Build a modular / prefab house in Ireland: how complicated and expensive is it?

islabonita

Hello

I am in Australia but have a European passport so in order to achieve my dream (enjoy a peaceful life in my own house and stop wasting bags of cash paying the mortgage to my landlord), I am seriously considering to move to Ireland before Christmas.

Now, the issue is that I have never been there so I am hoping some of you can help me with some information.

Here is what I need for me and my retired parent:

- broadband/fast internet (I work online so without a reliable fast connection, the whole project is not achievable)

Please specify if I can get fiber or ADSL (fixed line broadband) everywhere in Ireland or just Wireless.

- I need 2 small houses, no stairs. About 60 sqm each.

Can be anywhere, but I'd prefer not more than 1 hour drive from a supermarket and a hospital.

That's all I need.

Could you please tell me how complicated and expensive would be to achieve my dream? (cheap block of land...maybe you call it "site" over there).

Please quote or mention Council issues/costs, reliable builders (I don't know any) and whatever you can think I need to plan.

Thank you

bennyineire

islabonita wrote: »

Hello

I am in Australia but have a European passport so in order to achieve my dream (enjoy a peaceful life in my own house and stop wasting bags of cash paying the mortgage to my landlord), I am seriously considering to move to Ireland before Christmas.

Now, the issue is that I have never been there so I am hoping some of you can help me with some information.

Here is what I need for me and my retired parent:

- broadband/fast internet (I work online so without a reliable fast connection, the whole project is not achievable)

Please specify if I can get fiber or ADSL (fixed line broadband) everywhere in Ireland or just Wireless.

- I need 2 small houses, no stairs. About 60 sqm each.

Can be anywhere, but I'd prefer not more than 1 hour drive from a supermarket and a hospital.

That's all I need.

Could you please tell me how complicated and expensive would be to achieve my dream? (cheap block of land...maybe you call it "site" over there).

Please quote or mention Council issues/costs, reliable builders (I don't know any) and whatever you can think I need to plan.

Thank you

It will be quite hard for you to get planning permission on a rural site as most county councils reserve planning permission for "Local Need" i.e. somone from the local area, you can also qualify if you can prove you have a parent or grandparent from the area.

The next best thing you could do is but an old dilapidated house and apply for permission to build on that site (you might be able to demolish the old house but maybe keep the facade), these usually do not have "local need" clauses attached.

Howeve rural broadband is patch at best, some wireless operators offer half decent services, I have imagine, go to their website to check coverage https://www.imagine.ie/ , they promise up to 100mb but I get between 10-16mb download at peak times and about 40-50mb during the day (this may suit you)

If you must absolutely have a fibre connection then you will have to move close to a town, most of the regional towns with populations over 5K have fibre broadband now with more to come on stream (check first). You could find some serviced sites in these towns but you will pay north of 50K for the site.

As for building costs, if you plan to project manage the build yourself (i.e. employ the subcontractors) and do some of the work your self you could keep build costs at €1000 per square metre

testicles

This post has been deleted.

Wesser

I think you Are really quite naive if you think that that would be easy in Ireland. We have a massive housing crisis at the moment . It's not romantic in any way.

Are you looking to buy or rent? It's not clear from your post if you want land to put a pre built home on or if you want 2 already pre built houses. What is your budget?

I suppose you could get a cheap house in.leitrim or somewhere like that .

Gumbo

Problem 1 : Planning.
Problem 2 : Building Regulations Compliance.

Because of problem 1 and 2, you won’t get funding.
If you have funding, you can’t build because of problem 1 & 2.

islabonita

Wesser wrote: »

I think you Are really quite naive if you think that that would be easy in Ireland. We have a massive housing crisis at the moment . It's not romantic in any way.

Are you looking to buy or rent? It's not clear from your post if you want land to put a pre built home on or if you want 2 already pre built houses.  What is your budget?

I suppose you could get a cheap house in.leitrim or somewhere like that .

Hi, I'm looking to build. Budget:  EUR 200,000
Cheers

Gumbo

islabonita wrote: »

Hi, I'm looking to build. Budget:  EUR 200,000
Cheers

Maybe all the previous posts were not clear.
You Won’t achieve this with that budget and with the modular plan you have in mind.

