballpark price for you to work out the labour, material would be extra.

Most electricians are only charging cost price for material as there's little to be made off the cable.

Thanks.

Just starting pricing and waiting on first price back and was curious.

Hoping to get away with around 8k including materials. Not sure of my spec is high or not but I would say above average. Wiring for two kitchens, smoke alarm in every room, 6 Carbon mon alarms due to an internal twin walled flue I am wary of.

I have counted around 170 points (assuming a light is two points, one for the pendulum and one for the switch).

hexosan

Yes a point is a switch, plug, pendant light, spot light, etc

The Veteran

How long is a piece of string? Really depends on your spec, what professionals you involve (QS, supervising architect, project manager, etc), where the site is, how much time and effort you put in to it... Etc etc.

We built 3,000 square feet starting in April 2010, finishing in January 2012. Major hassles with bank along the way, lost about four months due to it. Total cost to date (garden is a lawn but haven't finished driveway or put in gates, patios and other stuff ... Probably another €10k to go) is €330k. This also included 650 sq ft garage with an upstairs storage area.

Our windows were 27,000. kitchen 29,000, stonework 36,000, we went with underfloor heating ground and first floor, semi solid wooden floors ground and first floor, solid oak stairs 10k. In one open plan area we put in 27 dimmable led recessed spots and the bulbs cost nearly 800 alone. We put 5,000 worth of Velux windows in. We have fourWCs - each one cost 450 but you can get decent ones for 100.

You can save lots by going with "ordinary" spec ...

If you have the time or can make the time you can save money by doing the spec'ing and sourcing yourself, hook up with a good builders merchants and do your homework. Seek the absolute max you can get from your bank up front ... They will kill you if you come back for a top up.

voodoochile

Hi,

I was wondering if you might give me a rough idea of what you paid for the following non direct costs of your build? I'm about to take the plunge on a site (1 acre) hoping to build something in the region of 2000 - 2500 sq feet.

1. Assigned Certifier
2. Legal fees
3. Surveyor for site (If you used one)
4. ESB connection

Thanks.

The Veteran

ESB connection was just under €1800

Don't know what you mean by a surveyor for a site but do you mean for percolation tests prior to planning? The answer is something like €6/700 - can't remember exactly.

Legal were based on buying the site, managing the mortgage drawdowns and selling old house. Handled as separate "bits" but with pricing influenced by their being multiple bits in a job lot - 0.67% professional fee of site and I think €1500 for mortgage and subsequent registration (which included doing a will). There will be property registration fees and searches to cover.

by certifier, I presume you mean architect? We paid €2500 for the planning piece including building drawings after the grant of planning and then less than €1,000 for site inspections along the way and various Cerys to drawdown money from bank.

It is very very hard to generalise on costs. From digger going in the gate to having ground floor slab, I,e ready for blocklayer to start the walls cost €25,000 or thereabouts but the block work cost €12,500 labour plus materials which we sourced ourselves. Anything that comes in an 8 wheel truck is cheap! 1,056 (full lorry load) of blocks was less than €500; 20tonnes of sand €320; 8 cubic metres of concrete was less than €600 but we needed almost seven of them for the foundations for example.

It all really depends on your site, your specification levels, your appetite for self build versus direct labour versus contractor, and your aptitude for "playing the builder" ... You have to act like one and live out the role to gain their respect. If you go for direct labour you have to be sure your are picking good tradesmen and you do need to have some aptitude for building (even if it just means being prepared to meet fellas in jeeps to get prices and being prepared to go to suppliers and talk to them)

BryanF

Veteran, great post. The question posed about the certifer, is a new requirement of si9 2014, this limits the self-builder option by placing the onus on the client to be competent to build and the design/assigned certifer willing to accept the client as the builder. To anyone with questions on this, There is a whole sub-forum here about it, so probably best discussed there.

The Veteran

BryanF , cheers ... Now that you say it I had heard about the new stuff but never researched it. Our architect would have been happy with me being the builder (client of course having a particular meaning under H&S Regs) but they won't all be that way. revenue have also been active in coming on to sites so again you need to be cute. There is no way we could have built our house to our spec through a contractor.

We bought most of our materials through Roadstone or from a builders providers and paid VAT on the lot but nearly all of the labour was cash - "their responsibility to settle their tax affairs - I paid an all in price". We bought our windows in the north (paying VAT), and used a number of Northern contractors - stone,ason, blocklayers, roofer, windows, and other stuff.

