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EDITOR'S LETTER / WELCOME

Welcome...

As of the 1st of November 2019 you will have to build your home in ROI to an A2 Building Energy Rating standard as opposed to the 2011 requirement of an A3.

Best practice has in many ways become mandatory. Full details p84.

In fact quality control is at the heart of this new set of regulations, indirectly recognising the inherent failings of ROI’s privatised building control system.

Sadly the government doesn’t seem convinced self-builds should be inspected by local authorities; not only that, the Department of Housing is thinking of axing the opt out provision (see p10) which would increase professional fees for self-builders with little benefit in return.

Instead the government will continue to rely on the private sector, riddled with conflicts of interest, to carry out building control inspections.

Case in point is an Irish Times investigative report into the failings of the opt in system, a system whereby the Assigned Certifiers in charge of building control are paid, and can readily be fired by, the developers they work for (more details on p10).

Stoves

Design and installation

Heat pumps

Ground, water and air source

Budget series How much will your roof cost?

Water supply Pressurised versus gravity fed systems

Astrid Madsen - Editor astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie

Follow the Selfbuild community:

selfbuild.ie WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 05

C O N T E N T S / W H AT ’ S I N S I D E

Selfbuild Dream it . Do it . Live it

84 34 46 71

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122 06 / SELFBUILD /WINTER 2019

W H AT ’ S I N S I D E / C O N T E N T S

PROJECTS

ADVICE

Learn from the Irish self-builders who have been through the process of building and home improving

71 SELFBUILD LIVE DUBLIN

See what you missed at the biggest and the best home event in Dublin this past September.

22 CRAFTED

A lot of thought went into the design of this Co Laois project, which paid off with the planners and during the construction phase.

84 WHAT NZEB MEANS FOR YOU

118

34 MODERNIST TWIST

An architectural delight in the heart of Co Down.

46 AGAINST THE CLOCK

Returning home from holiday to a flooded house was the opportunity to tackle a much dreamed of renovation in Co Meath.

58 VALUE ADDED

A Co Antrim renovation that added not just monetary value but quality of life.

118 IT’S PAYBACK TIME An energy positive new build with heat pump and PV panels in Co Antrim.

122 ENDURING HOLIDAY A modest holiday bungalow in Co Waterford gets an architectural facelift.

BASICS Basic information about building or improving your home in any of the 32 counties

98 STOVES

The only way to get a live flame in an energy efficient house.

101 CHIMNEYS AND FLUES

Nowadays chimneys are an aesthetic addition to the modern home, built to hide the stove’s flue. Here’s a guide to their construction.

114 COLD WATER SUPPLY

How to control water quality and pressure from the mains water supply.

The new building regulations coming into force on the 1st of November are sowing confusion; we dispel myths and present the facts.

90 GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS

An overview and comparison with air source.

103 HEDGING OUR BETS

How small particles released by the burning of peat, coal and wood, are making us sick.

104 HOW MUCH WILL YOUR ROOF COST? Part four in our series of drawing up a cost plan for your self-build.

110 WINTER PROPAGATION How to successfully harvest and plant hardwood and root cuttings.

130 SCRAPBOOK

Living room lighting options.

58

INSIDE TRACK A showcase of Irish products and services from our sponsors

19 INSIDER NEWS

The latest products and services for selfbuilders.

95 EXHAUST AIR HEAT PUMPS

What they are and why they’re becoming popular in low energy buildings.

SELFBUILD: THE ALL-IRELAND

All articles equally cover the 32 counties; when we refer to the Republic of Ireland the abbreviation is ROI. For Northern Ireland it’s NI.

109 GREEN MORTGAGES

The green mortgage is here and Bank of Ireland’s Brian Vaughan runs us through the specifics.

128 DBYD GOES DIGITAL

Dial Before You Dig by Gas Networks Ireland is now accessible online – find out what information is available.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 07

CONTRIBUTORS / TEAM

Contributors

Peter Bonsall

John Brosnan

Peter is an engineer working in the timber and renewable energy sectors.

John is a Renewable Energy Engineer with Energywise Ireland based in Co Cork. energywiseireland.ie / 021 430 8185

Aleyn Chambers

Daniel Coyle

Daniel is an architect based in Co Dublin.

Aleyn Chambers is an Architect and danielcoylearchitects.ie / certified Passive House Designer based in mobile ROI 0868127870 Dalkey, Co Dublin. aleynchmabers.com / ROI mobile 086 600 824

Cover Photo Paul Lindsay Editor Astrid Madsen astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie Design Myles McCann myles.mccann@selfbuild.ie Shannon Quinn shannon.quinn@selfbuild.ie Head of Marketing Calum Lennon calum.lennon@selfbuild.ie

Jonathan Jennings

Keith Kelliher

Ian Killoch

Henry Mc Kinney

Jonathan is H&V manager at Glen Dimplex Ireland. glendimplexireland.com

Keith is a quantity surveyor with over 20 years’ experience and is the founder of Kelliher & Associates Quantity Surveyors. quantitysurveyor.ie

Ian is a heating sales engineer for Daikin Ireland. daikin.ie

Henry is Regional Sales Director for Lagan Building Solutions Ltd. LBSproducts.com

