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Costs involved with setting up your first home after you purchase the home

13»

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,898 ✭✭✭daheff


    One thing to make sure you get done first after appliances is to tile your shower


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,123 ✭✭✭✭Gael23


    iamwhoiam wrote: »
    When my daughter and family were buying a new house I bought a big washing basket .Every week while shopping I bought something .Cloths , brushes, soap, dettol, floor wipes, washing powder , shampoo, salt, sugar, toilet roll, fairy liquid, etc etc .The basket was over flowing .
    I did this for months and the day they moved in I gave it to them and they said it was the best present ever !!
    Maybe anyone preparing to move could do this for themselves

    I ding I only need a few different cleaning products but I do have a couple of different types of cloths


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,113 ✭✭✭Maz2016


    iamwhoiam wrote: »
    When my daughter and family were buying a new house I bought a big washing basket .Every week while shopping I bought something .Cloths , brushes, soap, dettol, floor wipes, washing powder , shampoo, salt, sugar, toilet roll, fairy liquid, etc etc .The basket was over flowing .
    I did this for months and the day they moved in I gave it to them and they said it was the best present ever !!
    Maybe anyone preparing to move could do this for themselves

    What a great idea


  • Registered Users Posts: 448 ✭✭ebayissues


    Ha most people talk about 7k for solocitor and stamp duty but you need an extra bob..minimum 5kish tbh. couch, bed, appliances, cleaning products,curtain, lawnmower.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,629 ✭✭✭jrosen


    I have just added off the top of my head what we have spent. At the moment we are hitting about 13k

    Granted new build but that only covers floors and carpets, blinds dining furniture and one couch. Then general kettles/microwave/washing machine/some crockery and cutlery. We had alot of that before we moved and also had all our own beds etc. All other kitchen appliances came with the house.

    We have another 1k soon for additional tiling in all bathrooms. To fit out the living room with couch/flooring/some built in units we have a rough cost of 9k. We still dont have any light fittings and no decor whatsoever.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,123 ✭✭✭✭Gael23


    ebayissues wrote: »
    Ha most people talk about 7k for solocitor and stamp duty but you need an extra bob..minimum 5kish tbh. couch, bed, appliances, cleaning products,curtain, lawnmower.

    Sometimes Dunnes have offers on cleaning stuff so I stock up then. Last time I got 2 bottles of bleach, couple of kitchen and bathroom sprays and a bottle of cream cleaner all for €10


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭Padkir


    I'd be pretty organised on stuff like this, and I like excel, so I kept a pretty detailed tracker when we were buying a couple of years ago. Not sure how the formatting will copy since I'm copying from excel, so apologies if it's all over the place! :o

    Legal fees:
    Stamp duty
    Solicitor's fees
    Land registry and searches
    Building survey
    Valuation fees

    It's 1% for stamp duty and then approximately another 1% for everything else combined.

    Furnishing and other costs:
    We listed every room in the house and all the items we thought we would need to buy for each of them and allocated a rough budget. For the likes of the kitchen, there was so much small stuff, it wasn't even about the budgeting, just a way of reminding ourselves of everything we needed!

    The below totals about €21k. Ended up being not far off what we had budgeted. Forgot some stuff, decided we didn't need others, some cost more than expected, some less, etc. but it generally evened out. We also noted the items that weren't urgent and didn't buy those right away until we were sure we had the money; probably had everything on this list sorted within 6-9 months of moving in.

    General
    Arrange professional cleaning €250
    Arrange moving in date and book van €150
    Change door locks once keys received €300
    Get chimney swept €70
    Get smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm €50
    Get boiler serviced and new timer fitted €150
    Lawnmower €350
    Ladder €100
    Robovac €300

    Master bedroom
    King bed €300
    Mattress €700
    Duvet, pillows * 2 and mattress protector €120
    Fitted king sheets * 2 €50
    Sliding wardrobes €1,500
    Chest of drawers €500
    Bedside lockers * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Repair walls and paint room €250
    Light fitting €100

    Master bedroom en-suite
    Shelves/freestanding unit for storage €50
    Bin €10
    Towel rails (1 for hand towel; 1 for bath towel) €30

