New House "extras"

G

geegee

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New House "extras"

I have been asked to compile a list of extras for a new house I am buying. I am concerned that I will be charged for items which are already included as part of Building Regulations but which I am unaware of.

Before I submit the list, is there a number I can ring to to find out which items are part of Building Regs and therefore are not extras?

Any early responses would be appreciated as I have to submit the list today!
 
Re: re

Building regs you can find online, but it might be quicker to supply more info here.
 
Building Regs

Thanks for the replies - was past from pillar to post today in various local and national government depts. I was given conflicting information so here are my queries, each one being in relation to building regs. requirement:

Should the:
water storage tank in the loft have a cover?
HW cylinder be factory insulated?
inhibitor be added to the cent. heating system?
Central heating system be zoned ie upstairs, downstairs and hot water only?
HW cylinder have a thermostat?
Radiators have TRV's (thermostatic valves)?
water system be pressurised so the showers
will operate at the same time as taps and appliances with no loss of pressure?
CH system have a frost stat,. to override the CH timer?
CH programmer be a 7 day one?
emersion heater have a timer?
plumbing be protected by a frost heater in the loft?


If these are not part of building regs, how much should I expect to pay extra?

Tanks in advance,

gg
 
Re: Building Regs

If this is a new house then some of these issues should already be covered by the building regulations mentioned earlier.
 
Re: Building Regs

geegee
I am no expert but I think the extras may be things like
extra power points

extra lights (outside maybe or an attic light)
burglar alarm wiring if not included
Radiators lower or shorter than the standard units
paths or patio in the garden
extra drains, water and power for a dishwasher

These things can usually be less epensive to have done before the house is plastered and the floors are not finished.



The other items
water storage tank in the loft have a cover?
( i don't know if it is a regulation but it is not difficult to do afterwards and should cost you to do about €10)

HW cylinder be factory insulated?
Not a requirement and can cost quite a lot to save very little
If it goes faulty it is very expensive to replace afterwards
a regular Cylinder with a cheap jacket is fine
The jacket will be fitted as standerard to meet regulations if there is no jacket fitted it will form part of you snag list.


Central heating system be zoned ie upstairs, downstairs and hot water only?
Controlling these three zones can cost more than the heating itself and requires lots of additional plumbing and electrical work.
Generally it is suggested that you turn off the radiators in the summer and the boiler will heat the water.

The least expensive atlernative is the ask the plumber if he could fit two hand operated valves one to turn on/off upstairs and another for down stairs. the water heating will be on with both turned off
You could discuss with him the location of these valves they are better within reach of each other and indoors so you don't have to go outside to turn on the bedroom heaters for example.

If he can do this and the cost of doing it is within your budget then you will have a very controllable system.



Radiators have TRV's (thermostatic valves)?
These are extra, can be expensive,and you may only need them in some rooms.

plumbing be protected by a frost heater in the loft?
Not a regulation you could get a price from the electrician for a powerpoint in the attic and plugin a frost heater yourself they come with a thermostat thet switches of when the temprature is below 5 degrees and cost about €50



immersion heater have a timer?
This is extra and can be fitted afterwards if it is too expensive to do now



inhibitor be added to the cent. heating system?
These 3 items will be fitted as standard parts of the work
HW cylinder have a thermostat?
CH system have a frost stat,. to override the CH timer?
CH programmer be a 7 day one?


water system be pressurised so the showers
will operate at the same time as taps and appliances with no loss of pressure?

There is always a drop in pressure but the regulations have changed the basic water layout in modern houses so it should not be noticable or cause you problems.

However the shower mixing valve should /will have a thermostatic control built in to stop you getting scalded/frozen when someone turns on another tap.
you could check this with the plumber.

The pressure drop will not be as with the old type bath shower unit when fill the kettle from the cold water you get hot in the shower.

You could ask for a price to have a pressure shower fitted ths will involve a powewoint for the pump and extra for plumbing and the pump
I don't have a pressure shower if you are used to using one then you may feel a need for one but it could be fitted later when funds are not streched.