Subscriptions Becca.Wilgar becca.wilgar@selfbuild.ie Business Development Manager Niamh Whelan niamh.whelan@selfbuild.ie Advertising Sales David Corry david.corry@selfbuild.ie Nicola Delacour-Dunne nicola.delacour@selfbuild.ie Lisa Killen lisa.killen@selfbuild.ie Maria Varela maria.varela@selfbuild.ie

Leslie O’Donnell

Paul O’Donnell

Fiann Ó Nualláin

John Sodeau

Les is an engineer and architectural designer who runs Landmark Designs, a CIAT registered practice in Co Tyrone. landmarkdesigns.org.uk / NI tel. 8224 1831

Paul is the MD of Unipipe Ltd, the sole distributor of Nibe heat pumps for the island of Ireland, and a director and founder of the Irish Heat Pump Association. unipipe.ie / hpa.ie / ROI tel. 01 2864888

Award winning garden designer, author and broadcaster, Fiann has a background in fine art, ethnobotany and complementary medicine. theholisticgardener.com / twitter @HolisticG

Professor John Sodeau is founding Director of the Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry (CRACLab) in the Environmental Research Institute at University College Cork. He is an An Taisce Climate Ambassador. twitter @johnsodeau / ucc.ie/en/crac

Come meet more experts at our Selfbuild Live event in CORK in November - turn to page 83 for more details and FREE tickets Patrick Waterfield Patrick is an engineer and energy consultant based in Belfast. tel. 906 41241 / patrick.waterfield@ntlworld.com

NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0 ROI calling NI prefix with 048

Published by SelfBuild Ireland Ltd. 119 Cahard Rd, Saintfield, Co Down BT24 7LA. Tel: (NI 028 / ROI 048) 9751 0570 / Fax: (NI 028 / ROI 048) 9751 0576 info@selfbuild.ie / selfbuild.ie 08 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Accounts Karen Kelly karen.kelly@selfbuild.ie Sales Director Mark Duffin mark.duffin@selfbuild.ie Managing Director Brian Corry brian.corry@selfbuild.ie Chairman Clive Corry clive.corry@selfbuild.ie Distribution EM News Distribution Ltd

The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions nor for the accuracy of information reproduced. Where opinions may be given, these are personal and based upon the best information to hand. At all times readers are advised to seek the appropriate professional advice. Copyright: all rights reserved.

H I G H L I G H T S / W H AT ' S N E W

ROI BUDGET 2020

Help to buy reprieve ROI’s Budget 2020 published in October has extended the Help to Buy scheme to the 31st December 2021 under its current format.

Established in 2016 the scheme is available to both self-builders and first-time buyers of newly built homes, providing a tax rebate of 5 per cent on the house value. This is to help first time buyers put down a deposit on a mortgage with a loan to value ratio of at least 70 per cent.

Director of the Irish Homebuilders Association, James Benson commented that the Help to Buy scheme doesn’t address affordability issues.

“Our analysis shows that an average couple, even with the Help to Buy, will struggle to save the required deposit,” he said. “Couples earning under €93,000 are effectively frozen out of the Dublin housing market; even with the HTB they will have to save €20,000 approximately as a deposit.”

According to the Parliamentary Budget Office 47 per cent of residential properties (new and existing) sold for less than €225,000, compared to only 13 per cent of sales where the scheme was claimed in 2018. The PBO analysis dated 25th September 2019 also suggests that “the scheme is benefiting households at the higher end of the income distribution.”

Of the total number of claims made, 21.5 per cent were for self-builds, the remainder were for homes purchased as part of a scheme by an approved developer.

Carbon tax hike ROI’s Budget 2020 also increased the carbon tax by €6 to bring it to €26 per tonne.

Petrol and diesel price increases took effect immediately but levies on home heating will be applied in May 2020.

Budget 2020 refers to an ESRI report entitled ‘The economic and distributional impacts of an increased carbon tax with different revenue recycling schemes’ which finds that “a carbon tax could have some adverse impacts on GDP, inequality and household income.”

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe told the Dáil: “I know this will not be easy for everyone.

Therefore, instead of a larger increase in any one year, I am committing to a €6 increase as a first step towards the 2030 target.”

Electric car charging points are to be added and grants to buy e-cars will stay in place.

Stoves & chimneys overview starts page 98

Cork hit hardest by building cost increase House rebuilding costs have on average increased 5 per cent over the past year, reports the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland (SCSI) House Rebuilding Costs guide published in September 2019.

The publication shows that a detached house with four bedrooms, typically 118sqm in size, would cost €197 per sqft to rebuild in Dublin, representing a 5 per cent increase over the past 12 months (€188/sqft).

Cork witnessed the highest increase (of 10 per cent) from €152 to €167 per sqft.

For a detached bungalow with an average size of 146sqm the figures were slightly lower but in the same ballpark. The cost of rebuilding a garage remained the same; ranging from €14,443 for a single attached garage to €25,983 for a double attached garage.

Even though the house rebuild costs represent a minimum, they are indicative of current new home building costs excluding the cost of land or connection to services. (Note that rebuild costs are unrelated to the market value, which is determined by how much a buyer is willing to pay.)

Micheál Mahon, Vice President of the SCSI said the main reasons for the increase were: higher labour rates due to the shortage of

construction workers, the impact of the new building regulations and the costs associated with disposing of demolition waste.

