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Building a house as a non-local?

dawanda

Hi everyone,

I'm German but permanently live in Ireland because of my job. I need to move into my own place at some point, so I am thinking of various options.

I was trying to look into building your own house but it always says "subject to planning permission". I contacted a few agents and from what I understand I would only be allowed to build if I were a long-time local - which, of course, I am not. Is this only Wicklow? Or only parts of Wicklow? Are there any areas not all too far from Dublin (max. 1.5 hrs by car) where I can get a permission as a non-local?
I tried google but nothing came up - must have not used the right search terms. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'd like to calculate whether building a house would work out cheaper than buying an already existing one. But also, I would be quite interested in an eco friendly house (solar power etc) and I would also looooooove a sunroom. It's been my dream since a child. And I couldn't find many houses with sunrooms in my price class and I am not sure whether it's something you can add to a house later. I assume you need a planning permission for this as well :rolleyes:

Thanks in advance

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Marcusm

dawanda wrote: »

Well, I already feel very isolated living in Bray, so right now I can't see any difference. I don't have family or family ties in any way here, so it's difficult. I need to commute to Stillorgan. It's definitely tricky. I think if I have a really nice house I'll be ok not having any coffee shops or whereever I would like to go around.

The difference would be 3 hours a day in a car three times a week which, in Winter, would mena you would hate where you live even more than now.

You are not identifying any particualr reasons why you want to live more rurally, outdoor sports, grow vegetables etc. It's not something I would recommend if, as you say, you feel isolated living in Bray. It owuld be a recipe for disaster if there is nothing drawing you there as opposed to simply purchasing something for the sake of it.

dawanda

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

How old are you? Do you have a partner, or much chance of getting one? Do you expect to have kids?

These factors should be considered before you commit to a mortgage.

44, no partner, no kids now or in planning. None of this is ideal, I know, not so much for getting a mortgage (although it, of course, limits the house price I can pay) but in terms of social isolation. I just don't know what to do, honestly. I can't afford Dublin and a garden with enough light coming in is really important for my mental health.

jiminho

Don’t want to hijack this thread but I am embarking on the journey to build a house. Life long goal, I realize it will be very very tough but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Regarding local needs, I have a similar situation. I grew up in an area you could consider urban (lots and lots of residential areas) but I want to build a home just out this area. It’s not within the “Green Belt” which from what I understand is essentially impossible to build a home unless you’re a farmer but in an area that local needs apply. Myself and my family are looking to move back to Ireland after a decade outside of the country and will be looking to send our kids to school in the area and hopefully get jobs in the area too. My question is, what is considered local in this specific situation? There is a particularly area with a cluster of houses that appears to have lots of “gaps” in between them which is located less than 900m away from the house I lived for 20 years. Also, all my family lives in the same estate so I have family very close to where I would like to build. The school we want to send our kids is 3.5km away. Jobs is a question mark but I’m curious if any of the criteria is quantifiable.

dawanda

Marcusm wrote: »

The difference would be 3 hours a day in a car three times a week which, in Winter, would mena you would hate where you live even more than now.

You are not identifying any particualr reasons why you want to live more rurally, outdoor sports, grow vegetables etc. It's not something I would recommend if, as you say, you feel isolated living in Bray. It owuld be a recipe for disaster if there is nothing drawing you there as opposed to simply purchasing something for the sake of it.

Yeah. I'm really concerned about that too.
I don't necessarily want to live more rurally, but I want to live somewhere where I can catch a lot of sunlight sitting at home and with enough space for me and my dogs. So, I couldn't sit on 60 sqm or less and I couldn't be somewhere where everything around me completely built up. I am relatively lucky where I rent rn when it comes to light and to the size of the place but I couldn't afford to buy one of the houses in my estate either, they all go for more than 400k.

dawanda

Thank you, everyone who is trying to help me. I truly appreciate it. I am so desperate and I worried I might make the wrong decision out of desperation - whether it's quitting my job, buying a small apartment (which I don't really want) near Dublin or buying a house in the middle of nowhere (which is probably not good for my mental health either). I am so stuck. That's why I am so grateful for all of your kind and extremely helpful posts. Thank you!

blackbox

dawanda wrote: »

Budget is 200K though I could stretch it to a max of 250K (but would like to avoid that since it would be pretty tough to pay it off before I retire). I work in south Dublin, so I can avoid the city centre. I have to commute at least 3 days a week. 1.5 hrs one-way sucks but what can I do??

