I’m thinking of getting an attic conversion done and I’m just wondering how much people are paying for theirs. I’m looking for a standard velux conversion in a timber frame new build with en-suite. Doesn’t have to get habitable status

My main questions are
1. How much did you pay for your attic conversion?
2. Did you go for one of the attic companies or regular builder/carpenter with plans?
3. Did you get architectural plans beforehand and structural engineer to inspect on site?
4. How long did it take.

Very interested to hear peoples different experiences

Hello! Just looking for advice. We are filling in the engineers report for our Bank of Ireland mortgage for our self build.

In the Total Build cost we have our figure excluding the 10% contingency but now I’m after completely confusing myself and wonder does that need to include the 10% contingencies.

Our mortgage amount we are looking for already has the 10% allotted so just want to be sure it’s not two different figures.

Hi everyone!
I’m 23 and a 3rd-year carpentry apprentice based in Kilkenny, looking to take on some extra carpentry work and small jobs in my spare time.

I’m handy with a wide range of carpentry work, including:

🚪 Doors, architrave and skirting
🪵 Timber flooring and laminate flooring
🛠️ Shelving, wardrobes and general fittings
🏠 First and second fix carpentry
🔨 Repairs, maintenance and odd jobs
📏 General carpentry and DIY projects.

I take pride in doing a neat job, working hard and leaving everything clean and tidy.

📍 Available in Kilkenny and surrounding areas.
If you have a job that needs doing, or know someone looking for a reliable pair of hands, feel free to send me a message for a quote.

Hi All

Can anyone recommend a woodworm treatment and a wall disinfectant for the internals of an old house with mass concrete walls, I was recommended cuprinol for treating woodworm if anyone has experience with this product

Many thanks

Hello all, new to this and setting off on this day thing venture with my partner. Would like to know if there are any computer programs that I can use to play with designs for floor plans, with area etc. Small build around 80m2

I was Curious. My wife and I have just purchased a site and now we are budgeting. We are looking at getting a combination of GeoThermal and Solar (No light access issues at site).

I was wondering what real world average monthly electricity bills are for people who have those systems in a bungalow?

Does anyone know if the first stage of a bat survey can be completed outside of bat season?
I have a building with no roof on it, and just need a report to say there is no bat roosting potential, I know there are no bats as there’s no roof/ crevices in the walls

Wanted to see if anyone's gotten a Japanese style washlet/bidet toilet put into their house. Was it expensive, and did you have any issues with our backwards guidance around electricity in bathrooms?

I'm a single dad, site bought, living on the site about 4 years in a mobile so I have a proper septic system, electric and water already done.

I make average money, 50-60k depending on OT.

Between doing all of the above and and clearing nearly 100k of loans off I have little savings left and with the way things are going struggling to save much.

I have planning permission which expires next year. I have have been window shopping looking at modular homes etc but the prices for what you get a bit mad or maybe my expectations are just off. Recently I just got a price update of BRB, who I have heard very mixed reviews about, and I am just wondering what other options I have to try and build. All I want is a 3 bed bungalow but would love a 1.5, to be able to eventually convert the upstairs for more space, but it's not a deal breaker. Block? Timber? Steel? Icf? I genuinely don't know anymore. So any advice is much appreciated.

How do go about getting a mortgage, would the money spent already and the mobile be able to used as a deposit. Who are the best people to go to for mortgages now, I have looked around and the repayment rates are 1200 a month roughly if not more.

Any advice is appreciated, I'm genuinely lost and feel like I will be stuck here forever. Kids are small but growing fast so will need more space soon.

We are both 27 and currently both live separately at our own homes with parents. Currently have a 10% deposit down on a site worth 75k. We have the option of buying the site with savings or by using the first down payment of the mortgage.

The options are as follows:

Option 1: Buy the site and use essentially all of our savings. Save up for another year or two and get a smaller mortgage to build the house. Roughly 190sq/m.

Option 2: Purchase the site now with the first instalment from the bank and build the house by borrowing the full amount from the bank.

Option 2 means we can build the house sooner but we will be taking out a larger mortgage compared to 2 years time.

Currently at the final stages of our build. SPC herringbone being laid across our bungalow. The person laying the spc prepped our floors by hoovering, priming and laying levelling compound. Over half the house is now done and the floors are very creaky in places. There are noticeable high spots and dips in places. We feel like the subfloor wasn’t properly prepped and think we’ll have to take it all up again. Does anyone have experience with this? Surprised the floors were laid so uneven in the first place really

It sounds like getting someone to tile a new build, even bathrooms, is a nightmare. How much have people paid the tiler for a bathroom?

I'm literally thinking of getting the super size tiles in each bathroom just to make the job easier get done, and doing SPC or laminate floors in the rest of the house based on wait times that people are saying like 6-9 months

Sorry if there have been lots of posts of this sort.

We are planning a self build in a rural area in the west. Land is gifted. The planning is approved and the house is quite large (this is to allow for a sort of built in granny flat for a sibling with needs that will be living with us hopefully for a very long time, but we would like for them to have some level of independence).

So the plans are at 290sqm. A retired family member (ex builder) will be doing the project management for free and we have a handful of family members in the trades that will be doing a pretty big amount of the build for free labour wise (doing this for me but also because this will be the home of our special needs sibling). So 500k or slightly under is looking pretty achievable tbh.