“The reality of the situation is that if the rebuild cost of your home is €360K and you only have it insured for €270K, in the event of a catastrophic event such as a fire, you will be facing a shortfall of €90K,” he added.

“However, what a lot of homeowners don’t realise is that if in that situation there was a partial loss, which cost €60K to repair, the insured party would only receive €45K and face a shortfall of €15K. This is because the homeowner in question has only insured their property to three quarters of its rebuilding cost.”

“With rebuild costs rising it is possible consumers may well face pro rata increases on their home insurance premiums. We would advise homeowners to shop around to ensure they are getting the best value.”

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 09

W H AT ’ S N E W / N E W S

Opt-out provision could be axed ROI Junior Minister for Housing Damien English favours scrapping the legislation that allows selfbuilders to ‘opt out’ of appointing an Assigned Certifier to their project, Selfbuild has learned.

During a briefing given to reporters on the 25th September 2019 about the new building regulations coming into force in November, Minister English said: “there is a recommendation in [the report into defective concrete blocks] that we will reinstate the certification process for one-off houses.”

He added: “We haven’t made a final decision but it’s something that I personally would agree with and so would my Department.”

The legislation underpinning the ‘opt-out’ clause is called SI365 (2015).

Minister English said his Department was now “focusing on” the defective concrete block report’s recommendation to scrap SI365.

SI365 allows self-builders to build and certify their homes

in the same way they used to before the latest amendment to the building control act, known as SI9 (2014). SI9 requires that building projects be certified by a registered architect, engineer or building surveyor, known as Assigned Certifiers.

Assigned Certifiers are paid by the homeowners/clients to gather and upload on the Building Control Management System all documents that certify the construction of the building complies with the building regulations.

The local authorities do have building control inspectors, but in practice very few of them inspect self-builds. Building control inspectors often double up as fire officers and tend to inspect commercial buildings and other construction sites that require a fire certificate.

SI365 was brought in partly because of the evidence that some assigned certifiers were charging high rates for providing this service, in light of the

associated liability issues.

Minister English told reporters he’s not convinced that the assigned certifier fees were as high as claimed.

Other TDs however believe a better option would be to put building control back in the hands of local authorities, instead of the private sector.

Early in 2018 the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government published their Report on Building Standards, Building Controls & Consumer Protection called Safe as Houses?

This report outlines measures to introduce a Building Control Authority and making latent defects insurance mandatory for all builders. This would revert the building control function of inspecting all building sites to ensure compliance with the building regulations, back to the local authorities.

The Bauhaus identity This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus, the modernist art and design school born in Weimar Germany in 1919 and closed in 1933 by the Nazis. To mark the occasion the National Gallery of Ireland is presenting a complete set of four Bauhaus portfolios of prints from the Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart until the 1st December 2019.

According to the organisers: “The legacy of the Bauhaus is profound, from the White City of Tel Aviv, built in the International Style, to the Chicago skyline.“ “Iconic pieces like Marcel 10 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Assigned Certifier signs off on defective build A newly built home built to the current opt-in system has shown signs of potentially ‘fatal’ building defects, according to an Irish Times investigation published September 7th 2019.

Led by Niamh Towey, the report focuses on an estate built in Co Kildare which was certified as building-regulations compliant by an Assigned Certifier in 2017.

A canopy that wasn’t built as per the drawings, which appeared to have been stuck up with nails instead of two pillars, collapsed. No one was injured.

“The presence of a defect – even a potentially fatal one – does not necessarily mean that building regulations have been breached,” states the article.

“And some structural defects may not be apparent to the person charged with certifying the building.”

The ‘just add water’ house

A Carl Feiger designed house

Breuer’s tubular steel furniture and ergonomic slatted chairs, or Anni Albers and Gunta Stölzl’s geometric textiles, continue to inspire generations of young designers.“ “To this day, the Bauhaus continues to have a lasting impact on architecture and design teaching, attesting to Mies van der Rohe’s observation that ‘only an idea has the power to spread so widely’.”

IN THE PAPERS

Example of Marcel Breuer’s tubular steel furniture

Architectural practice Cutwork Studio has developed a house design that uses bendable metallic tubes and rollable concrete fabric that hardens in place when hydrated. The flat-pack, just-addwater housing solution can be built in a single day by two people with no experience, and last up to 30 years. The ‘Cortex Shelter’ was designed as a temporary solution for refugee shelters.

Put heating at the heart of your refurbishment One of the most important parts of any major refurbishment project is choosing the right heating system. The ideal heating system is flexible, cost effective and increasingly importantly, it should be as clean as possible. This makes renewable gas (BioLPG) a popular option for homeowners.

It can be hard to know how to go about getting the best value for money when choosing a heating system. Calor Home Energy Consultant Barry Spellman advises homeowners and architects every day about their home energy needs.

The most important advice

he has for customers is to think about heating from day one of the building project.

“Whether through a Home Energy Consultant, such as one of the Calor team, or an installer, you will always get a better outcome by planning your heating system as early as possible.

If you have an installer that is great, if not, Calor can recommend a safe, registered gas installer close to your home. Involving the installer in the process can help reduce costs, both short term and long term.

