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
Ask An Architect NI and the Simon Open Door are now taking bookings for 2021 Whether you are undertaking a small renovation or extension project, or a whole new build, you will need some help and advice along the way. The first port of call is often an architect. They can help and advise at […] More
The contribution made by self-build tradespeople is essential to the success of any self-build project, so who does what and when? Even if you plan to use your skills to build your house, you will need to hire some specialist tradespeople – at the bare minimum the regulations stipulate you have to hire a qualified […] More
Building a home is always an emotional process. And for Cary Thompson, building a multi-generational house was the best way to honour the memory of his late mum. In this article, Cary shares how he built his multi-generational house including: Build type: blockwork (cavity walls)Heating system: gas boilerSAP: 79 How did the multi-generational house project […] More
The role of an energy consultant in a self-build – Self build energy consultant Eric Davidson of Reinco chats with Brian Corry of Selfbuild+ about the reasons why you need independent advice on the energy aspects of your design, including comparing technical details and quotations and making sure the house’s energy systems are adapated to […] More
Choosing an architectural designer: Self-build advisor John Corless explains the need to find the right person to draw up your plans, and advise you, at the design stage. The plans must be regulations compliant, tailored to your needs, and space efficient. Favourite More
Professional Idemnity Insurance is the minimum cover to look from the building professionals you plan to hire, be it an architect, engineer or other advisor. In this article we cover: What is professional indemnity insurance Who needs to have PI insurance on your build What level of cover to check for in NI and ROI […] More
Episode 12: Arguably the two most important advisors to hire on your self-build are the architectural designer and the quantity surveyor. Edel Regan of Edel Regan Architects and Dermot Rasdale, quantity surveyor with DJ Build Estimations, help us shed more light on their respective roles. We cover: How architects and quantity surveyors contribute to self-build […] 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
Love them or hate them, Irish bungalows are now part of vernacular architecture, representing the first modern mass self-build movement. In this article Marion McGarry covers: How bungalow design has evolved since the 1970s How bungalows met rural Ireland’s need for affordable housing Overview of Jack Fitzsimons’ seminal book Bungalow Bliss Bungalows as a blight […] More
Converting your home into a space that’s tailor-made for you can have life changing consequences, as Siobhan Hawkins and Gerry Gormley learned. In this article we cover: In 1994 Gerry and Siobhan bought their first home, a 3-bed semi-d, in Belfast to renovate, which they did in 1997. “We were hands on doing a lot of […] More
Although it’s possible to design your new build completely on your own, it’s almost certainly a false economy and a decision that could cost you dearly in time, energy, stress and money. But how to choose that essential designer to help you on your journey? Before you even go to meet the designer you hope […] More
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