Wesser

I think you need to.put alot of planning in to this
For 200k you could probably buy 2 small houses in the countryside.... very remote... may be you should come over and rent in the area first and start your research then .
Would be more feasible to buy 2 small houses for 100k each.

Wesser

I think you need to.put alot of planning in to this
For 200k you could probably buy 2 small houses in the countryside.... very remote... may be you should come over and rent in the area first and start your research then .
Would be more feasible to buy 2 small houses for 100k each.

https://touch.daft.ie/leitrim/houses-for-sale/mohill/6-macraghnaill-court-lough-rynn-mohill-leitrim-1555666

For example.

listermint

Brand new poster..... Random Australian asks about prefab houses at 2am Australian time in the morning in Irish forum...

..

the_syco

http://www.daft.ie/11575638 or http://www.daft.ie/11479917
Both are one level, have internet, and are just under €200,000

What you'd plan to do would probably cost €200,000 to just buy the land that has access to decent internet!

Wesser

She wants 2 houses for the 200k, ie 100k each.

Peregrinus

Including site costs as well as construction costs, apparently.

OP, if you cannot afford to buy the houses you want in Australia, what makes you think you will be able to do so in Ireland?

the_syco

Wesser wrote: »

She wants 2 houses for the 200k, ie 100k each.

And she may get them. 666km apart.

But in reality, if she gets the price that cheap wherever she can get "good internets", you'd have to wonder what's wrong with the place?

islabonita

listermint wrote: »

Brand new poster..... Random Australian asks about prefab houses at 2am Australian time in the morning in Irish forum...

..

And? I work often at night, it's quiet.

fash

In principle, you are far more likely to achieve what you want by buying existing houses in locations where there is not a current rental crisis. The rental crisis affects Dublin and hinterland, Cork city, Galway (and perhaps some other places?).
Anywhere in the Midlands for example still has a significant housing surplus.
Furthermore you are more likely to get good internet in a town than in the middle of nowhere.

sydthebeat

testicles wrote: »

That's banned now isn't it?

Not at all

Mellor

islabonita wrote: »

- broadband/fast internet (I work online so without a reliable fast connection, the whole project is not achievable)

Can be anywhere, but I'd prefer not more than 1 hour drive from a supermarket and a hospital.

The internet is Australia is terrible.
Basic broadband in Ireland available nearly everywhere is equal to high speed NBN in Australia.

Ireland is tiny compared to Australia. I doubt there's a place on the entire island that's over an hours drive from a supermarket.

Peregrinus wrote: »

OP, if you cannot afford to buy the houses you want in Australia, what makes you think you will be able to do so in Ireland?

The massive difference in prices...

Lumen

Out of curiosity, why do you need two houses?

Peregrinus

Mellor wrote: »

The massive difference in prices...

I dunno. The OP is obviously thinking of somewhere rural, since she's happy to be up to an hour from a supermarket. I just did a search for houses under $100,000 in the Wheatbelt, which is a farming region north and west of Perth with a population of about 75,000; I got 79 hits.

Galway county also has a population of about 75,000. A search on daft.ie for houses in County Galway up to €75,000 (= AUD 116,000) yields only 43 hits.

OK, I picked those two areas out of the air. But I think that for the kind of location and price range that she has in mind, the OP is going to find houses more readily in Australia than in Ireland. Her desire for one-storey houses can only reinforce this.

Peregrinus

Lumen wrote: »

Out of curiosity, why do you need two houses?

One for her, one for her retired parent.

Mellor

Peregrinus wrote: »

[
I dunno. The OP is obviously thinking of somewhere rural, since she's happy to be up to an hour from a supermarket. I just did a search for houses under $100,000 in the Wheatbelt, which is a farming region north and west of Perth with a population of about 75,000; I got 79 hits.

Sure, houses exist at $100k. I was assuming "house you want" was slightly more than any house at all. And that they had an rough area in mind.

If the OP was happy to live absolutely anywhere, then the wheatbelt in WA might be fine. Although I don't know how good the internet is out there.