Radiator positioning, the size of radiator, thermostatic controls and zoning all impact on efficiency in

the home. If you get these things right, you save money every month. Over the lifetime of the boiler, that is huge. Furthermore, by switching to Calor BioLPG renewable gas, you get all the benefits of conventional gas along with the environmental benefits a renewable gas has to offer, securing the future of our world. ” Gas remains an attractive option for homeowners as it gives instant heat, hot water on demand, controllable cooking and it cannot be stolen. It also future proofs your home, with a renewable option available now and in the future.

Using modern gas boiler

technology, such as heating controls and zoning can have a significant impact on efficiency, with these two features alone capable of improving BER rating, which can have a dramatic impact on house value.

Calor Home Energy Consultants are available all year round to help you plan your build.

For further information on Calor’s support for people upgrading their heating system, go to www.calorgas.ie

Turn to Calor BioLPG.

A greener choice for your new home.

Only from Calor, BioLPG is a 100% renewable energy that reduces carbon footprint. So it’s kinder to the environment. It works exactly like regular LPG, making it an easy choice for anyone looking for an efficient, cleaner fuel for cooking, heating and providing hot water off-grid. And even better, when you choose BioLPG you get a free boiler too.

See more at calorgas.ie or call 1850 812 450 (ROI), 028 9045 5588 (NI).

Terms and Conditions apply. See calorgas.ie

Get more from your mortgage

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CASHBACK ON YOUR MONTHLY REPAYMENTS FROM AN EXPLORE ACCOUNT UNTIL 2027

Talk to our team about your mortgage needs Self-Build Show, Stand G25 9-10 November 2019

Offer available to new applicants who receive full letter of approval between 26/08/2017 and 31/12/2019.

2% cashback at drawdown will be paid on the amount of the mortgage advanced. Excludes tracker portability or negative equity customers (including any additional funds). Excludes buy-to-let, equity release, home improvement mortgage loans or applicants who have drawn down full or part of their funds before 11/01/2016.

2% cashback monthly will be paid until 31/12/2027. Your monthly mortgage repayment must be made from a permanent tsb Explore Account and meet qualifying criteria. The Explore Account carries a €6 monthly fee for maintaining the account. Any items that are returned unpaid (including Direct Debits and Standing Orders) will incur the appropriate unpaid item charge and other charges may apply. eStatements only. 2% cashback monthly offer applies to home loans only (i.e. excludes buy-to-let).

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP YOUR REPAYMENTS YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME.

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT MEET THE REPAYMENTS ON YOUR LOAN, YOUR ACCOUNT WILL GO INTO ARREARS. THIS MAY AFFECT YOUR CREDIT RATING, WHICH MAY LIMIT YOUR ABILITY TO ACCESS CREDIT IN THE FUTURE.

Lending criteria, terms & conditions will apply. Mortgage approval is subject to assessment of suitability and affordability. Applicants must be aged 18 or over. Security is required and credit agreement will be secured by a mortgage or by a right related to residential immovable property. Life and Home Insurance are also required. For First Time Buyers, a maximum Loan to Value (LTV) of 90% will apply to a property’s purchase price. For Second Time Buyers a maximum LTV of 80% will apply. The maximum LTV for customers who hold their current mortgage with another bank but wish to switch their mortgage to permanent tsb while also releasing equity is 85%. Maximum loan amount will typically not exceed 3.5 times an individual’s gross annual income. The monthly repayment on a 20 year mortgage with Loan to Value (LTV) greater than 80% with variable borrowing rate of 4.20% on a mortgage of €100,000 is €616.57 for 240 months. Total amount repayable is €148,336.98. If interest rates increases by 1% an additional €54.48 would be payable per month. For this example, Annual Percentage Rate of Charge (APRC) of 4.32% applies and consists of variable borrowing rate of 4.20%, valuation fee of €150, Property Registration Authority (PRA) fee of €175, and security vacate fee of €35. Please note – this APRC does not factor in the €6 monthly fee for maintaining the Explore Account. Warning: The cost of your monthly repayments may increase – if you do not keep up repayments you may lose your home. Information correct as of 31/08/2019 but is subject to change.

BMK4994 permanent tsb p.l.c. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

N E W S / W H AT ' S N E W

Grant system under threat Cheap loans are expected to finance the €25 to €75 billion it will cost over the next 30 years to upgrade the existing energy-guzzling housing stock.

For these applicants the October deadline to complete retrofitting works will not apply, with completion dates likely to move into 2020.

The ROI government is establishing a taskforce to figure out how to encourage homeowners to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes; the taskforce will examine grouping homes together to carry out works leading to economies of scale, easy pay back mechanisms e.g. through your electricity bill, and smart financing solutions including a model similar to the bike-to-work scheme.

News is trickling in of the how the ROI government will manage its ambitious Climate Action Plan to retrofit 500,000 homes, as Minister Bruton said the current grant system will be unable to meet the target.

Selfbuild understands the new system will provide less financial support in the form of grants, despite being the most popular form of government support, and more options in the form of financing models.

The taskforce set up to devise this new model will “group homes together” and will create “easy pay back mechanisms” (e.g. through your electricity bill) and find “smart financing”, espousing a model similar to the bike-towork scheme.

This work will commence in 2020 with a programme targeting social houses in the midlands.

Deep retrofits, which include thorough upgrades in insulation, airtightness, heating and ventilation systems, tend to cost at least €30,000 and potentially upwards of €65,000.

