Astrid Madsen is the editor of the SelfBuild magazine. Email astrid.madsen@selfbuildextendrenovate.co.uk
Construction activity slows due to inflation and interest rate hikes, analysts say. In this article we cover: A mix of high inflation and interest rate rises is ploughing through the UK house building industry like a “wrecking ball”, analysts from CIPS have said of the latest S&P Global/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). In other […] More
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
Jason Piper’s 3,800sqft modern new build family home was built with insulating concrete formwork (ICF) from foundations to roof. In this article we cover: What other building methods did you consider? We considered timber frame and traditional block cavity wall. Timber frame was more expensive but a key requirement was for the house to […] More
ROI Minister for Housing is due to update the National Planning Framework to take into account the new Census figures. In this article we cover: ROI Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said the government is reviewing the National Planning Framework to assess how much residential land to zone across Ireland. “I believe that we need […] More
The Planning Bill is promising to make it clearer where you’ll be allowed to build, introduce more compulsory purchase orders, and restructure the appeals board, among other changes. In this article we cover changes to ROI planning legislation under the Planning Bill as published on the 26th January 2023: The Draft Planning and Development Bill […] More
New research shows 2022 was a bumper year for the rural homes market, recording the highest level of transactions for high end properties. In his article we cover: There was a boom in 2022 in the prime country homes market, according to a new report by Savills published in January 2023. Prime country homes are […] More
Building a one-off house on a greenfield site in the countryside remains the most cost effective way to build a house, says the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI). In this article we cover: Architects’ lobby group the RIAI believes one-off houses in the countryside to be the most cost effective to build, […] More
The NI Department of Infrastructure launched a new website to streamline the planning application process. In this article we cover: Online paperless submissions are now the norm in NI thanks to a new planning portal launched in December. You can log on to submit and review planning applications online, report breaches of planning control and […] More
Material prices are putting pressure on insurance costs while estimates show self-builds can still cost £150k in NI. In this article we cover: Rebuild costs increased by 21 per cent over the past year, says the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), which revised its rebuild cost calculator for house insurance purposes in September. The […] More
Large energy efficient homes consume less per sqm but their overall energy use is higher than smaller, older and less energy efficient homes. In this article we cover: Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that, of the detached houses in ROI that got their Building Energy Rating (BER) done in 2021, the mean A […] More
How Ronan and Laura Campbell built their house in Ronan’s parents’ laneway in Dublin. In this article we cover: Overview House size: 147sqm Plot size: 281sqm Bedrooms: 3Site cost: €100kBuild cost: €305kHouse value: €650kBER: A ratedHeating and hot water system: air to water heat pump Ventilation: centralised mechanical with heat recoveryBuild method: steel frame When we lived in […] More
With all of the uncertainty around costs, should you build now or wait? Here’s what to consider. In this article we cover: Most large building manufacturers are members of the trade association I work for, Hardware Association Ireland. They tell me they believe that since the start of this year, building material prices have increased […] More