Cost to build a small basic house

countrygal17

Hi,

We are desperately looking for a way out of becoming renters for life and would be interested in building a small basic house (3 bed) roughly 110m2. It would be a self build, all hands on deck project with some assistance from friends and family who have experience in the trades. There would be no fancy finishes, just standard and even purchasing some materials secondhand where possible. Is it at all possible to get this done for less than 100k inc planning, esb etc but not incl the cost of the site? We are in the east of the country.

Just in case it is suggested - I am not at all sold on the log cabin thing as it just loses value, not permanent and have been told that to do it correctly would cost as much as a small house anyway.

Thanks in advance

declanflynn

I think you could, kept the house square and simple only finish rooms you need kitchen bathroom and one bedroom, is there an existing old house on your site

countrygal17

declanflynn wrote: »

I think you could, kept the house square and simple only finish rooms you need kitchen bathroom and one bedroom, is there an existing old house on your site

Site will have to be purchased first but not including cost of that in the 100k mentioned above. I imagine it will be a site with no existing old house but would that change things somehow?

The plan is a simple rectangular 1.5 storey home. Not looking to win architectural prizes.

declanflynn

If there is an existing house it's possible to save on the "amenities charge" from the local council, how come you have a budget figure for the build but not the site purchase?

countrygal17

declanflynn wrote: »

If there is an existing house it's possible to save on the "amenities charge" from the local council, how come you have a budget figure for the build but not the site purchase?

Interesting to know!!

I anticipate site to cost 40-50k based on prices in our area so I know around 100k is all that I'll likely have left to work with

bfclancy

No chance. You'll have 30k spent before you even get to sub floor between Groundworks ,contributions, planning costs, surveys etc

dellas1979

Fees alone (it is no joke):

• Percolation: Around e700/800 (digger for holes and engineer report)
• Solicitor fees for transfer (and land registry fees): e2000
• Electricity: 12v connection is e1916. 16V e2600.
• I assume as it is a very basic house on a very small budget, there will be no heat pump (usually requires a 16v connection).
• Water: If house is 1-10 meters from mains connection, it is e2,270. Every meter after that is e400 per meter.
• Council contribution fee: Once you get planning (which is only about e70 to apply), youve to pay a council contribution fee. In Tipp, it is e31 per square meter of house. I have heard the nearer you get to Dublin, the more that increases. So you will have to ring your council to see what it is, e.g., 110 square meter of house x e50 per square meter = e5,500. Councils do let you pay off in installments.
• You also need to engage, at least, an engineer. 1. To design the house (no matter how basic it is). 2. You cant just throw up a house and it be grand. They are very strict now on Part L (building regulations). 3. And also, if you have a mortgage, you need an engineer/architect to ok requisitions (requisitions is where you drawn down the money from the mortgage to pay for materials/trades). I would estimate 3-5k for their services (I use an architect so unsure about this one).

Few things to consider:

• Build square and up (less foundation and less roof vs a bungalow)
• Keep down no. of bathrooms. By law, in a 2 storey house, youve to have a wheelchair accessible bathroom downstairs. And then maybe one bathroom upstairs. Remember, 3 bathrooms is great until next thing its e10k plus for bathroom ware and tiling.
• Windows: Triple glaze will not be in your budget. Keep windows small.
• You need to decide now what the heating system will be or have a very good idea. As said, I cant see you getting a heat pump for the budget you have. As house needs to be as air tight as possible and have lots of insulation (all more expensive).
  
  Square, 2 story, PVC windows, oil/gas heating, 2 bathrooms - very very very tight - but I think ye could do it!
  
  I am an eternal optimist. I was told I couldnt build the type of house I wanted for the budget I have, and I am building it right now (3/4s way through). Similar size to yours.

countrygal17

dellas1979 wrote: »

Fees alone (it is no joke):

• Percolation: Around e700/800 (digger for holes and engineer report)
• Solicitor fees for transfer (and land registry fees): e2000
• Electricity: 12v connection is e1916. 16V e2600.
• I assume as it is a very basic house on a very small budget, there will be no heat pump (usually requires a 16v connection).
• Water: If house is 1-10 meters from mains connection, it is e2,270. Every meter after that is e400 per meter.
• Council contribution fee: Once you get planning (which is only about e70 to apply), youve to pay a council contribution fee. In Tipp, it is e31 per square meter of house. I have heard the nearer you get to Dublin, the more that increases. So you will have to ring your council to see what it is, e.g., 110 square meter of house x e50 per square meter = e5,500. Councils do let you pay off in installments.

