Building costs

Fat Joe

I am thinking of going down the root of building a house. I was just wondering what it costs. I have seen the general figure of 100 euro a square foot. Does this figure still apply now that we are in times of recession. A site will cost me about 150k. What would it cost say to build a 2500-3000 sq foot house on this?

RKQ

100 euro is still a good guide, to be safe. All self-builds have the potential to reach or exceed this figure, as you will be building for yourself and using better quality materials / finishes.

Things are getting cheaper especially rates for plastering and price per block.
I've heard of 60 cent per block!

I've also heard of sites for €70 - 80k with full planning permission.

muffler

Prices would have dropped a bit (labour content) but bear in mind that materials are all on the way up. Depends on what area you are in but if you are out in a rural area you should be able to build for around €90 - €100 per sq. foot.

You probably have read the "Live self build" sticky on the front page but if not have a browse though it.

fiestaman

€100, is this including kitchen and basic furniture like doors floors skirting kitchen appliances tiles ect ect

Jimbo

fiestaman wrote: »

€100, is this including kitchen and basic furniture like doors floors skirting kitchen appliances tiles ect ect

Not usually. Builders finish I'd imagine , i.e. no flooring, no kitchen units, no built-in wardrobes, no furniture, no appliances.

Jonnykitedude

I thought i would be able to build a house (2300sqft) for approx 250k and that was with everthing but i soon opened my eyes:(
At the moment the house is costing 280k
75k for timberframe with other bits
200k for contractor

Then you have to add in ESB,stupid CC fees,well etc etc etc:(:(:(

RKQ

Sounds expensive Jonnykitedude.
What is the Bilder doing for 200K if the timberframe is 75K. Must be very high spec finishes to cost nearly 3 times the frame.

Poor Uncle Tom

It does sound expensive, given the prices discussed on another thread, average of about €85/ft2.

muffler

Have to agree with the above. Does seem a bit high alright.

sinnerboy

Around M50 , costs typically reach €200 sq ft ...

sunnysoutheast

When comparing prices you have to remember to compare like with like.

The prices for 85/sq.ft. didn't include any kitchen, applicances, flooring, tiling, decoration, etc. so you can't really be said to be building a "house" for that amount. Also this price is likely to be to "estate spec." - i.e. cheapo bathrooms, bare-min windows, plain sockets/switches, gravity plumbing, minimal electricals, knotty pine everywhere.

Contractors at present seem to be taking jobs on at these low levels and then relying on inflated change requests for their profit.

I can't imagine that it would be possible to build for anything less than a bare minimum of €100/sq.ft. For a high-spec. house, say with HQ kitchen/appliances, HRV, upgraded insulation, low-E windows, pressurised plumbing, oak/ash doors/skirting, marble/porcelain flooring, UFH, good electrical spec. you're looking at €130-140/sq.ft. before you've put in a sofa! More if you're in an expensive part of the country.

I'd love to know where people get some of the lower figures quoted on here from TBH. The price of materials alone has rocketed over the last couple of years.

SSE

muffler

sunnysoutheast wrote: »

I'd love to know where people get some of the lower figures quoted on here from TBH.

I see the quotes and I also issue the stage payment certs for mortgages. In fairness I have to say that is in Donegal so I cant comment as to how prices are calculated in other areas of the country.

smashey

sunnysoutheast wrote: »

I'd love to know where people get some of the lower figures quoted on here from TBH. The price of materials alone has rocketed over the last couple of years. SSE

On the flip side, I'm constantly shocked at most of the prices posted in this forum whether they are for build costs or fees. :eek:

sunnysoutheast

Not having a pop at anyone, BTW, in case anyone thought I was. If you can get houses built at these price points then well done and good luck to you! We benchmarked at c. 130 sq.ft. from the start and we still came in slightly over, even decorating and doing minor work ourselves (SE). I spoke to a sparks a few weeks ago and he told me that he's giving up one-off new-build work for now as the margins are negligible due to materials price rises and the clients are skint, similar story with a tiler we know. Conversely there seem to be no shortage of blocklayers, labourers, stonemasons, tarmacers, etc. so it could be the availability of skilled trades which hold up a build.

