Off Topic Thread 3.0

Yeah_Right wrote: »

Band?!? I thought we were discussing dance music.

Do you think dance music just magically appears out of thin air?

House music is probably one of the biggest genres in the world right now, in terms of money through the door. Old age can detach some people from these things though.

kuang1 wrote: »

Torn between buying a house or buying a site and building my own.
Building would be done on a tight budget but would end up being a house of my liking...is it worth the stress? Most I've spoken to say it is.
Buying a house would be a little less expensive but would more of a practical move rather than one that my heart would be behind.

Build all the way but, as Venjur says, it's highly unlikely you'll complete it within the original budget particularly if you're already looking to do it on a relatively tight budget. Also be prepared for delays and heartache.

But, if you can do it you'll have the house you wanted which is impossible to buy. It all really depends on the size and spec you want.

I've friends and family who have done it and I'm always shocked at how big the houses they build are. Just completely unnecessary and building for the sake of building. I'd much rather build a comfortable sized house (say 1,900 square feet) where I'll actually use the space rather than the 2,500 - 3,000 square foot monsters I see being built all the time with rooms that sit empty for years.

awec wrote: »

Do many people (other than the super wealthy) build in Dublin?

Not really. There was a spate of buying, knocking and building a new house on the site during the tiger years in some areas. But that would fall into the category of super wealthy, I guess.

North Dublin is fairly rural and has the space for people to build but the population is obviously far lower there. I'd say 95%+ in Dublin aren't building their own home.

Deleted User wrote: »

You should, but I think single unit builds in Dublin can't get planning permission. I didn't look it up myself but that's what I've been told.

Eek. I meant shouldn't!

Completely takes away from the areas they're built in and leads to isolation and infrastructure issues.

kuang1 wrote: »

I'm in Waterford.
My intention would to build to a minimal (ish) finish, move in and finish the thing gradually over 2/3 years.
Small site, small house (as small as 1100 sq ft!)

Grateful for the opinions all.

Seems sensible and if you've got control over the design you can make that 1,100 feel more spacious. If you're happy to go with the minimal finish and long term plan for the completion, fair play. I'd absolutely go with that rather than buying second hand.

You need to be conscious of future plans though and if that space is going to be sufficient. You're only going to build one house in your life, more than likely.

Deleted User wrote: »

Few do need work but they are decent builds. We very nearly went there and a family member who has donkeys years construction experience reckoned they were good quality houses.

Limiting to new builds is problematic with the way things have gone. Developers are taking the complete piss again and the banks are happy to let them.

I'm waiting for my 3 year old to get loan offers through the door from AIB any day now.

Where we were looking to buy (a little over a year ago) it was actually cheaper to go with a new build. No price war, no "fix up" work after moving in etc. Have things gone much more mental since then?

stephen_n wrote: »

Do you think dance music just magically appears out of thin air?

House music is probably one of the biggest genres in the world right now, in terms of money through the door. Old age can detach some people from these things though.

I always assumed dance music was some guy or girl sitting there with a laptop and some sort of music mixing program. Didn't think instruments were involved.:D

I know house music is popular. It's big back home. But I'm not into it. There's the occasional good song but generally I find it quite meh. I don't dislike it but it doesn't smoke my tires.

And I agree with awec, Saul Hudson is a god. And yes I am old.

Other little tidbit I learned during the week - interest rates on carloans in the states are lower than interest rates on home loans, suggesting higher risk to banks for the latter. I guess they feel people can live without a permanent home easier than they can live without their car. Madness!

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Jesus, sorry to hear that.

Ah it's not too bad down here. Not too big, not too small of a place. Negligible traffic to deal with, superb choice of restaurants, plethera of beaches within 15 minutes. Where I live I have a tesco, lidl & an aldi within 4 minutes drive.
People generally nice, although typically Irish in that if you're not born here, you're not really from here no matter how long you've called it home.

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'd say if you are going to build small and conservative you are better just getting a good deal on a house and using that as an initial investment to fund a proper build down the line. Best of both worlds though you'll wait 5 years or so to get the ball rolling on the build.

Whatever you do get, make sure you would be reasonably happy to live in it for life.

Being self employed, the banks ain't keen to shell out cash to me so this will be a cash-funded exercise.
I'm leaning towards the build idea...so long as the type/size and price of the site is right.