Jonny Orr of Daniel George Kitchens and Caroline O'Neill of Digg Mama chat about Caroline’s kitchen design journey including how she went about it and what steps she would recommend self-builders taking. The chat also focused on: · Main things to consider when designing a kitchen; common mistakes to avoid. · Best time to involve kitchen designers a…

Matt Kinloch of SONAS Bathrooms and Darrel McCauley of Spectrum Bathrooms joined us at Selfbuild Live Belfast to talk about what’s trending in bathroom designs and how to get the style on a budget, including Colours and style in general: what’s on trend, e.g. is barbiecore a thing in bathrooms? What are the classics? General budget saving advice: c…

Pete Cole of Pete Cole Consulting shares the most common issues he comes across self-build sites, including: How to work to a budget - where to spend your money Evaluating site conditions, from utilities running through the site to contamination Task approval in NI, developer enquiries Variations to designs and importance of site meetings How to ch…

DJ Ramsdale of DJ Build Estimations updates us on builds costs in Ireland at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Limerick in January 2024. He covers: How are projects costed for maximum accuracy? How much is an average self-build costing nowadays, per sqm? For what type of house? What is the most cost effective type of house to build? Size, shape, cho…

Architect Mark Stephens, who is based in Co Mayo, chats about how to get planning permission in ROI including: - What is planning permission - Who needs planning permission and under what circumstances - The application process - How to improve your chances of getting permission - Main reasons for getting turned down - Local needs provisions - Requ…

Francis Rilley of Unilin Insulation and Andrew Rennie of Energy Store chat about insulating your home in Ireland today. We caught up with them at Selfbuild Live Belfast 2023 to chat about: The different types of insulation with pros and cons for each including cost, thermal efficiency, fire resistance Recipe for an energy efficient building fabric:…

Where are build costs heading? We look at the situation in Ireland today, in 2023 with DJ Ramsdale of DJ Build Estimations who tunes in to answer your questions about how much it costs to build in Ireland in 2023, from what method is cheapest to what to expect to pay overall. He covers: What’s the most cost effective construction method? Is a dorme…

Kieran Dwyer of insurance broker SelfBuild Protect chats about: What self-build insurance is and why you need it Is self-build insurance mandatory like car insurance? What do mortgage providers look for What makes it difficult to insure a new build project When do insurance companies insure non-standard builds? How much does insurance cost today Re…

Barry McCarron, Chairman of the Passive House Association of Ireland, chats about doing up his family to make it energy efficient, including: Going from a bungalow to an A rated home Cost details and how it compared to building new What is the fabric first approach What are the main types of insulation? Where are each best used? How much insulation…

Paul Lawford explains how he built his tiny home on wheels from scratch, including: What is a tiny house Why he decided to build a tiny house to live in How he built it from start to finish, DIY with no previous experience Where he sourced materials How much it cost The case for tiny house living Tips and advice to others thinking of a building the…

Rodger O'Connor of ROC Energy explains when it makes sense to apply for an energy grant from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, including: What grants are available and which ones suit which budgets How much it costs to carry out a One Stop Shop upgrade How to apply for the grants: dos and don'ts Pros and cons of going for a One Stop Shop…

Dr Ciara Ahern chats about what energy upgrades and if they're worth doing, issues people are having with heat pumps and heating systems and what can be done about it, plus what changes we can expect coming from Europe in relation to energy and the building regulations. More specifically, she covers: What is the difference between a shallow and a d…

In this episode, David Magnier chats about his self-build in Co Wicklow: Design process Securing planning permission Choice of building method: pros and cons How day to day went on site Working through Covid Switching from main contractor to direct labour Keeping on top of the budget Keeping on top of quality Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy …

Gavin Millar of BPC Ventilation chats through the benefits of heat pumps and MVHR, including: - What is mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) and is it worth the money? What are the benefits? - What are heat pumps and are they worth it? What's the payback? - Why are heat pumps and MVHR more efficient than traditional systems? How much mo…

Jonny Orr of Daniel George Kitchens chats about how to design your new kitchen in Ireland today: - Optimal kitchen size - Current trends, including colours and handles, and must haves - Where the most savings can be made in a kitchen, including countertop materials - Common mistakes people make and what to think about when planning your kitchen - T…

