Find out how Insulating Concrete Formwork (ICF) projects are costed and what foundations work with ICF, from raft to strip. The ICF walls can be taken directly off your traditional strip foundation, raft foundation, or best in class, off your insulated raft foundation. In this article we cover: Traditional strip foundations for ICF The one downside […] More
350 new lung cancer cases are linked to exposure to the radioactive gas in ROI each year, with Munster and Connaught the regions most affected. OI’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated its radon map, which shows 170,000 homes are now predicted to be at risk from radon (red being the most affected). That’s 36 […] More
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, etc. Michael Doherty of the Mica Action […] More
Learn what’s new with floor screeds, what are the most popular types of screed used in Ireland and how it works with under floor heating from Thomas Holden at Roadstone. Visit the Roadstone Supplier Hub here For more about the Roadstone Floor Screed products click here For further seminars from Roadstone please click here […] More
Watchpoints: Foundations, subfloors and screeds – Self-build advisor John Corless walks through what to expect from the first stages of building and what to look out for. Favourite More
The Builder’s Companion is a two part guide to building your home, starting with the pre design stage all the way through snagging and completion certs. The author Philip Fitzpatrick is a serial self-builder, having built seven homes for his family over the years. He’s also a chartered surveyor and builder. This UK & Ireland […] More
Even when carefully planned and managed, self-build projects tend to come under financial strain – not so much because of the builder but because of you, the client. There is no doubt that material costs, from steel to timber, have gone through the roof. And while this is a serious issue for anyone who wants […] More
Both NI and ROI have requirements in place to protect our environment, specifically water quality and human health. Cathal Keane of Graf outlines how to comply. How do I get a wastewater system installed in NI? To get an onsite wastewater treatment system installed in NI, the process is straightforward in that you just need […] More
The practice of site assessors recommending a specific make and model has to go, writes Pat Phelan of Biorock. In NI, specifying onsite wastewater treatment systems is in many ways much more effective than in ROI. Not only is there less paperwork, the process rightly focuses on the certified water quality you are getting at […] More
The EPA’s Code of Practice for Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (Population Equivalent ≤10) was published in May 2021, replacing the 2009 version. Here’s what you need to know. If you’re building in the countryside, chances are that you may not be able to connect to the local authority sewer system. This means you will […] More
This stunning 300sqm two-storey self-build project is located outside Ferns in County Wexford. Fast Floor Screed supplied the liquid floor screed. This video shows the installation of Fast Floor Screed’s CE certified Alpha Hemihydrate Floor Screed over underfloor heating, in a floating floor screed construction. Favourite More
It is the flat structural surface that goes on top of your foundations. This often includes hardcore (stone filling material), then blinding (sand or weak concrete to provide a level working surface), radon barrier with sumps (where sumps are necessary), and then a thick (often 100 to 150mm reinforced with steel mesh) concrete slab to […] More
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