    Bedroom 2
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Wardrobe and chest of drawers €400
    Curtains * 2 €300

    Bedroom 3 (downstairs)
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Light fitting €100

    Bedroom 4 / fun room
    Sliding wardrobes €2,200
    Light fitting €75

    Home office
    Desk * 2 €300
    Chair * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Monitor * 2 €240
    Keyboard * 2 €30
    Rug * 2 €100

    Main bathroom (upstairs)
    Hand towel rail €15
    Bin €10

    Hall (upstairs)
    Repair walls and paint room €300

    Bathroom (downstairs)
    Bin €10

    Utility room
    Washer €350
    Dryer €450
    Hand towel rail €15

    Kitchen/dining room
    Table and 6 chairs €1,000
    Curtains (dining room) €200
    Blinds (kitchen & patio door) €200
    Fridge freezer €850
    Oven €600
    Hob & extractor €500
    Microwave €150
    Kettle €40
    Toaster €40
    Dishwasher €200
    Bins €20
    Crockery set €100
    Tea/coffee holders €18
    Large bowls €20
    Cutlery set €30
    Mug tree and mugs €50
    Glasses €50
    Salt and pepper shaker €15
    Sugar bowl €10
    Chopping board €10
    Spice rack €10
    Kitchen roll holder €5
    Baking set €50
    Teapot €30
    Utensil holder and tongs, spoons, ladle €15
    Apron €11
    Oven mitts €5
    Silicon mat (for hot pots/pans) €10
    Mat (inside patio doors) €15
    Knife sharpener €10
    Steamer €25
    Dish drainer €10
    Mop and bucket €10
    Brush €7
    Ironing board €50
    Dining room console table €200

    Living room
    Large two seater sofa €700
    Two seater sofa €600
    TV €500
    TV stand €100
    Lamp €50
    Side table * 2 €120
    Rug €75
    Cushion * 6 €60
    Coal/turf storage €30
    Fireplace accessories (including ashes bucket) €40
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Art commissioning €100
    Repair walls and paint room €250

    Hall (downstairs)
    Table €100
    Mirror €100
    Welcome mat €20
    Sideboard for under stairs €350
    Repair walls and paint room €300


  • Registered Users Posts: 564 ✭✭✭Pivot Eoin


    Padkir wrote: »
    I'd be pretty organised on stuff like this, and I like excel, so I kept a pretty detailed tracker when we were buying a couple of years ago. Not sure how the formatting will copy since I'm copying from excel, so apologies if it's all over the place! :o

    Legal fees:
    Stamp duty
    Solicitor's fees
    Land registry and searches
    Building survey
    Valuation fees

    It's 1% for stamp duty and then approximately another 1% for everything else combined.

    Furnishing and other costs:
    We listed every room in the house and all the items we thought we would need to buy for each of them and allocated a rough budget. For the likes of the kitchen, there was so much small stuff, it wasn't even about the budgeting, just a way of reminding ourselves of everything we needed!

    The below totals about €21k. Ended up being not far off what we had budgeted. Forgot some stuff, decided we didn't need others, some cost more than expected, some less, etc. but it generally evened out. We also noted the items that weren't urgent and didn't buy those right away until we were sure we had the money; probably had everything on this list sorted within 6-9 months of moving in.

    General
    Arrange professional cleaning €250
    Arrange moving in date and book van €150
    Change door locks once keys received €300
    Get chimney swept €70
    Get smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm €50
    Get boiler serviced and new timer fitted €150
    Lawnmower €350
    Ladder €100
    Robovac €300

    Master bedroom
    King bed €300
    Mattress €700
    Duvet, pillows * 2 and mattress protector €120
    Fitted king sheets * 2 €50
    Sliding wardrobes €1,500
    Chest of drawers €500
    Bedside lockers * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Repair walls and paint room €250
    Light fitting €100

    Master bedroom en-suite
    Shelves/freestanding unit for storage €50
    Bin €10
    Towel rails (1 for hand towel; 1 for bath towel) €30

    Bedroom 2
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Wardrobe and chest of drawers €400
    Curtains * 2 €300

    Bedroom 3 (downstairs)
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Light fitting €100

