The construction sector in the UK and Ireland are pushing for modular construction, or the process of building homes off site and assembling them on site within a matter of days or weeks, delegates at the 2021 Digital Construction Summit heard. Building this way is more efficient for developers as it’s quicker and has eight […] More
Episode 41 – Rodger O’Connor explains how he designed his home to be super energy efficient, including his insulation and airtightness strategy, choice of heating systems, photovoltaic panels and how he managed the build. Read the full article and see the images here. Favourite More
Meet a self-builder in NI who’s built his house from IntegraSPEC insulating concrete formwork (ICF) and who outlines the benefits of this building method, with visuals of the house under construction. Favourite 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
Tips on Building Your Own Home – Quantity surveyor Lisa O’Brien, on behalf of the Irish Concrete Federation, shares her advice and tips before you start building your home. Favourite More
Measures also include extending the stamp duty holiday to June, investing in chronically underfunded NI Water, and supporting modern methods of construction. The UK’s Budget published in March has extended the stamp duty holiday on house purchases under £500,000. In both England and NI, the reprieve which was due to end on March 31st has […] More
What do the more esoteric eco building methods look like in Ireland today? We take a look at everything from cob to shipping containers. In this article we cover: DIY earth building, from cob to rammed earth: what they are and how to build with them Shipping containers: pros and cons, and how to build […] More
Thanks to advances in technology, there are plenty of modern construction methods available in Ireland to build new or extend. In this article we cover: Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs): what it is and how to build with it Mass timber construction including Cross Laminated Timber (CLT): what it is and how to build with it […] More
Carpenter Chris Gillick constructed his family home with the “stick built” timber frame method. Here’s how he and his wife Serena did it in County Meath. In this article, Chris explains: Why did you decide to stick build the house from standard lengths of timber? It’s a method I’m familiar with. And to save money, […] More
Choosing a building method: Self-build advisor John Corless explains how important it is to choose your building method early on in the process, listing the many options that are available to self-builders in the 32 counties. Favourite More
Episode 19: Building with solid oak is a skill that takes years to master; Grace Design walks us through how to use oak in your self-build project and what to look out for at the design and construction stages. Favourite More
Episode 17: A question on every self-builder’s mind is “How am I going to build this thing?” It’s a key decision to make and one that will follow you throughout the design stage; in fact each method will require a tweaking of the plans to optimise how cost effective it is to build. This episode […] More
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