I really enjoyed it but there are always challenges ... Worker fell off scaffolding and sued us but we had site insurance (best 2k we spent); bank was torture; stonemason took 4 months when it was supposed to be 7 weeks; carpenters let us down when it came to second fix so they were replaced and it was only last Summer we got a lawn after 2.5 years in house ... Great craic!!! Learned to drive a digger and dumper, was "allowed" use trade counter in builders providers and help myself in the yard; was "allowed" use truck cranes a couple of times; learned how to build and dismantle scaffolding; did a lot of the insulation myself - longs days!!!!!

But I can stand back and look at the house today and say I know what it took to build it ...

BryanF

The Veteran wrote: »

or from a builders providers and paid VAT on the lot but nearly all of the labour was cash - "their responsibility to settle their tax affairs - I paid an all in price".

mod note: we obey the law here, please see section 6 of the forum charter

893bet

"The wrote:

We bought most of our materials through Roadstone or from a builders providers and paid VAT on the lot but nearly all of the labour was cash - "their responsibility to settle their tax affairs - I paid an all in price".

I don't that will cut it of the revenue take a set on you.

The selfbuilder as the principal contractor is obligated to ensure all his workers and subcontractors are tax compliant I understand.

hexosan

This was discussed before can't seem to locate the thread now. The point I've always held is if I buy a car in a dealership or a Mars bar in the shop is it my responsibility to ensure that both business pay the tax on my purchase or mine. How can this differ if a carpenter or electrical are running a business and I pay them to complete a job how is it my responsibility to ensure they pay their taxes. Sure that's for them and their account to take care of.

BryanF

hexosan wrote: »

This was discussed before can't seem to locate the thread now. The point I've always held is if I buy a car in a dealership or a Mars bar in the shop is it my responsibility to ensure that both business pay the tax on my purchase or mine. How can this differ if a carpenter or electrical are running a business and I pay them to complete a job how is it my responsibility to ensure they pay their taxes. Sure that's for them and their account to take care of.

mod note: Please take your views on this to the tax forum, here we obey the law and won't be discussing non payment of tax

If you are paying by cheque then I agree with the sentiment but let's leave it there, thanks

hexosan

BryanF wrote: »

mod note: Please take your views on this to the tax forum, here we obey the law and won't be discussing non payment of tax

If you are paying by cheque then I agree with the sentiment but let's leave it there, thanks

I'm not advocating tax evasion as I believe we should all be paying it. I'm just saying surely it's the trades responsibly to take care of their own tax affairs.
I've paid some trades by cheque, some by bank transfer and others by cash that goes the same for all my materials through the merchants.
When I pay cash for items in the merchants again it's for them to take care of the tax portion of the sale.

893bet

893bet wrote: »

Thanks.

Just starting pricing and waiting on first price back and was curious.

Hoping to get away with around 8k including materials. Not sure of my spec is high or not but I would say above average. Wiring for two kitchens, smoke alarm in every room, 6 Carbon mon alarms due to an internal twin walled flue I am wary of.

I have counted around 170 points (assuming a light is two points, one for the pendulum and one for the switch).

First price back at just over 7500 ex VAT.

Reasonably high spec but going for basic white fixtures

Wiring for two kitchen facilities
Smoke alarm in every room
6 Carbon monoxide alarms
Plenty of sockets
Some LED downlighters downstairs (where airtightness is no issue )
Couple of outdoors sockets, power for garage, electric gates, some LED flood lights etc.
3 main TV points (with 4 wires), 3 other tv points (with 2 wires).

voodoochile

The Veteran wrote: »

ESB connection was just under €1800

Don't know what you mean by a surveyor for a site but do you mean for percolation tests prior to planning? The answer is something like €6/700 - can't remember exactly.

Legal were based on buying the site, managing the mortgage drawdowns and selling old house. Handled as separate "bits" but with pricing influenced by their being multiple bits in a job lot - 0.67% professional fee of site and I think €1500 for mortgage and subsequent registration (which included doing a will). There will be property registration fees and searches to cover.

by certifier, I presume you mean architect? We paid €2500 for the planning piece including building drawings after the grant of planning and then less than €1,000 for site inspections along the way and various Cerys to drawdown money from bank.

It is very very hard to generalise on costs. From digger going in the gate to having ground floor slab, I,e ready for blocklayer to start the walls cost €25,000 or thereabouts but the block work cost €12,500 labour plus materials which we sourced ourselves. Anything that comes in an 8 wheel truck is cheap! 1,056 (full lorry load) of blocks was less than €500; 20tonnes of sand €320; 8 cubic metres of concrete was less than €600 but we needed almost seven of them for the foundations for example.

