What is Value for money?

Is the Closed panel building expensive or Good Value?

We all agree that in these economical hard times that Value for Money is absolutely imperative. Greenhus has been doing some work with other house builders to try and understand what is the true cost of building a house today?

Over the good times many buildings were started without a real idea of the cost. Houses were designed to be as big as possible and interior fittings, windows; services were often decided during the build. Borrowing money to the financial limits seemed to be the main criteria rather than energy saving or sustainability.

Now what does this mean?

• Is it still the best value for money to build big and buy the cheapest?
• Is a window with a better specification, costing more, going to be smart value for the future?
• Is the house, costing more, with the energy efficient specification that will save you money into the future better value for money?

The nature of a closed panel building g system is that you, the client, are presented with the full cost of building your home before you start. There is no other system that demands this. This can be very surprising and will appear expensive when compared with an incomplete house costing of another building system specification.

Architects and engineers will generally give you a building standard for cost per square metre on which you can Guestimate your total building cost.

• What is included in that cost/metre figure?
• Is the Architects estimate sufficient to build your home with a low energy specification?
• Is this estimate based on the “old fashioned” standards that have been built all over Ireland for the last 15 years? Is that now good enough for you and your future?
• Does this cost figure reflect the improving specifications that will be required to comply with the future (higher) building standards required by the EEC? These are already the current standards for Greenhus projects

As we drive around the country we see many half finished houses. Some are development properties caught up in the down turn. But many are incomplete because the initial estimated cost of the house had been inaccurate and the owner persuaded to build the biggest possible and has run out of funds because the true cost of the building was not known before the start.

Is the closed panel building system expensive?

We have compared our costs with an open panel system, (a system that requires (extensive) labour on site construction). We chose a top end market one to make the comparison fair.

When you add all the extra works required to finish your home, for work which is not standard included in the open panel house kit cost, we estimate that the premium to build a closed panel factory built system is approximately 15%.

• Much lower heating bills for the life of the house (approx 58% lower compared to a good open panel building system? and 85% lower compared with a conventional build system)
• A higher resale value as the value of these energy savings only increases with the expected future rising for energy costs
• The very best sustainable building materials
• The Closed panel factory (under ideal circumstances) constructed house is built better than a house built mainly with weather venerable on site work.

When the first price offer for a closed panel build is more than expected or can be afforded, please reconsider before you turn away

• Do you need that extra 'Just in case' room?
• Can you redesign smarter (compact) to allow yourself the advantages of Low Energy construction?
• Can you build smaller now and add on, as finance and family size require the extra space?

Invest in your future, not the energy industry.

SPECIALIST INTERNAL JOINERY AND FURNITURE
www.hatchett.ie

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