Few things to consider:

• Build square and up (less foundation and less roof vs a bungalow)
• Keep down no. of bathrooms. By law, in a 2 storey house, youve to have a wheelchair accessible bathroom downstairs. And then maybe one bathroom upstairs. Remember, 3 bathrooms is great until next thing its e10k plus for bathroom ware and tiling.
• Windows: Triple glaze will not be in your budget. Keep windows small.
• You need to decide now what the heating system will be or have a very good idea. As said, I cant see you getting a heat pump for the budget you have. As house needs to be as air tight as possible and have lots of insulation (all more expensive).
  
  Square, 2 story, PVC windows, oil/gas heating, 2 bathrooms - very very very tight - but I think ye could do it!
  
  I am an eternal optimist. I was told I couldnt build the type of house I wanted for the budget I have, and I am building it right now (3/4s way through). Similar size to yours.

Thanks for your response. Glad to see I'm not the only one with this mad plan!!

Council fees here are about 10k i believe!!!

Yes planning a square/ rectangle storey and a half home with 2 bathrooms. The one downstairs would also have a shower. I know windows, doors, stairs etc can even be got second hand!

Does anyone know if the package kit timber frame homes would be in budget or are they cheaper than traditional block built home?

bfclancy

countrygal17 wrote: »

Thanks for your response. Glad to see I'm not the only one with this mad plan!!

Council fees here are about 10k i believe!!!

Yes planning a square/ rectangle storey and a half home with 2 bathrooms. The one downstairs would also have a shower. I know windows, doors, stairs etc can even be got second hand!

Does anyone know if the package kit timber frame homes would be in budget or are they cheaper than traditional block built home?

I went timber frame it's no cheaper than block. Maybe slightly more. Can't be done for 100k so unless you get another 50k from somewhere don't start or else you'll end up with half a house you can't live in and having to pay rent as well as the mortgage on the half built house. Second hand windows won't be permissible on a new build as probably won't meet the regs.

dellas1979

countrygal17 wrote: »

Council fees here are about 10k i believe!!!

Well, the charges are not set. It depends on the square meterage of your house multiply by what that council charges (each council around the country charges different fees - you need to ring council and ask). The most expensive council charge I heard of was e80 per square meter.

countrygal17 wrote: »

I know windows, doors, stairs etc can even be got second hand!

Each to their own needs. A friend of mine has gotton bits and bobs from done deal (e.g., a mis-measured door. A vanity unit with a dent he can fix).

Ive never seen a second hand stairs or windows.

On a brick build, you need to be spot on with the windows. With a timber frame, it is easier to fix a measurement issue.

I had ordered my windows as they were pouring foundations! (timber frame).

The thing is (which I found out as well), I know there are lots of questions you have and its a good starting place, but you need to ring the council, and builders, and engineer or architects and ask questions to get better idea of pricing. Most of us only talk from our experience, which is limiting. But I do remember how daunting it was starting off.

cute geoge

If you were in the building game it would be a great advantage ,other wise you end up paying for every thing trough the nose .Material prices vary in price big time in different merchants ,one merchant is reasonable price for slate it would be dearer for timber and vice versa in other merchants.Builders will not give you much good advice ,they only want every thing convient .If it was me i would buy the most reasonable house you can find and down the line you could upgrade to your dream of building your own house

declanflynn

We built ours for less than 100k, had a site with old house on it, I'm a roofer which helped a bit too.
We bought a mobile home and lived in it for 5 years, so saved on rent and were at the site all the time, I loved the mobile wife didn't especially when the 2 kids came along,
How much rent are you paying a month

BryanF

declanflynn wrote: »