According to the Department, the taskforce will also audit the models that exist both in Ireland and internationally for delivering energy efficiency measures by

aggregating premises, and design the “most appropriate tender” to deliver these along with how to ensure a “strong pipeline of talent”, i.e. how to address the skills shortage.

Deep retrofit debacle This news came on the back of hundreds of homeowners being left without a grant offer for the Deep Retrofit grant, which financed 50 per cent of in-depth energy upgrades in the home.

The Deep Retrofit grant was a pilot scheme administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) that was devised with a shelf life of three years, to run to the end of 2019.

It is distinct from other energy upgrade grants available under the SEAI Better Energy Homes scheme.

According to the Irish Times some homeowners had spent €2,000 to apply for the pilot Deep Retrofit grant because they expected they would qualify and had applied before the deadline.

Minister Bruton subsequently announced that all eligible applications received before the July deadline would be issued with a letter of offer in September 2019.

New tax break could finance 40 per cent of retrofit work According to a briefing paper from the ROI Department of Finance a new tax break to incentivise homeowners to carry out energy upgrades is likely to be modelled on the popular Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) which was axed in last year’s budget.

The Department of Finance is considering a tax incentive which would be provided at a rate of 13.5 per cent, the same as the HRI and the equivalent of the VAT charged by tradesmen.

It would be claimed over a two year period subsequent to the year in which the works were paid for, which is a quicker payback than the HRI which was over four years. The information is outlined in the “Tax Strategy Group – 04/19 Climate Action and Tax” dated July 2019.

However the tax strategy document assumes a much lower level of investment, at an average cost per retrofit of €10,000, and assumes it will be able to get 50,000 homes to be retrofitted each year with the new tax relief.

According to the Climate Action Plan, there currently are approximately 23,000 energy upgrades carried out every year, mostly shallow ones which do not usually significantly improve energy performance.

Shallow retrofits are currently grant-aided by the SEAI’s Better Energy Homes grant system.

The document says that with direct grants and tax relief, a taxpayer could receive Exchequer support in the order of over 40 per cent of the cost of retrofit work.

The BRE research was conducted in the context of the NI House Condition Survey report 2016, updated in 2019

Shallow retrofits in NI to cost £2.4 billion 1

To improve the energy efficiency of the 632,000 dwellings identified as being in need of an upgrade in NI, research by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) shows the cost for shallow retrofits would be in the order of £2.4 billion or about £3,000 to £4,000 per house.

The BRE’s analysis contends “there is no threshold over which a dwelling is considered energy efficient and therefore not in need of additional improvements. A SAP rating of 65 is often used as an indication of an energy efficient dwelling.”

This is however the equivalent of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D, on an A to G scale. The model looked at replacing central heating homes’ boilers with a condensing one, improving insulation (cavity wall and loft insulation), and double glazing window upgrades.

The combined measures would bring the SAP rating up to 74 which would bring the dwellings to a better EPC of C. WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 13

Party Proof Paving What are your first thoughts when visualising an outdoor space for your new home?

Perhaps you imagine an area that allows for outdoor dining, for the kids to play on, or perhaps an area for entertaining guests?

With any outdoor space comes inevitable mess, spilled wine, ketchup, animal paw prints… the list continues, and cleaning up after accidental spills can end up taking up a substantial amount of time. With this in mind, Tobermore have extended their EasyClean paving range. Following the success of

*Feature image Mayfair, insert image Beaufort

tobermore.co.uk

Mayfair with EasyClean, Tobermore’s Beaufort paving range with a contoured natural stone appearance is now available with EasyClean –technology that enables spills to be wiped away with ease.

outdoor space and less time cleaning. Caring for EasyClean paving is a straightforward process as its coated surface allows for dirt and debris to be washed away without the need for vigorous scrubbing or power hosing.

Tobermore’s EasyClean is a new concept for the modern home (and the first of its kind in the UK). EasyClean flags are treated with stain protection technology during the manufacturing process allowing for built in protection, preventing spills from penetrating the surface of the paving and allowing for them to be wiped away with ease.

EasyClean paving stays looking fresher for longer and is less susceptible to weathering, moss and greening than traditional paving so you won’t have to clean it as often.

As well as protecting against stains, EasyClean takes the work out of caring for paving, allowing you to spend more time enjoying your

EasyClean is the perfect paving product for those who wish to keep their outdoor space as clean as the day they bought it. For information visit your local Tobermore Paving Centre in Tobermore, Bangor, Dublin or Cork or call our sales office on NI: 028 7964 2411 ROI: 048 7964 2411

H I G H L I G H T S / W H AT ' S N E W

In brief BRE spearheads new Grand Designs off-site building standard turns 20 As the seminal show Grand Designs turned 20 on Channel 4 this year, Kevin McCloud revealed his favourite Grand Designs and two were in Ireland. Both are the homes of young ambitious architects and both were featured in Selfbuild magazine over the years; the so-called shed house which was Micah Jones’ CLT house and of course Grillagh House or the shipping container house by Patrick Bradley.

Meanwhile Dermot Bannon will be back on Irish television screens in January 2020 with a series chronicling his own house renovation project in Drumcondra.

