Cork woman flys solo as she builds her own home

A CORK woman who is documenting her experiences of building her own home has highlighted the issues being faced by housebuilders in Ireland at the moment, from high materials costs to lack of availability of tradespeople.

Marie Coleman had forked out in the region of €30k before so much as laying down the first block of her new home as construction costs continue to soar.

The Ballinhassig native, who works in Cork Builders Providers, is currently documenting the construction of a house next door to her parents through an Instagram page, selfbuildby_marie.

Although she is delighted to be fulfilling her dream of becoming a home owner, Marie was taken aback by the astronomical construction costs.

She described her experience as she navigates the early construction phase.

“It was €30,000 before a block was even put down,” she said. “Basically, it paid for the foundation alone. This was inclusive of planning costs. The property is 1700 sq ft with three bedrooms. It’s a dormer bungalow and there has been a lot of material paid for to date. I’m not the only one experiencing these kind of difficulties.

“I have a friend who was given a figure for an extension before Covid that has since trebled. I’m seeing subtle changes like a slight reduction in steel but it’s still a very difficult time for anyone building a house.”

The 35-year admits she initially found it difficult to secure a mortgage before eventually opting to purchase the site.

“When my parents suggested we try and get planning next door I said, ‘let’s do it.’ That was on my birthday in January last year and the planning was granted by March. I couldn’t believe it. I knew what I needed to work with and how I could manage it. I have to stick within the budget.

“Even though building a house is a stressful experience it is also empowering.

“My dream is to be making dinner for my family there on Christmas Day.

“I already have the kitchen and the couch picked out. Every day I picture myself standing in that kitchen.”

She said that finding tradespeople with availability is also a continuous struggle.

“You are talking to six different people at a time, trying to make sure they are all going to be there and that’s a lot of pressure. There’s no point saying this is easy but at the same time you have to stay in a positive frame of mind.”

Marie plans to document her journey building the house on her Instagram right up to its completion date.