We built ours for less than 100k, had a site with old house on it, I'm a roofer which helped a bit too.
We bought a mobile home and lived in it for 5 years, so saved on rent and were at the site all the time, I loved the mobile wife didn't especially when the 2 kids came along,
How much rent are you paying a month

May I ask
1.when you built
2. M2
3. What’s not included in the 100k figure
4. Was it signed off, with building and planning regs

declanflynn

BryanF wrote: »

declanflynn wrote: »

We built ours for less than 100k, had a site with old house on it, I'm a roofer which helped a bit too.
We bought a mobile home and lived in it for 5 years, so saved on rent and were at the site all the time, I loved the mobile wife didn't especially when the 2 kids came along,
How much rent are you paying a month

May I ask
1.when you built
2. M2
3. What’s not included in the 100k figure
4. Was it signed off, with building and planning regs

2010
M2?
Sitting room, tarmac and landscaping (still not done)
Not signed off we couldn't get a mortgage

enricoh

Mobile home n build over 5 years is the way to go imo.
If yer paying 1200 a month rent, thats 70k in rent saved over 5 years, minus a few grand for the mobile.

Calahonda52

declanflynn wrote: »

2010
M2?
Sitting room, tarmac and landscaping (still not done)
Not signed off we couldn't get a mortgage

M2 is area in sq M
Did you have planning for the mobile home for the 5 years?

dellas: what is this about: Electricity: 12v connection is e1916. 16V e2600.

OP you will need to build to a certain energy rating if debt is involved and if you ever want to sell it.
Likewise it will be heat pumps now, no more oil/gas in new houses soon

JoeA3

Calahonda52 wrote: »

M2 is area in sq M
Did you have planning for the mobile home for the 5 years?

dellas: what is this about: Electricity: 12v connection is e1916. 16V e2600.

OP you will need to build to a certain energy rating if debt is involved and if you ever want to sell it.
Likewise it will be heat pumps now, no more oil/gas in new houses soon

The ESB have 2 fixed fees for a new connection. The 16V connection is 2,600 and is generally recommended for new builds as the A2W heat pumps require it. The 12V connection is ~600 cheaper.

As for windows... there's very little difference in cost now between double and triple glazing. Its the frames and your frame sizes where the savings will be made - i.e. Aluclad/alluminium will cost you around double the price of entry-grade PVC.

declanflynn

Calahonda52 wrote: »

declanflynn wrote: »

2010
M2?
Sitting room, tarmac and landscaping (still not done)
Not signed off we couldn't get a mortgage

M2 is area in sq M
Did you have planning for the mobile home for the 5 years?

dellas: what is this about: Electricity: 12v connection is e1916. 16V e2600.

OP you will need to build to a certain energy rating if debt is involved and if you ever want to sell it.
Likewise it will be heat pumps now, no more oil/gas in new houses soon

1800 sq ft and attic can be converted to give another 1200, didn't have planing for the mobile didn't think we needed it?

staples7

countrygal17 wrote: »

Thanks for your response. Glad to see I'm not the only one with this mad plan!!

Council fees here are about 10k i believe!!!

Yes planning a square/ rectangle storey and a half home with 2 bathrooms. The one downstairs would also have a shower. I know windows, doors, stairs etc can even be got second hand!

Does anyone know if the package kit timber frame homes would be in budget or are they cheaper than traditional block built home?

Don’t know if it helps but I know we payed our council fee direct debit over a few years. Interest free. Handy as it frees up money for other bits. That’s in cork but don’t know about other county’s

dellas1979

Calahonda52 wrote: »

dellas: what is this about: Electricity: 12v connection is e1916. 16V e2600.

Per what JoeA3 said in his post.

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Likewise it will be heat pumps now, no more oil/gas in new houses soon

The installation of oil boilers will be banned from 2022 – and gas boilers from 2025 – in all new homes.

JoeA3

staples7 wrote: »

Don’t know if it helps but I know we payed our council fee direct debit over a few years. Interest free. Handy as it frees up money for other bits. That’s in cork but don’t know about other county’s

Yeah I believe most of them do it. It's quite scandalous though imo how much those fees can vary from county to county. I believe they are insanely high in Meath/Kildare/Tipperary but much much lower in, for example, Mayo.

