Your property questions, answered
How long does it take to build?
Q I have inherited a site from my family and want to build a house and am unsure of the process. I take it that I need to get planning permission and also need to get a loan from the bank to pay for the building costs. Can you give me any advice on how I should proceed?
How long does it take and should I project manage it myself to try and save money or hire a professional do it?
A For most people, building or buying a home will be the largest single investment they will make in their lifetime, therefore it is critical to prepare diligently to ensure your home is well built, properly planned and your money well spent.
There are various stages involved in the building of your home: establishing your brief (size of house, how many bedrooms, single or two storey etc); surveying the site; preliminary designs; preparing and agreeing budgets; sign off; submitting for planning permission; tendering to builders; managing the build on site; payments; and final handover.
This process can take 12 to 18 months (or more) from initial designs to completion. For example a planning permission generally takes three months but can take another six to nine months if the decision is appealed.
For many people this is a daunting process – it is very time consuming and often stressful and this is why many people prefer to employ a professional to oversee it.
Andrew Nugent is chair of the quantity surveying professional group of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland. scsi.ie
Must my parents suffer this marquee next door?
Q My parents live next door to a publicly funded training centre. This organisation erected a medium-sized marquee in the back garden, adjacent to my parents’ wall, in which they hold meetings/workshops, etc. I believe the marquee can accommodate between 20 and 30 people.
We thought this was a short-term measure but now, a month later, it is still in situ. This is a residential area and obviously the meetings and the marquee itself are impacting negatively on my parents’ enjoyment of their back garden.
What planning regulations apply to temporary structures like this?
Should the organisation in question have applied for planning permission? What action can my parents take to get it removed?
A Under Class 37 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, development consisting of the use of land for any fair, funfair, bazaar or circus or any local event of a religious, cultural, educational, political, social, recreational or sporting character and the placing or maintenance of tents, vans or other temporary or movable structures or objects on the land in connection with such use is considered exempt as long as the land is not used for any such purposes either continuously for a period exceeding 15 days or occasionally for periods exceeding in aggregate 30 days in any year and that on the discontinuance of such use the land shall be reinstated save to such extent as may be authorised or required by a permission under the Act.
In this instance, it is possible that the erection of a temporary marquee for educational purposes associated with the training function of the centre could be considered exempt. However, the marquee structure can only be erected for a continuous period of 15 days. As the structure has now been erected for a month it is unlikely to be considered exempted development.
The concerned party should contact the enforcement section of their local planning authority to make a complaint and ask for this matter to be investigated further.
If the enforcement department finds that the development is not exempted development, the training centre may then apply for planning permission for retention of the structure. Submissions and observations can be made on such an application within the first five weeks after lodgment.
The decision of the local authority can be appealed to An Bord Pleanála. A key consideration in a decision would be the impact on residential amenity.
John Spain is a chartered planning and development surveyor and member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland scsi.ie
Is it possible to find an off-market house?
Q We want to trade up but ideally want to do it quietly. Are there agents who specialise in off- market sales? Do we stand a better chance of getting them to find something for us if we give them our own house to sell?
A There is a general perception that off-market sales constitute a significant proportion of transactions in the market. However, while it is true to say a larger proportion of off-market sales (around 15 per cent) take place at the very upper end of the market, the proportion is far lower (around 5 per cent) at the middle range of the market. The reason for off-market transactions is that people wish to sell/buy property in a discreet manner and this tends to be the case particularly at the €2m plus property price range.
You mention that you want to trade up. In the current climate, my advice would be to put your own property on the market as soon as possible. If you do find a property you wish to trade up to and cannot sell your own house or it takes longer than you expected, you may not be in a position to purchase the house you want.
Many agents may have some off-market properties on their books and you would need to talk to the agents in the area you wish to purchase in.
I don’t think giving an agent your house to sell will provide any particular advantage in finding an off-market property for sale and if an agent suggested this, I would question whether doing so would be in the best interests of their client.
My advice would be to select the agent to sell your own house who can demonstrate professionalism, local market knowledge and expertise, who has a good reputation, a database of prospective purchasers and who is a member of one of the professional bodies.
Once you have gone sale agreed on your property you will be in a strong position with available finance to negotiate on the property you wish to purchase.
Felicity Fox is a fellow of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland scsi.ie
