Lads thinking about starting my house, have a nice site so want to build something special not your run of the mill stuff you see all over Donegal. Know a couple of local Architects but they are very expensive, although i think they will be easier to talk to in this climate. Looking for a fully qualified Architect with a bit of experience although will try someone new if they come up with good plans. The wife has her own ideas so don't know how much of a blank canvass they will have. Has anyone used an Architect to plan their dream house. How was it and what was the cost involved in getting an Architect. You never know i might be on Grand Designs next year. Looking to get started before the builders get too busy or all leave for London/U.S.
wheres your site?
Quote from: Donegal Danny on July 06, 2009, 01:24:49 PM
Lads thinking about starting my house, have a nice site so want to build something special not your run of the mill stuff you see all over Donegal. Know a couple of local Architects but they are very expensive, although i think they will be easier to talk to in this climate. Looking for a fully qualified Architect with a bit of experience although will try someone new if they come up with good plans. The wife has her own ideas so don't know how much of a blank canvass they will have. Has anyone used an Architect to plan their dream house. How was it and what was the cost involved in getting an Architect. You never know i might be on Grand Designs next year. Looking to get started before the builders get too busy or all leave for London/U.S.
Keep the woman out of it.
Quote from: Donegal Danny on July 06, 2009, 01:24:49 PM
Lads thinking about starting my house, have a nice site so want to build something special not your run of the mill stuff you see all over Donegal. Know a couple of local Architects but they are very expensive, although i think they will be easier to talk to in this climate. Looking for a fully qualified Architect with a bit of experience although will try someone new if they come up with good plans. The wife has her own ideas so don't know how much of a blank canvass they will have. Has anyone used an Architect to plan their dream house. How was it and what was the cost involved in getting an Architect. You never know i might be on Grand Designs next year. Looking to get started before the builders get too busy or all leave for London/U.S.
Would you not be best getting a Northerner to do it, it would be cheaper.
It all depends on what you want to spend and what you want out of them.
Some of them will charge you 10-15% of the build cost (anything from 150k upwards!!! so you are looking at 15k minimum) which i feel is ridiculious but there are some people who think it is worth it.
One thing i would definetly recommend if getting a QS on board very early and get himto do cost plans/bills of quantities. Spending 1-2k on a QS could save you 10s of thousands in the long run by doing up tender packs for each big work item and keeping a reign on the architects mad designs
Def shop around...for your average run of the mill house you'd expect to pay an architect about £3k so I'd say what your looking for should come in around £5k. A QS is important but for a small project like this i reckon you could do it yourself (if you have a bit of wit). the most important bit of a build is getting the proper crew to construct it. a good project manager should sort it but i think the most important aspect is to commit the contractors to build to a price no matter how long it takes them as you'll be surprised how quick these guys could throw up a house ;)
If it were me I'd be throwing out the feelers for an Architect who works in a big practise to do it as a homer and he/she could do the QS role too for a small fee. They will do it for 50-60% less than what a big practise will charge you.
P.S. one tip...make sure you get pre-cast concrete slabs throughout the house for a number of reasons...fire retardant for 1.5 hrs, insulation, sound proofing and quicker construction
PM'ed you there Danny...
Jesus lads thanks for all the quick replies, the site is near Kilmacrenan but the wanes will not be playing for Termon. ;D. Its an elevated site overlooking Kilmacrenan , and the surrounding countryside with the mountains in the background. I know people who got plans from a well known local Architect who has won awards etc and they paid almost 30k. Wouldn't pay half that but think now i could get a real good deal with so many Architects out of work. Does anyone know where i could post my details etc so Architect can contact me if they want to discuss / price the job etc.
Yes i think the Architects in the North are generally cheaper so that is not a problem .
Quote from: illdecide on July 06, 2009, 02:22:32 PM
Def shop around...for your average run of the mill house you'd expect to pay an architect about £3k so I'd say what your looking for should come in around £5k. A QS is important but for a small project like this i reckon you could do it yourself (if you have a bit of wit). the most important bit of a build is getting the proper crew to construct it. a good project manager should sort it but i think the most important aspect is to commit the contractors to build to a price no matter how long it takes them as you'll be surprised how quick these guys could throw up a house ;)
If it were me I'd be throwing out the feelers for an Architect who works in a big practise to do it as a homer and he/she could do the QS role too for a small fee. They will do it for 50-60% less than what a big practise will charge you.
P.S. one tip...make sure you get pre-cast concrete slabs throughout the house for a number of reasons...fire retardant for 1.5 hrs, insulation, sound proofing and quicker construction
Arch dont have a clue about costs, they work off m2 rates but dont know the finer details of costs. For the sake of a couple of grand you will save yourself a fortune. If you have no QS you will have no way of comparing costs of building contractor or subbies. An arch cannot do this work even if they say can (any more than a QS will design the building)!!