SSE

VW08

Jonnykitedude wrote: »

I thought i would be able to build a house (2300sqft) for approx 250k and that was with everthing but i soon opened my eyes:(
At the moment the house is costing 280k
75k for timberframe with other bits
200k for contractor

Then you have to add in ESB,stupid CC fees,well etc etc etc:(:(:(

I was on to Kingspan and they said that their timber framed houses are between 20-24euro per square foot. If you dont mind me asking, how come your house is coming in at 75k? What are the other bits?

Leadership

I am getting regular quotes back for €75 per sq/ft at the moment. This is for a "builders finish" with oil c/h, wooden floors & stairs etc.

If I add all the work that I want done like ICF, Concrete floor, solar, wood pellet boiler, home automation etc then I am looking at €100 sq/ft without a kitchen.

sinnerboy

Leadership wrote: »

I am getting regular quotes back for €75 per sq/ft at the moment. This is for a "builders finish" with oil c/h, wooden floors & stairs etc.

If I add all the work that I want done like ICF, Concrete floor, solar, wood pellet boiler, home automation etc then I am looking at €100 sq/ft without a kitchen.

What part of the country ?

Leadership

Cork City

VW08

Leadership wrote: »

I am getting regular quotes back for €75 per sq/ft at the moment. This is for a "builders finish" with oil c/h, wooden floors & stairs etc.

If I add all the work that I want done like ICF, Concrete floor, solar, wood pellet boiler, home automation etc then I am looking at €100 sq/ft without a kitchen.

Thanks for the info Leadership. Any ideas if its cheaper to build a bungalow or a 2 story, or does it all just depend on the square footage of the house?

My uncle finished building his house resently, and he put in the solar panals himself. It was a matter of attaching the brackets to the roof and screwing the solar panal tubes in. And it works great. Might be an idea, to save a bit of money!! He actually knew a solar panal provider who signed off on the grant forms to say the provider did the installation, and he got the grant!!! This was in Kanturk.

Leadership

I was told it would be cheaper if I didnt have an L shape as that needs steel. I also have a balcony, windows from floor level up to the roof so that's extra glass and steel costs. I also have a couple of other features that add costs.

VW08

I was looking to build a 2337 square foot, L shaped bungalow in the next few years. Patio to the front, also big windows to the front. I was going to go with timber frame, and install a GHP also. I hear the GHP costs about 12000 euro's. I'll most likely to get a builders finish, as Iv no problems doing all the painting and floors myself.

The whole thing is just so daunting, and expensive! Lots of saving to be done first though. And in the mean time, theres also a lot of research to be done to understand it all. I'll most likely go with a contractor to over see everything.

Im in Cork county myself, so your information is a great help. Thanks:)

NickTellis

Leadership wrote: »

I was told it would be cheaper if I didnt have an L shape as that needs steel. I also have a balcony, windows from floor level up to the roof so that's extra glass and steel costs. I also have a couple of other features that add costs.

Any chance of some pics Leadership? We're planning on something very similar with an extension to make our bungalow L-shaped with folding doors on ground level and a balcony with glass to the roof apex on the upper floor. What is your balcony made of? What was the maximum length of steel you needed and how much did it cost? If you don't mind me asking

Leadership

Here are the plans, the site has only been cleared so no action photo's just yet.

These do not show the balcony as we have added that on after and only have a hard copy of those plans. The balcony will be steel legs and a concrete platform.

There is a gallery on the landing that you probably cannot see properly that has views of the ground floor and out of the corner windows

As for the steel I do not have the details here but can add them when I finish work.

Builderfromhell

Impressive design there Leadership.
Compliments to architect.
It seems the prices you are getting to build are very reasonable considering the house is stone faced.

Leadership

Builderfromhell wrote: »

Impressive design there Leadership.
Compliments to architect.
It seems the prices you are getting to build are very reasonable considering the house is stone faced.

At the moment we will more than likely just have a rendered finish. Planning initially restricted us for a stone front as the people building the house next door were having a stone front. Next door has now just opted for a rendered finish so we should get away without the stone.

The stone is a 13k option, we will stone the house only if the build comes in on budget.

The architect, lol, I bought online and they changed some details from the original for us. Its now one of the suppliers standard offerings. Plans cost us a grand in the end with the changes.

sinnerboy

agreed - consider more veluxes over your master bedroom ?

Leadership

sinnerboy wrote: »

agreed - consider more veluxes over your master bedroom ?

Exactly what the builder asked us, we are going to increase the size and place an extra one in as well.

Supertech

I'd say €75 / sq.ft is VERY reasonable for that house Leadership. There are a lot of tricky little details around the junctions.

