New figures show house rebuilding costs have increased substantially over last 12 months

New figures show house rebuilding costs have increased substantially over last 12 months

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New figures show house rebuilding costs have increased substantially over last 12 months

Chartered Surveyors are urging consumers to check their homes are adequately insured

Updated House Rebuilding Calculator launched to help homeowners

Friday 16th September 2022. The latest House Rebuilding Guide published by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) shows that national average re-build costs have increased by an average of 21% over the past 12 months.

The SCSI House Rebuilding Guide, which is used by homeowners to calculate the rebuilding costs of their home for insurance purposes, shows the increase in rebuild costs ranges from 14% in Dublin to 26% in the North-West.

Although Dublin recorded the lowest increase, the capital has the highest rebuild costs while the North-West, which recorded the biggest increase, has the lowest.

Elsewhere the increases ranged from 17% in Cork to 18% in Limerick and 19% in the North-East. In Galway the increase was 20% while Waterford had the second highest rate of increase at 24%.

The SCSI said it was important to note that the specifications and designs used for the six house types had been updated this year and that as a result not all the reported increases could be attributed to construction inflation.

Kevin Brady, Chair of the Quantity Surveyors Professional Group in the SCSI said rebuild costs had increased due to supply chain difficulties and increases in the price of building materials.

“Although pricing pressures on certain materials such as timber, plasterboard and insulation have eased slightly, rising fuel and energy costs are continuing to affect the supply chain. This is a direct result of the war in Ukraine and is leading to a sustained increase in the price of energy intensive materials such as concrete, aggregates (infill material), steel and paint. Coupled with these material price increases, ongoing labour shortages show no sign of abating and are also pushing up rebuild costs.”

Fig 1 SCSI Rebuild Guide Sept 2022 Table of average rebuilding costs, per square metre for different house types in different regions. In addition to house rebuilding costs, costs for garages range from €19,500 for a single attached garage to €35,200 for a double attached garage, on average. Note – The rebuilding rates quoted here are for estate type homes only and should not be used for other house styles such as one-off homes in the countryside or period properties. The figures are a minimum base cost guide for house insurance purposes.

Importance of being properly insured

While price increases may have moderated in Dublin, not surprisingly the capital, as Fig 1 one shows still has the highest rebuild costs.

According to these figures the minimum base cost of rebuilding a 3-bed semi in Dublin, is €268,000, (98sq m x €2,735) while the minimum base cost of rebuilding a similar house in Waterford, is €225,000 (98 x €2,298) – a difference of €43,000.

The SCSI is urging homeowners to take the time to ascertain the correct reinstatement value of their home for insurance purposes.

Mr Brady said the last rebuild guide had been published 17 months ago and since then rebuild costs had increased by an average of 29%. He said this underlined the need for homeowners to review their house insurance.

“Homeowners need to ensure their house is adequately insured so that in the event of a total or partial loss situation ie a fire, they are covered under their insurance policy when reinstating or rebuilding. Rebuild costs for a 3-bed-semi – see Fig 2-  the most common house type in the country have increased from between €42,000 to €56,000 depending on where you live.”

“While these increases are considerable it does not necessarily mean the premium will increase significantly and consumers should shop around when seeking insurance cover for their homes. The really important takeaway from this for homeowners is to set aside some time – it should only take five or ten minutes if you use the SCSI Home Rebuild Calculator, which is free – to get an accurate reinstatement figure and ensure your home insurance is up to date. If it’s not you need to contact your home insurer.”

The SCSI points out that the rebuild figures are based on estate style houses and people with one-off homes or period properties are advised to contact their local chartered surveyor.

Rebuild costs of a 3-bed semi 2022 /21 comparison guide

Fig 2 The average minimum rebuilding costs for a standard 3-bedroom 98sq.m semi-detached house around the country. These are the base rebuild costs only. Additional items such as kitchen, built in wardrobes, floor finishes, and a garage, if the property has one, also need to be factored in. The rebuild costs of such items will vary from house to house. Note the design specifications which the SCSI is using for the 3 bed semi this year have changed so the increases referenced here are a guide.

Dangers of under insurance

The President of the SCSI Kevin James said that homeowners who are not adequately insured may be penalised under their policy by having to pay a certain proportion of the reinstatement costs.

