Heather is a freelance writer based near Kilkenny city. She has over 20 years’ experience writing for various newspapers and magazines such as the Belfast Telegraph. Living and working abroad for a number of years, she loves exploring new cultures and experiencing different ways of life, which often serve as inspiration for her writing, email hacampbell0@gmail.com
Matthew and Hannah Sterrett share what they learned from building their budget-friendly family home in Co Tyrone. In this article we cover: Matthew and Hannah describe the process of project managing their self-build home built on Hannah’s family farm as being “a collective effort”. “At first, we were handling the initial, planning stages from our […] More
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
Eco-builder Harrison Gardner opens his doors to chat about his home renovation project in Co Clare. In this article we cover: Embarking on a 10 year journey across the globe, Australian eco-builder and host of RTÉ’s Build Your Own series, Harrison Gardner sought to master a diverse array of alternative build techniques. It was in […] More
How a retired couple in Dublin downsized in their own garden by creating an infill house. In this article we cover: “Living and raising our family in our semi-detached house in Rathfarnham, with its beautiful garden, was wonderful for over 30 years,” says Linde. “We loved tending to the vegetables and enjoying the privacy and […] More
The roll out of the ROI government’s grants has been off to a slow start with only 21 drawdowns for the vacant properties grant in 18 months, and just 8 serviced sites made available under the Ready to Build scheme within a year. The Ready to Build scheme has only offered eight sites to self-builders […] More
After a fruitless search to buy a house, Brian and Karen Corry decided to build themselves their dream low energy home on a budget in Co Down. In this article we cover: “Karen – my fiancée at the time – and I couldn’t find anything on the market that resonated with us,” says Brian. “The […] More
Local authorities in ROI are offering homeowners a historic home repairs grant of up to €15k for small scale restoration works on heritage dwellings. In this article we cover: In an effort to protect Ireland’s historical buildings, the ROI government is renewing its budget allocations for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS). The scheme provides […] More
Rebuild costs feel the squeeze in 2023 due to a rise in labour costs and material prices in both NI and ROI. In this article we cover: Rebuild costs in ROI have increased by an average of 12 per cent, says the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), which revised its rebuild cost calculator for […] More
How quantity surveyor James Corrigan built his Co Laois home on a budget. In this article we cover: Overview House size: 295sqmBedrooms: 4Plot size: 1.3 acresSite cost: €35,000Build cost: Approx. €850/sqm or €250,000 total (not finished)House value: €495,000BER: A2 Heating system: air to water heat pump and wood burning stoveVentilation: demand controlled, not centralisedBuild method: […] More
How Catherine and Michael Southall changed the layout of their Co Down home to turn it into a bright open plan living space. In this article we cover: Overview Bedrooms: 4Renovation cost: £65kHeating system: gas boilerVentilation: natural The story starts with Catherine, who was pregnant at the time, Michael and their one-year-old son moving in […] More
Having lived in Australia, single level, open plan living was what Anne and Niall Jordan wanted from their Kilkenny renovation and extension project. In this article we cover: Anne and Niall had a clear idea of what they wanted for their first family home. Six years of apartment living in Australia had instilled a huge […] More
For Elaine and David Douglas, building this Co Down modern new build was a way to strike a healthy work life balance. In this article we cover: We were very happy living in our previous home on a housing development,” says Elaine. “We ran a successful business, had great neighbours, great friends and our two […] More
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