Basics Archives - Page 3 of 3

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in Advice, Basics, Energy Efficiency, Airtightness & The Environment, Extension/Renovation Advice, Pre design

Your guide to home insulation

As with all building elements, you must satisfy the requirements in the Building Regulations which includes making sure the product is NSAI Agrément (ROI) or BBA/LABC certified (NI). Then specify as much as you can afford to get the best possible U-value, above and beyond the current statutory requirements. Consult Technical Guidance Documents Part L […] More

by Astrid Madsen November 30, 2017, 12:57 pm
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in Advice, Basics, Design, Securing planning permission

Selfbuild guide to planning permission

Securing planning permission can be an uphill battle, here’s how it’s done and some tips on working with the planners. In this article we cover: Who needs planning permission? Those building a new house need planning permission, and those extending or who are changing the use of their house (e.g. garage converted to workshop for […] More

by Brendan Buck October 17, 2017, 2:03 pm
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in Advice, Basics

10 Steps Before Self-building

At the very beginning of your self-build project, before you turn a sod, you will need to go through these ten steps. 1. DETERMINE THE BUDGET Consider if you have or can raise the funds to finance all of the following: Site investigation/survey including percolation – this is an upfront cost you will have to […] More

by Astrid Madsen October 17, 2017, 1:36 pm
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in Advice, Basics

Irish Building Regulations

All building work needs to follow the rules set out in the Building Regulations. To help builders comply with the Building Regulations, which are set out in law in both NI and ROI, relevant government departments have published technical booklets which provide guidance for the most common cases. Your specific building project may however require […] More

by Astrid Madsen July 27, 2017, 11:41 am
in Advice, Basics, Energy Efficiency, Airtightness & The Environment, Extension/Renovation Advice, Pre design

Your quick guide to energy Ratings

Energy ratings exist throughout Europe and consist of a certificate that gives your house a grade, on an A to G scale, much like your washing machine or fridge (A being the best). In ROI they’re called Building Energy Ratings (BER) and in NI, Energy Performance Certificates (EPC). The same methodology (in NI Standard Assessment […] More

by Astrid Madsen July 26, 2017, 11:16 am
in Advice, Basics, Design, Extension/Renovation Advice, Securing planning permission

Top 5 tips to secure planning permission

Top tips to secure planning permission whether you’re building new, extending or renovating in any of the 32 counties of Ireland. In this article we cover: 1. Read, consult and reference your local authority’s planning policy. In NI these are referred to as local development plans or area plans and in ROI county development plans […] More

by Astrid Madsen July 6, 2017, 11:10 am
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in Advice, Basics, Building methods, Extension/Renovation Advice, Pre design

Timber frame explained

An increasingly popular build route, timber frame is the method of choice for offsite construction and is often used as the structure upon which to layer other ecobuild materials such as straw bale, hempcrete (lime and hemp mix), and rammed earth. All images courtesy of tomraffield.com Most common are layering with boards, often OSB, and specifying […] More

by Astrid Madsen June 1, 2017, 3:04 pm
in Advice, Basics, Extension/Renovation Advice, Interior Advice

Wood finishes

Wood finishes include paint, varnish, oil and wax. Varnish coats the wood with a durable, hard finish while oil penetrates the wood. Wax is in many ways an in-between in that it both coats and penetrates but to a lesser extent than oil. Oil and wax are often used in combination. Paints come in a […] More

by Astrid Madsen June 1, 2017, 2:39 pm
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in Advice, Basics, Site assessment, Wastewater

Wastewater systems

You will need to do some digging, perhaps literally, to find out what the best wastewater option is for your site – even before you buy the land as you may encounter difficulties if you are unable to connect to the main sewer. In ROI where the planning process is integrated with waste management, you […] More

by Astrid Madsen May 21, 2014, 9:45 am