British homes are third of price

THE cost of building a new home is three times cheaper in Britain than in Ireland, a conference was told yesterday.

Gerry McCaughey, chief executive of timber frame manufacturers Century Homes, said a detached 800 sq ft three-bed family home can be built for €90,000 (stg£60,000).

However, he told a conference at Britain’s Offsite 2005 show, that land values in Ireland for private housing see builders pay from €50,000 to €150,000 for individual plots. He said VAT and local authority levies are among other costs, while builders’ real profit margins are not revealed.