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: · How the building control system works in ROI and why it’s broken · Opting in or out of appointing an assigned certifier · How we got to this point · Prospects of changes to the system · Where to next Hos…

Laura and Ronan Campbell built themselves a house on Ronan’s parents’ laneway. Here they chat about: Difficulties with planning permission and why they had to leave a deposit with the local authority for three years. How they made a narrow site work with their design vision. Choice of steel frame construction and challenges building the house. Dela…

Kieran McCarthy of KMC Homes talks about: The new concrete levy due to come into force September 2023 in Ireland How to reduce the amount of concrete you use on your build How to save on your build costs What's the most cost effective build route nowadays? Where are build costs heading? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Susan Andrews of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland chats about how to get a grant for your home energy upgrade, including:- The three types of grants available in ROI and how each of them work- One Stop Shop (OSS) vs individual grants: the extras you get with OSS- Cost of home energy upgrades for detached houses in Ireland- How you can ge…

Tony Dunne, Managing Director at MBC Project, chats about the ins and outs of buying windows in Ireland today, including:- Main types of windows available in Ireland: timber, uPVC, aluminium, alu-clad- Average cost of windows on a self-build today- Double vs triple glazed, options for quadruple glazing- What specifications to look out for when choo…

Connecting your sewage to the mains is not always an option when you're building in the countryside. You might need to install an onsite wastewater treatment system instead, which is a mini sewage treatment plant. In ROI, if an onsite system is not feasible you will more than likely be denied planning permission. Cathal Keane of Graf Environmental …

Resident construction expert John Corless chats about flash points to consider when building your home, including:•Managing heat loss, U-values and airtightness•Ventilation•Insulation•Space and water heating including thoughts on PV•Intermediate floors•Roofs •Contracts•List of other considerations: security, waste, health and safety, equipment hire…

Brian Corry of Selfbuild+ introduces self-builders to modern ways of building in Ireland today. In Part 2 he chats about:- Insulating Concrete Formwork (ICF) with Ballantine Building Solutions - Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) with FutureTek - Hemp block construction with Hempbuild Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Brian Corry of Selfbuild+ introduces self-builders to modern ways of building. In Part 1 he chats about:- Timber frame construction with Redwood Timber Frame in Dungannon- Structural polystyrene construction known as M3 with Passive Housing in Kildare- Steel frame and precast concrete with Future Cast in LeitrimFor more about the building methods a…

This podcast is the first in a series of talks for mica affected homeowners. Mica is a naturally occurring material that has been the cause of thousands of homes crumbling; a redress scheme is being devised through the ROI government to rebuild affected homes. The topic for this first instalment is what to expect from the process of building your h…

David McHugh of ProAir chats through your ventilation options and answers commonly asked questions about mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, including:- Why you need ventilation- What are the requirements- Why you need to sort out which ventilation system you choose early on in the building/renovating process- What are the different types of…

Zeno Winkens of Winkens Architecture chats through spatial design, including:- How to choose the right location for your house- Designing your home from the inside out/outside in- Window and door locations- Budget friendly designs- Difference between an A1, A2 and A3 building energy rated house- Working with a builder and what to watch out for on s…

Niamh O'Donovan of Instagram account @passive_build shares her experiencing building her home in Co Waterford, including:- Direct labour tasks from start to finish- Passive house design without central heating- Development fees and planning issues- Budgeting tips and advice Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Mark McCall, of Instagram account @automatedhome, runs through his Co Down home building project including:- the design and build process- issues with foundations- stages of the build from first, second to third fix- design and budgeting tipsThe full story available here: https://selfbuild.ie/project/the-automated-home/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.c…

Episode 44 – Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher discusses the recent material price increase and what it means for self-builders. He covers:– Which materials have been hardest hit– Reasons behind material price inflation– Where to next for material price increases– How to budget for your project– Whether to wait or start building now– Budgeting tips …

Energy consultant Patrick Waterfield shares his tips and insights into building an eco house without breaking the bank. He covers:- The tricks to building an eco house and how he tackled his own new build project- How to build a house to make it cheap to run- How a humble stove can heat your entire house- How to avoid greenwashing - How to tackle e…

