Advice on ball park build costs
I'm a single mortgage applicant that has a 0.5 acre site in Cork. I don't have the knowledge or time with a busy 9-5 job to even attempt a self build so I would be going through a contractor.
I would love to build a small to moderate sized house under 150sq/m with the hope of extending in the future if needed. Simple layout, passive, 2-3 bedrooms and a garage would be nice but not essential.
Does anyone have approx estimates on what costs would be involved in a builders finish?
<400k is the dream, 400-450k is manageable, >500k and I'm putting myself under pressure.
Where I live to even buy a small house is 400-500k so I'm a bit lost on whether I should attempt to build, or will the costs just snowball so much that it becomes unattainable.
I'm aware there are many variables involved in the final price but anyone with experience that could advise I would be very grateful. Unfortunately I know no one in the trades to turn to for guidance.
edit/update: I just want to say thank you to the advice across the comments. This is the stuff I had no clue about and already a massive help!