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in Advice, Certificate of compliance, Energy Efficiency, Airtightness & The Environment, Quality control inspections
Eco-build checklists
How do you know if you’re truly building an eco-house? There are the checklists to help you get there. In this article we cover: How can you prove you’ve built an eco home? Through environmental certification. For construction projects, certification tends to take into account the design and construction stages but occupancy can be evaluated […] More
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Vacant property grants ‘false hope’, says SCSI report
The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) Annual Residential Market Monitor suggests that residential property prices are expected to stay steady for a while, adding that conveyancing is becoming a concern as are ‘false hope’ vacant property grants. In this article, we cover: Estate agents in the survey predict a small 1 per cent increase […] More
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Eco-friendly rural homes most popular buys
As the supply of homes for sale in ROI halved in 2023 as compared to the pre-Covid average, reports show eco-friendly rural homes are the most popular buys. In this article we cover: ‘Lifestyle’ choices are driving the price of rural homes up in ROI, according to a property market analyst Geowox, while daft.ie’s 2023 […] More
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in Advice, Certificate of compliance, Construction overview, Direct labour tasks, Direct labour vs main contractor, Snag lists and retention if main contractor
How to create a build schedule
You guide to creating a build schedule, what information it should contain and when to change it. In this article we cover: The first articles in this series led up to this point of actually producing the programme. Here are the elements included in a construction programme or build schedule. Gantt Chart Unless you actually […] More
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in Building control: completion certificate (NI only), Building control: Register your project, News
NI energy regs to change in 2024
The NI energy regs will change in 2024 for insulation, airtightness, heating, ventilation, overheating, and maybe even house size. In this article we cover: Changes to insulation, airtightness, overheating, heating systems and ventilation are all on the cards for new builds in NI, as the Department of Finance publishes a public consultation to change the […] More
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Three in four rural mortgages are for self-builds
A new report shows rural regions rely on self-builds for new housing stock. In this article we cover: Completions and commencements are at record levels in ROI, and self-builds are propping up the mortgage market in rural regions, according to a new report. The Banking & Payments Federation Ireland‘s Housing Market Monitor for the first […] More
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in Appointing a main contractor, Budget & Financing, Construction overview, Design, Direct labour vs main contractor, Getting started on site, On site, Podcast, Pre design, SB+ Podcasts, Securing planning permission, Signing off
Ep61 – Steel frame self-build in Co Wicklow
In this episode, David Magnier chats about his self-build in Co Wicklow: Favourite More
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Delays to VAT refunds in NI
Self-builders who’ve built a new home have been waiting nearly a year to get their VAT refund on their new build projects in NI, even though applications are meant to be processed within six weeks. In this article we cover: One self-builder in NI, who appointed a contractor for his new build project, submitted his […] More
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in Building control: completion certificate (NI only), Building control: Register your project, Certificate of compliance, News, Signing off
Book Review: Defects
Self-builders in ROI are losing out from a lack of building control officers in local authorities; TD Eoin Ó Broin’s latest book spells out how we got to this point. This book review of Eoin Ó Broin’s Defects: Living with the Legacy of the Celtic Tiger covers: Poor building practices and defects tend to be […] More
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in Building control: Register your project, Certificate of compliance, Podcast, Quality control inspections, SB+ Podcasts
Ep58 – Building homes free of defects
Eoin Ó Broin, a TD who’s written a book called Defects, chats through the issue of quality control when building a house in ROI. He talks about: Eoin was also rapporteur for the Oireachtais Joint Committee on Housing, Planning & Local Government’s report published in December 2017, entitled “Safe as Houses? A Report on Building Standards, […] More
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Central banks relax mortgage rules
It’s now easier to get a mortgage in Ireland as new central bank rules allow more people to borrow to buy or build their home. We cover: Changes to mortgage rules in NI Changes to mortgage rules in ROI What it means for self-builders in Ireland today Central banks regulate the financial markets; in both […] More
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in Appointing a main contractor, Basic site checklist, Before you start to dig, Collating your ideas, Construction overview, Direct labour tasks, Direct labour vs main contractor, First fix: Watchpoints, Foundations, subfloors and screeds: Watchpoints, Insulation and airtightness: Watchpoints, Joinery: Watchpoints, Landscaping: Watchpoints, News, Quality control inspections, Roofing & External finishes: Watchpoints, Second fix: Watchpoints, Snag lists and retention if main contractor
New self-build guides
The Builder’s Companion is a two part guide to building your home, starting with the pre design stage all the way through snagging and completion certs. The author Philip Fitzpatrick is a serial self-builder, having built seven homes for his family over the years. He’s also a chartered surveyor and builder. This UK & Ireland […] More