    Bedroom 4 / fun room
    Sliding wardrobes €2,200
    Light fitting €75

    Home office
    Desk * 2 €300
    Chair * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Monitor * 2 €240
    Keyboard * 2 €30
    Rug * 2 €100

    Main bathroom (upstairs)
    Hand towel rail €15
    Bin €10

    Hall (upstairs)
    Repair walls and paint room €300

    Bathroom (downstairs)
    Bin €10

    Utility room
    Washer €350
    Dryer €450
    Hand towel rail €15

    Kitchen/dining room
    Table and 6 chairs €1,000
    Curtains (dining room) €200
    Blinds (kitchen & patio door) €200
    Fridge freezer €850
    Oven €600
    Hob & extractor €500
    Microwave €150
    Kettle €40
    Toaster €40
    Dishwasher €200
    Bins €20
    Crockery set €100
    Tea/coffee holders €18
    Large bowls €20
    Cutlery set €30
    Mug tree and mugs €50
    Glasses €50
    Salt and pepper shaker €15
    Sugar bowl €10
    Chopping board €10
    Spice rack €10
    Kitchen roll holder €5
    Baking set €50
    Teapot €30
    Utensil holder and tongs, spoons, ladle €15
    Apron €11
    Oven mitts €5
    Silicon mat (for hot pots/pans) €10
    Mat (inside patio doors) €15
    Knife sharpener €10
    Steamer €25
    Dish drainer €10
    Mop and bucket €10
    Brush €7
    Ironing board €50
    Dining room console table €200

    Living room
    Large two seater sofa €700
    Two seater sofa €600
    TV €500
    TV stand €100
    Lamp €50
    Side table * 2 €120
    Rug €75
    Cushion * 6 €60
    Coal/turf storage €30
    Fireplace accessories (including ashes bucket) €40
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Art commissioning €100
    Repair walls and paint room €250

    Hall (downstairs)
    Table €100
    Mirror €100
    Welcome mat €20
    Sideboard for under stairs €350
    Repair walls and paint room €300

    Great List thanks.

    Side Note, Your Curtain supplier obviously had his curtains open, because he definitely saw you coming the prices listed above!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,584 ✭✭✭✭Creamy Goodness


    Pivot Eoin wrote: »
    Side Note, Your Curtain supplier obviously had his curtains open, because he definitely saw you coming the prices listed above!

    €300 for made to measure curtains of decent quality is quite reasonable (assuming they're made to measure).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,889 ✭✭✭SozBbz


    Pivot Eoin wrote: »
    Great List thanks.

    Side Note, Your Curtain supplier obviously had his curtains open, because he definitely saw you coming the prices listed above!

    Seriously? €300 for made to measure curtains is cheap!

    I do have a friend who was quoted something like €14k for curtains for her whole house (which obviously she did not go with) which is expensive, and a far cry from €300.

    By all means do list the suppliers who do made to measure for less than €300!


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,306 ✭✭✭bobbyy gee


    I spent 100k on mine


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,536 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    bobbyy gee wrote: »
    I spent 100k on mine

    On?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    Pivot Eoin wrote: »
    Great List thanks.

    Side Note, Your Curtain supplier obviously had his curtains open, because he definitely saw you coming the prices listed above!

    I wouldn’t think it’s dear at all, and since they don’t mention poles I’d say it could be supply and fit, so it’s actually quite cheap.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,287 ✭✭✭givyjoe


    L1011 wrote: »
    On?

    Another house!


  • Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭into_the_wild


    Any particular brands recommended for kitchen appliances?
    I've heard Miele is pretty good but a bit on the expensive side.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,996 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    Ah just buy the basics for now. We all did that back in the day.

    I lived on a spongy sofa thing with a discarded bamboo three piece on the side for a year or so donated by my family who wanted to get rid. And then my aunt won a gangload of peat briquettes through some milk delivery promotion and donated them to me. They had to go into the tiny front room. The only peat storage with a carpet LOL. But saved me a mint as I had a solid fuel (think open fire) back boiler back then.

    I survived with second hand this and that, and interest free credit for the bigger ticket items like electrical.

