
Kieran McCarthy: Is a dormer bungalow much more expensive than a bungalow?
Is a dormer bungalow much more expensive than a bungalow (of comparable floor area) to build?
Colin, Westmeath
Hi Colin
Thank you for this excellent question. As I have said before, the cheapest house to build is a two-storey rectangle with flat ceilings on the first floor and a pitched roof.
When you deviate from this shape, you are adding cost, albeit you are likely adding value in terms of design too. In your case, you are comparing a dormer bungalow (which has an efficient footprint but an expensive and complex first floor and roof arrangement vs a bungalow (which has an expensive (single-storey) floor plan compared to a standard two-storey house.
So, which costs more?
Let's look at the bungalow first, as it was the first kid on the block.
The advent of the bungalow began primarily in the 1950s in Ireland. There were some iterations before this, but as the designs began to develop and gain acceptance and as the market demanded more housing, particularly in rural and suburban areas, the catalogue-designed bungalow took off.
I guess the bungalow was relatively simple to build, as it didn't require a significant amount of scaffolding, so it didn't always require a very experienced main contractor to build it.
In theory, it was ideal for a direct labour build. You needed a groundsworker, blocklayers and a roofer. After that, it was fit-out and finishing tradespeople. It was an easy sell. It also worked well in the countryside as the single-storey aspect meant it didn't create too much visual impact on the rural landscape because of its lowered height, even though this wasn't a major issue at the time in any event.
The downside of bungalows is that they are what the French call 'les Faux Amis'.
They look very cost-effective because of their apparent simplicity, but where they fall down from a cost point of view is their elongated footprint and the fact that, due to their single-storey structure, there is twice the amount of foundations and roof in comparison with a standard two-storey house.
In fact, most engineers will design the same foundations for a bungalow as for a two-storey house, even though there is clearly less weight per metre of foundation.
Kieran McCarthy: 'The roof gets complex when you opt for dormer windows instead of rooflights.'
Then came the dormer bungalow. This arrived in the 1970s by en large. They are essentially a two-storey house where the height of the outer walls on the first floor is reduced so that the roof carries down further to meet the lowered masonry. This means that there is less blockwork for sure, but you can have a much more complex roof and inferior first-floor habitable space. Let's look at these aspects a little closer.
The roof gets complex when you opt for dormer windows instead of rooflights.
Each dormer has to have timber frame walls and a pitched roof all of its own, and the cladding of these dormers likely involves battens, cement board, and render, while the roofs often have reduced-sized tiles for aesthetic reasons and ease of fitting. Nowadays, these dormer roofs have the added complexity of requiring an elaborate airtightness, rigid insulation and ventilation regime internally, which certainly adds to their cost.
Ceiling height
When it comes to the resulting usable habitable space created upstairs in a dormer bungalow, the first issue to be negotiated is the ceiling height.
Yes, these houses have their charm initially with the sloped ceiling, but it does detract from the quality and practicality of the space available. The cheapest option is to fit roof lights instead of dormers, but this further impacts on the space. The dormer windows do offer much better headroom local to windows but at a considerable cost due to the slow and complex work involved in their construction.
In my view, dormer bungalows are cheaper per square foot but inferior in terms of the quality of upstairs space.
If you would prefer a two-storey house and want to save on cost (who doesn't!) then one type of design I have seen works well and is generally well received by planners, particularly in a rural setting is a low-level two-storey roof section.