If you are building direct labour there are loads of websites/blogs on the net that a great source of info.
This one i followed for a while and it is really good.
http://www.selfbuildardmore.blogspot.com/
I would recommend precast floor but it is not quicker and is more expensive!!
One thing to mind with getting an architect is to get one that knows the planners or what the planners wnat. You might get a cheaper Arch from the north but if they dont know hte council requirments it will break your hearts and could cost you a few years in applying and reapplying.
Fair enough point Ludermor i just assumed for a small project like a single dwelling it wouldn't be too hard to do, and i get your drift on Architects i fight and argue with them hoors everyday over their designs...On the floor slabs i think they're the dogs bollocks, they do cost a we bit more than joists but i can get them at cost price which helps and if they're pre-stressed they can take loadings from the roof. U can build 6.5K/N block of them instead of Lightweights or stud walls...anyway enough rambling as you know all this anyway
Quote from: illdecide on July 06, 2009, 02:22:32 PM
Def shop around...for your average run of the mill house you'd expect to pay an architect about £3k so I'd say what your looking for should come in around £5k. A QS is important but for a small project like this i reckon you could do it yourself (if you have a bit of wit). the most important bit of a build is getting the proper crew to construct it. a good project manager should sort it but i think the most important aspect is to commit the contractors to build to a price no matter how long it takes them as you'll be surprised how quick these guys could throw up a house ;)
If it were me I'd be throwing out the feelers for an Architect who works in a big practise to do it as a homer and he/she could do the QS role too for a small fee. They will do it for 50-60% less than what a big practise will charge you.
P.S. one tip...make sure you get pre-cast concrete slabs throughout the house for a number of reasons...fire retardant for 1.5 hrs, insulation, sound proofing and quicker construction
If you taking about a project which would feature on Grand Designs and want a half decent architect who knows what they are on about, probably no chance you would get any sort of quote for 5k. One of the previous posts got it probably bang on, with the 10-15% of the build cost and starting round 15k.
One thing you could try is getting someone freshly qualified and trying to make a name for themselves.
Danny, would having an elevated site not cause you problems with planning?
Quote from: illdecide on July 06, 2009, 03:29:11 PM
Fair enough point Ludermor i just assumed for a small project like a single dwelling it wouldn't be too hard to do, and i get your drift on Architects i fight and argue with them hoors everyday over their designs...On the floor slabs i think they're the dogs bollocks, they do cost a we bit more than joists but i can get them at cost price which helps and if they're pre-stressed they can take loadings from the roof. U can build 6.5K/N block of them instead of Lightweights or stud walls...anyway enough rambling as you know all this anyway
No bother Illdecide, i spend half my day arguing with them myself!
And your right if you can afford the concrete floors it is the way to go.
any thoughts on going into a self-build rather than using a building contractor when you do not come from a construction background.
i reckon on a £300k build, the buggers are adding on 20%, approx £60K which goes into their back pocket
major pro's and con's on this one but open to any advice
Do not even attempt it unless you are willing to listen, learn and waste 2 years of your life away. Too many people try to do who havent a fuckign clue and think its simple. Thye deserve all the hardship they get. If you are going self build and have no knowledge get yourself a good project manager, again a decent one wont come cheap but will save you in the long run and let him deal with the day to day hassles.
Quote from: sammymaguire on July 06, 2009, 04:36:37 PM
any thoughts on going into a self-build rather than using a building contractor when you do not come from a construction background.
i reckon on a £300k build, the buggers are adding on 20%, approx £60K which goes into their back pocket
major pro's and con's on this one but open to any advice
Must be a hell of a house if it is going to take £300k to build.
I built with the help of a contractor, I haven't a Danny la Rue about construction so ruled out self build right away. You know a contractor is making a fortune out of you, but better that than making a balls of it yourself. Just ensure you get a reputable contractor (yeah I know).
I got the brother in law to pm my build as I wouldn't have had the time or clue to oversee it with a full time job and two wanes. I think it was a good compromise as I saved money on the quotes I got from contractors and the brother in law obviously made a few quid out of it.
There were a few balls ups with the builder and plasterers which would have cost me days off work. The project manager is paid to sort these out.
Drive around the countryside 'till you see a nice house you like then go to the relative county council office and ask to see the planning application files and copy them, or in the case of most councils, look up the plans on the internet and either rob them from the council or download them. Polish lads are great workers and they would throw her up in about three weeks.
Quote from: Trevor Hill on July 06, 2009, 05:05:50 PM
Quote from: sammymaguire on July 06, 2009, 04:36:37 PM
any thoughts on going into a self-build rather than using a building contractor when you do not come from a construction background.
i reckon on a £300k build, the buggers are adding on 20%, approx £60K which goes into their back pocket
major pro's and con's on this one but open to any advice
Must be a hell of a house if it is going to take £300k to build.