“Where, the insured sum is only 75% of the total reinstatement cost, you will only receive 75% of the agreed cost of reinstatement, whether the claim is made for partial replacement or total loss. For example, in the case of a house insured for €270,000, where the total reinstatement cost was €360,000, the insured party would receive only €270,000 to reinstate the house in the event of the total loss. In that situation the insured party would be obliged to provide the balance of €90,000. Similarly, if there is a partial loss, which costs €60,000 to repair, the insured party would only receive €45,000 and would have to provide the balance of €15,000. This is something many homeowners may not be aware of.”

“It’s also important that homeowners reassess their cover to take account of any changes such as home office extensions or garden offices. These have become increasingly popular with more people now working from home, but they need to be included in the house insurance.”

A House Rebuilding Calculator and the 2022 Guide to House Rebuilding Costs is available free of charge at www.scsi.ie/consumer/build/house-rebuild-calculator/

Differences between Mica Report and Home Rebuild Guide

The SCSI said it was very important, especially for people in the North-West whose homes have been affected by Mica, that the differences between the SCSI’s Report on Construction Costs for the Defective Concrete Block Grant Scheme, which was published last February, and the current Home Rebuild Guide were fully understood.

As outlined in the terms of reference the DCB report provided average construction costs on a per square metre basis covering eight different house types, including estate type houses and one-off rural homes in the North-West.

The terms of reference of that report – which were agreed with the Department of Housing – set out clearly that the cost calculations for that scheme were to be based on building regulations and standards which were in place prior to 2007.

The main reasons the rebuild costs reported in the DCB are lower than the latest Home Rebuild Guide are;

  • The lower insulation, mechanical and electrical specifications which applied pre-2007
  • The exclusion of the cost of replacing foundations from the DCB scheme
  • Significant construction cost inflation in the 7-month period since the DCB report was drafted (the report was drafted prior to the Ukraine war)
  • Local construction cost inflation due to an increase in people purchasing and renovating properties in the North-West region due to an increase in WFH

Ends.

For further information

Contact Kieran Garry

GPR Communications

087-2368366

kierangarry@gprcomms.com

Note to Editor

This survey was conducted in August and the figures reported are based over a 17-month period since the previous report in April 2021.The costs included in this guide – which include VAT –  are a guideline to the MINIMUM value for which you should insure the structure of your house. Applying these rates to the area of your house will give you a good base, which you should add to in order to cover other costs not mentioned here such as kitchen fittings, special finishes boundary walls, outbuildings etc

It is sometimes thought that the market value of the house, in other words the price achieved when the property is sold on the open market, is the value for which the property should be insured. This is, however, irrelevant as the market value of a property generally has little relationship to the reinstatement value. The costs in this guide are intended to cover typical, speculatively built estate type houses in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford, Limerick, the North-West and the North-East which were built since the 1960s. This is intended to be a guide for rebuilding costs for typical estate type houses. For different house types, homeowners are advised to contact a local Chartered Quantity Surveyor at www.scsi.ie

Figures 1& 2 Table versions:

SCSI Rebuild Guide Sept 2022 – Table of average rebuilding costs, per square metre for different house types in different regions

House Type No of bedrooms Typical size per sq/m Dublin Cork Galway Waterford Limerick North West North East
Terraced Town House 2 78 €2,806 €2,384 €2,371 €2,348 €2,335 €2,130 €2,338
Terraced Town House 3 98 €2,676 €2,226 €2,260 €2,236 €2,260 €2,012 €2,222
Semi Detached 3 98 €2,735 €2,337 €2,306 €2,298 €2,270 €2,055 €2,285
Semi Detached 4 115 €2,591 €2,221 €2,193 €2,178 €2,174 €1,969 €2,182
Detached 4 119 €2,842 €2,435 €2,393 €2,398 €2,367 €2,152 €2,392
Detached Bungalow 4 137 €2,445 €2,193 €2,187 €2,066 €2,087 €1,926 €2,082

Rebuild costs of a 3-bed semi 2022 /21 comparison guide

3 bed semi 98 sqm 2022 2021 2022 Total @98sqm 2021 total @98 sqm Difference
Dublin €2,735 2290 € 268,000  € 224,000  € 44,000
Cork €2,337 1841 € 229,000  € 180,000  € 49,000
Galway €2,306 1811 € 226,000  € 177,000  € 49,000
Waterford €2,298 1721 € 225,000  € 169,000  € 56,000
Limerick €2,270 1791 € 222,000  € 176,000  € 46,000
North west €2,055 1491 € 201,000  € 146,000  € 55,000
North east €2,285 1855 € 224,000  € 182,000  € 42,000

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