Patrick Bradley’s Grillagh house

Call for all new builds to be ‘dementia friendly’ Eef Hogervorst, a professor of biological psychology in the UK who specialises in early diagnoses and protective factors for dementia and age-related cognitive decline, called for an upgrade to the building regulations’ structural requirements, including making provisions for load bearing walls in strategic places so that, later down the line homeowners can readily add an open plan area, a centralised wetroom and stair lifts without incurring too much expense or upheaval.

Smaller cheaper changes such as changing soft furnishings with adequate contrast and matte design and non-slip flooring are less intrusive in nature and can be done later, she added.

Project Etopia, a modular homes company established in 2015, has started building a landmark demonstration home at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) aiming to be the first to meet a new UK off-site construction standard.

The weather and fire resilient home being constructed at BRE’s Watford Innovation Park is to be awarded the body’s soon-to-bereleased BPS 7014 Standard for Modular Systems for Dwellings certification.

Introduction of the standard promises to be a watershed moment for the modular construction industry, according to Etopia. BRE’s BPS 7014 will assess levels of performance of buildings using modern methods of construction against sustainability and building standards.

Etopia’s panelised build system is, according to the company, on average three times faster than

traditional builds. The ground floor was completed in just two hours.

The panelised walls in Project Etopia’s home possess a U-value of 0.13 W/sqmK, better than the 0.16 W/sqmK typical of a wellinsulated wall in a new build brick property.

Meanwhile, the smart home features its own solar cladding in conjunction with Great British

Voltaic solar panels and tiles, triple glazing, as well as a Daikin Heating and Cooling System. It will also incorporate E-Smart’s plug-and-play smart home system with Samsung smart appliances.

Etopia says the build cost of the 108 sqm three bedroom detached house is around 20 per cent less than a conventional home.

Council fees triple after rezoning The Echo Live reports on changes to the zoning boundaries in Cork; in May of this year Ballincollig, Glanmire, Blarney, Grange, and south Douglas were transferred into an expanded city boundary.

After this, development charges increased on building sites with the Echo reporting on a case where the council levies for a house close to the new city/ county boundary increased from €4,600 to €12,300, and another where charges tripled from €3,000 to €9,000 despite the site being several miles from the city centre.

All local authorities charge selfbuilders a levy for contributions

towards roads, parks/amenities and services such as stormwater management. According to the paper, in Cork city development levies can be up to €52.70 per square metre while the county’s development contributions for dwelling houses stand at €24.49 per square metre.

“We were given undertakings by the management of the two local authorities and by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government as well that nothing would change for citizens entering the city,” City councillor Ken O’Flynn told the Echo.

“This is adding to worry and

problems of young couples that have been lucky enough to find sites, but have their shoulder to the wheel on prices. This is a nasty jump on charges.”

The Echo also reports that from May 31, when the Cork City boundary extension took effect, up to and including September 30, some 125 planning applications in total were received in former county areas that were subsumed into Cork City as part of the boundary extension. It is understood these applications will now be subject to development charges levied by the city council.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 15

Realise the VELUX potential in your project What is the VELUX potential? It’s when that extra space transforms into an extra special space that you all love spending time in. Whether you’re planning a loft conversion, extension or even a new self build project, VELUX products can bring in more daylight and fresh air to your home. Come along in September and let us help you design your dream project.

velux.ie

H I G H L I G H T S / W H AT ' S N E W

Builder confidence drops in NI Construction industry bosses are reorganising their workforce in preparation for a potential downturn, with higher levels of sub-contracting and lower levels of direct employment, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) which warns of a possible drop in the quality of new builds.

Key results from the FMB’s State of Trade Survey for Q2 2019 showed bricklayers are the trade in shortest supply with nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) of construction SMEs struggling to hire these tradespeople and 54 per cent struggling to hire carpenters and joiners.

Overall, there was a decrease in employment levels among small construction firms for the first time in more than five years with over one fifth (21 per cent) of employers reporting a reduced workforce.

Regional figures are based on a composite indicator combining workload, expected workload and weighted by firm size. NI and Wales saw significant decreases to their net balance with NI moving into negative territory (-3) as it experienced the biggest drop of 44 percentage points. Just 5 per cent of weighted responses were positive, down from 41 per cent, while approximately 87 per cent of weighted responses were neutral, up from 59 per cent.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The construction industry has always used a significant

proportion of subbies but the fact that direct employment is decreasing, points to Brexit nerves among construction bosses.”

“Furthermore, apprenticeship training has taken a hit as construction bosses are reluctant to take on young people when they can’t be sure of future projects going ahead.”

Berry concluded: “Worse still, the fear is that using more subbies can lead to a drop in the quality of our builds. Direct employees, who are well-known to their firm, are much more likely to follow the ethos of their company and build to the

right standard. If construction bosses are trying to protect their businesses by employing more subbies, they might not always know how good these subbies are.”

A report by Turner Townsend dated October 3rd echoes these sentiments showing that total construction output in NI decreased by 4.1 percent in the first quarter of this year and that the private commercial sector has replaced the public sector and housing as the top performing area in the market, according to their survey respondents.

BOOK REVIEW

Happy Homes As with most books dealing with how design affects people, Wellbeing in Interiors focuses on workplace productivity but many of the precepts can be applied to the home: from colour psychology to proportions and textures all the way through to indoor air quality.

