The ROI Department of Housing’s plan to publish a draft revision to the 2005 Rural Housing Planning Guidelines in June has been postponed, and is now slated for “later in 2021”, Selfbuild has learned. “Updated Rural Housing Planning Guidelines are currently being prepared that will continue to allow for the development of homes in rural […] More
Episode 39 – 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 […] More
Few people get to wave at the fishermen passing by when they’re out in their garden, but Saoirse Fitzgerald does from her Co Cork home – the dwelling the lighthouse keeper used to live in. In this article, Saoirse talks about: What state was the lighthouse keeper’s dwelling in, and how did you approach the […] More
The challenge for architects is to get the houses they design in the countryside to blend into the landscape. When it came to his own home, Andrew O’Brien came up with an ingenious solution by incorporating concrete interiors. In this article we cover: How did the project come about? The process was the same as […] More
Episode 26: First time self-builder David Dobbs, who happens to be an estate agent, 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– His bungalow design tips to add light and […] More
Planning and other statutory approvals – Self-build advisor John Corless explains what authorisations from the authorities you need to have in place before you start to build. Favourite More
A couple in Co Meath have agreed to vacate their home of 14 years to make way for bulldozers. Following a lengthy legal battle with Meath County Council, they have agreed to leave the house in two years’ time so the authorities can demolish it. The 588sqm house was self-built after the couple failed to […] More
Episode 20: 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 […] More
Episode 11: John Corless is Ireland’s leading independent self-build advisor and the host of the Selfbuild Live Bootcamp. We caught up with him at Selfbuild Live Belfast to give us a bird’s eye view of the self-build process. Topics covered: Favourite More
Episode 8: Planning permission is the first stumbling block to building or extending your home. This episode Patrick O’Reilly, Managing Director of niplanningpermission.co.uk and irelandplanning.ie, gives us the low down on how the planning process works in NI and ROI and how to increase your chances with your local authority. We also discuss which projects […] More
The site Keith and Romina McGreal chose to build their bungalow on in Co Mayo required an Environmental Impact Statement to secure planning permission. In this article we cover: “When we decided to build we were living in a three bed semi detached house; with two children space was getting tight,” says Keith. “We also […] More
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