Show Notes
In Part 4 of a four part series about build costs in Ireland, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher explains how to budget for your build and what pitfalls to avoid, including: Why the most common budget buster is not having a budget in the first place How to deal with price increases for materials when self-building Rate of inflation on materials 4 per cent per year Can ground conditions be budgeted for? Worst case scenarios. Most common budget busters: lighting and electrics, how much each electrical point will set you back, how many do you need? Benefits of quantifying each element Pre-existing services, how to prevent nasty surprises PC Sums not being realistic, e.g. windows including costing estimates Where windows are coming from and how they're designed, knock-on effects with blinds Where money goes into windows, ironmongery costs Kitchen costs, how the add-ons work Bathroom costs, where to spend and where not to spend Which trades are more expensive Staircase and carpentry costs Will modular homes save you money? Benefits of employing a quantity surveyor Benefits of employing an architectural designer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Selfbuild Podcast
At Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2026, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher chats about kitchen and bathroom costs with a special focus on interior design.
At Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2026, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher hosts a talk around the practicalities of building an energy efficient home, with a special focus on: - Plant rooms: optimal sizes and what you need to include in them; optimal layouts and how to make sure systems don’t interfere with one another - Common mistakes: from solar panels and heat pumps to insulation and windows, learn from other projects
The interior design tips and pitfalls to avoid as shared by Stephen Blakely of Blakely Interiors, including how to prevent mistakes and how to make your house flow while keeping practicality in mind. Topics include access, natural and artificial lighting, kitchens, colour and more with real life examples. Excerpts from his presentation at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Ulster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher asks the experts to guide you through your project. The panel consists of Health & Safety advisor Helena Ryan of Cooga Safety Services, financial advisor Rachel Uí Bhaoill of SPREAG, serial self-builder Julie Burke of Dampmaster and Joe McBride of Walk Your Plans. He looks at ways to save on your house build that most people don’t factor in, from your health and safety obligations to learning from the mistakes of serial self-builders.
Martin Markey, CEO with the Hardware Association Ireland, chats about the findings in the HAI's latest survey on on-off housing, The Potential For Rural Family Homes - A Survey Review, including: Housing need or locals only rules being the main reason there aren’t more one-off homes being built in Ireland Potential to double the amount of homes built and the huge demand behind it What will happen if we don't build more one-off homes: emigration a big issue at the moment as is social capital unravelling in rural areas Need for one-off housing as part of a mix of solutions in context of population growth Cost of building not as big a driver of whether or someone will build a house Building regulations and lack of guidance mostly an issue for architects Volume and price increases for builder’s merchant sector Costs coming down the line due to new regulations including ones on timber, steel and Repak