Sara Gunn-Smith and Craig Smith couldn’t believe their luck when they stumbled upon a semi-detached property in their neighbourhood big enough for their young family to live in. But there was work involved to upgrade the house. In this article we cover: “Before we bought our forever home we had lived in this neighbourhood for […] More
This new build energy efficient home in Co Cork shows how a simple and clever design will deliver on style and function. In this article we cover: Sometimes the only way to find a site is to see if a local farmer might be open to selling a field. That’s precisely how, after a three […] More
Aidan and Julie-Ann Rainey built their family home in the Co Down countryside, a charred timber and stone new build, driven by a need for more space. In this article we cover: Built on family land, this new build project was a labour of love. “When we decided to self-build, we were staying in a […] More
For Fiona and David McKee, an eco new build was the obvious way to go… In this article Fiona and David chat about their new build project, including: Overview House size: 2,200 sqftPlot size: 1 acreBedrooms: 5Build method: blockwork cavity walls (thermal blocks)Heating: oil boiler, two wood burning stovesVentilation: mechanical with heat recoveryEPC (SAP): […] More
This modern new build shows that a contemporary design in the open countryside can get planning permission, as long as it’s well thought out. In this article we cover: Self-builders in ROI often think a contemporary, or otherwise striking, design in the open countryside is unlikely to get planning permission. Yet Niamh Duffy and Gary Jordan’s […] More
How Kirsty Tumelty tackled her Victorian renovation project in Belfast one step at a time, starting with emptying the house. In this article we cover: My partner Gary and I had lived in a rented apartment and didn’t think about moving for a long time,” says Kirsty. “We went to view a few houses to […] More
Bronwen and Gary McCausland turned their attention to the family farm after struggling to find a house to buy. In this article we cover: We had tried to purchase a bungalow but it didn’t work out,” says Bronwen. “The properties we had been looking at suddenly shot up in price. That’s when we started investigating […] More
For Jason and Nicola O’Donnell, building their home in Co Mayo was all about starting a family. In this article we cover: “Nicola and I are both from the local area, have jobs here, and knew we wanted to stay put to start a family,” says Jason. “We were lucky to have a fabulous site […] More
Lauren Speers had the prefect site and, in more ways than one, the perfect husband, Alex, who was willing and able to take charge of a direct labour self-build. In this article we cover: How did the design come about? We wanted to keep the exterior of our home traditional in keeping with the area. The […] More
How the Lamberts self-built this NZEB new build in Co Meath, to deliver a home that costs very little to run. In this article we cover: This is the story of how Arthur and Aoife Lambert self-built their Co Meath home in 2020, beating the minimum requirements of the building regulations with panache. With a background […] More
When John and Sinead Cullen decided to buy a 100 year old house, they embarked on an Art Deco renovation journey that took over their lives. John and I had been living in London for a few years when John’s mum got ill,” says Sinead. “We made the quick decision to come back home so […] More
How Joanne and Milo Butler undertook an eco renovation of their 200 year old property using eco materials such as fibreboard insulation. In this article, Joanne and Milo explain how they undertook their eco renovation project, including: Renovating a 200 year old stone building often involves managing moisture – and that was true of Joanne […] More
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