    I don't think things have improved much now, joking, course they have but am still of the view that you buy what you can afford NOW and luxury is muck to other people.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,123 ✭✭✭✭Gael23


    Any particular brands recommended for kitchen appliances?
    I've heard Miele is pretty good but a bit on the expensive side.

    Miele is the top of the range which is fine if you are willing and able to spend that sort of money.
    For a washing machine and dryer I’d go with Bosch or Samsung if you want middle of the road.
    Dishwashers you can’t go too far wrong. Go Miele or Neff if you want high quality, other than that I’d look at Bosh/Siemens or maybe Whirlpool
    Cooker depends what type you have. Belling used to be the top pick but not so any longer apparently. I’d look maybe Electrolux or Zanussi
    Fridge Freezer, again you can’t go too far wrong depending on your budget. I’d stay away from the like of Beko and that but otherwise whatever you can afford


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭Padkir


    Pivot Eoin wrote: »
    Great List thanks.

    Side Note, Your Curtain supplier obviously had his curtains open, because he definitely saw you coming the prices listed above!

    I think for most rooms we got them a lot cheaper (we had no idea of the cost of them having never bought curtains before then). But then one or two rooms where we got thermal blackout curtains they were a bit dearer so it all evened out in the end.


  • Posts: 24,714 [Deleted User]


    Sleepy wrote: »
    If your new property has a utility / laundry room remember that no-one is likely to be looking at your washing machine / dryer. You can pick up refurbished units on adverts for €100 or so that you'll get a few years out of. When we bought, I picked up a washer dryer for €50 from a chap moving out of a nearby apartment that lasted us over 3 years - pretty much the life expectancy of any of the budget priced electrical stuff you'd get from the major stores. Aside from a few notable exceptions (which you can discern from the price-tag on them e.g. Miele) most branding on electrical goods is meaningless: a lot of the "quality" brands you remember from your childhood have been bought and sold multiple times and often it's literally only the brand-name itself that's been bought, the vast majority of this stuff is made as cheaply as possible in order to be sold as cheaply as possible and designed to only last 3 to 5 years (just beyond the warranty basically). The days of a fridge or a washing machine lasting 25 years are long gone unless you're spending really top money.

    This can be a false economy, even buying new budget brands they can use significantly more energy than the higher end appliances. For something like a dryer if its running every day or a few time a week minimum you could be using a lot more electricity. It can easily be calculated if (if you have details on the energy rating on something second hand)

    Personally buying this type of stuff second hand would not be a route I would even consider.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,223 ✭✭✭Canyon86


    Padkir wrote: »
    I'd be pretty organised on stuff like this, and I like excel, so I kept a pretty detailed tracker when we were buying a couple of years ago. Not sure how the formatting will copy since I'm copying from excel, so apologies if it's all over the place! :o

    Legal fees:
    Stamp duty
    Solicitor's fees
    Land registry and searches
    Building survey
    Valuation fees

    It's 1% for stamp duty and then approximately another 1% for everything else combined.

    Furnishing and other costs:
    We listed every room in the house and all the items we thought we would need to buy for each of them and allocated a rough budget. For the likes of the kitchen, there was so much small stuff, it wasn't even about the budgeting, just a way of reminding ourselves of everything we needed!

    The below totals about €21k. Ended up being not far off what we had budgeted. Forgot some stuff, decided we didn't need others, some cost more than expected, some less, etc. but it generally evened out. We also noted the items that weren't urgent and didn't buy those right away until we were sure we had the money; probably had everything on this list sorted within 6-9 months of moving in.

    General
    Arrange professional cleaning €250
    Arrange moving in date and book van €150
    Change door locks once keys received €300
    Get chimney swept €70
    Get smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm €50
    Get boiler serviced and new timer fitted €150
    Lawnmower €350
    Ladder €100
    Robovac €300

    Master bedroom
    King bed €300
    Mattress €700
    Duvet, pillows * 2 and mattress protector €120
    Fitted king sheets * 2 €50
    Sliding wardrobes €1,500
    Chest of drawers €500
    Bedside lockers * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Repair walls and paint room €250
    Light fitting €100