Unfortunately the banks won't give you a mortgage for a property that requires extensive refurbishment. They will factor in the cost of refurbishment. I.e. if you are approved for 250k they will only allow you to buy a 200k house if it is going to cost 50k to refurbish, even if you are happy to live in it while you gradually do the work.

sandyxxx

dawanda wrote: »

My budget is 250k at the very, very max (200K is more realistic). I have to be in Dublin 3 times a week and I can drive, so there does not have to be great public transport. I am looking for something at least 80 sqm, privacy (so not a terraced house), a decent size garden, but does not need to be huge. I'm not really good in estimating sizes, I'm sorry.
I am dreaming of sitting in my sunroom getting lots of sun because I am getting severely depressed if I don't have enough sun. I know that's hard in Ireland but Wicklow actually works out pretty well for me. If the area is too build up there's not much sun for anyone at home, of course. That's why I would be looking for something detached or semi-detached, I guess.
But I am completely new to the topic of buying a home and I don't have parents or family at all that could advise me, so I am super grateful for any advice from you guys.

Your budget won’t get much in along the N11 corridor in Wicklow,maybe in the west of the county,but that’s a world away from the east.....Id cast my eye to areas like Inch & Castletown in North Wexford....self builds have gone very expensive with energy reg’s!

[Deleted User]

dawanda wrote: »

Ahh, thanks for the tip, I didn't know that. I wouldn't be able to refurbish myself. Is it advisable to go down that road when you need to hire peoople?

uninhabitable derelict cottages cost considerably more than bare sites where I come from because the Estate Agents know that outsiders can bid on them and tear them down. A 25k site becomes a 100k site if there is a rundown cottage on it.

tom1ie

This is an interesting thread.
What about if you wanted to build a house that required NO services, such as an earth ship?
Planning seems to have a section built around provision of services, but if you need none?

dawanda

blackbox wrote: »

Unfortunately the banks won't give you a mortgage for a property that requires extensive refurbishment. They will factor in the cost of refurbishment. I.e. if you are approved for 250k they will only allow you to buy a 200k house if it is going to cost 50k to refurbish, even if you are happy to live in it while you gradually do the work.

Ah, good to know, thank you. Still, there might be a better chance to get one for 200k that needs 50k in refurbishement than one in move-in condition for 250k

sydthebeat

tom1ie wrote: »

This is an interesting thread.
What about if you wanted to build a house that required NO services, such as an earth ship?
Planning seems to have a section built around provision of services, but if you need none?

Planning permission is based on use, not services.

Even an "earth ship" needs a road to its entrance and it needs a treatment for its waste

dawanda

sandyxxx wrote: »

Your budget won’t get much in along the N11 corridor in Wicklow,maybe in the west of the county,but that’s a world away from the east.....Id cast my eye to areas like Inch & Castletown in North Wexford....self builds have gone very expensive with energy reg’s!

That's a great tip, thanks. Can you recommend Inch and Castletown in terms of safety?

dawanda

tom1ie wrote: »

This is an interesting thread.
What about if you wanted to build a house that required NO services, such as an earth ship?
Planning seems to have a section built around provision of services, but if you need none?

I'm not quite sure whether you are taking the peepee or are being serious :P Because: what the hell is an earth ship?

dawanda

Deleted User wrote: »

uninhabitable derelict cottages cost considerably more than bare sites where I come from because the Estate Agents know that outsiders can bid on them and tear them down. A 25k site becomes a 100k site if there is a rundown cottage on it.