Galway county also has a population of about 75,000. A search on daft.ie for houses in County Galway up to €75,000 (= AUD 116,000) yields only 43 hits.

OK, I picked those two areas out of the air. But I think that for the kind of location and price range that she has in mind, the OP is going to find houses more readily in Australia than in Ireland. Her desire for one-storey houses can only reinforce this.

Rural Australia and rural Ireland are very different though. And I don't think Galway is the equivalent to a random area in rural WA.
More details needed from OP I guess.

islabonita

Peregrinus wrote: »

Lumen wrote: »

Out of curiosity, why do you need two houses?

One for her, one for her retired parent.

Exactly.
My mom cannot stay here longer than 12 months and she is too old to travel too often from Italy so considering I no longer like Italy, I was hoping that Ireland could be our solution. All we need is just some peace and quiet, even in the middle of nowhere, as long as I can work from home.
I have found some residential land somewhere for EUR 50K so all I need now is to understand how much the whole planning thing is going to cost. There are lots of timber builders but I am not sure if I am allowed to post links here. Am I?
Thank you

islabonita

Peregrinus wrote: »

Mellor wrote: »

The massive difference in prices...

I dunno.  The OP is obviously thinking of somewhere rural, since she's happy to be up to an hour from a supermarket.  I just did a search for houses under $100,000 in the Wheatbelt, which is a farming region north and west of Perth with a population of about 75,000; I got 79 hits.  

Galway county also has a population of about 75,000.  A search on daft.ie for houses in County Galway up to €75,000 (= AUD 116,000) yields only 43 hits.

OK, I picked those two areas out of the air.  But I think that for the kind of location and price range that she has in mind, the OP is going to find houses more readily in Australia than in Ireland.  Her desire for one-storey houses can only reinforce this.

Brand new? You won't find any brand new house in the whole Australia for less than A$150,000 (about EUR100,000) unless you are considering tiny 40 sqm places which are less common than unicorns here.

Mellor

islabonita wrote: »

[
Brand new? You won't find any brand new house in the whole Australia for less than A$150,000 (about EUR100,000)

You never mentioned brand new.
Why is that an issue?

unless you are considering tiny 40 sqm places which are less common than unicorns here.

40sqm is a studio.
Which aren't uncommon at all.

bennyineire

islabonita wrote: »

Exactly.
My mom cannot stay here longer than 12 months and she is too old to travel too often from Italy so considering I no longer like Italy, I was hoping that Ireland could be our solution. All we need is just some peace and quiet, even in the middle of nowhere, as long as I can work from home.
I have found some residential land somewhere for EUR 50K so all I need now is to understand how much the whole planning thing is going to cost. There are lots of timber builders but I am not sure if I am allowed to post links here. Am I?
Thank you

You wouldn't have a hope of getting the land signed over/Planning permission and construction completed on 12 months, no chance I'm afraid

PhoenixParker

I think you can probably set yourself up with an ok living situation op. I think you should forget building at least for now. Building in a country where you don't know the laws or building regs is madness. You're asking to be taken for a ride by unscrupulous builders and missing the basic stuff any local would pick up.

Look at small midland towns along the main train lines over an hour from Dublin. Pick a few you like the sound of, do some reading and narrow your choices.

Pick one and rent for a while in the town then look at buying an already built house or houses. If you're desperate to build you can look at that option again then, but there's better value in rural towns buying second hand.

Also if your mother is frail as you say, you should probably focus on areas closer to hospitals.

GingerLily

I think a home with a granny flat or convert to a granny flat might be a more achievable criteria then two side by side houses at 100k each.

I wouldn't fancy your chances with building

bennyineire

Here are 2 house attached to each other with what looks like a shared garden at the back for €185K

It is in the nice town of Birr in County Offaly, the nearest big hospital is in Tullamore which is about a 30 minute drive.

