Self-Build / Private Dwelling Package

If you are considering building a new home it would be well worth considering availing of all or part of our ‘Self-Build / Private Dwelling Package’. This package can be tailored to suit whatever stage you are currently at with your project whether it be pre-planning, pre-tender, tender assessment stage or even if construction has commenced.

You are very welcome to contact us to arrange an initial complimentary consultation to discuss your project and priorities. This will at the very least give you an insight into professional procurement and will highlight the key areas that require your consideration if you wish to establish and maintain a realistic budget for your project.

It is well documented that budgets are rarely maintained on house build projects and overruns are often in excess of 20%. This equates to large sums of money that home owners had not planned on spending and can cause considerable stress at a time that is demanding enough with trying to complete the project.

With our help you can:-

• Have improved cost certainty from the outset with accurate budget estimates
• Achieve good value for money through clear tender documentation
• Establish a sound legal basis with your contractor or sub-contractors
• Have a clearly defined scope of works and thus minimise budget overruns

Some of the services we can offer are as follows:-

Budget Estimates

We can prepare preliminary budget estimates of construction costs accompanied by an overall project budget that will include additional costs such as local authority contributions, ESB / Gas connection fees, site acquisition etc. This will give a firm indication as to the Total Spend for the project in question at an early stage thus enabling you to revise the proposal if necessary to best suit your requirements without incurring significant costs or delays.

Assessment of Tender Drawings & Specification

All too often the drawings and specification that are used to obtain builders quotations are either incomplete or self contradictory. This leads to many disputes once construction has commenced as to what should or should not have been included in the contract price.

These ambiguities can be identified with a thorough assessment by us following which we will issue you with a report recommending the necessary changes and / or additional information required.
During this process we would also review the various components of your project and suggest any apparent alternative options that may achieve better value for your money. For example by considering alternative insulation options you may well achieve an improved BER rating for the same cost.

Pricing Document / Bill of Quantities

Depending on the size and complexity of your project it may be worth considering having a Pricing Document or Bill of Quantities prepared. These bring several benefits such as:-

• The measurement process will invariably raise many design detail queries to be addressed pre-tender thus ensuring a more complete design.
• Tender assessment will be greatly improved with a Pricing Document or Bill of Quantities that will allow easy comparison on a like for like basis.
• Comprehensive, unambiguous tender documents will form a sound basis for the contract and will help avoid disputes during and after the contract period.
• The Pricing Document or Bill of Quantities aids strict cost control during construction allowing thorough assessment of interim payments and valuation of omissions / additional works.

Building Energy Rating (BER)

With our in-house qualified BER Assessors we are well placed to offer invaluable advice on alternative insulation / heating solutions and to assess their potential effect on your annual energy costs. This will give you a very clear picture as to the solution that best suits your needs and budget.

For more information please refer to our Domestic & Commercial Energy Assessment tab.