Benefits of Buying a New Build A Rated Home vs 2nd hand average D rated?

jrosen · 07-02-2021 10:01pm

cubatahavana wrote: »

And how do you find it?

Great tbh. The house is incredibly warm and very comfortable to live in.

If I had to be critical, the sound proofing between upstairs and downstairs could be better. I can hear the kids if they are on games upstairs. But they are loud so maybe its just my kids.
The quality of the internal doors is not great either. One year in and not anything else to complain about.

07-02-2021 10:31pm

ZeroSum76 wrote: »

OK I'm lazy

Very lazy if you didn't even do your research on what you actually bought.

JimmyVik · 08-02-2021 2:14pm

cubatahavana wrote: »

What temp do you heat it up to? With my wife it needs to be 22 degrees or she complains

With heating off, house doesn't go below 18.5 degrees

In the main parts of the house 23C in the day time from 6am to midnight. Not idea what it goes down to out of those hours. And in the bedrooms 18 all the time. Old people

I have it at 20C all the time in the granny flat, even at night and its toasty.

JimmyVik · 08-02-2021 2:17pm

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Interesting opinions

We're in the process of finalising a purchase of a 4 bed in that very estate. For us we decided the pros:

- High Spec
- Legal protections and home bond
- HTB freeing up our savings
- Good location (walk to Maynooth town / train station / great links by road)
- Will be surrounded by people at the same stage of life as us

outweighed the cons of engaging with the second hand market. We also quite like the houses as it happens - but beauty in the eye of the beholder and all that.

It's all about choices at the end of the day. We looked at a lot of second hand houses and went through bidding wars on a couple. It is easier to picture your life in an established estate and it can make it a more emotional / passionate choice. But buying a high spec new build when the government is giving you 30k equity in it as a tax rebate is a highly prudent financial move. And it's best not to be emotional about this, if you can help it!

Dont add that one to your list of positives. As thousands of people have found out.

dpham178 · 08-02-2021 7:10pm

We never considered new build until the 2 house biddings we took part in sickened us and our AIP expiry date was approaching.

It is now turning out that new build is a more suitable choice for us because:
1. We can get 30k HTB and use it for furnishing the house
2. Great energy rating
3. House is brand-new and clean. This is very important to me. 2nd-hand houses can't be as clean. (sounds like a ridiculous reason but yes this is a personal preference/priority)
4. Little to none fixing, upgrading and appliances setup work to be done. We are at the house (soft) furnishing stage now and it's stressful enough already so I don't think I will enjoy thinking about any of the fixing and building jobs.
5. Nice estate. Hopefully our neighbors will be nice too!

dubstepper · 08-02-2021 9:20pm

It is a fair point on the bidding. We went after a house that was on for 515, we had the highest bid which was 535. Was at that price for over a week. There had been 5 other bidders so it had a good run.

The EA turned around and said it was going to a sealed bid "to be fair to everyone"? He wouldn't take my call, the pr*ck, kept getting his secretary to get back to me. I didn't put extra offer and we missed out. Went for about 550 in the end.

cubatahavana · 11-02-2021 7:09pm

Other benefit: If there any issues, the builder usually sorts them out. We had a minor leak after moving in from the downstirs toilet and it was sorted within 24 hours

Yellow_Fern · 13-02-2021 4:24pm

ongarite wrote: »

I don't get the fascination with front gardens that people are harking on about in older houses.
In my many COVID 5km walks in D15, the vast majority have been fully converted to multi-car driveways.
What little garden is left is just for decoration.

Sound-proofing is significantly improved in newer builds mainly due to the new building regulations which call for better air-tightness.
Parents live in early 90s semi-d; you can hear light switches being turned on next door, electric shower being run, etc..
I live in celtic tiger build apartment; can't hear anything either side due to fire-regulations on adjoining units but can hear plenty from above.
Sibling in A3 rated 2019 build semi-d; can't hear a thing from adjoining neighbour & they have young child

It seems to me that it is be rare for developers apply existing acoustic requiring. BER is highly unreliable. You need to what the build of the house and look for quality, good window placement, avoid dormers, avoid hollow block (in old areas).

Yellow_Fern · 13-02-2021 4:28pm

minzabud wrote: »

Pros and cons,i'm sitting here in a t-shirt and the temperature of the house is 16 according to the hive app, can get up to 21 with the heating on for a couple of hours but wouldn't say it's uncomfortable, wife would say it's cold but happy with the compromise of bigger house in an area going through a rejuvenation of new neighbours, as said before if your happy to upgrade over time we fitted 40mm slabs to the upstairs last year and changed radiators with trvs and seeing improvements, front door would be a big factor and hoping to replace along with windows this year, house had double glazed fitted to half the house ten years ago but due to poor fitting will replace everything in one hit. You may not get these heartaches with a new build but each to their own.