Miyuki Katsu Maloney, of Instagram account @our.japandi.selfbuild , walks us through her self-build project, including:- Japandi design features including the no-shoe zone entrance- How the Japandi interiors had to be adapted to Irish building regulations- Choice of windows- Choice of finishes including a microcement bathroom - Top tips and advice …

Rodger O'Connor explains how he designed his home to be super energy efficient, including his insulation and airtightness strategy, choice of heating systems, photovoltaic panels and how he managed the build. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.על ידי Selfbuild Ireland

Seasoned self-builders Paul and Anne Dyer share how they managed to get planning permission in an area with a presumption against development (hint: it took a while), and how they hand built their underground house, leaving only specialist work such as tanking the roof and walls, to specialist trades. They discuss: - Wildflower roof design and inst…

Self-builder David Dobbs shares his experience getting planning permission from Wicklow County Council and running into some trouble with his main contractor. He talks about:- How the existing cottage on the site helped secure planning permission- Bungalow design tips- Experience with architect and quantity surveyor- Opting out of appointing an ass…

The type of roof covering you choose for your house will have a huge impact on the final appearance of the house. Lagan chats through your options, from lower end to high end finishes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.על ידי Selfbuild Ireland

Richard Sloan of Sonas Bathrooms and Gwen Kenny of Divine Design explain how to tackle bathroom design in a new build, what the process is and how to approach a renovation project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.על ידי Selfbuild Ireland

The kitchen requires a lot of advance planning, and a good budget, which is why many self-buidlers turn to kitchen companies to help them with design and installation. Here Neptune advises on how to go about it and whether an island is right for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Carpets add a feel of luxury to any bedroom; here Mark McCallister Carpets explains the different types and how they are installed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.על ידי Selfbuild Ireland

There are many choices of floor coverings out there, with laminate and LVT two popular low maintenance options. We find out more about what they are and how they are installed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.על ידי Selfbuild Ireland

Interior design is essential to get right at the design stage of your build; here Hamilton Interiors shares top tips and advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.על ידי Selfbuild Ireland

Building your home with stone usually means building a cavity wall with the external leaf solid stone. This method tends to have costly knock on effects on the foundations, window detailing and structural supports such as lintels. An alternative is to use stone cladding, or slices of stone stuck to blockwork with an adhesive, as explained here by F…

Building with solid oak is a skill that takes years to master; Grace Design walks us through how to use oak in your self-build project and what to look out for at the design and construction stages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.על ידי Selfbuild Ireland

Cross Laminated Timber construction is a new and exciting method of building, now often used on commercial building and some notable examples of self-builds. But there is a lower cost and lighter weight version known as HBE, iDomus Construction explains the ins and outs of both systems. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

We chat with Stephen Blakely about the role of an interior designer, from working with the architect at the design stage to furniture choice and window treatment. Interior designers charge by the job, e.g. by the square foot as Stephen does to take account of the size of the house, but others may charge by the hour. Costs tend to range from £1/€1 t…

Padraic Rogers of mybuildingsupplies.ie talks through how material prices increases are affecting self-builders:- Causes for price increases- What materials are hit the hardest and by how much- Shipping costs- What self-builders can do to reduce the impact of cost increases Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Tobermore's Tarlach Quinn runs through concrete paving options for your garden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.על ידי Selfbuild Ireland

Solar panels come in many forms: those that generate hot water, electricity or both. The way energy is collected from daylight, through collectors in the panel, will depend on the type of system you have. Here Richard White of LVP Renewables chats through how thermodynamic panels work, along with how they are installed and maintained. ** This recor…

Mark Coleman explains how he renovated a tired old bungalow into a stylish family home. His choices were guided by the budget and achieving an affordable home to heat. He chats about:-Wall and roof insulation, and why he didn't need external wall insulation.-Why he chose an LPG boiler based on payback times.-Turning the garage into usable space in …

Expanded PolyStyrene (EPS) is a cost effective insulation product that usually comes in board or bead form. Steven Magee of KORE Insulation Solutions, a leading EPS supplier, explains where and how to use it on a self-build or renovation project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…