... and I assume it will have to be torn down rather than simply upgraded from the inside?

[Deleted User]

dawanda wrote: »

... and I assume it will have to be torn down rather than simply upgraded from the inside?

Genau.

Graham

dawanda wrote: »

... and I assume it will have to be torn down rather than simply upgraded from the inside?

Probably not 'have to', more like 'cheaper to'.

dawanda

dawanda wrote: »

I'm not quite sure whether you are taking the peepee or are being serious :P Because: what the hell is an earth ship?

I just google it, oh my gosh, it looks awesome, now I want an earth ship. It's your fault!

tom1ie

sydthebeat wrote: »

Planning permission is based on use, not services.

Even an "earth ship" needs a road to its entrance and it needs a treatment for its waste

Well composting toilet plus Reed bed means it’s doesn’t need a sewage waste. Do you mean refuse?

tom1ie

dawanda wrote: »

I'm not quite sure whether you are taking the peepee or are being serious :P Because: what the hell is an earth ship?

Very serious.
https://youtu.be/j7SUjcwXY8w

tom1ie

dawanda wrote: »

I just google it, oh my gosh, it looks awesome, now I want an earth ship. It's your fault!

Lol! Yeah I would love to build one but I’ve no land.

conor05

blackbox wrote: »

Unfortunately the banks won't give you a mortgage for a property that requires extensive refurbishment. They will factor in the cost of refurbishment. I.e. if you are approved for 250k they will only allow you to buy a 200k house if it is going to cost 50k to refurbish, even if you are happy to live in it while you gradually do the work.

What if the OP sees a site and old cottage (to bypass local needs) for say 60k in South Louth for example.

On a 250k approved mortgage would the banks allow him to purchase the site/cottage for 60k and spend the remaining 190k on refurb/finish?

Graham

It wouldn't be a straightforward mortgage. Standard mortgage would generally have a provision for the house being habitable.

sydthebeat

tom1ie wrote: »

Well composting toilet plus Reed bed means it’s doesn’t need a sewage waste. Do you mean refuse?

A Reed bed is tertiary treatment..... Not primary.

A composting toilet plus reed bed is not acceptable by the EPA as an full form of effluent treatment.... So any application on that basis will be refused by the planning authority unless the applicant can prove its a valid safe method of treatment

Oldandtired

Hi , as far as I am aware there is no requirement to be either a son or daughter, generally it is children of locals who want to live locally ,, it also helps to do some research into how to present your case , pre planning meetings etc ,
However there is no getting around the costs involved in building a one off house or even a refurbishment, whatever you get quoted expect to add on another 20%

Oldandtired

My first ever post✔️ðŸ˜„

dubrov

OP, given cost is a big issue, I don't think you should be looking at building unless you can do a significant amount of the work yourself.The same applies to refurbishment. Both will cost you more than buying the finished product

Just go into daft/my home and see what your budget gets you. If there is nothing there, you'll just have to sit tight

sandyxxx

dawanda wrote: »

That's a great tip, thanks. Can you recommend Inch and Castletown in terms of safety?

Ah yeah,
Really anywhere rural is safe....remember cycling past some lovely houses in this area that were real bargains back after the bust!.....I’d imagine they’re in demand now however!

awec

Castletown / Inch to Dublin would be some commute.

tom1ie

sydthebeat wrote: »

A Reed bed is tertiary treatment..... Not primary.

A composting toilet plus reed bed is not acceptable by the EPA as an full form of effluent treatment.... So any application on that basis will be refused by the planning authority unless the applicant can prove its a valid safe method of treatment

How do they build them in other countries?
More relaxed guidelines in other countries or ours haven’t caught up yet?

dawanda

awec wrote: »

Castletown / Inch to Dublin would be some commute.

Google tells me just under 1 hr (obviously, no traffic now) and 75 kms.

Does this seem accurate? I know google maps isn't necessarily the most reliable