Self build home in Northern Ireland

TX001

We are considering building our own home in Northern Ireland (north/mid Down). Can anyone recommend links for how to get started? We need to research builders, house plans, cost estimates, planning permission, etc. We are hoping to minimize costs by project managing ourselves (I am not working and therefore have spare time). Does anyone have an estimate of price per sq ft?

Any help much appreciated.

GlynD

I've not done a self build myself but it I was to do it I'd start with finding an architect and simultaneously speaking to the planning department to get advice prior to buying a plot.

A.L.D.A

Costs depends on specification and site conditions, but allow around £700 sq.m plus site works. I know of people who are building for a lot less but costs seem to be increasing..

Bit early to worry about builders. First you need a site that suits your requirements and someone to design it. Don't buy a site unless you have planning permission. You need to take out an option to buy.

Apart from personal requirements, with regards site things to consider are does it flood in wet weather; will it need unusual foundations, cost of service connections, likely planning constraints, rights of way, tree preservation orders, sight lines at road,. etc.

With regards people designing and detailing of your house, this site http://www.arb.org.uk/ lists all the Architects in the UK and only fully qualified Architects. It is the only site that does this and if someone is not listed they are not an Architect. It is important that the person knows what they are doing and that they produce detailed drawings. If you are trying to tie down costs you need drawings and schedules that are more detailed than you send to Planning and Building Control. It is to reduce possible claims for extras and so you can compare tenders and quotes received.

I am a bit confused about the project management. You mention employing a builder? Am I to understand that he will be employed on a labour only basis or are you going to employ all the trades and subcontractors and coordinate them yourself? Unless you really know what you are doing think twice before going down either of those routes. What exactly do you mean by Project Manage? It is important to know and accept your own limitations!

If you are borrowing to pay for the build what are the requirements of your Building Society?

Mistral001

When estimating the cost always go on a per square metre or square foot basis as ALDA has said. I have known people to try to do it by ringing up concrete and blockwork firms to get prices and then trying to price it from that and being out by a factor of two when they compared it with what they actually paid for the completed building.

This seems to be a pure self-build where you will be directly employing trades people and helping out yourself rather than involving a builder. If you do not know much about building then I suggest you read books like Homebuilder's Bible and other self-build books as there are plenty of good ones about - unlike the TV programmes on the subject.

If you do not have all the cash in the bank to build the house, you will need to get someone like a chartered architect to supervise the construction from foundations to completion. This person must be approved by your lender, so get them checked out with your lender before hiring them as different lenders have different requirements. Even if you think you will not need to borrow, it is sometimes a good idea to get the construction supervised anyway so you do not have difficulties selling the property should you want to and also in case you run out of funds if the costs are more than you estimate.

motorguy

One thing i would advise is see at least three architects and give them an overview of what you're looking for, see what hes previously done, then go with the one that is "on the same page" as you.

At times i felt we lost time - and money - working with the architect we did use as he clearly had a different "vision" of what a successful house should be.

TX001

ALDA,

Thank you for the response.....I'm not sure myself what the term "project manage" encompasses. This is all new to me so please forgive me if I am misusing some terms! My intention is to employ a builder to build the house to the point where we can install bathrooms. kitchen, laundry room etc ourselves.

Other thoughts are can we have the house shell built then employ our own electricians, plasterers etc...are the money savings worth the stress and possible screw ups on my part?

Mistral001

For a domestic property, will this method be cheaper compared to getting a builder to do the complete building? The builder will usually get plasterers electricians etc at more favourable rates than a private person will. He will add on a little profit, of course but will the final bill be any more than what you will pay when you add up the cost of all the following on trades. You need to look into VAT reclamation as well.

motorguy

Mistral001 wrote: »

For a domestic property, will this method be cheaper compared to getting a builder to do the complete building? The builder will usually get plasterers electricians etc at more favourable rates than a private person will. He will add on a little profit, of course but will the final bill be any more than what you will pay when you add up the cost of all the following on trades. You need to look into VAT reclamation as well.

Having built a house four years ago, but used a builder who subby'ed out the work, yes i would say its more expensive BUT probably not as expensive as you might think. Also he used people he'd used before and could recommend their work.

And ultimately if there was a problem we just had one !!! to kick, rather than have one contractor blame another or do a disappearing act.

GlynD

motorguy wrote: »

Having built a house four years ago, but used a builder who subby'ed out the work, yes i would say its more expensive BUT probably not as expensive as you might think. Also he used people he'd used before and could recommend their work.

And ultimately if there was a problem we just had one !!! to kick, rather than have one contractor blame another or do a disappearing act.

Did you let your builder project manage the job then or did you do that yourself?

A.L.D.A

If a builder builds the shell then it is more manageable BUT

1 Check out your VAT set up as you will want to reclaim.

2 You are responsible for health and safety.

3 Check both insurance and building society requirements.

4 It is going to take up more of your time trying to coordinate than you probably imagine. If you do not know the game it is going to be a steep learning curve.

5 It may not save as much as you imagine. eg. Contractor may have a lot of equipment that you will need to hire, also he will have better contacts and possibly be able to source cheaper.

6 Making good defective work. Say someone builds the shell and the blockwork is a bit 'uneven' Who is going to make good and who pays. Some of this is not as obvious as you may think.

If you are not in the Building trade, or do not have lots of reliable tradesmen that you know well, then if you can afford to let a builder complete. Unless you have some mission of self betterment in mind! Employing a reliable builder will save you 6 months of misery.

A.L.D.A

Employing an Architect. First check that they are what they claim. A lot of people who use that title do so illegally. Any Architect can design a house, however general experience matters. I would be reluctant to employ someone with less than say 5-10 years experience. It is not to do with the design, but with producing contract documents and working drawings and similar that are less likely to attract 'extras'.

Also do not pick someone who is a sycophant and agrees with you all the time. You need honest views expressed openly. The views of previous clients can be useful, but who is going to refer you to a job that was not satisfactory?

Check they have adequate Indemnity Insurance.

Remember Architects are not mind readers. You need to have a clear idea of what you want and what your priorities are. This is not as easy as you may think. First you need some idea of the rooms required and approximate size, but then there are other considerations some of which are intangible and subjective. What are the 5 most important aspects of this house going to be for you? More room, privacy, light and roomy, modern, design statement, traditional, adoptable, working from home, energy efficient, able to enlarge.......................

If you are obtaining quotes from Architects you need to make sure that you are comparing like with like, again not easy as it all depends on how detailed each work and on what portion of the overall project. You could for example require lots of visualisations (these can take time to do well) or you may prefer to have that time spent on schedules and specifications in order to make the contract end more robust. Some may offer a good no frills basic service, which may suit your budget.

Best of luck with it.