It is I suppose cos its a 6 bedroom 4500sq ft two storey with double garage. had great plans before this recession kicked in, now the reality is that things are a bit tighter I was considering saving a few quid but don't want to compromise the work by going the wrong route.
is timber frame a better option that block build?
If I were you I'd focus on intelligent design and quality material finishes sammy. 4500 is a wild size of a house that in all fairness is not needed IMO
You should first sit down with your missus and draw up a written specification of what you want in the house and how you want it to work. If you do this in enough detail you'll be giving your architect a proper chance to draw up the design your after from that. A conversation is not good enough.
plans already passed skull1, everything ready to go other than my uneasiness about the economy. When you say intelligent design, the house is ideal for us (maybe slightly excessive if I was totally honest as no family really needs to live in a house this size) and has taken 12 months to put together and get through planning permission (on this topic; architects have cost over €15k which is steep but the plans are impressive and have been passed so I suppose they have done their job). Scale is the question as I would prefer not to have to spend over 300-350k on putting the thing up and I know I have the option of reductions and then applying for retention on any changes which would be a formality.
The house has a large entrance hallway, staircase area and bathroom upstairs which takes up alot of space, bedrooms and living rooms are on 2 wings either side of the main entrance and are certainly not excessive as we have looked at making changes to take the overall size down to closer to the 4k sq ft region but its not as easy as just zooming from 100% down to 90% when you take the height of ceilings, roof construction, and rooms that are already as small as we would want them to be.
Tricky to know what is the best thing to do when it comes to PM, building contractor, self-build as getting the job done right in relation to materials and workmanship on a house like this is a major factor and we know the work afterwards on finishing the house off will also take a number of years and a few more £££
Plans v Working Drawings
Having already paid the architect a small fortune, do I need a set of "working drawings" or can any prospective builders work from a set of plans. I dont want to be a skinflint but money is tight and I think 4 grand is a bit rich for another few sheets of paper.
You will have to make a full building control application to the local council and they will require a set of working drawings in order to give their approval. So yeah you will have to get them done. However if you just want to save the site by putting the foundations in you can make a building notice application by using the planning drawings. Few people I've come across are doing that and then going back and doing the full set of plans at a later date when economic times are a little easier. There are risks with this method in that when you do your full plans you might find you need a bigger/reinforced foundation if there are any structural engineers requirements and have to take out the foundations that you've put in.
Thats assuming you live in the north. I don't know what the requirements are for the republic in terms of building control.
Try getting a price from a reputable timberframe company. They should be able to advise on specification i.e. u-values, fire ratings etc. They should also be able to provide a designated contracts manager for your project. If you have any queries about this PM me.
Not exactly same issue but the Sister-in-law and her husband are in some tight spot.
They engaged a local contractor to build their house. Its been a nightmare from the start, he has been paid for work that he hasn't done and he hasn't paid subbies for work they have done. The house is about 60% finished but they won't pay him anymore money, as he has been paid almost all he was due to be paid. He claimed to have been made pay subbies up front but it has emerged he was paying off subbies/suppliers from other jobs and from building his own mansion out in Carlingford. Its turned well nasty and so has he, telling them he doesn't give a dam about their house and is more worried about his own. They've had to secure the site, as some subbies/suppliers have landed to remove stuff from site.
They've taken legal advice but have been told it'll be costly and they are more than likely joining a long queue. Very harsh on them, I'd be inclined to engage another builder to finish the job (i'm sure in current climate a good price could be got) and move on. Easy saying it when its not your money already gone.
Quote from: bingobus on January 05, 2010, 02:39:22 PM
Not exactly same issue but the Sister-in-law and her husband are in some tight spot.
They engaged a local contractor to build their house. Its been a nightmare from the start, he has been paid for work that he hasn't done and he hasn't paid subbies for work they have done. The house is about 60% finished but they won't pay him anymore money, as he has been paid almost all he was due to be paid. He claimed to have been made pay subbies up front but it has emerged he was paying off subbies/suppliers from other jobs and from building his own mansion out in Carlingford. Its turned well nasty and so has he, telling them he doesn't give a dam about their house and is more worried about his own. They've had to secure the site, as some subbies/suppliers have landed to remove stuff from site.
They've taken legal advice but have been told it'll be costly and they are more than likely joining a long queue. Very harsh on them, I'd be inclined to engage another builder to finish the job (i'm sure in current climate a good price could be got) and move on. Easy saying it when its not your money already gone.
I'd firebomb his so called mansion in Carlingford.
Quote from: thebigfella on January 05, 2010, 02:49:53 PM
Quote from: bingobus on January 05, 2010, 02:39:22 PM
Not exactly same issue but the Sister-in-law and her husband are in some tight spot.
