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in Advice, Basic site checklist, Planning red flags, Road openings, Site access, Wastewater, Water & ElectricityTop 3 site-related issues
Find out what the top 3 site-related issues are when building in the Irish countryside. In this article we cover: Before you start building on your dream site, consider these three elements which could bust the budget before you even start clearing the site. This bit of planning ahead could save you thousands on your […] More
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in Advice, Basic site checklist, Buying land with an existing house on it, Planning red flags, Road openings, Site access, Site assessment, Wastewater, Water & ElectricityThe first step to building your dream home
The first step to building your dream home is to assess whether or not the site you have is good enough to build on. In this article we cover: The site you build on may not be given that much thought at first. Yet its characteristics will have a significant bearing on the final build […] More
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in Advice, Budget & Financing, Cost savers, Direct labour vs main contractor, Insurance and warranty cover, Site access, Water & ElectricityBuild costs you shouldn’t forget about
What you will end up paying to build or extend your home goes beyond the bricks and mortar; here are the non build costs to take into account. In this article we cover: The site If you don’t have one already, it’s easy to spend a third or more of your entire budget on the […] More
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in New Build, Projects, Self-build Projects, Site access, Site assessment, Timber Frame, Two Storey, UlsterBuilding the dream
Much as we thought we had found out everything we needed to know about the site we bought in Co Down, there were still plenty of surprises along the way, writes self-builder Brian Corry who’s building the dream eco house. In his building the dream series, Brian chats about: Contents Part 1 – Design to a […] More
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in Basic site checklist, Before you start to dig, Block, Budget & Financing, Building methods, Choosing an architectural designer, Choosing external finishes, Choosing the bathrooms, Choosing the kitchen, Choosing wall and floor finishes, Collating your ideas, Cost savers, First fix: Watchpoints, Joinery: Watchpoints, Landscaping: Watchpoints, Living Arrangements, New Build, Other key structural decisions, Planning red flags, Projects, Provisions for on-site electricity, water, Road openings, Roofing & External finishes: Watchpoints, Securing planning permission, Self-build Projects, Site access, Site assessment, The design brief and getting the space right, Two Storey, UlsterBuilding the tin house
Matthew and Hannah Sterrett of @ourweecountryhome share their story of building what they call the tin house: how it started and the obstacles they came up against. In this article they talk about: Contents Part 1 – Avoiding the rent trap – Skip to Part 1 Part 2 – The tin roof – Skip to […] More
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in Building methods, Cost savers, Design, Direct labour tasks, Direct labour vs main contractor, Getting started on site, On site, Other key structural decisions, Podcast, Pre design, Roofing & External finishes: Watchpoints, SB+ Podcasts, Securing planning permission, Site access, Site assessmentEp 39 – Anne & Paul Dyer’s underground house
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
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Building the dream: Part II – Good Looks
Having a storm proof roof and external façade is a necessity in Ireland but my wife Karen and I, like most people I think, were more focused on the aesthetics and ensuring that our house blended in to its surroundings, writes self-builder Brian Corry who is on a mission to build himself an eco house. […] More
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in Ask the Expert, Buying land with an existing house on it, Planning red flags, SB+ TV, Site access, Site assessmentSite Assessment: Is the site good enough?
Is the site good enough? Self-build advisor John Corless explains what you need to check for when buying a site, or if you have one gifted to you. Favourite More
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in Appointing a main contractor, Budget & Financing, Building control: completion certificate (NI only), Certificate of compliance, Choosing an architectural designer, Construction drawings, Construction overview, Conveyancing, Cost savers, Design, Direct labour tasks, Direct labour vs main contractor, Final stage payment for mortgage, Getting started on site, Health & Safety: Appoint PSCS/PC, Insurance and warranty cover, On site, Planning red flags, Podcast, Pre design, Quality control inspections, SB+ Podcasts, Securing planning permission, Signing off, Site access, Site assessment, Snag lists and retention if main contractor, Working out your requirementsEp 11 – Self-build process overview
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
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in Advice, Construction drawings, Foundations, subfloors and screeds: Watchpoints, Site access, Site assessmentAlternative foundation types
Options for difficult sites, from piled foundations to earth bags. Foundation solutions today are not so very different from those which the earliest house-builders had to work out. The big change nowadays is that all foundations are designed with an adequate ‘factor of safety’ to allow for unforeseen circumstances. The main considerations are simply that: […] More
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