Unforeseen Costs?

Mayo self-build

Hi there,

My wife & I are just about to start on a self-build and I'd be delighted to hear from site users about unforeseen costs we might be able to think about & factor in now, given the huge amount of experience of everyone on this site... so I'd really appreciate it if you might let me know what, in your experience, were the things you never thought of and which meant your budget was affected.

Many thanks in advance!

muffler

A quick reply would be:

Architects fees
Solicitors fees
Site testing fees
Sewage treatment system
Well/piped water supply
Boundary walls/fences
Landscaping
ESB
Eircom
Development contributions
Extras to contractor
Decor.
Tiing
Kitchens
House furniture


Everyone else can feel free to throw in their list

Salmon

Well mayo selfbuild, Im just waiting on the ground floor walls to be finished but the biggest thing i have overlooked so far is groundwork and infill for the rising walls. This cost me 5k which I hadnt really budgeted for!! I'll keep you informed of any other 'extras' that I havent allowed for over the coming year!

Best of luck!

It's all too easy to forget the "twiddly bits" when pricing up elements of the build, e.g. Nails, brackets etc It's surprising how much these little bits add up!

Also don't forget site insurance, on-site storage, site hut, temporary services (electricity & water), boundary fencing.

Another thing is changing your mind about any aspect of the build during construction can potentialy have severe knock-one effects on other trades & cost.

pops

Would agree with all of the above, however we were stung by our blocklayer who we thought we'd got for a bargain. Of course he was so cheap because of his lack of experience and made a mess of the blocklaying. In the end we had to get someone else to finish the job and paid through the nose because of it.

We also bought furniture in sales etc. as we went along and asked relatives to store it for us until we were ready to move in. This is a huge help as you won't be left with so much to buy at the end when the money is getting it's tightest. Good Luck!

Builderwoman!

When doing self build....factor in hire (mixers, scaffolding etc) and the fact that most guys don't give a damn that the item on hire is costing you by the day! Plus there is no accounting for weather delays when you are hiring items. Bad weather can delay construction and cost your larger hire fees.

Finishing the house in general, paint, flooring, tiling etc. eats up a lot of money plus landscaping and planting.

As others said buy internal items like nice flooring, tiles and good doors in sales and store them until you need them because rest assured as you get closer to needing them and as your repayments rise as you draw down more and more money your cash flow from salaries etc will disimprove and you won't have the money for all the nice things you want inside then! Buy furniture and all the items you want and need in advance in sales etc and that really helps.