Doors and windows tend not to make a big impact. It should be the last upgrade, not the first.

DubLad69 · 13-02-2021 4:55pm

Yellow_Fern wrote: »

Doors and windows tend not to make a big impact. It should be the last upgrade, not the first.

It really depends on the house. My parents recently upgraded their doors and windows and it made a huge difference.

They were last upgraded 21 years ago, they were warping out of shape and letting cold air/wind in at the edges. To the point that you could feel a draft behind you. Now that they replaced the house feels a lot warmer and more comfortable.

cubatahavana · 14-02-2021 12:48am

Yellow_Fern wrote: »

Doors and windows tend not to make a big impact. It should be the last upgrade, not the first.

Depends on size too. A 3 meter patio door/window if not properly insulated can be a disaster

dia squish · 14-02-2021 10:58am

We would like to eventually build a small workshop (with electricity) in the back garden of a future home, either as an extension or separate structure. Does anyone know if this would be more difficult with a new build in Dublin? Understand the back gardens are generally smaller.

baldbear · 14-02-2021 11:10am

We are living in North Dublin in a 1970s built house.

The pros & winner for us is proximity to amenities. Shop , pub schools, transport etc. C rated house too which we find is fine.

jrosen · 14-02-2021 1:54pm

dia squish wrote: »

We would like to eventually build a small workshop (with electricity) in the back garden of a future home, either as an extension or separate structure. Does anyone know if this would be more difficult with a new build in Dublin? Understand the back gardens are generally smaller.

Guess it depends on what your intentions are for your outside space. Some of the gardens on new builds are really small but others much better. If you dont need your outside space then it doesnt really matter. My inlaws extended their house and all it felt them with was a small courtyard style patio. Enough to have a small shed thats wired, garden furniture and a BBQ. But thats all they need it for.

DubLad69 · 14-02-2021 3:14pm

How small are new build gardens? I was told that the garden of the house that I am looking to buy is 75sqm South facing. How small is that?

cubatahavana · 14-02-2021 3:54pm

DubLad69 wrote: »

How small are new build gardens? I was told that the garden of the house that I am looking to buy is 75sqm South facing. How small is that?

I think 75 sqm for me is perfect. Small area for bbq/patio. Small lawn and space for a shed. No need no more

Eric Cartman · 15-02-2021 1:08am

dia squish wrote: »

We would like to eventually build a small workshop (with electricity) in the back garden of a future home, either as an extension or separate structure. Does anyone know if this would be more difficult with a new build in Dublin? Understand the back gardens are generally smaller.

you'd probably want to build something thats 25sq meters then (5x5 meters so not that big in reality) but you have to leave 25 sq meters of garden space free to be planning exempt so you need a garden of atleast 50sq meters which many new builds might not deliver.

awec · 15-02-2021 12:45pm

DubLad69 wrote: »

How small are new build gardens? I was told that the garden of the house that I am looking to buy is 75sqm South facing. How small is that?

If you can visualize a soccer pitch it'd be a bit bigger than the 6 yard box. About average size for a new build I'd have thought.

Size is only one part of it, as is orientation. You also need to consider the shape of the garden, and what is around the garden (is it overlooked by tall trees, are there other houses that'll block the sun etc).

JimmyVik · 18-02-2021 12:13pm

DubLad69 wrote: »

How small are new build gardens? I was told that the garden of the house that I am looking to buy is 75sqm South facing. How small is that?

Tiny.
You would park 3 cars in the garden.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 18-02-2021 12:31pm

JimmyVik wrote: »

Tiny.
You would park 3 cars in the garden.

Why does everyone need huge gardens? Most people just want somewhere to sit out with some grass for kids etc.

cubatahavana · 18-02-2021 1:06pm

MattS1 wrote: »

Why does everyone need huge gardens? Most people just want somewhere to sit out with some grass for kids etc.

Exactly, small garden with space for sitting and bbq and a little grass for the 2 year old monster to run.

I prefer a larger house and a smaller garden

dubstepper · 18-02-2021 4:11pm

cubatahavana wrote: »

Exactly, small garden with space for sitting and bbq and a little grass for the 2 year old monster to run.

2 years olds grow into 12 year olds. At that point it is nice to have a bit more space. Doesn't matter too much if the new estate have a shared green. In fact a shared green is more social for the kids.

