In Part 1 of a four part series about build costs in Ireland, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher sheds light on how much you can expect to pay for your windows and doors including:

·      Why is one house 50k and another 15k for the windows and doors?

·      Types of windows and doors products available to self-builders in Ireland

·      How windows and doors are costed

·      Costs per sqm for different types

·      Costs off the shelf versus bespoke

·      Regs for fire doors plus notes on costs

·      Ironmongery costs

·      Watchpoints for windows and doors

·      Dangers of costing a house based on averages

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• What are PV panels
• How they work
• What are the components
• What can go wrong on them
• How much do they cost
• What's the payback
• How to best use them
• Should you get a battery?

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At Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Belfast 2024, DJ Rasdale of Build Cost Estimations runs through a real life example of costing a build from start to finish, and provides an update on how much it costs to build a house in Ireland today, including:

·      Labour and material costs as of September 2024

·      Cost estimations: how they’re put together

·      Details of a costed project in NI

·      Direct labour versus main contractor: how much can you save?

·      Project details: issues with foundations and how much they set the project back

·      Variations during the build, PC Sums

·      Kitchen costs, ways contractor saved money on the project

·      Budget busters and best value-for-money ways to cost a project

·      Traditional (concrete blockwork) vs timber frame vs ICF vs SIPs: how they compare cost wise

·      Heat pump with underfloor heating costs

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Bathroom consultant Gareth Holland chats about how to go about your renovation or new build project, including:

·        How much to budget for your bathroom for a good finish

·        Dangers of buying online

·        Where to start when renovating a bathroom

·        Where to start with a new build

·        What to bring on your initial consultation

·        Typical design constraints

·        Shower choices

·        How bathroom suppliers liaise with trades

·        Sequence of works

·        Considerations for a wetroom and bath in a small bathroom

·        Storage solutions for small bathrooms

·        Size of small downstairs bathrooms with design ideas for wow factor

·        Which bathroom is worth investing the most in?

·        New build bathrooms: budgeting tips

·        Tiling trends for 2024

·        Trends and making brassware work

·        Timeframe to create recessed shelves (niches) in stud walls, benefits

·        Futureproofing and typical bathroom lifetime

·        Typical lead times

·        Maintenance for taps

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• How to compare windows
• How much self-builders are spending on windows and doors
• How to save money on your window and door design
• U-values explained in detail
• The case for triple glazed windows
• Aluclad options: uPVC vs timber
• Window replacement: what you need to consider
• Trickle vents in windows: pros and cons
• How quotes for windows are put together
• Mitigation for overheating with window design, including low-g glass
• Shading devices pros and cons, from brise soleil to blinds and curtains
• Lift and slide vs bifold doors: pros and cons, design limitations
• Door types, how they're built
• How to compare doors from different suppliers
• Price points for doors and hardware
• Choice of front doors vs other entry points
• Solutions for coastal locations
• Retrofitting new external doors, watchpoints
• Lead times, factory holidays
• Timeframe for ordering windows depending on the building method
• Troubleshooting with product issues
• Troubleshooting installation issues

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• Budgeting for your build: why a cost per sqm is the best place to start - and what the next steps are
• The typical budget busters on a build
• How to check if the site won't cost a fortune to build on
• How much reports cost
• How much to set aside for architect, engineer and quantity surveyor
• Preliminaries: what are they and how much will they set you back
• Costs per sqm as of mid-2024
• What's the cheapest building method and will we be building with blockwork in 20 years' time?
• What is value engineering and how does it work
• What's the most cost efficient way to build

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Pete Finn, AKA Pete the builder, of RTÉ's Home Rescue and advisory firm Let's Talk Homes joins tiny house builder Paul Lawford of smallchange.ie to chat about the process of building your home in Ireland today with cost saving tips, including:

• Once the house has been designed, planning permission has been approved, Health & Safety has been done on the design, what are the next steps?
• What is the first thing to happen on site - what needs to be organised before you can start on the build
• Overview of the steps from foundations to roof finishes on a traditional build
• The process of building a tiny house
• Ways to save during the build
• How to prepare for the building stage

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Jonny Orr of Daniel George Kitchens and Caroline O'Neill of Digg Mama chat about Caroline’s kitchen design journey including how she went about it and what steps she would recommend self-builders taking. The chat also focused on:

·        Main things to consider when designing a kitchen; common mistakes to avoid.

·        Best time to involve kitchen designers and do they do 3D renders?

·        How much do kitchens cost and where can you save money?

·        Downdraft extractors vs traditional hood, which is best?

·        Lighting tips including task lighting when using an in-hob extractor and whether to include lighting in all units.

·        Hardwearing materials and colours, how to make sure the kitchen won’t go out of fashion.

·        Not thinking of putting in an oven, is that a bad idea? If I plan to have a pantry, do I need less cupboards?

·        Design tips for islands and peninsulas (breakfast bars) in the kitchen layout.

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Matt Kinloch of SONAS Bathrooms and Darrel McCauley of Spectrum Bathrooms joined us at Selfbuild Live Belfast to talk about what’s trending in bathroom designs and how to get the style on a budget, including

• Colours and style in general: what’s on trend, e.g. is barbiecore a thing in bathrooms? What are the classics?
• General budget saving advice: consider number of bathrooms, size? How about renovations, how to save with existing bathroom upgrade?
• Sanitaryware: what’s on trend, e.g. wall hung basin/toilet and standing bath, and how to save and still get the look
• Fittings: what’s on trend, e.g. is gold still fashionable, and how to save and still get the look
• Radiators: what’s on trend and how to save, e.g. output?
• Mirrors: what’s on trend, is it still LED and Bluetooth mirrors, and hacks to save.
• What are the other big ticket items in the bathroom and how can self-builders save?

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