Birr itself has supermarkets and shops and is about 90 minutes drive to Dublin

http://www.daft.ie/offaly/houses-for-sale/birr/two-houses-in-townsend-street-birr-offaly-1479347/

islabonita

bennyineire wrote: »

islabonita wrote: »

Exactly.
My mom cannot stay here longer than 12 months and she is too old to travel too often from Italy so considering I no longer like Italy, I was hoping that Ireland could be our solution. All we need is just some peace and quiet, even in the middle of nowhere, as long as I can work from home.
I have found some residential land somewhere for EUR 50K so all I need now is to understand how much the whole planning thing is going to cost. There are lots of timber builders but I am not sure if I am allowed to post links here. Am I?
Thank you

You wouldn't have a hope of getting the land signed over/Planning permission and construction completed on 12 months, no chance I'm afraid

May I ask why building is so complicated given Ireland does not seen to be overpopulated and some forum members earlier claimed that there is a rental crisis? Thank you

islabonita

PhoenixParker wrote: »

I think you can probably set yourself up with an ok living situation op. I think you should forget building at least for now. Building in a country where you don't know the laws or building regs is madness. You're asking to be taken for a ride by unscrupulous builders and missing the basic stuff any local would pick up.

Look at small midland towns along the main train lines over an hour from Dublin. Pick a few you like the sound of, do some reading and narrow your choices.

Pick one and rent for a while in the town then look at buying an already built house or houses. If you're desperate to build you can look at that option again then, but there's better value in rural towns buying second hand.

Also if your mother is frail as you say, you should probably focus on areas closer to hospitals.

Yes, I would not build as soon as I land there. But I was hoping to do it within few months unless in winter builders do not work due to snow. I have no idea, that's why I am here looking for preliminary information from the locals. Thank you

islabonita

bennyineire wrote: »

Here are 2 house attached to each other with what looks like a shared garden at the back for €185K

It is in the nice town of Birr in County Offaly, the nearest big hospital is in Tullamore which is about a 30 minute drive.

Birr itself has supermarkets and shops and is about 90 minutes drive to Dublin

http://www.daft.ie/offaly/houses-for-sale/birr/two-houses-in-townsend-street-birr-offaly-1479347/

Thanks but I'd prefer them without stairs...so one level.

islabonita

Mellor wrote: »

islabonita wrote: »

[
Brand new? You won't find any brand new house in the whole Australia for less than A$150,000 (about EUR100,000)

You never mentioned brand new.
Why is that an issue?

unless you are considering tiny 40 sqm places which are less common than unicorns here.

40sqm is a studio.
Which aren't uncommon at all.

They are uncommon here, I meant.

killanena

Rental crisis only exists in our cities as its hard to find good career opportunities outside them. Half if not more of our countries population live in Dublin alone. There is a massive shortage in homes in these areas which has driven up rent considerably. I live in a town on the west of Ireland and I pay a third of the rent I would pay for a similar sized flat in those areas.

islabonita

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/could-these-30000-family-log-cabins-help-solve-irelands-housing-crisis-34719811.html
[sorry I don't have the option to make the link working]

"Dublin County Council has yet to grant planning permission for the wood cabins in the city, but permission has been granted in the countryside."

islabonita

killanena wrote: »

Rental crisis only exists in our cities as its hard to find good career opportunities outside them. Half if not more of our countries population live in Dublin alone. There is a massive shortage in homes in these areas which has driven up rent considerably. I live in a town on the west of Ireland and I pay a third of the rent I would pay for a similar sized flat in those areas.

Good...I have no interest in living in Dublin.
Cork could be nice but I don't mind smaller towns.
Thanks everyone

Mellor

islabonita wrote: »

May I ask why building is so complicated given Ireland does not seen to be overpopulated and some forum members earlier claimed that there is a rental crisis? Thank you

It isn't any more or less complicated that the Australian system. You'd be pushing it to get from start to finish in 12 months too.

Find site, negotiate price, purchase site, go through settlement.
Meet an architect, discuss a design, see proposals, make changes, agree on final layout. Get survey other reports written up, lodge with council, await decision. Get tender/construction information draw up, tender to builders, apoint PCA, apply for construction certificate. Etc.
That could be 8 months to a year and you haven't even started building yet.

islabonita wrote: »

They are uncommon here, I meant.