Here the wall plate is lower so you have slightly chamfered corners at the internal corners of your wall ceiling junction but it is marginal and has no material effect on the quality of the space upstairs. It is an optimal design solution and saves on cost. Give it a try!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Behind the Story: 'Level of suffering unbelievable' amid starvation in Gaza
The deteriorating situation in Gaza has taken centre stage this week amid continued warnings of starvation in the Palestinian enclave. Irish Times International Correspondent Sally Hayden has spent the last three weeks in the West Bank and travelled close to the border with Gaza. "The devastation was so evident - destroyed buildings, there was smoke rising I think from four or five places, multiple explosions happened when I was there - and it was only a few minutes." She told Behind the Story she was shocked by what she witnessed and surprised to also see tour groups coming to see what was happening. "They were just going to have a look at what was going on. "It was very surreal because you can have these declarations of famine or starvation, but a kilometre away people have food. "At this viewing point there was a vending machine with people getting fizzy drinks and afterwards I drive by cafés and restaurants. "It's so close - you can see this devastation with your eyes from Israel". 'Starvation is unbelievable' Ms Hayden also detailed the widespread misery being experienced by people in the West Bank. "I met a lot of Palestinians [who] are not eating anymore themselves, even though they're in the West Bank and there's food there, because they can't bear that there are people who are so close who are just going without anything". She also met families who have been separated from their families in Gaza since 7 October. They were forced to go to the West Bank and now there's no way for them to get into Gaza. "They've spent almost two years separated from their families, watching their families go through this. "Two of them men were married, they have a wife and children in Gaza who call them every day. "They were saying [that] the starvation is unbelievable." For more than 21 months, Israeli bombardment and a lack of food have pushed nearly two million people of Gaza to the brink. The health ministry there has said more than 100 people have died from starvation since Israel cut off supplies to the territory in March. Over 100 aid and human rights groups warned this week that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza. It comes as France says it will recognise a Palestinian state in September - becoming the first G7 country to do so. It is also the only European Union member which sits on the influential United Nations Security Council. French President Emmanuel Macron said he believes "peace is possible" while also calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.


RTÉ News
4 days ago
- RTÉ News
'Pride of place': GAA clubs and the community around them
Opinion: the identity, traditions and heritage around GAA clubs often allows the local community feel a true sense of belonging The French word terroir regularly crops up in the world of food studies. Originally a wine term, it usually refers to the complex interplay between the natural elements of soil, aspect and climate that influence any viticultural site. According to many foodies, this is what gives a food or drink its sense of place. But the word can evoke something much more fundamental. Amy Trubek, author of The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir, insists that culture, in the form of a group's identity, traditions and heritage in relation to place, must also be part of any consideration of terroir. The impact of the recent pandemic has shown us that the concept can also apply outside the food world and that institutions like the GAA regularly demonstrate their sense of terroir. This has been especially noticeable recently. Because of Covid, many children and adults have had the experience of staring at pristine pitches behind locked gates festooned with yellow and black covid warning signs. From RTÉ Radio 1's Countrywide, report on how GAA clubs in Finland, Oman and Australia are getting back to business after the pandemic Thankfully, we have moved beyond these difficulties (for now). Many of our GAA club strongholds owe their recovery and success to the hard work of a small cohort of dedicated men and women. Terroir people might be an apt moniker for such a group. I know some of these terroir people because my own upbringing in Co Dublin exposed me to their positive influence. Situated on the very outskirts of the county just off the busy M7, Newcastle is very different now from the small village I grew up in. With its picture-postcard thatched pub, church and old village school, this was a place steeped in the GAA. I spent many happy years wearing the St Finians' club jersey before leaving for London in my early twenties. When I started in the 1970s, there was no clubhouse to speak of and players would change in a dilapidated wooden shed in the darkest corner of the field. There was always a pungent smell of wintergreen in the air, an elixir used to keep bare legs warm in cold weather. From RTÉ News, a new GAA club debuts in east Belfast in 2020 The field was exactly that, a single field, located behind the now closed Gondola pub on Newcastle's Main Street. It was on loan from a benevolent local and cattle were sometimes allowed to graze there. Frequently, players