    Master bedroom en-suite
    Shelves/freestanding unit for storage €50
    Bin €10
    Towel rails (1 for hand towel; 1 for bath towel) €30

    Bedroom 2
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Wardrobe and chest of drawers €400
    Curtains * 2 €300

    Bedroom 3 (downstairs)
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Light fitting €100

    Bedroom 4 / fun room
    Sliding wardrobes €2,200
    Light fitting €75

    Home office
    Desk * 2 €300
    Chair * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Monitor * 2 €240
    Keyboard * 2 €30
    Rug * 2 €100

    Main bathroom (upstairs)
    Hand towel rail €15
    Bin €10

    Hall (upstairs)
    Repair walls and paint room €300

    Bathroom (downstairs)
    Bin €10

    Utility room
    Washer €350
    Dryer €450
    Hand towel rail €15

    Kitchen/dining room
    Table and 6 chairs €1,000
    Curtains (dining room) €200
    Blinds (kitchen & patio door) €200
    Fridge freezer €850
    Oven €600
    Hob & extractor €500
    Microwave €150
    Kettle €40
    Toaster €40
    Dishwasher €200
    Bins €20
    Crockery set €100
    Tea/coffee holders €18
    Large bowls €20
    Cutlery set €30
    Mug tree and mugs €50
    Glasses €50
    Salt and pepper shaker €15
    Sugar bowl €10
    Chopping board €10
    Spice rack €10
    Kitchen roll holder €5
    Baking set €50
    Teapot €30
    Utensil holder and tongs, spoons, ladle €15
    Apron €11
    Oven mitts €5
    Silicon mat (for hot pots/pans) €10
    Mat (inside patio doors) €15
    Knife sharpener €10
    Steamer €25
    Dish drainer €10
    Mop and bucket €10
    Brush €7
    Ironing board €50
    Dining room console table €200

    Living room
    Large two seater sofa €700
    Two seater sofa €600
    TV €500
    TV stand €100
    Lamp €50
    Side table * 2 €120
    Rug €75
    Cushion * 6 €60
    Coal/turf storage €30
    Fireplace accessories (including ashes bucket) €40
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Art commissioning €100
    Repair walls and paint room €250

    Hall (downstairs)
    Table €100
    Mirror €100
    Welcome mat €20
    Sideboard for under stairs €350
    Repair walls and paint room €300
    Thank you for this detailed list!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,242 ✭✭✭brisan


    Padkir wrote: »
    I'd be pretty organised on stuff like this, and I like excel, so I kept a pretty detailed tracker when we were buying a couple of years ago. Not sure how the formatting will copy since I'm copying from excel, so apologies if it's all over the place! :o

    Legal fees:
    Stamp duty
    Solicitor's fees
    Land registry and searches
    Building survey
    Valuation fees

    It's 1% for stamp duty and then approximately another 1% for everything else combined.

    Furnishing and other costs:
    We listed every room in the house and all the items we thought we would need to buy for each of them and allocated a rough budget. For the likes of the kitchen, there was so much small stuff, it wasn't even about the budgeting, just a way of reminding ourselves of everything we needed!

    The below totals about €21k. Ended up being not far off what we had budgeted. Forgot some stuff, decided we didn't need others, some cost more than expected, some less, etc. but it generally evened out. We also noted the items that weren't urgent and didn't buy those right away until we were sure we had the money; probably had everything on this list sorted within 6-9 months of moving in.

    General
    Arrange professional cleaning €250
    Arrange moving in date and book van €150
    Change door locks once keys received €300
    Get chimney swept €70
    Get smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm €50
    Get boiler serviced and new timer fitted €150
    Lawnmower €350
    Ladder €100
    Robovac €300

    Master bedroom
    King bed €300
    Mattress €700
    Duvet, pillows * 2 and mattress protector €120
    Fitted king sheets * 2 €50
    Sliding wardrobes €1,500
    Chest of drawers €500
    Bedside lockers * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Repair walls and paint room €250
    Light fitting €100

    Master bedroom en-suite
    Shelves/freestanding unit for storage €50
    Bin €10
    Towel rails (1 for hand towel; 1 for bath towel) €30