Going back to extras
I know it is not regulations to have a thermostat fitted in the house to control the central heating temprature in the house.
It would be useful to get one fitted in the hall for example so you can decide how hot or warm you want to be .
This would be the type of extra I would be looking for at the building stage.
or perhaps to have the control clock and thermostat in the kitchen where they are easy to access I'm beginning to ramble

If the house is not a one off then there will be lots of people Arcithects, Surveyors, Foremen and trades people taking care of the regulations for you, If they are not doing a good job they are fooling these other experts also.
Don't cause yourself too much worry as the house will be surveyed to check that it meets the regulations before you
pay the builder try to enjoy your new house and then maybe you could feel more creative about the extras you would like.
You could ask people doing the work what type of extras other people are getting and use their expertise and your own good judgement to decide what you want.
It's not too late if it's not too expensive and you want it.


Hope this is of use to you
roger
 
hi rogermure and all other contributors,

Thanks form your detailed reply which I have just picked up. The following are the priced extras. Could you give me an indication of how much I should be paying and how to go about getting the price down.

Here goes:


all prices excl. VAT @ 13.5%


CH inhibitor E55
Pressurise plumbing system E1600
Gas connections for 2 fires E210
4 extra Single sockets E340
Double socket E85
Extra light pendant E85
4 extra TV points E350
4 extra phone points E350
outside tap E95
loft light E100
70 w sodium light E170
Frost heater in loft E355
Alarm - 2nd fix E455
Alarm dialler E475
24hr emersion timer E195
Frost stat E160
2 weatherproof garden twin sockets incl cable E245

Thanks again in advance,

GG
 
The prices you quote for the electrical/alarm/TV etc seem outrageously expensive. What stage is the house at? If it's already finished to the extent that walls are slabbed/plastered and floor boards are in place, then yes there is a fair bit of work involved, but still not enough to justify these prices. Is it possible to get someone else in to do the work or do you have to go through the builder?
 
Extras

The extras sound to be very expensive, but as sunnyday said if the walls are not plastered etc. you can try do these independently.

Unfortunately a lot of builders will fleece you when you come at it too late, these things need to be agreed and negotiated when making the initial contracts or the builders have you by the balls.
 
extras

You are really fleeced with these prices,all of them.Pressurised water system will cost around €20.-(twenty)extra for a stronger pipe.22 mm instead of the standard 15 mm.Standard taps are the same.Check any DIY shop and you will see that a shower running on pressurised water costs less(!) than the bucket -in -the- attic-with-a-pump type.Because you need no pump.For which you pay.
A double socket costs around €5.- incl.switches.Etc..
A factory lined immersion tank insulates much better than a standard glass wool jacketed.And costs around € 50-100 extra.
But when you go for a pressurised system than you need no immersion heater at all.Just a proper combi (condensing)boiler,the cheapest is from Vokera and costs €1400.-incl. VAT,model "Synthesy",available from most plumbing centers.
It would safe the odd Firebird and plenty of running costs.And a chimney for a few € 1000.-.And a min. of 20% of your energy bill-which is nearly an average monthly mortgage payment -per year!
These (very strong!!!) plumbers here in Ireland rip the people off for a quick € leaving them with bills to be payed for generations.

It would spare you some electrician costs as well for the immersion tank and a power shower.
Extra heating zoning safes considerably,but go for the room thermostats or the radiator thermostats and not for the one-per-floor thermostat.There is always a room that needs less or no heating at all.For example why heating the bathroom over night-a timer combined with a thermostat is a once off investment.
And tell your builder to insulate all pipes,especially those buried in the floors,you won't be able to do them after wards.Costs are around €1.- per meter for material.
It would be worth it for you to check www.irish-energy.ie/
It might be worth it as well to engage an engineer to supervise your builder,his building standard and his prices are outrages.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. None of the plumbing and electrical work has been done yet so no reparations have to be made. I protested strongly to the builder but he basically said " They're the prices that I was quoted by the plumber and electrician and I have added on an extra 15% for the inconvenience". I stated that I was not going to be fleeced and could I do a deal directly with the tradespeople but the answer was no. I also asked about bringing my own sub-contractor in - also no.

It seems to be a case of "take it or leave it" - I either cough up or do without the extras.

Is there anything elase I can do?
 
extras

Rang the ODCA, CICand CIF and it seems I am lumbered with these prices.
 
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