Moneymakeover Expecting twins! Advice needed on how to fund house renovation!

[matrixworld]

Assuming you are in the early stage of pregnancy, you might just have enough time to buy but not to get the work done. With a school age child (needing to be near their school) a pre schooler and infant twins, and by the sounds of your salary a busy job, think carefully about sequencing of getting work done. Consider things like the suggestion of staying with family, even a short term school.move if needed. Look at certain terms where there are more holidays (like the rest of this school year) where disruption to attendance will be lower impact. You don't need the work done straight away but plan for when you can feasibly get it done.

Again this would lean me more towards buying than building as end to end it would be less disruption even if it is more costly. I am sure your head is spinning with the news so take some time to think of all options.

We do have retired family members who will be traveling the world for 4 months next year, beginning in July 2027! They have a 4 bed and said we could stay there if we needed to put off getting the work done until next year.

I'm starting to lean in this direction as it would also give us a bit more time to save a bit.

You are right, my head is spinning . Thanks for taking the time to respond! A lot to weigh up!

 

[Abalone]

@Abalone i had no idea a single story extension could take so long! Will keep this in mind.


Are you happy with the extension overall? is it big enough?

Yes delighted with it, we had lived in the house for a number of years so engaged an architect and were clear on the things that irked us about the house, lack of light in certain areas etc which we were able to address.

Still hope to convert the attic as well in time. Had quoted for this back in 2023 and that was looking like €40k as the time.

But I'm not planning on having anymore kids, we're in a 3 bed semi D, if another kiddo arrived (or two!), we'd have to move as the bedroom space is tight as is.

 

[Pinky22]

Is the site big enough for a second separate house? You could get exactly what you want and sell your current homem

 

[Bronte]

not a bad shout, how easy is it to object to this?

Ireland is the land of planning objections, a friendly chat with neighbours might be a good start. And many people don’t like extensions built on boundary walls. My neighbour asked me last week about my extension, which was there before I bought, he hired an engineer for 4k who has gone AWOL. Neighbour showed me the two page letter from the council that has thrown the book at him. (Too many bedrooms, don’t like the size of en-suites, regulations about living space as he’d put in no sitting room, regulations about handicapped toilets, he’s hammering away himself now, he’s on second plumber who walked in thru the back door of mine and tiler told us a drunken strange man came in, turns out it was the plumber who didn’t know where he was and tiler ejected him out the front door- he should never have gone for planning and should have just done the exempt size extension, I’m happy if it’s on the party wall as I don’t care) .

Thank goodness I’ve an original cert of compliance as exempt from engineer of vendor when I purchased. Plus I’ve photos going back decades. I did take down crumbling part of toilet second extension and rebuilt slightly larger, but it’s impossible to prove I’ve changed anything. Council were out for the grant, and will be back soon to see work was completed ….

Be careful your extension doesn’t darken current rooms, yiu need to think very carefully. Light is VERY important,