On another note, I'd be very careful about dropping the stone finish. It's a planning issue if you vary from your approved plans, and technically would require retention if you were ever to sell.

VW08

Leadership wrote: »

The architect, lol, I bought online and they changed some details from the original for us. Its now one of the suppliers standard offerings. Plans cost us a grand in the end with the changes.

Where did you buy this plan on-line. It looks great.

Good luck with it!:)

Leadership

VW08 wrote: »

Where did you buy this plan on-line. It looks great.

Good luck with it!:)

I got them from http://www.irish-house-plans.ie/

This is my second set of plans from them, the service is good and a very fair price.

scanner1

Leadership, thats a great price, I received planning for my build 1 1/2 storey in west cork recently and got a current price of €90 per square foot, but no flooring etc. Would your builder be willing to build in west Cork?

Leadership

scanner1 wrote: »

Leadership, thats a great price, I received planning for my build 1 1/2 storey in west cork recently and got a current price of €90 per square foot, but no flooring etc. Would your builder be willing to build in west Cork?

No harm in asking, BUT!!!!! Remember he has not even started my build yet and I am at about €95 per sq/ft with the extra's so this is no way a complete recommendation for quality, reliability etc.

I will drop you a PM with some details

wondering...

Hello,

Just about to start my own build soon (1 and 1/2 storey) - hoping to get prices from some builders in the next while.

So at the minute I'm very keen to hear what the average cost per sq foot is for most people.

€75 per sq ft seems v good... I always heard the magic figure of €100 being thrown about (not including kitchen or appliances, but does include stairs) - but unsure what the recent economic changes have done to this?

Am based in West Cork (Bandon) as well, so would be interested in hearing how you got on scanner1?

Will add any quotes I get when I get them for other peoples benefit.

Newgirl

Hello

does anyone know if the cost to build a timerframe house has come down?
thank you

CelineOC

Hi
I am also looking to build a house... In Dublin

Has anyone any idea of the following;

1) Price per square ft (Dublin)
2) Is there any extra costs that don’t jump out when considering building a house?
3) What sort of money are we talking for the ESB
4) What is a realistic time frame for a 11200sq house to be built ??

Thanks guys...

scanner1

wondering... wrote: »

Hello,

Just about to start my own build soon (1 and 1/2 storey) - hoping to get prices from some builders in the next while.

So at the minute I'm very keen to hear what the average cost per sq foot is for most people.

€75 per sq ft seems v good... I always heard the magic figure of €100 being thrown about (not including kitchen or appliances, but does include stairs) - but unsure what the recent economic changes have done to this?

Am based in West Cork (Bandon) as well, so would be interested in hearing how you got on scanner1?

Will add any quotes I get when I get them for other peoples benefit.

wondering.... I decided afterwards to go with direct labour rather than the building contractor route, site clearing and foundations start next week. On current budget predictions I would hope to have close to fully finished house (plus 20X14 Garage) to a much higher spec for €100(budget says €85 at the moment so added 20% buffer) per sq foot. This includes all the other costs that I would have to pay outside a contractor anyway ESB connection,development charges etc.
Best of luck in your search for a builder, I would imagine that they would have come down even more since I was getting quotes last year. Let me know how you are getting on.

Slig

CelineOC wrote: »

Hi
I am also looking to build a house... In Dublin

Has anyone any idea of the following;

1) Price per square ft (Dublin)
2) Is there any extra costs that don’t jump out when considering building a house?
3) What sort of money are we talking for the ESB
4) What is a realistic time frame for a 11200sq house to be built ??

Thanks guys...

11200sq (M? ft?) in Dublin, Are you building the Bertie bowl?:D
I dont think there is enough timber in Ireland to build a timber frame house that size, so build time would be fairly long with waiting for the forests to restock etc.

CelineOC

11200sq i wish..
Very Sorry.......... What i meant was 1200sq !!!

Thanks....

CelineOC

Hi
I am also looking to build a house... In Dublin

Has anyone any idea of the following;

1) Price per square ft (Dublin)
2) Is there any extra costs that don’t jump out when considering building a house?
3) What sort of money are we talking for the ESB
4) What is a realistic time frame for a 1200sq house to be built ??

