Building Methods
Latest stories
Ep 45 – The Automated House in County Down
More stories
-
in Budget & Financing, Building methods, Choosing wall and floor finishes, Construction drawings, Construction overview, Cost savers, Design, Direct labour vs main contractor, First fix: Watchpoints, Insulation and airtightness: Watchpoints, Joinery: Watchpoints, On site, Podcast, Pre design, Roofing & External finishes: Watchpoints, SB+ Podcasts, Second fix: Watchpoints
Ep 44 – Cost of steel, timber, insulation: Where to next?
Episode 44 – Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher discusses the recent material price increase and what it means for self-builders. He covers:– Which materials have been hardest hit– Reasons behind material price inflation– Where to next for material price increases– How to budget for your project– Whether to wait or start building now– Budgeting tips Favourite More
-
in Building methods, Design, Heating systems, On site, Podcast, Pre design, SB+ Podcasts, Ventilation and heating systems: Watchpoints
Ep 43 – Secrets to building an eco house
Episode 43 – Energy consultant Patrick Waterfield shares his tips and insights into building an eco house without breaking the bank. He covers: – The tricks to building an eco house and how he tackled his own new build project– How to build a house to make it cheap to run– How a humble stove […] More
-
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 assessment
Ep 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
-
in Building methods, Collating your ideas, Cost 200-300, Leinster, New Build, Pre design, Projects, Self-build Projects, Timber Frame, Two Storey
Built out of lengths of timber
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
-
Pre Design: Choosing a building method
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
-
Ep 19 – Oak frame construction
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
-
Ep 17 – Building Methods
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
-
DIY Build: Yes you can
It’s possible to build your own home doing almost everything yourself, as long as you have the necessary commitment, time, energy and knowledge. In this article Andrew Stanway covers what you need to know if you plan to go DIY on your build, including: How to save money with a DIY build How to determine […] More
-
Modern methods of construction
MMC, or modern methods of construction, is a catch-all term to describe everything from innovative building solutions to cutting edge materials. Here’s a bird’s eye view. In this article we cover: Different types of MMC, from building methods like ICF and glulam to materials like graphite How to use modern methods of construction in your […] More
-
Building with oak
It’s possible to build your house with oak – find out how you can do it, the different configurations, cost, benefits and drawbacks. In this article we cover: What is an oak build How much does it cost and how does it compare with a traditional build? Different post and beam structures from cruck to […] More
-
Cross Laminated Timber for Self Builds
Next generation timber: The concept of laminating wood to make it stronger has been around for centuries, but it’s only relatively recently that cross laminated timber (CLT) has made an appearance and is being used on self-builds. CLT was first developed in mainland Europe 30 years ago where it is fast becoming a mainstream product. And […] More
-
ICF build in County Antrim
Sarah and Mark Ballantine took a hands-on approach to their ICF build. In this article, Sarah and Mark share their experience building with Insulating Concrete Formwork (ICF) including: Plot size: 2/3 acreHouse size: 2,500 sqft Why did you choose to build with ICF, what other methods did you consider? Sarah: We briefly considered other building […] More