""I suppose it's if you have the belly for the job, essentially," Lally says. "Because it is nerve-wracking. You're taking a bit of a gamble. You don't really know what you're going to get yourself into until you start pulling the place apart. You need to have access to money. You'll need a contingency. You need to be able to cashflow the work while you have contractors working onsite.""
""Loads of people try it, and loads of people succeed at it, to be fair to them," Lally says. "And often, people who do it then move on, and they do another and then they do another. But I think a lot of those people will say there's been an awful lot of hard lessons first time around. And it's when they get to their second or third project, they kind of get into the flow, they know what to expect and, as a result, they'll find that project an awful lot easier.""
"Lally notes that even in such successful cases, outside professionals are commonly brought in for things like fitting windows and doors, structural and rewiring work, heating and plumbing, and so on. In terms of potential red flags and hidden costs, Lally urges people to be extra vigilant in checking for dry rot as its presence can be "deceptive". He also warns about subsidence, as it's "very difficult to rectify" structural movement when encountered."
Renovation demands personal resilience and readiness for uncertainty, including the willingness to pull a property apart and face unexpected problems. Adequate funds, contingency money, and the ability to cashflow work while contractors are onsite are essential. Work flexibility matters because frequent site visits and oversight are often required. DIY can succeed but commonly involves steep early lessons and repeated projects to build skill; many projects still need outside professionals for windows, structural work, rewiring, heating and plumbing. Careful inspection for dry rot and subsidence is critical because dry rot can be deceptive and subsidence is very difficult to rectify. Full-scale renovations can run into the hundreds of thousands of euros, so realistic budgeting and expectations are necessary.
Read at Irish Independent
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