They engaged a local contractor to build their house. Its been a nightmare from the start, he has been paid for work that he hasn't done and he hasn't paid subbies for work they have done. The house is about 60% finished but they won't pay him anymore money, as he has been paid almost all he was due to be paid. He claimed to have been made pay subbies up front but it has emerged he was paying off subbies/suppliers from other jobs and from building his own mansion out in Carlingford. Its turned well nasty and so has he, telling them he doesn't give a dam about their house and is more worried about his own. They've had to secure the site, as some subbies/suppliers have landed to remove stuff from site.
They've taken legal advice but have been told it'll be costly and they are more than likely joining a long queue. Very harsh on them, I'd be inclined to engage another builder to finish the job (i'm sure in current climate a good price could be got) and move on. Easy saying it when its not your money already gone.
I'd firebomb his so called mansion in Carlingford.
I didn't want to put that in writing "in case" it happened ;)
http://www.clevermike.ie/index.php
This website was recommended on another forum about construction.
I have a big dicussion to make sortly. Got a house design passed for a site beside home last yr. We are currently living in a small house on the home farm which my father renovated when he built a new house in the 80's which is also on the same street. My father is happy enougn to give me the site and my wife is bushing for the new house, but the thing is my father had intended to move into the house we are in now as it is smaller and cheaper to run and he would perfer if we moved into the 80's house. I don't really feel there is a need for another house on the farm as we could re arrange the 80's house to suit our needs, and i don't want to be in debt till I'm 60. To be honest it is the wife who wants the new house. What would you do.
Quote from: Hereiam on January 05, 2010, 03:42:06 PM
I have a big dicussion to make sortly. Got a house design passed for a site beside home last yr. We are currently living in a small house on the home farm which my father renovated when he built a new house in the 80's which is also on the same street. My father is happy enougn to give me the site and my wife is bushing for the new house, but the thing is my father had intended to move into the house we are in now as it is smaller and cheaper to run and he would perfer if we moved into the 80's house. I don't really feel there is a need for another house on the farm as we could re arrange the 80's house to suit our needs, and i don't want to be in debt till I'm 60. To be honest it is the wife who wants the new house. What would you do.
sorry on a completely unrelated noe, always meant to ask, who is that on your avatar?!!!???
Tyronegirl ;D
I think your technically allowed to submit your own drawings if you know what your at. But maybe If you and the woman sit down an try to draw out the plan in an architect style, then give that to a qualified architect for them to turn it profesional, and check the structural integrity so that they can put their name against it, you would save yourself a few bob.
Fantastic one on More4 today
Really good for capturing the views in an area such as donegal, http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/berkshire-the-cruciform-house-08-06-12_p_1.html
(http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/44585/2523369100105677951S600x600Q85.jpg)
Like that too.
(http://www.treehugger.com/winner-grand-designs-live-.jpg)
Last year's home of the year i think, would be a real hit with the planners and a dream to heat.
Quote from: Hereiam on January 05, 2010, 03:42:06 PM
I have a big dicussion to make sortly. Got a house design passed for a site beside home last yr. We are currently living in a small house on the home farm which my father renovated when he built a new house in the 80's which is also on the same street. My father is happy enougn to give me the site and my wife is bushing for the new house, but the thing is my father had intended to move into the house we are in now as it is smaller and cheaper to run and he would perfer if we moved into the 80's house. I don't really feel there is a need for another house on the farm as we could re arrange the 80's house to suit our needs, and i don't want to be in debt till I'm 60. To be honest it is the wife who wants the new house. What would you do.
Like everything - it depends. The brother-in-law is in a similar boat. He is in a fairly rundown house on the farm and is inheriting the farm and the farmhouse on it with the auld pair are moving out. Rather than fixing up the old house he is in for the auld pair he is coping it and building them a new house.
You would really need to price both options - move into the 80s house after a good refurb against building a new house from the founds up. Could the 80s house be sold to fund a new house or is it surrounded by family land? Personally I'd favour the refurb if the costs were favourable.
The brother-in-law in doubly stuck as the farmhouse he is moving into is listed so his refurb is costing him more than a new build!
The small house I am in at the minute is in good nick. I put new external doors and double glazed windows in last year and it has oil fired heating. It is only about 900sq.ft and with an expanding family its getting a bit cramped. The 80's house can/will not be sold because of the layout of the farm. Having sleepless nites about this one. I am doing the plans myself but i know that a new house is madness and i don't have the enthusiasm to finish the plans, its just a case of opening the other halfs eyes to this fact.
Any word on when the new PPS 21 is going to be finalised ??? it's getting to the ridiculous stage
Quote from: Banana Man on March 18, 2010, 11:11:37 AM
Any word on when the new PPS 21 is going to be finalised ??? it's getting to the ridiculous stage
I think it's been signed off by Stormont already, but the ministers have asked for it to be put on hold.