In terms of colour, the author tells us walls tend to have the most impact and combinations found in nature are most likely to support wellbeing.

In general red has a physical impact (exhilarating and exciting or aggressive and demanding), blue affects the intellect but it is the intensity and its relationship to other colours that will determine its effect (it can be ‘cold’), yellow the emotions (optimism and self-confidence; if too strong or badly matched, fear and anxiety), green the balance between mind and emotion providing a restful atmosphere but the stillness may feel stagnant to some.

Grey, for its part, is considered a neutral colour but provides a dampening effect on the mood of a space – it helps tone down the energy.

The Good Home Report, meanwhile, finds that five core emotions are linked to our homes (in order of importance): pride, comfort, identity, safety and control.

Another finding is that bigger homes don’t make us happier; it’s how we organise and perceive space that’s important to us.

The road to wellbeing is in many ways a personal one, which highlights just how important it is to spend time at the design stage of your self-build project. To get it right just for you.

Wellbeing in Interiors, Philosophy, Design and Value in Practice by Elina Grigoriou, ISBN 9781859465790, 192 pages, £35, colour images, ribapublishing.com The GoodHome Report 2019: What makes a happy home? funded by Kingfisher with data supplied by Gallup, happinessresearchinstitute.com

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 17

DIAL BEFORE YOU DIG YOURSELF INTO A HOLE Hitting a gas pipeline could mean major disruption to your work, or much worse. If you’re planning to break ground, always check the location of gas pipelines first.

Call 1850 42 77 47 or email dig@gasnetworks.ie

I N S I D E R N E W S / W H AT ' S N E W

Bulletproof There’s more to external wall finishes than plaster or cedar cladding – as the skin of the building, the façade is arguably the defining factor in a building’s aesthetic appeal.

The good news is, Dekton® ultracompact surfaces by Cosentino are now available in Ireland to create hardwearing and architecturally impressive façades, either bonded or ventilated.

Made from a blend of 20 minerals Dekton® boasts reduced porosity, high resistance to scratches, stains, fire and UV rays alongside a host of international quality and safety certifications.

NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0 ROI calling NI prefix with 048

The slabs come in thicknesses of 4, 8, 12 and 20mm depending on the technical requirements of anchoring or design. Due to its ultra large format (3.2mx1.4m), the distance between floor to ceiling can be covered with minimal vertical joints.

Customised textures, designs, colours, shapes and sizes are also possible.

Cosentino has centres in both Belfast and Dublin, offering specifiers and architects a space to discover the material in person and speak to Cosentino’s product experts. consentino.com/en.ie

Blank canvas Think of your internal doors; what if you could paint them and have them look like they’re part of your wall? Wallpaper or tile them or stitch them with leather to match your car’s interior… Or even get them to morph into a hall of mirrors?

All of this is now possible thanks to the Seamless System, brand new to the Irish market and exclusively available in Ireland from Frameless.ie This futuristic system can custom make any door, up to 3000mm high by 1200mm wide, to match your vision.

Whether sliding or hinged the mechanism is hidden from view so it virtually disappears.

All you need to supply is a sample of what you want, or choose from a range of finishes, and the door will match it. There’s even a laminate covering that’s washable and non-marking. Goodbye fingerprint marks!

The futuristic technology behind the sleek mechanics comes from mainland Europe but the doors are produced in Cork where master carpenters take on the

specialist task of layering any finish you can imagine onto the blank canvas.

Frameless, Unit 10, Tramore Commercial Park, Tramore Rd, Cork, T12Y8DW, frameless.ie, em info@frameless.ie, tel. 0214364383, mobile 0857230511. Come along and view the doors at Selfbuild Live Cork on stand L4.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 19

Redefining Surfaces.

Redefining Projects.

Exterior Façade of Redeveloped Vantage Point Archway Tower The ultra-compact surface, Dekton® by Cosentino has been selected for use for the Vantage Point Archway Tower redevelopment project in London

Project Archway Tower Architect GRID Architects Dekton® Surface 3,000 m2 Façade Dekton Danae Natural Collection

COSENTINO IRELAND – Unit Be, Fonthill Industrial Park, Fonthill Road, Dublin 229 ireland@cosentino.com / Follow Us: F T ò

25 Year Warranty.

Find more projects, technical info and inspiration at cosentino.com

I N S I D E R N E W S / W H AT ' S N E W NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0 ROI calling NI prefix with 048

Grey cells

Ultracem® tiled floor

Keeping busy in the R&D department is RTU, a leading supplier and innovator in the field of cement-based products, with the launch of Ultracem®, a

Portland cement-based pump-applied liquid floor screed. It’s the company’s latest generation of cement liquid screed products.

The product joins RTU’s signature range including Exposa®, a stunning decorative concrete, and Ultraflo®, a hemihydrate liquid screed ideal for underfloor heating.

When compared to traditional sand:cement screeds, Ultracem®’s significantly reduced thickness and weight delivers an agile and efficient solution for commercial, residential and self-build projects. The thinner application increases drying times and can significantly enhance on-site productivity with a possible install of 1000m3 per day.

Ultracem® is also incredibly diverse, compatible with all standard floor coverings including tiles, wood, vinyl, carpet and suitable as an underfloor in wet areas.