Klaudia. · 01-03-2021 7:55pm

dia squish wrote: »

We would like to eventually build a small workshop (with electricity) in the back garden of a future home, either as an extension or separate structure. Does anyone know if this would be more difficult with a new build in Dublin? Understand the back gardens are generally smaller.

Depends on the rules in the estate too. I came across a new estate where there is a clause in the deeds preventing any alternations to the external of the house. No extensions either.

JimmyVik · 03-03-2021 11:21am

Klaudia. wrote: »

Depends on the rules in the estate too. I came across a new estate where there is a clause in the deeds preventing any alternations to the external of the house. No extensions either.

When I was looking I found that with a few places. I knocked them off my list straight away.

bobgaf · 03-03-2021 12:12pm

If thinking of buying 2nd hand and refitting or extending, bear in mind you may have to engage builders and possibly an architect.
Having been through 2 iterations of extending, both were a nightmare and I would advise caution when engaging either of the above.

CaptainCoPilot · 03-03-2021 3:32pm

Had this conundrum ourselves when in the market for a house two years ago. We considered both options and weighed up the pros and the cons. I think ultimately it comes down to what you want and for us, BER rating wasnt the top of the list.

We ended up buying an older house on the outskirts of a village with a decent garden and space as it was more suited to our needs, both now and with future plans in mind.

Its BER was D, but fortunately I used to work in the building trade and have upgraded the house since we moved in myself (new heating controls, insulation, new heating system, interior decoration etc). This was done by myself with the assistance of mates still in the trade when needed (aware this option isnt available to most). No idea what the BER is now, but it costs less than €1,000 to heat the house to a comfortable level (room temperatures at a comfortable level at all times, hot water available in mornings and evenings and can be boosted if needed at other times). We may add solar in a couple of years.

Personally, I think the BER system is flawed and too much emphasis is placed on it by people buying houses. But to each their own. We decided a new build wouldnt suit us as the density of the estates wouldnt suit our lifestyle. That may change in years to come, who knows.

Yellow_Fern · 03-03-2021 11:47pm

CaptainCoPilot wrote: »

Had this conundrum ourselves when in the market for a house two years ago. We considered both options and weighed up the pros and the cons. I think ultimately it comes down to what you want and for us, BER rating wasnt the top of the list.

Personally, I think the BER system is flawed and too much emphasis is placed on it by people buying houses. But to each their own. We decided a new build wouldnt suit us as the density of the estates wouldnt suit our lifestyle. That may change in years to come, who knows.

I think you are right. BER A is probably overrated. However I dont think a passivehouse certification is overrated as its an extremely reliable mark of quality, but they are rarely on the market.

Klaudia. · 07-03-2021 3:25pm

JimmyVik wrote: »

When I was looking I found that with a few places. I knocked them off my list straight away.

Hey, would you send me the list of these estates? It's heartbreaking to participate in a 'fight' to book the house just to realize there are restrictions like that in the deeds/ Management Company rules....

DubLad69 · 07-03-2021 5:15pm

Klaudia. wrote: »

Depends on the rules in the estate too. I came across a new estate where there is a clause in the deeds preventing any alternations to the external of the house. No extensions either.

Would this actually be something that is enforceable though?

Klaudia. · 07-03-2021 7:21pm

DubLad69 wrote: »

Would this actually be something that is enforceable though?

My solicitor said very vaguely that I may be fine for 20 years and then get into troubles if I'm not following 'the rules'.
I found some information about restrictive covenants in deeds on UK websites, not much on Irish websites. Shortly, they can be enforceable in court.

https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/i-am-buying/restrictive-covenants/

Please of course check with your solicitor. I'm just a random home buyer who searches the Internet for information...

carriet90 · 22-11-2023 3:11pm

Hey,

We looking at buying an A rated home but I'm a bit apprehensive because of the concerns the grid is going to experience more outages in the future. I've heard people say, you won't be able to heat your hom, no hot water and won't be able to cook and water pressure might be an issue too if the electricity cuts out. What people's opinion on this ? Any info on battery packs or suggestions for having a backup if this happens. Would appreciate any info. Thanks

KLF · 22-11-2023 6:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121400522#Comment_121400522

Not really an issue unless you can't do without power for a few hours. We have had a few outages where we are in North County Dublin, mainly due to construction in the area and their tendency to knock out power by accident. An A-rated house isn't going to lose heat that much, ours doesn't dip below 19c even without heating for a few hours.