    Bedroom 2
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Wardrobe and chest of drawers €400
    Curtains * 2 €300

    Bedroom 3 (downstairs)
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Light fitting €100

    Bedroom 4 / fun room
    Sliding wardrobes €2,200
    Light fitting €75

    Home office
    Desk * 2 €300
    Chair * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Monitor * 2 €240
    Keyboard * 2 €30
    Rug * 2 €100

    Main bathroom (upstairs)
    Hand towel rail €15
    Bin €10

    Hall (upstairs)
    Repair walls and paint room €300

    Bathroom (downstairs)
    Bin €10

    Utility room
    Washer €350
    Dryer €450
    Hand towel rail €15

    Kitchen/dining room
    Table and 6 chairs €1,000
    Curtains (dining room) €200
    Blinds (kitchen & patio door) €200
    Fridge freezer €850
    Oven €600
    Hob & extractor €500
    Microwave €150
    Kettle €40
    Toaster €40
    Dishwasher €200
    Bins €20
    Crockery set €100
    Tea/coffee holders €18
    Large bowls €20
    Cutlery set €30
    Mug tree and mugs €50
    Glasses €50
    Salt and pepper shaker €15
    Sugar bowl €10
    Chopping board €10
    Spice rack €10
    Kitchen roll holder €5
    Baking set €50
    Teapot €30
    Utensil holder and tongs, spoons, ladle €15
    Apron €11
    Oven mitts €5
    Silicon mat (for hot pots/pans) €10
    Mat (inside patio doors) €15
    Knife sharpener €10
    Steamer €25
    Dish drainer €10
    Mop and bucket €10
    Brush €7
    Ironing board €50
    Dining room console table €200

    Living room
    Large two seater sofa €700
    Two seater sofa €600
    TV €500
    TV stand €100
    Lamp €50
    Side table * 2 €120
    Rug €75
    Cushion * 6 €60
    Coal/turf storage €30
    Fireplace accessories (including ashes bucket) €40
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Art commissioning €100
    Repair walls and paint room €250

    Hall (downstairs)
    Table €100
    Mirror €100
    Welcome mat €20
    Sideboard for under stairs €350
    Repair walls and paint room €300

    Each to their own and that's a fairly detailed list
    Can I ask one question out of genuine interest
    You spent 1000 euro on your main bed and mattress
    Yet you spent the same on a dining room set and 1300 euro on 2 sofas
    Was there any reason for this as I would have spent more than double that on the bed and got by with a cheap dining room table and chairs and sofa


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭Padkir


    brisan wrote: »
    Each to their own and that's a fairly detailed list
    Can I ask one question out of genuine interest
    You spent 1000 euro on your main bed and mattress
    Yet you spent the same on a dining room set and 1300 euro on 2 sofas
    Was there any reason for this as I would have spent more than double that on the bed and got by with a cheap dining room table and chairs and sofa

    We spent 750 on a fancy foam mattress (sleepeve), which is fantastic quality. The frame was a pretty cheap one (about 250) which we thought would be fine given the mattress was the key part. That actually turned out to be a false economy as we had to change the frame after 2 years because it was so creaky and not solid enough. So in hindsight we should have spent another 150 or 200 on a better frame, but would buy the same mattress again in the morning.

    Our table and chairs set was a bit of a splurge (we actually spent about 1300 quid) but it's a fantastic quality solid oak set from EZ Living which honestly is going to last a very long time if we look after it, plus it's gorgeous to look at so happy to have spent the money.

    Same with the sofas, they ended up costing about 1600 in total I think, but again they are good quality fabric recliners and are still like new.

    Things like that which we are using all the time are worth getting good quality - we made this back cheaping out on stuff that doesn't matter as much.


  • Registered Users Posts: 142 ✭✭into_the_wild


    Guys I'm a bit undecided on mattresses. So basically there are these pocket spring types (king koil, silent night etc) and then there are these memory foam ones. Any idea which one's better. King koils are more expensive but I always thought that life of a coil mattress would be lesser than a memory foam one. Am I wrong?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,536 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Some people (OK, it may just be me!) find memory foam intolerable to sleep on. They also stink like hell for the first while, even if you do all the off-gassing procedures recommended.