It all really depends on your site, your specification levels, your appetite for self build versus direct labour versus contractor, and your aptitude for "playing the builder" ... You have to act like one and live out the role to gain their respect. If you go for direct labour you have to be sure your are picking good tradesmen and you do need to have some aptitude for building (even if it just means being prepared to meet fellas in jeeps to get prices and being prepared to go to suppliers and talk to them)

Hi Veteran,

Sorry for the late reply, I missed this somehow in a flurry of emails. Very informative. We intend to buy a section of a bog standard field so I guess I will need someone to verify the area / dimensions of the plot size agreed upon.

BryanF

The point of this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=93794172&postcount=1
If you have any general queries start a new thread, thanks

macbane66

I have planning in kildare for a 2700 sq ft house , any general estimations / ideas in relation to professional fees for design certifier / final certifier etc under new regs.

BryanF

macbane66 wrote: »

I have planning in kildare for a 2700 sq ft house , any general estimations / ideas in relation to professional fees for design certifier / final certifier etc under new regs.

1200-1800€ per m2
5-10% professional fees
250m2 finished 400k inc fees/council etc min
Imho

macbane66

BryanF wrote: »

1200-1800€ per m2
5-10% professional fees
250m2 finished 400k inc fees/council etc min
Imho

ThAnks
1800per m2, that's 45k for prof fees ? Sounds very strong? House is already designed , planning approved etc , someone had thrown a number of 10k for certifier etc fees under new regs , obviously we have contributions of approx 16k also

BryanF

macbane66 wrote: »

ThAnks
1800per m2, that's 45k for prof fees ? Sounds very strong? House is already designed , planning approved etc , someone had thrown a number of 10k for certifier etc fees under new regs , obviously we have contributions of approx 16k also

And that's the Internet for you, if the house is already designed get a QS to price it, and get 3 professionals to quote, best of luck on your project

893bet

893bet wrote: »

First price back at just over 7500 ex VAT.

Reasonably high spec but going for basic white fixtures

Wiring for two kitchen facilities
Smoke alarm in every room
6 Carbon monoxide alarms
Plenty of sockets
Some LED downlighters downstairs (where airtightness is no issue )
Couple of outdoors sockets, power for garage, electric gates, some LED flood lights etc.
3 main TV points (with 4 wires), 3 other tv points (with 2 wires).

Second price in at 7700 plus Vat!

BryanF

https://www.scsi.ie/documents/get_lob?id=56&field=file

lownhard

atm13 wrote: »

We have a site and are looking to build a 2500sqft two story in county limerick. our aim is to keep mortgage as low as possible so, to begin we only plan on finishing kitchen/dining and master bed inside. How much would you think would cover the cost of house roofed, windows and doors + insulation. any advice is welcome and appreciated.

So not flooring or plastering three bedrooms? And not finishing a couple of bathrooms? Not a big saving here. 15k?

People don't really want to hear the truth that the days of 100sq ft are long gone in most parts of the country. Friend of a friend in Galway can't get a blocklayer for the next three months.

Budget 1200-1400 sqm.

macbane66

BryanF wrote: »

https://www.scsi.ie/documents/get_lob?id=56&field=file

these are rebuild costs for insurance rebuild purposes as opposed to a fresh build, imho on the high to side, insurance rebuild costs include all professional fees associated with the insurance element of works/ i.e often a loss assessor will get coverage of his/her fees within a professional services package for a fire/flood damaged rebuild, they also include for a complete demolition and removal of old structure etc, which is very costly exercise.

lownhard

atm13 wrote: »

Flooring and plaster included. 4 bedroom, one on ground floor. 15k is a lot of money. Basically the house with minimum interior decor is what we are trying to achieve.

I don't understand. Are you planning on saving by not buying some tins of paint and some cushions?

What is not getting finished? Probably best hire a local QS to do a BoQ. Use that for quotes.

galwaytt

atm13 wrote: »

Basically I want an idea of a builder finish how much it will cost. Everything after that can be done as we can afford.

As above & before, €1200/m2 +

bigdaddy2010

Looking to price 1500 sq foot former bungalow in cork. Needs waste treatment area and bored well also. Thanks

Whispered

Wondering what is the least we could realistically spend on a self build. We would be looking at options such as log cabin, modular and your normal construction. We were even considering placing a mobile home. (Having never stayed in one that might not be a runner, I don't know)

On family land so that is not a cost consideration and an easily accessible site. funds are extremely tight and we are happy to keep things as basic as needed. Maybe even to go in stages if that's possible?

Plans not done yet and planning permission to be sought. We'd want a modest 2 bed, open plan bungalow.

So how much do you think we'd be looking at. Any money saving tips?

blue star

hello


iv just received quotes for a bunglow in kildare.

for all works to be signed off (30 call outs ) is 7000 euro

to be build 1800sq bunglow is 320,000 quoted from a builder

does this seem outrages?

any advance greatly welcome