When the builders are in should you stay put and save money towards the dream home, or just bite the bullet for the sake of your sanity and rent elsewhere?
Cork-based architect Paul Keating designs homes and does refurbishments for a living but when it came to building his own home he and his accountant wife, Ally, decided to save money by staying put as build works began.
As well as managing the builders and making sure work was on schedule and on budget, Keating had to deal with his wife as his client. They also had a one-year-old toddler and another on the way.
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The house, a forlorn-looking 1980s bungalow sat on a site with elevated sea views that took in Kinsale’s Charles Fort and across to Roche’s Point.
It had the potential to be gorgeous, Keating says. One-year-old Dylan was at the crawling stage when they moved into what was then a three-bedroom house. The family wanted to double its size to 222sq m (2400sq ft) and Keating cleverly planned a two-phase refurbishment that allowed them to live in the old house as the new extension was being constructed, creating a separate entrance for the builders to use to minimize the disruption.
When this phase was completed the family would move into the new part and block off the original house while it was refurbished, insulated, replumbed and rewired. When both were finished all that would remain to do is knock one dividing wall and the work would be complete.
Things went according to plan because Keating knew what he was doing. They had to compromise to fit their budget. “We couldn’t afford renewables,” Keating recalls. “I wanted to invest in a geothermal system but in the short term we opted for a gas tank and a high energy combi-boiler until we have the money to upgrade.”
By leveraging funds from the SEI’s Better Energy Homes Scheme Keating could afford to insulate the attic and dry line the walls of the original house using 100ml high-density insulation that is half the density of typical insulation. Keating advises unnecessary delays in getting funding can be avoided by applying for the grant three to six months before building begins. “They may want to visit before you start to determine what actually needs to be done before releasing the funds,” Keating explains. “By doing this in advance you will know how much of a rebate you’re entitled to.”
Emotive
To damp-proof the original floors he used a liquid membrane that could be applied directly to the existing concrete floors, that also prevents Radon gas seeping up through the floors, dispensing with the need to break up the concrete floors and foundations and begin again.
Scheduled to take 11 months to complete, the house was finished on schedule but remained a building site for a further two years as minor jobs and snags were completed.
Refurbishing your home is very emotive, Keating says. “We had just bought the property and weren’t attached to it. But if you’ve lived in your home for years you may find it very difficult to see walls being knocked around you. We couldn’t afford to move out. If you can afford it move out.”
Work is very slow, he adds. “You will see nothing happening at a very slow rate for months. It can be very frustrating. You get fed up with the house being surrounded by Harris fencing and the blocks cluttering up your driveway. Kids can’t go into the gardens front or back. It is almost better to make a brave move when the kids are babies rather than older,” he says.
“You’re living on a building site and can’t clean your house properly for a year. Dust falls constantly. The set-up was only tolerable because both of us worked in jobs that took us out of the home every day. If you work from home you’d want the patience of a saint. It would be extremely frustrating to try and find a quiet corner to take calls for example.”
The builders left in 2011 but the house wasn’t finished until 2014. In total he estimates the work cost €150,000, about €30,000 over budget. By staying put the Keatings saved about €10,000. “We took a long-term view and were prepared to wait to buy the flooring or windows that we wanted,” Keating says.
Did they ever disagree? “Course we did. As the architect you sometimes forget there is another person involved. When you get into a building project with your partner it is different. You’re living with it on your doorstep, literally. Listen intently is the best piece of advice.”
Communication is key, Keating says. “Problems arose when I didn’t consult with my wife before doing something like installing a partition wall in our en suite bathroom. She had a bigger wall in mind. From then on I showed her 3D drawings of everything else that I wanted to do so I could virtually walk her through the rest of the house, including the modern staircase.”
Now a four-bedroom open-plan house, the property is a lot more free flowing but remains first and foremost a family home. But the open-plan design coupled with two young children has raised sound attenuation issues and in the future when they have the money Keating would like to install a sliding door to close off the kitchen area. Soft furnishings and rugs underfoot have helped dampen the sound.
A mezzanine in the master bedroom that is open to the kitchen downstairs won’t appeal to all his clients – in fact he takes them on a tour of the house to demonstrate the way sound travels in an open plan space before they agree to anything similar.