The heated water will stay nice and hot until the power comes back on. The main issue is everything except the kitchen cold tap depending on the high-pressure water pump. Toilets will refill slowly so it's not total carnage :D

ted1 · 22-11-2023 11:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/115966886#Comment_115966886

Not obviously, many heat pumps are poorly installed and commissioned

a gas boiler in a d rated house is often cheaper to run.

SharkMX · 23-11-2023 8:57am

My sister bought a E1 rated house 2 years ago. Spent €15k on it and its a B2 now. I think she said for another 10k she can get it to a B1 but its fine the way she has it now.

I would rather have that house than one of the new A rated ones up the road. They were going for €200k more than she paid for hers. Hers is bigger. Nicer looking. Has a big front garden with room for 2 cars on the driveway and a back garden at least 10 times the size of the new builds near it. The new builds have no front garden (well a patch of grass about 2 square meters) and no driveway and i dont think I could walk 3 paces any direction in the back garden.

In the house she bought she could if she ever wanted to convert the attic or have room for an extension into the garden. Couldnt do any of that with the new builds in the area.

23-11-2023 10:18am

New houses have a mass produced look about them... everything is uniform. It takes decades for new estates to develop a character. I don't think the new build of today with minimum frontage will ever develop much character. As for gardens, they tend to be a bit on the small side, not that a huge garden is required.

herbalplants · 24-11-2023 2:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403713#Comment_121403713

I couldn't have said it better. I hate the look of new houses,souless.

rob316 · 24-11-2023 3:22pm

Came down to plot space for us in the end, we went for a 25 year old house, slightly smaller than the new build but big gardens back and front, ability to extend and better more developed area. I also didn't want to live next to a building site for the next 3-5 years while each phase goes up. New build estates are soulless looking and take years to develop a lived in look.

I'm quite handy so taking on all the renovation and decoration of an old house didn't bother me.

RichardAnd · 24-11-2023 3:34pm

My issue with new builds is that we don't know how well they will age. There are a LOT of Celtic Tiger builds up and down the country that really not borne the years with grace. Just down the road from mere, there are apartments built in 2000, and they really look very shabby. I would like to think that the quality of construction has improved, but who knows?

Given the choice, I would want an older house. That's just me, though.

rowantree18 · 24-11-2023 3:56pm

I've got a bit of a unicorn - A rated, was only 1.5 yrs old when I bought. Small development in heart of coastal village on Dart. No social housing went in as developers built a public amenity instead (think that loophole is gone now...). No front garden, small back. But I wanted that as I want to enjoy the area not spend time gardening. 180e/per 2 months for heat, light, cooking, hot water etc. Just one bill, the esb one. House always toasty which is very important to me. Heat pump maintenance 220e per year, mechanical ventilation maintenance 180e per year. I'm very happy. The houses now sell fast if they come on market for 200k more since I bought 3 years ago. A lot of kid's which is OK but I'm older so not meaningful one way or the other to me.

Cork2021 · 24-11-2023 6:02pm

Ye are giving me the hibbie jeebies!

we’re 80% there in terms of buying a new build in Cork!!

got disheartened with the second hand market!

REFLINE1 · 27-11-2023 10:44am

Bought a new build about 5 years ago. I grew up in a rural location so was used to lots of space and a big house, living in an estate was a culture shock for me and took a bit of adjustment, my wife on the other hand grew up in an estate. Interesting as to how people define an "older" house at this point. Celtic Tiger era builds are now 20+ years old, probably the only era of house i would 100% not touch, apartment or house having worked in the industry.

New build Pros

Typically well insulated, lower heating costs and generally cosy with no damp issues etc you might have in older properties
New build estates typically have lots of young families, nice for kids to grow up in, kids have lots of friends that they can play with on the greens in the summer, call to each others houses etc. Can be a good community feel with families organising street bbqs, Halloween events etc.
minimal maintenance/upgrade costs compared to older houses, at least in the first few years, you need to spend very little on the house other than the garden.
Construction and inspection standards for new builds are much better than they were in the past (celtic tiger era).

Cons

Privacy, during nice weather everyone's out in their gardens and it can be a bit noisy with kids etc, doesn't bother a lot of people but gets on my nerves.
Small gardens- a con for some, a pro for others? New build gardens typically have very poor soil quality and its a struggle to get a nice lawn going without importing decent topsoil at cost. Some new build gardens are quite overlooked & there is a lack of space to extend significantly in the future in most cases
A lot of new builds are timber frame, I personally think this is massive negative from a sound proofing perspective. Ours is blockwork and never hear the semi-d next door where as I've been in friends and family new builds and its horrific how much normal day to day noise you can hear from next door

Benefits of Buying a New Build A Rated Home vs 2nd hand average D rated?

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