€76 per sq ft for a builders finish but included in the cost was the fitting of sanitary ware, external paths and digging a well. House was one and a half story of 2,500 sq ft. Additional costs from the builder were various extras (garage €15k; extra plumbing €2k; portland cement external finish €3k); reinstatiment of entrance walls and gates to site (€5k) and additional spotlighting (€1k). After that the fit out price can go as high as you want but as a guide we paid €30k for kitchen; €10k for bathrooms (4); €5k for painting incl. paint; €5k for tiling; €5k for flooring and €2k for fireplace. Hope this helps. One piece of advice, if you are using a builder keep an eye on the extras; they add up!
76 sounds a lot better than 130....
the €190k did not include sanitary ware (but did include it's fitting in 4 bathrooms, except for a jet shower and a larger hot water tank which were extras); landscaping; or roads (other than basic fill and compacting).
It did include septic tank; soakaway; two wells (I insisted that he dig a second to back up the first if ever needed); all site ground works (site is sloped but spread soil on site as per planning conditions)
I supplied no materials to the builder other than a copy of the house plans.
All the extras were asked for by me
Yes the build was relatively cheap, one of the reasons I choose that builder, but not the only – he has an excellent reputation.
I did not ask to see VAT receipts as that is no concern of mine but as the price was agreed on the basis that he get cheques made out to his company and not cash I assume that he had to declare the VAT.
As I stated in my op the €190k was for a builders finish. Taking the total final cost to me (€260k) as a basis for calculating the cost per square foot (you suggest €98) is not a really accurate way of assessing the building costs. I could have kept the final finish costs to a minimum if I had not put in a €30k kitchen; solid walnut floors; 2 Jacuzzis and a jet shower; limestone floor tiling; etc.
For a builder that shouldn’t be in business my builder seems to be doing ok (he just sold out an estate of ten houses at €500k each and is building another 10). He was not that far off the next cheapest builder for the same house (€20k ish). €75 - €85 per square foot was about the standard quote for the same finish I was getting from 4 different builders. Builders can be very competitive when they are anxious for business. I could have saved some money by going direct labour but I did not have the time to supervise the site. My brother in law went down this route and took 6 months longer than I did to build, and he had a supervising civil engineer on the job.
I made sure I specked the job fully. I did get caught for some extras.
The key to keeping costs down is to use a builder you trust and spec the job being priced for as fully as possible so there are no surprises.
By all means get a supervising ‘professional’ in to manage the job if you think you need one but make sure they have professional indemnity insurance of at least €1m
Budget for extras and unforeseen items – they will always arise
It is still significantly cheaper to buy a site and build a house than buy a completed build. On the day I moved into my house I had €140k equity in the property based on the banks valuation.
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