Keith Kelliher looks at whether or not now is a good time to break ground and what 2024 has in store for house building costs. In this article we cover: Q: What way are material and labour prices trending? Hoping to break ground in the next few weeks. Keith says: Stabilising but concrete levy 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
A government-backed low interest loan scheme is being rolled out for those undertaking energy upgrades in their home, announced the Department of Environment. In this article we cover: Homeowners who avail of Sustainable Energy Agency of Ireland (SEAI) grants will be able to borrow from €5,000 to €75,000 on an unsecured basis for a term […] More
Where are build costs heading? We look at the situation in Ireland today, in 2023 with DJ Ramsdale of DJ Build Estimations who tunes in to answer your questions about how much it costs to build in Ireland in 2023, from what method is cheapest to what to expect to pay overall. He covers: Favourite 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
Booking website Airbnb says it will fund restoration work and maintenance costs for historic homes in Ireland. In this article we cover: Short stay booking website Airbnb announced it would provide funding for the maintenance and restoration of some of Ireland’s most historic homes. It’s part of the American company’s pledge to support the preservation […] More
A handy checklist of what needs to be in place before you start organising your build schedule, and what to prepare yourself for. In this article we cover: By now, all of the information that you will need to create a working programme should have been covered during the design and preconstruction phases. But here’s […] More
The grant to replace oil and gas boilers has been axed in NI due to ‘budget constraints’, as UK rolls out wider boiler upgrade scheme. In this article we cover: To avail of the Boiler Replacement Scheme, offering a grant of up to £1,000, your fossil fuelled appliance had to be at least 15 years […] More
The controversial tax on concrete products was rolled out in September 2023, with a last-minute exemption for precast products. In this article we cover: Precast products will not be subject to the 5 per cent Defective Concrete Products Levy (DCPL) introduced in September 2023, announced ROI Minister for Finance Michael McGrath. The DCPL will continue […] More
As the First Home Scheme opens to those building a new home, and with the Help to Buy scheme to be extended to 2026, ROI Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien says there’s now €100k in supports for self-builders. We look at the maths. In this article we cover: Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien told reporters […] More
Your choice of building method will have an impact on the cost of your walls; here we compare a bungalow and two storey house built for both blockwork and timber frame. In this article we cover: For cost purposes, external walls refer to the structure of the main external envelope of the property. In most […] More
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