If you mean in Australia, they aren't uncommon at all. I was talking about Australia.

looksee

OP, you really have your mind locked into Australia mode, Ireland is quite different. There are small towns and villages every few kilometers, you don't want to be anywhere too remote.

Planning has become very difficult as the planners are trying to get everyone into 'hubs' ie small (or bigger) towns that are designated for development. Check out Daft.ie for houses, there are plenty for sale in small villages. The vast majority of these now have fibre so long as you stay within the environs of the town/village. Check https://www.eir.ie/broadband/coverage-map/ for coverage areas.

There are a lot of things you may not think of till you have experienced living here. One is that people coming from drier climates find that our maritime climate is very cold, damp and chill, even though the temperatures do not get particularly low. You will need a house with good insulation and heating. Most older houses do not have this - the insulation anyway. Check out the BER rating of any house then look to see if it can be improved easily. An old solid wall house will be harder to insulate than one that can have insulation pumped in, for example. Remember that if a house is very cheap there is generally a good reason for it. Have a look at other houses in the area and see what the pattern is. And as a general rule, don't believe anything an estate agent tells you.

You can pretty much forget the idea of buying a piece of land and putting a prefab on it, it is just not feasible. It would be cheaper to buy a second hand house in reasonable condition and improve it than build new. Also you need to get your mother and yourself under as little roof as possible - two houses, or houses with extensions need more insulation and more heating.

You really need to do a lot of research in terms of simple living conditions here, standard of living is fine, but it is very different to what you may be used to.

Del2005

islabonita wrote: »

Yes, I would not build as soon as I land there. But I was hoping to do it within few months unless in winter builders do not work due to snow. I have no idea, that's why I am here looking for preliminary information from the locals. Thank you

Have you done any research into Ireland? We rarely get snow but it is wet and miserable especially the further West you go. A friend of mine married an Australian and even after several years here he was still wearing multiple layers of clothes in the summer.

If your mother is frail you seriously need to research our health services. You've heard about the housing issues, have a look at the trolley crisis.

islabonita

looksee wrote: »

OP, you really have your mind locked into Australia mode, Ireland is quite different. There are small towns and villages every few kilometers, you don't want to be anywhere too remote.

Planning has become very difficult as the planners are trying to get everyone into 'hubs' ie small (or bigger) towns that are designated for development. Check out Daft.ie for houses, there are plenty for sale in small villages. The vast majority of these now have fibre so long as you stay within the environs of the town/village. Check https://www.eir.ie/broadband/coverage-map/ for coverage areas.

There are a lot of things you may not think of till you have experienced living here. One is that people coming from drier climates find that our maritime climate is very cold, damp and chill, even though the temperatures do not get particularly low. You will need a house with good insulation and heating. Most older houses do not have this - the insulation anyway. Check out the BER rating of any house then look to see if it can be improved easily. An old solid wall house will be harder to insulate than one that can have insulation pumped in, for example. Remember that if a house is very cheap there is generally a good reason for it. Have a look at other houses in the area and see what the pattern is. And as a general rule, don't believe anything an estate agent tells you.

You can pretty much forget the idea of buying a piece of land and putting a prefab on it, it is just not feasible. It would be cheaper to buy a second hand house in reasonable condition and improve it than build new. Also you need to get your mother and yourself under as little roof as possible - two houses, or houses with extensions need more insulation and more heating.

You really need to do a lot of research in terms of simple living conditions here, standard of living is fine, but it is very different to what you may be used to.

Thank you, yes...I know daft.ie, I went there to ask the same thing on their forum but no one was answering, this forum is more active, thank you.

islabonita

Del2005 wrote: »

islabonita wrote: »

Yes, I would not build as soon as I land there. But I was hoping to do it within few months unless in winter builders do not work due to snow. I have no idea, that's why I am here looking for preliminary information from the locals. Thank you

Have you done any research into Ireland? We rarely get snow but it is wet and miserable especially the further West you go. A friend of mine married an Australian and even after several years here he was still wearing multiple layers of clothes in the summer.  