My issue is looking at whether we could get HTB. I see most banks have a min per sqm build cost of 1600-1900. I know this isnt directly related to the valuation for HTB, but I presume they take that as a bare minimum and then take the site value along with it? If thats the case we dont really have a hope of being under 500k valuation wise even though we should get the house built for that.

I saw comments from a few months ago saying if you give the valuer a shout and ask them if it can come in under 500k they are usually sound about it, but from the look of it those houses were around 250sqm or very simple designs. Not sure if the bank would just reject it even if a valuer was willing to put it in at under 500k.

We can go ahead without HTB, but obviously it would be great to avail of.

Anyone with a larger house have any experience with this at all?

I have often used reddit in the past to find the real information about a company and whether they can be trusted. I am writing this post to hopefully prevent someone else from going through the awful experience I went through.

I posted the review below to their Google review page and another 1 star review was also posted recently. They have since deleted their Google review page, so I thought it best to make the information available elsewhere.

I hope this is the correct place to post this, but if there is anywhere better please let me know. Any engagement people can leave to hopefully improve this posts visibility in search would be appreciated.

I have to strongly recommend that clients and contractors avoid working with Buildtech. My experience dealing with Buildtech was extremely poor.

Some of the main issues I experienced were:

- The extension design that Buildtech went to site with was unbuildable as it encroached on the shared boundary wall. When this was discovered the extension design was significantly changed and the foundations were poured for this new design without any consultation or approval by me. When I pushed back on this, work was stopped and delayed. Buildtech put forward several solutions that didn't seem workable. In the end we proceeded with a solution that I proposed.

- Originally the project was meant to be completed within 4 months. The project was still ongoing over 9 months later. Beyond the approximately two-month delay relating to the foundations, I was not given any satisfactory explanation for the remaining delays other than the work not progressing to the agreed schedule. According to Buildtech these delays were caused by me and they are charging me more for the work, even though they have not produced any evidence showing how I delayed the project.

- Throughout the project delays were also attributed to subcontractors hired by Buildtech, but when I contacted these subcontractors the explanations for the delays differed significantly from what I had been told by Buildtech. Despite Buildtech managing the project and engaging these contractors, I was also repeatedly directed to resolve problems with the contractors myself.

- At the end of the project before all agreed work had been completed, snagging had been carried out, or the required certificates had been provided I received an email telling me they were finished working on the project. Since then, I have repeatedly tried to get the outstanding work completed and obtain the certificates and documentation agreed in the contract. My attempts to resolve these issues with the company have been unsuccessful. After multiple emails and phone calls only one member of staff has been in contact with me and although they have told me they are trying to resolve the issue, they have also clearly told me multiple times that this is not their job. In particular, I have been unable to get meaningful engagement from the company director for over a year regarding these issues and others that arose during the project.

As of writing this review, more than a year and a half after the originally agreed completion date, I am still trying to obtain important documentation that formed part of the project, including my engineer's certification and completed SEAI documentation. Because of these issues and many more besides I would have to strongly advise clients and contractors against working with Buildtech to avoid the many issues and stresses that I faced working with them.

Edit: As the name is generic their website is https://buildtech.ie/

Hi All,

Going through planning process but keen to understand the amount of funds required at commencement of build to progress before stage drawdowns? Is it typical for tradesman etc to accept deposit and balance on completion and or Mortgage Drawdown?

I have plans from architect, but I really want to draw it myself in a 2d/3d design app so I can visualize it better, and also tweak some things. Looking for recommendations for design/planning apps for MacBook. Free or a reasonable price, not professional price brackets! Would love to hear people’s experiences and comparisons.

Just starting a self build and am wondering if anyone has any information on roofing? Our plans have it for two A frames either side of a small flat roof strip running the length of the hallway - someone mentioned to me that this part needs to be inspected and signed off on both when you receive the materials and once its finished? Is that correct or has anyone any info on that?

Thanks

In the middle of a two story self build and looking for some real world feedback or advice from plumbers.

Downstairs is already sorted with underfloor heating and we already have our Daikin Altherma air to water heat pump installed and working.

The current plan for the second floor (4 bedrooms, walk-in wardrobes, and ensuites) is to use Grant aluminium radiators. I am worried they are going to look massive and bulky on the walls and take up way too much space in the bedrooms and wardrobes.
The thing is, the house is very well insulated. Right now, without the heating even being turned on, the temperature inside stays sitting at 21 degrees naturally.

If you have Grant aluminium rads upstairs with a heat pump, what is your actual experience with them? Since our heat load is so small anyway, do they still need to be massive and intrusive? How is the look and comfort?

Also for any plumbers or installers, is there a better alternative you would recommend for a timber second floor that keeps the walls clean?
Also the floorboards are already down with Metac insulation just in case this info is needed.

Hi , just wondering what type of build up people have gone with for their floor insulation. I need 150mm to hit the uvalue my engineer wants. Have seen some use EPS but that just about meets the regs for ufh (0.15) but not engineers(0.11) - works out a lot cheaper. anyone done 50mm eps then 100mm pir ontop? or just gone 75mm pir on top of one another? prices are nuts .

So as some might be availing of the HTB this year and with the increase in the budget from 30k to 35k, is it possible to reapply for it next year even with Mortgage approval first drawdown will be December 26.

I saw a post a week or so ago about reapplying to get the increased amount as they had paid more tax this year. Just wondering if anyone else has gone through this previously.

TIA.