r/selfbuildireland

To preface, I am stupid. I cant for the life of me figure this out.

I dont have a big budget, only 300,000. Maybe 350 000 at a push.

I saw a plot for 55,000 and its perfect.

How do I start?

Do i need to have 55,000 now, or can I mortgage with the land as well? Idk.

Is it possible to build a 3 bed house for under 300,000 ? Note that my kids also want a "bookcase door" for their den.... I think they think i am making more money that I am...

In a perfect world I would build a house with two beautiful bay windows, sun rising to the back of the house where bedrooms would be. A driveway, with cherry blossom trees... a little office... and a little attic room.

I dont see a future where I can stop renting. My oldest is 12. I feel we failed her.

We have good jobs, good savings (if it was 2016) , and I just want to badly to make this building thing a reality but I know nothing.

Please be nice, I am sensitive. Haha !

I’m looking for recommendations for an LVT option that gives a polished‑concrete look. Ideally I want something as seamless as possible — no grout lines, no stripping, and the largest tile size available to avoid that typical “tile pattern.” I’ve been considering Karndean LVT, but from photos online the joint lines still seem quite noticeable, so I’m unsure if the true seamless concrete look is achievable. Has anyone tried something similar or found a better alternative. Photos would be great

Trying to pick a kitchen for a house presents a crazy amount of options. What are people's thoughts on the MDF/PVC vs painted wood for the cabinets, and silestone (quartz) vs laminate for the worktops? Especially considering kids, it's not going to be a show kitchen by any means.
Have people's painted wood cabinets chipped? Does laminate peel/wear out quickly?

Hi all, I built a free tool that takes an Eircode or address and pulls together what you'd normally dig out of 35+ public sources by hand: flood maps, geology and subsoil, radon, archaeology and protected structures, planning history, protected sites, wells and water table, grid capacity, broadband, plus a 3D terrain view of the plot from LIDAR.

I made it for a friend of mine who does conservation on protected buildings to help her find things that might hamper construction earlier. But maybe it'll be helpful for you guys too

Hi there

I am looking for advise on the help to buy scheme, I am starting a self building property in the coming weeks but I want to claim 2026 tax in my HTB application as it is a substantial amount

Should I start my project now using my savings which should get me my foundations and blockwork complete and claim my first mortgage drawdown in January so that it will include 2026 tax returns or should I delay the entire project until January

If I claim it now the money I will get out of the scheme is minimal (2k) but if I include my 2026 tax it will provide around 10k which is obviously substantial

Any help is greatly appreciated