If your mother is frail you seriously need to research our health services. You've heard about the housing issues, have a look at the trolley crisis.

uhmm please don't tell me that Irish health care is not good?
do we need private health care? Thanks

Gumbo

If you don’t plan to build for a few months, where will you stay in the mean time

islabonita

Mellor wrote: »

islabonita wrote: »

May I ask why building is so complicated given Ireland does not seen to be overpopulated and some forum members earlier claimed that there is a rental crisis? Thank you

It isn't any more or less complicated that the Australian system. You'd be pushing it to get from start to finish in 12 months too.

Find site, negotiate price, purchase site, go through settlement.
Meet an architect, discuss a design, see proposals, make changes, agree on final layout. Get survey other reports written up, lodge with council, await decision. Get tender/construction information draw up, tender to builders, apoint PCA, apply for construction certificate. Etc.
That could be 8 months to a year and you haven't even started building yet.

islabonita wrote: »

They are uncommon here, I meant.

If you mean in Australia, they aren't uncommon at all. I was talking about Australia.

they are uncommon in rural/country Australia, which is where I live.
If you go to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane surely you'll find more in the CBD but as soon as you go 30KM out, the average house has 3 or 4 bedroom.

bennyineire

islabonita wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/could-these-30000-family-log-cabins-help-solve-irelands-housing-crisis-34719811.html
[sorry I don't have the option to make the link working]

"Dublin County Council has yet to grant planning permission for the wood cabins in the city, but permission has been granted in the countryside."

You would still need planning permission for each individual building, I think what is meant by but permission has been granted in the countryside." is that there have been some individual permission granted, it is not a blanket planning permission for all of these types of building

islabonita

kceire wrote: »

If you don’t plan to build for a few months, where will you stay in the mean time

I was thinking to rent...unless you tell me that there are no rentals in the whole Ireland?

jester77

islabonita wrote: »

uhmm please don't tell me that Irish health care is not good?
do we need private health care? Thanks

Private will help you get looked after quicker for non-serious situations. I don't think there is a lot of difference for serious conditions between private and public, but maybe someone can correct me.

Private is probably worth it, plus it is cheap in Ireland. You can easily get good private coverage for less than 3k per annum.

islabonita

bennyineire wrote: »

islabonita wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/could-these-30000-family-log-cabins-help-solve-irelands-housing-crisis-34719811.html
[sorry I don't have the option to make the link working]

"Dublin County Council has yet to grant planning permission for the wood cabins in the city, but permission has been granted in the countryside."

You would still need planning permission for each individual building, I think what is meant by but permission has been granted in the countryside." is that there have been some individual permission granted, it is not a blanket planning permission for all of these types of building

of course, same happens here...planning and plumbing permits are standard for nearly every new building project.

Lumen

"Log cabins" are not your solution.

The Indo is a rag, don't trust anything you read in there.

Stheno

jester77 wrote: »

Private will help you get looked after quicker for non-serious situations. I don't think there is a lot of difference for serious conditions between private and public, but maybe someone can correct me.

Private is probably worth it, plus it is cheap in Ireland. You can easily get good private coverage for less than 3k per annum.

If OP and her mother are over 35 the a loading will apply to private healthcare.
http://www.irishlifehealth.ie/lcr/

Additionally any existing conditions will have at least a five year waiting time to be covered.

looksee

Modular houses and log cabins are not the same. Modular housing works out as least as expensive as regular building and is quite complicated to organise. Mostly they only do the foundations and wall units and you have to organise ground works, roof tiling, plumbing, electrics, interior finishes etc. You will still need an engineer to sign it off. Log cabins are not suited to Irish weather - reference the damp mentioned. You will also have planning and insurance issues, even if you find a site to put one on. Overall you will spend as much as regular building and more than a second hand house.

Del2005

Stheno wrote: »

If OP and her mother are over 35 the a loading will apply to private healthcare.
http://www.irishlifehealth.ie/lcr/

Additionally any existing conditions will have at least a five year waiting time to be covered.

Health insurance is handy for elective issues. If you need to attend A&E it makes no difference, apart from the rip off charge to the insurance company, as private rooms in public hospitals are for contagious or immune suppressed people. Insurance or not you end up in a ward at best.