There's no consistency and no transparency into where those fees go or how they're justified.

korec

I'm currently in the process of building a 2 bed 110sqm house and i'm projecting it will cost me about 205k. And thats with me working for a main contractor where I'm buying all materials at a discount rate through them (worth between 5 and 10%)

As others have said its the professional fees and preliminary costs that can sometimes get you. Below is some of the initial costs that are associated with me

Planning permission and percolation - €1500 (thats cheap I did the drawings myself)

BER assessement - €500

Solicitor payments and valuations - €4500 (I needed solicitor for 2 elements, 1 for transfer of land given to me by my father and 2 for the drawdown or mortgage plus HTB)

Engineers fees and sign off (opted out of BCAR so figure could have been higher) - €3500

ESB fees - €2500

Watermain connection - €2100

Local Authority fees - €2500

So thats nearly 15k without even a shovel in the ground. Bear in mind I was given the land and did some of the planning permission application myself. The site was ideally located in terms of ESB and water connection so my fees in that respect were quite low. I still have to apply for Eircom feed and not sure how much that is going to cost me. Similarly my local authority fees are probably quite low in respect to others

My foundations, site development and floor substructure cost me €23,500 (bog standard basic strip foundations, house located along road frontage with very little roadway in)

My walls are ICF and cost me approx €21,000 labour and materials

My windows which are triple glazed are another €20,000

Currently in the middle of constructing the roof. Everything bar the walls and windows are pretty basic going forward. I have some meat on the projected finishing costs but I still think I'm there of there abouts in terms of costs. Below is my projected cost finishes including Labour and Material. I have spent in total about €70,000 with the below projected in or about €130,000.

Good luck trying to build any house for less than €200,000 I think its nearly impossible with current regulations and costs. Maybe if your prepared to do a lot of the Labour yourself but I definitely didn't or don't have the time or the skills to do that. My house is very basic (square 110m2) and with the exception of the walls and windows there is nothing extraordinary going into it

Projected remaining costs

Labour of remaining ICF Installation - €1,076.75

Concrete for remaining ICF - €515.00

1 No. Pump Visits - €500.00

Scaffolding Dismantling - €410.00

Roof Structure and Finish without Materials - €9,779.00

Fitting of EPS Insulation - €702.50

Fitting of Aluminium Pressed Cill - €500.00

Balance of Window payments - €13,000.00

HRV System Supply and Install - €3,500.00

Electrical Works - €6,500.00

Domestic Plumbing - €6,000.00

Under Floor heating - €10,600.00

Fitting Floor Insulation - €4,090.00

Door Thresholds - €794.50

First Fixing, Studs, door liners cills etc - €1,421.50

Insulation/Slabbing etc - €10,270.00

Plastering (External/Internal) - €19,522.00

80mm Finish Screed - €2,160.00

Second Fix Carpentry - €7,400.00

Tiling - €2,100.00

Kitchen - €6,500.00

Painting - €2,500.00

Footpaths and Landscaping - €3,000.00

Drainage/Sewage Treatment System - €9,500.00

Electric Fire - €1,000.00

Furniture - €7,000.00

jmBuildExt

countrygal17 wrote: »

Hi,

We are desperately looking for a way out of becoming renters for life and would be interested in building a small basic house (3 bed) roughly 110m2. It would be a self build, all hands on deck project with some assistance from friends and family who have experience in the trades. There would be no fancy finishes, just standard and even purchasing some materials secondhand where possible. Is it at all possible to get this done for less than 100k inc planning, esb etc but not incl the cost of the site? We are in the east of the country.

Just in case it is suggested - I am not at all sold on the log cabin thing as it just loses value, not permanent and have been told that to do it correctly would cost as much as a small house anyway.

Thanks in advance

Only way to achieve this is to get your hands dirty...
https://www.irishvernacular.com/

It was done about 10 years ago so think 2 things; 1. inflation 2. Regs may have changed in the meantime.