    They have similar lifespans if not slightly shorter for memory foam, as the foam eventually breaks down

    As for springs, there are two main types - box spring and pocket spring - but there are better engineered box spring units available that claim to have the resilience of pocket sping.... which is impossible for an end user to verify of course.


    Beds and sofas are both hideously overpriced and also absolute cases of buy cheap buy twice. Avoid "PU Leather/Bonded Leather" on everything including bed headboards, it'll fail and crack and fall off the fabric backing. This is sold as real leather, and it is true that it has some cow in it, but its basically plastic and fabric.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,651 ✭✭✭wench


    L1011 wrote: »
    Some people (OK, it may just be me!) find memory foam intolerable to sleep on.
    Not just you!
    I can't stand them, too warm and feels like sleeping on marshmallow.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,123 ✭✭✭✭Gael23


    wench wrote: »
    Not just you!
    I can't stand them, too warm and feels like sleeping on marshmallow.

    Yes not in a mattress. Memory foam pillows are nice though


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,817 ✭✭✭Darc19


    Most important rule

    Never ever believe "half price" sales or worse still, "after event" price.

    Avoid shops that advertise very heavily on TV - YOU are paying for those adverts.


    Ikea are decent for basic furniture, also decent mattresses.

    Crap sheets and duvet covers though.

    Michael Murphy and ez living are decent for furniture.

    Also there are several places that sell slightly damaged / shop soiled goods.



    Dfs are best avoided as are Currys for electricals (appalling service records)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,242 ✭✭✭brisan


    Guys I'm a bit undecided on mattresses. So basically there are these pocket spring types (king koil, silent night etc) and then there are these memory foam ones. Any idea which one's better. King koils are more expensive but I always thought that life of a coil mattress would be lesser than a memory foam one. Am I wrong?
    I am 60 and married for 38 years ,and one thing I have learned is to spend good money on shoes and a mattress
    You spend 16 hrs in one and 8 in the other
    Spending cheap on a mattress is false economy
    The benefits of a good nights sleep on every aspect of your life from work to social to sex your general mood cannot be underestimated
    I would recommend spending at least 2k (RRP ) on a mattress and 800-1000 min on a frame
    There are regular sales in all the major stores
    King Coil and Silentnight are good brands ,and I would avoid those roll up mattresses
    You will regret spending cheap on a good nights sleep


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,113 ✭✭✭Maz2016


    Padkir wrote: »
    I'd be pretty organised on stuff like this, and I like excel, so I kept a pretty detailed tracker when we were buying a couple of years ago. Not sure how the formatting will copy since I'm copying from excel, so apologies if it's all over the place! :o

    Legal fees:
    Stamp duty
    Solicitor's fees
    Land registry and searches
    Building survey
    Valuation fees

    It's 1% for stamp duty and then approximately another 1% for everything else combined.

    Furnishing and other costs:
    We listed every room in the house and all the items we thought we would need to buy for each of them and allocated a rough budget. For the likes of the kitchen, there was so much small stuff, it wasn't even about the budgeting, just a way of reminding ourselves of everything we needed!

    The below totals about €21k. Ended up being not far off what we had budgeted. Forgot some stuff, decided we didn't need others, some cost more than expected, some less, etc. but it generally evened out. We also noted the items that weren't urgent and didn't buy those right away until we were sure we had the money; probably had everything on this list sorted within 6-9 months of moving in.

    General
    Arrange professional cleaning €250
    Arrange moving in date and book van €150
    Change door locks once keys received €300
    Get chimney swept €70
    Get smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm €50
    Get boiler serviced and new timer fitted €150
    Lawnmower €350
    Ladder €100
    Robovac €300

    Master bedroom
    King bed €300
    Mattress €700
    Duvet, pillows * 2 and mattress protector €120
    Fitted king sheets * 2 €50
    Sliding wardrobes €1,500
    Chest of drawers €500
    Bedside lockers * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Repair walls and paint room €250
    Light fitting €100

    Master bedroom en-suite
    Shelves/freestanding unit for storage €50
    Bin €10
    Towel rails (1 for hand towel; 1 for bath towel) €30