Thanks guys...

jcoolie

Hi, I plan to build a 2800sq foot house in North Cork this summer, does anyone have a budget template for something like this? Thanks

Dr. Nick

scanner1 wrote: »

wondering.... I decided afterwards to go with direct labour rather than the building contractor route, site clearing and foundations start next week. On current budget predictions I would hope to have close to fully finished house (plus 20X14 Garage) to a much higher spec for €100(budget says €85 at the moment so added 20% buffer) per sq foot. This includes all the other costs that I would have to pay outside a contractor anyway ESB connection,development charges etc.
Best of luck in your search for a builder, I would imagine that they would have come down even more since I was getting quotes last year. Let me know how you are getting on.

Some quotes from contractors I'm still getting remain unrealistic in the current climate, does anyone think an expectation of €75 per sq m for builders finish (incl. 20x30 garage but no PC sums) in Meath is reasonable?

muffler

Dr. Nick wrote: »

Some quotes from contractors I'm still getting remain unrealistic in the current climate, does anyone think an expectation of €75 per sq m for builders finish (incl. 20x30 garage but no PC sums) in Meath is reasonable?

Not familiar at all with pricing in that area but from reading past posts I doubt if you would get much for anything leass that €100/ft2 unless you go direct labour.

In Donegal at the moment a keen price would be around €70/ft2

sinnerboy

Dr. Nick wrote: »

Some quotes from contractors I'm still getting remain unrealistic in the current climate, does anyone think an expectation of €75 per sq m for builders finish (incl. 20x30 garage but no PC sums) in Meath is reasonable?

that is WAY too low . you will not get a b reg compliant product for that in Meath . you may start works on this basis but not finish them


SB prediction - 2009 will be the year of the un finished project . Watch this forum in Autumn for posters saying - my builder has buggered off and my works are not finished - HELP

MacTheKnife1

sinnerboy wrote: »

SB prediction - 2009 will be the year of the un finished project . Watch this forum in Autumn for posters saying - my builder has buggered off and my works are not finished - HELP

Interesting - where will the builder go then? There are so few builds going on - u think builders can afford to walk off a site??

sinnerboy

Can anyone afford to do works that costs them more than they gain from doing it ?

Dr. Nick

sinnerboy wrote: »

that is WAY too low . you will not get a b reg compliant product for that in Meath . you may start works on this basis but not finish them


SB prediction - 2009 will be the year of the un finished project . Watch this forum in Autumn for posters saying - my builder has buggered off and my works are not finished - HELP

I should have mentioned that this is without the inclusion of windows, kitchen, bathrooms and plumbing, all which i will be sourcing seperately

scaletec

Dr. Nick wrote: »

Some quotes from contractors I'm still getting remain unrealistic in the current climate, does anyone think an expectation of €75 per sq m for builders finish (incl. 20x30 garage but no PC sums) in Meath is reasonable?

not so much reasonable but very optomistic. let me know if you get quotes even close to it. building in meath too and some builders very reluctant to drop prices.

Dr. Nick

scaletec wrote: »

not so much reasonable but very optomistic. let me know if you get quotes even close to it. building in meath too and some builders very reluctant to drop prices.

I already have two quotes for around €100 per sq ft (including options above or PC sums for same), but offering different options so difficult to compare like with like. One is a local builder, well-known and I know people who've used him, the other a bigger building firm in Offaly.
Having spoken to both since the quote, they will be in a position to bring the price down - I've now decided to let the architect do the leg-work so we'll see what happens.......

sinnerboy

Dr. Nick wrote: »

I should have mentioned that this is without the inclusion of windows, kitchen, bathrooms and plumbing, all which i will be sourcing seperately

well that changes the picture a fair bit . try to gauge as best you can that both parties ( you + the builder ) will both gain from the deal , that there is goodwill

Don't be the foolish client with the desperate builder ( I doubt you will actually Dr ) . That situation would end in tears

Dr. Nick

sinnerboy wrote: »

well that changes the picture a fair bit . try to gauge as best you can that both parties ( you + the builder ) will both gain from the deal , that there is goodwill

Don't be the foolish client with the desperate builder ( I doubt you will actually Dr ) . That situation would end in tears

I shall keep you posted sinnerboy..........my wife will make sure that nothing foolish will occur in any transaction

I have family on the plumblin side, a friend on the kitchen side and another friend on the window side so here's hoping we can shave a few €€€ off.

muffler

Dr. Nick wrote: »

I have family on the plumblin side, a friend on the kitchen side and another friend on the window side so here's hoping we can shave a few €€€ off.

Your uncle's a barber?