were forced to weave between manure as well as opposition during games. Later, the club moved to much better surroundings on Aylmer Road, but it is the old field that bears the strongest memories of those early years. Match days were a village affair and support came from near and far. The opposition were sometimes better prepared and, in truth, often had better players, but we were proud to play for St Finians. That sense of team pride stemmed from our relationship with our club, and it was the people from that club that made us strong. They were special people who gave the club its identity, its sense of terroir, by giving of their time and dedication. Names like Harney, Dunbar and Fitzgibbon, ring loud in collective memories as local GAA pillars who underpinned the very existence of that club. They ran teams, organised the club, chaired meetings and fundraised. Above all, they encouraged players to be proud of the club, the village and their place. From RTÉ 2fm's Game On, Roscommon Padraig Pearses footballer Niall Daly and Tipperary Borris-Ileigh hurler Brendan Maher on role GAA clubs play in communities As with many smaller Dublin clubs back then, a shortage of players sometimes led to younger club members being drafted into battle as part of more senior teams. To less experienced eyes, these senior players were giants of the club, men who played with fearsome aggression. The younger conscripts were energetic and nimble, but they were also nervous. GAA football in 1980s' Dublin was no place for reticence and was frequently peopled by players who felt their advantage lay more with their fists than their feet. Referees were more lenient back then and there seemed to be less rules. But the younger cohorts were protected. If things got rough, and they sometimes did, these guardians, these terroir people, would step forward and form tree-like cordons around any threatened younger player. It was made clear to potential aggressors that this was a club, a single entity, that always stuck together. Newcastle village changed dramatically during the Celtic Tiger years. Some say that dramatic growth weakened its sense of place and it has been assimilated into a bigger, more industrial Dublin collective. There may be some truth in that and it now takes a real local to recognise the old village outline among the surrounding Celtic Tiger developments. From RTÉ's GAA podcast, former Tyrone All-Star Midfielder Sean Cavanagh on how All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship winners Moy can be a model for inspiration for Northern Ireland politicians Thankfully, though, the community remains as strong as ever. St Finian's GAA club is thriving, with an expanded range of women's, men's and juvenile teams. Nowadays, most GAA clubs have a multitude of dedicated mothers and fathers, who give of their time freely every week to help out in the interests of their local community. These volunteers are crucial to every GAA club's survival. But sometimes if you look closely enough, some very lucky clubs also have a small cohort of terroir people who are the incarnation of the spirit of the place. Long after their own children have grown up and others, like me, have moved far away, these special men and women continue to maintain the beating heart of their local GAA club. Like the turf beneath their feet, they remain a club constant. They quietly go about their work - running teams, organising, chairing and fundraising. Most importantly, they nurture a club tradition rooted in a pride of place that allows players, supporters and even those of us who have long since departed to still feel a true sense of belonging, a true sense of terroir.


Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford primary school pupils travel to France as efforts continue to protect the environment
The rural school has been recognised for promoting environmental awareness and action. Students took on a number of eco-friendly initiatives over the past school year, including organising beach clean – ups at Ballyhealy Beach and hosting workshops on pollution and coastal erosion, demonstrating a commitment to the local environment. 'We want to make a difference,' said sixth-class student Lily Murphy. 'The beach is a big part of our community, and we're proud to help keep it clean for wildlife and future generations.' And the effort didn't end there. Recently, a group of 22 students and five teachers travelled to France as part of an Erasmus+ programme funded by Leargas. The visit allowed students to share their experiences and exchange ideas with their French peers, who are tackling similar issues. 'This was an incredible opportunity for our students to see that environmental problems are global and that solutions come from teamwork and shared learning,' said Claire Casey, who helped lead the project. In addition to becoming a European Blue School, only the fourth school on the island of Ireland to achieve this prestigious status the school was previously recognised as Wexford's cleanest school by Wexford County Council and has received it's eight Green Flag with marine biodiversity being this year's theme. Principal Micheál Martin said: 'Becoming a Blue School places Kilmore National on the European stage. It's a testament to our students' hard work and their passion for protecting our coasts.' Back at home, the school's Green Schools Committee continues to work with parents, local environmental groups, and Wexford County Council to raise awareness about marine litter and biodiversity.