    Bedroom 2
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Wardrobe and chest of drawers €400
    Curtains * 2 €300

    Bedroom 3 (downstairs)
    Double bed €250
    Mattress €250
    Bedside lockers * 2 €200
    Lamp €25
    Light fitting €100

    Bedroom 4 / fun room
    Sliding wardrobes €2,200
    Light fitting €75

    Home office
    Desk * 2 €300
    Chair * 2 €300
    Lamp * 2 €50
    Monitor * 2 €240
    Keyboard * 2 €30
    Rug * 2 €100

    Main bathroom (upstairs)
    Hand towel rail €15
    Bin €10

    Hall (upstairs)
    Repair walls and paint room €300

    Bathroom (downstairs)
    Bin €10

    Utility room
    Washer €350
    Dryer €450
    Hand towel rail €15

    Kitchen/dining room
    Table and 6 chairs €1,000
    Curtains (dining room) €200
    Blinds (kitchen & patio door) €200
    Fridge freezer €850
    Oven €600
    Hob & extractor €500
    Microwave €150
    Kettle €40
    Toaster €40
    Dishwasher €200
    Bins €20
    Crockery set €100
    Tea/coffee holders €18
    Large bowls €20
    Cutlery set €30
    Mug tree and mugs €50
    Glasses €50
    Salt and pepper shaker €15
    Sugar bowl €10
    Chopping board €10
    Spice rack €10
    Kitchen roll holder €5
    Baking set €50
    Teapot €30
    Utensil holder and tongs, spoons, ladle €15
    Apron €11
    Oven mitts €5
    Silicon mat (for hot pots/pans) €10
    Mat (inside patio doors) €15
    Knife sharpener €10
    Steamer €25
    Dish drainer €10
    Mop and bucket €10
    Brush €7
    Ironing board €50
    Dining room console table €200

    Living room
    Large two seater sofa €700
    Two seater sofa €600
    TV €500
    TV stand €100
    Lamp €50
    Side table * 2 €120
    Rug €75
    Cushion * 6 €60
    Coal/turf storage €30
    Fireplace accessories (including ashes bucket) €40
    Curtains * 2 €300
    Art commissioning €100
    Repair walls and paint room €250

    Hall (downstairs)
    Table €100
    Mirror €100
    Welcome mat €20
    Sideboard for under stairs €350
    Repair walls and paint room €300

    This is absolutely brilliant, thank you


  • Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭Newhomebuyer


    krissovo wrote: »
    It might sound crazy but I found by hiring a interior designer I saved a small fortune in the overall costs of kitting out the home and it looked awesome after it was finished. Our's got deals on almost everything and easily paid her fee twice over with the savings.

    My daughter when moving into her first flat a couple of years ago used a junior designer and did it on a very tight budget.

    Hi can you recommend a name who did your interiors


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,113 ✭✭✭Maz2016


    krissovo wrote: »
    It might sound crazy but I found by hiring a interior designer I saved a small fortune in the overall costs of kitting out the home and it looked awesome after it was finished. Our's got deals on almost everything and easily paid her fee twice over with the savings.

    My daughter when moving into her first flat a couple of years ago used a junior designer and did it on a very tight budget.

    This is great advice. I only saw it a few weeks ago. Friends of mine built a house. They hired a junior designer and she made so many changes / suggestions to what they weee going to do. They said hiring her was the best thing they did.


  • Registered Users Posts: 37 SantaClaw


    brisan wrote: »
    I would recommend spending at least 2k (RRP ) on a mattress and 800-1000 min on a frame

    You will regret spending cheap on a good nights sleep

    I think that is a case of it depends :)

    I have a sturdy metal frame that was about 150 and a decent memory foam mattress that was about 250 and I have never slept better before.

    Sleep is something very personal and for one person spending 3k might be totally worth it but someone else might have slept as well spending a fraction of that.


  • Registered Users Posts: 174 ✭✭sparkle109


    Do you have any recommendations?
    Maz2016 wrote: »
    This is great advice. I only saw it a few weeks ago. Friends of mine built a house. They hired a junior designer and she made so many changes / suggestions to what they weee going to do. They said hiring her was the best thing they did.


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