Gavin Connolly
There’s a reason many self-builders choose to go with a traditional build – it saves money, as Gavin Connolly of Co Down explains.
In this article we cover:
- Headline build costs including plumbing, kitchen, windows
- Ways to keep costs under control
- How the build was financed
- QS cost and how much they went overbudget
- Finding the site and tips to others
- Planning restrictions
- Decision to go direct labour
- Tips to others considering managing the build themselves
- Insulation strategy
- Timeline and progress photos
- Floor plans, supplier list and specifications
Site hunting was the starting point. And it took a while. We had five or six sales fall through before this one came up in 2019, through our local estate agent.
The site was in an area we liked, with a view of the Mourne Mountains. A peaceful and quiet location. The estate agent told us it was coming up and as soon as it came on the market, we offered over the asking price. Thankfully, that sealed the deal.
House size: 205sqm
Bedrooms: 4
Plot size: 1/2 acre
Site cost: £72k
Build cost: £250k
Construction: Cavity wall
Heating: Oil fired boiler
Ventilation: Positive input ventilation
EPC (SAP): B (84)
For services we were able to connect to electricity with a mains cable at the front of the site. NIE removed existing overhead cables which spanned the site and put them underground. NIE removed the overhead cables free of charge as they were too low for the roof level of the house. The only thing I had to do was dig a trench across the front of the site for the cable to be laid in which is where my new connection came off. Water was a mains connection too.
Early stages
The site we bought already had outline planning permission for a bungalow and garage, and we knew we’d only need to tweak the internal layout. The size of the house at 200sqm was fine for us and even though there are two storey houses nearby, we didn’t feel a need to change the design.
There were few restrictions, mostly a ridge height of 5.5m. We knew a bungalow was suitable so went down the reserved matters route to apply for full planning permission. As for our wants and needs, we knew we didn’t want a back door into the kitchen as is so common in Irish homes. But we did want a front porch and a big utility room. We also wanted a sunroom, preferably with bifold doors.
We chose our architect based on the fact that he’s local and was the person who got the initial plans passed for outline planning permission. He knew what way the site was. I drew up initial plans and sent it on to our architect to draw up. We also kept him on to apply for planning permission and for building control
approval.
Decision to go direct labour
I work in construction so I knew it would cost me £30-40k on top to bring a contractor on. That’s why I decided to take on the roleof project manager.
With a main contractor, you have one point of contact versus having to hire and coordinate the individual trades yourself. The way I saw it, this was going to be a time consuming project anyway and I’d have to be making the same decisions whether I went with a contractor or direct labour. So I went all in. This meant clearing up, tidying up for the next trade, organise materials, and get the trades on site when they were needed.
If I didn’t know the person I hired, they had to come recommended. I knew who I was going to need next, so I’d give a heads up to that person to let them know we’d need them on site soon. I told all of the people who worked on the project that I didn’t care when they did it, as long as they didn’t go past the deadline. I basically treated it like any other project at work. And I did as much as I could, inside and out. I’d be there evenings and most Saturdays.
Energy efficiency and the environment
We decided to invest in insulation only insofar as we needed to; we went with an insulated floor screed which was expensive. For the rest we went with standard build ups and plaster for airtightness.
We paid attention to key details like having the insulated walls meet the subfloor before we laid the insulated screed.
We considered spray foam for insulation but needed a 50mm air break so just went with a standard build up instead, insulating with mineral wool between joists and rigid PIR board across the joists.
We considered an air source heat pump early on but heard mixed reviews on operating costs and we wanted to get a blast of heat. So we went with an oil fired boiler with underfloor heating and a multifuel stove.
Photovoltaics (PV) and rainwater harvesting we didn’t do because of cost, the budget wouldn’t have stretched. PV we may look at in future; we have the hot water tank in the attic ready to tap into and the back of the house is south facing and therefore a perfect orientation for solar panels.
Budget and Financing
I got a friend of mine to do the costings for me to get the mortgage, and his bill of quantities was £2-3k within the lender’s assessment. We got our self-build mortgage approved in April/May 2022 and interest rates increased pretty much straight after that.
There were other cost increases during the build, from labour to the cost of plant hire (because of the mandatory move from red diesel to more expensive but less polluting white diesel), and we had to request an additional drawdown. In the end, we went 10 to 15 per cent over budget.
Headline Costs
Plumbing and heating: £18k
Kitchen (incl, appliances & utility room): £16k
Windows and doors: £10k
Insulated floor screed & screed: £9k
Ways to keep build costs under control
Stick to standard specifications. We knew from the outset that we wanted a traditional build and one that was in keeping with the houses around us. We weren’t drawn to the new technologies. We wanted stonework at the front, a front porch and a sunroom.
Choose standard finishes. We went with basic flat black tiles, uPVC fascia and soffit, double glazed uPVC windows. All very straightforward and cost effective.
Go with a trussed roof. As for the roof, we went with prefabricated trussed joists to allow for storage, and in the sunroom a vaulted truss, where we doubled up on the insulation.
Suppliers
Architect: Fletcher Architects Ltd
Financial: Financial Directions Ltd
Legal: Andrea Reid Solicitors
Plant Hire: Kelly Point Hire, Down Hire, Beattie Crane Hire, John Rodgers PLant Hire, Bann Hire
Fuel: James Fitzpatrick Fuels
Concrete, quarry aggregates, blocks & sand: CES Quarry Products Ltd
General Building Materials: John Shilliday Ltd, Castlewellan
Precast Products: Mackin Concrete, Newry
Roof Trusses: ATS Trusses
Roof Tiles: Breedon Roof Tiles
Special Lintels: Steel Lintels Ireland
Door Frames: Executive Wood Products, Mayobridge
Internal Doors, Ironmongery: The Door Store
Granite: Shanlieve Stone, Newry
Retaining Wall: Maccaferri Ltd
Treatment Tank: Viltra Wasterwater Technology
Windows & Doors: M.McAvoy, Holltown
Precast Flooring: Emecast
Floor Insulation & finished scred: Alpha Flow Screed
Kitchen & Utility: AB Interiors
Quartz Worktops & Splashback: AR Robinson, Annalong
Heating, Plumbing, Bathrooms: PM Plumbing
Electrical: C O’Hare Electrical
Tiling: Equisite Tiling
Carpets: Martin Phillips
Stoves: Woodstoves Ireland
Cavity Insulation, Pumped Energy Store Roof Insulation: Northern Loft Insulation
Mechanical Ventilation: Beam Vacuum & Ventilation
Blockwork: M&M Bricklaying
Roofing: Martin Cunningham
Plastering: Laurence Tumelty & Donagh Steele
Stonework: Mick Fitzpatrick
English