[ZeroSum76]

Hi folks - apologies if this is not the correct forum if so please redirect me.

Granted I am possibly well out of touch with construction costs but my wife and I have received 75% of tender responses and nearly dropped dead at the costs that have come back. We're doing a deep retrofit of an old 4 bed detached house and extending to the side, taking it from 149sqm to 200sqm.

It's a complete gut job and we've specified a high spec (solar PV, NILAN heat recovery system, good airtightness etc.) but we're talking a 200sqm job just. Not massive. The tender responses thus far are coming in between €440k and €550k

Have construction and material costs really gone that crazy? We were thinking maybe €280 to €300k given the high spec. Were we dreaming?

[s1ippy]

Yeah I want to do the same with our place so I'm going to follow this thread, but I'm not optimistic.

It's really more economical these days to either buy a new build with all the mod cons included or buy the resources and oversee all the work oneself.

[Gumbo]

Rule of thumb.

€1k per square meter for refurb.
€2k per square meter for new build.
That equates to €150k plus €100k for your house so about €250k.

Now you throw in the high spec which adds considerable amount
I would have guessed maybe an extra 100k at least but o don’t know your detailed spec.

[drunkmonkey]

What did you mean by a deep retrofit are you knocking most of the internal walls, underfloor heating, new bathrooms, ceilings, windows, new roof.

Were doing it at a snails pace but have helped friends get there's prepped for a lot of the work needed.

It seems like a huge amount, taking the extension out of it exactly what are you doing?

[ZeroSum76]

Thanks for the responses. Most of the internal structural walls are remaining. Stud walls getting knocked, ground floor totally reconfigured. New bathrooms, new kitchen, new windows, bi fold doors for a big opening, air to air heat recovery system, solar PV panels on roof, good standard of airtightness. Dropping ground floor level (currently suspended wooden floor and insulation outside underneath and celing... new everything essentially. Still sound excessive?

[bobgaf]

Run it by a professional. For that type of money, the professional fee would be money well spent.

[ZeroSum76]

You mean like a Quantity Surveyor?

[bobgaf]

Exactly. Best money you will spend if you are going to be spending between 350k and 500k.

[muffler]

In assuming this is Dublin / East coast prices?

[ZeroSum76]

Yes this is East Coast. Wicklow to be precise.

Each builder who replied to tender provided a full breakdown which were all presumably (and definitely looks like) provided by their own QS.

Prices must be just mad at the moment??

[Gumbo]

Originally Posted by ZeroSum76

You mean like a Quantity Surveyor?

QS for the money side but you need a good engineer/architect or surveyor to make sure the details are done correctly.

[tabby aspreme]

Builder's doing one off houses and good refurb work are very busy at the moment and seem to have a lot of work lined up for next year, and the prices have risen accordingly.

[ec_pc]

Had a similar approach last year, initial quotes came in about 100K over our budget for complete gutting of old house (just roof and 3 external walls were kept) and significant extension in Kildare. We got a turnkey finish, but we took care of many of the final finishes.

We went from about 140 square meters to approx 270 complete retrofit, Solar PV A2W heat pump etc , A2 rating in the end.

I think the homeowners idea of cost is always underestimated. As part of our build, we provided sanitaryware & Flooring both of which were fitted by builder / plumbers. We also arranged our own kitchen and stairs. We painted the entire house from top to bottom (never again, but prices to paint all interiors and woodwork were frightening).

To reduce our costs, we had to make some tough decisions at the start including reducing extension by about 10 SQ meters on both floors, changed roof finishes, removed all landscaping work, gates, fencing, stairs etc.

However, we did not scrimp on insulation, heating etc as these are essentially the fabric of the house and could not be easily changed in future.

I found it far more cost efficient to supply the builder with items and have him fit them (within reason). Saved over 2.5k by providing internal doors and brassware.

Shop around with builders, based on recommendations. We retained a professional to keep an eye on the build (well worth the money).

[ml100]

Originally Posted by ZeroSum76

Hi folks - apologies if this is not the correct forum if so please redirect me.

Granted I am possibly well out of touch with construction costs but my wife and I have received 75% of tender responses and nearly dropped dead at the costs that have come back. We're doing a deep retrofit of an old 4 bed detached house and extending to the side, taking it from 149sqm to 200sqm.

It's a complete gut job and we've specified a high spec (solar PV, NILAN heat recovery system, good airtightness etc.) but we're talking a 200sqm job just. Not massive. The tender responses thus far are coming in between €440k and €550k

Have construction and material costs really gone that crazy? We were thinking maybe €280 to €300k given the high spec. Were we dreaming?

Did the remaining tenders come in any lower, at that price is it economically viable to proceed?, the building industry in this country is very frustrating, its boom and bust as the cost of getting a job done is largely dependent on the availability of builders, if they are busy the prices are high until the market over corrects, I.e. bust!

[3d4life]

OP, cant figure out if this is a detached house.

If it is, have you looked at the option of demolish & build new ?