RTU Ltd., Loughfern Avenue, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT37 0UZ, tel. 90851441, rtu.co.uk

Beam me up!

After almost 18 months of hard work refurbishing what was previously a local car showroom, whilst managing day to day business at the same time, Xpress Lifts officially opened its home lift showroom in Magheralin, Craigavon, at a ribbon cutting ceremony with Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council Lord Mayor Mealla Campbell.

Xpress Lifts has gained a reputation throughout Ireland for excellence in the supply and installation of lifts for the home with a particular focus on aesthetics. The product range includes stairlifts, accessibility platform lifts and home elevators, with the newest and most exciting addition to this range being the Pneumatic Vacuum Elevator.

Rather than using pistons or cables, the company says this is the only elevator that is powered by one of the most abundant resources in the world....air! Due

to its minimal footprint, rapid installation and a unique panoramic design, the vacuum elevator goes where other elevators simply cannot.

Selected models on display in the showroom; for more information visit xpresslifts.co.uk, vacuumelevators.eu, tel. 3832 3603, email sales@xpresslifts.co.uk

Catwalk for tiles

When it comes to fashion, few brands have as much cachet as Versace. And now with the Versace Ceramics range of tiles it’s possible to inject some of that glamour into your home.

To see the collection head over to Cork Tile and Wood Flooring, a family run business that has just expanded its showroom by 1,500 sqft for the Versace Ceramics range along with more bathroom displays. This is in addition to the existing 2,600 sqft showroom showcasing wooden floors, tiles and wardrobes.

Now 15 years in business, Cork Tile and Wood Flooring supplies a full fitting service to the Munster area. For bathrooms this includes the design, (free consultation with production of drawings), specification as well as the installation, including all sanitaryware.

Cork Tile and Wood Flooring’s qualified carpenters can also install wood flooring, and design and fit wardrobes.

Visit the showroom from Monday to Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am5pm, Sunday 2pm-5pm. Cork Tile and Wood Flooring, Unit 2, Kinsale Road Business Park, Kinsale Road Roundabout, Cork, tel. 021 492 9399, corktileandwoodflooring.com WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 21

PROJECT / CO LAOIS

NEW BUILD

Crafted It’s not easy to furnish and decorate a brand new house but with a clever reuse of old furniture and a bit of flair Gillian and Seamus Brennan managed to inject personality into their new build…

Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: Damien Kelly

22 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

CO LAOIS / PROJECT

A

s an artist, teacher and upcycler, Gillian was in many ways the perfect person to take on a selfbuild. “We approached building our own house with our eyes wide open but at the same time we knew we’d be able to draw on some thrifty solutions for the interiors,” she says.

“The challenge for us was getting the house out of the ground. The starting point was to draw on our previous experiences; for example having grown up in a house with a long dark corridor I was adamant we wouldn’t be making similar design mistakes.”

“The most important thing was having plenty of light and sun,” adds Seamus.

“We’d been house hunting for a farmhouse in Kilkenny or more locally but despite searching for a long time we couldn’t find what we wanted. Having access to land near my parents’ house we eventually realised a self-build was our best bet. The bonus is we live right beside my mam’s house.”

“The reason we had wanted to buy an existing property was to reduce our footprint and have a house with character to work with,” continues Gillian. “So when we did start on a new build we wanted it to look like it had always been there, bedded into the landscape. We wanted some shelter

for the front door and also had ideas of a courtyard at the back.”

“The way the plot was configured, we thought the best place to put it was the corner of the site and because there is a bit of a slope, we have the house on three different levels. It is at its lowest at the back.”

“The front of my mom’s house is south facing, with sun all day, and for us to get that we would have had to get ours to face the front of the road. Instead our front door is angled 90 degrees from the laneway,” says Seamus. “The way the design works is that we now get light all day. In the evenings it’s bright at the back. It just puts you in such good humour to have light, and somehow it makes everything look tidier as well.”

“When you drive in from the laneway you don’t see the front door, which is something I quite like,” says Gillian. “What you see from the lane is a contemporary house that takes its cues from vernacular buildings so it doesn’t seem out of place. 

‘When you drive in from the laneway you don’t see the front door...’

Heating and hot water We have underfloor heating throughout, an air to water heat pump and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.

We looked at radiators instead of underfloor heating but it wasn’t that much cheaper.

Our builder advised us to go with a sand and cement screed instead of a liquid screed; he said it was better because it holds the heat of the underfloor heating longer. This is true but it also means it takes a couple of days for the temperature to go up or down.

Another benefit of the heavier screed had to do with laying tiles; our builder said that with the liquid screed you have to skim it to get a key for the tile adhesive.

We also installed a doublesided stove, which I would describe as the most expensive ornament we have. Even when it’s chilly outside the house is always roasting so we really don’t need it, we just have to get used to the central heating not being instant.

The house is quite economical to run as we pay €50 every week and a half. Everything in the house is electric including the cooker so it’s our only utility bill.

We just set the room temperature and that’s it. We have a zone for every room so as to control each individually.

There are two bedrooms we don’t really use and keep the heat down in those.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 23

PROJECT / CO LAOIS The shape that lent itself to the site was an H with a leg split.”

“To save on costs and with the execution in mind, at this early stage we designed the width of the rooms based on precast concrete standard size dimensions, to reduce the amount of cutting we’d have to do. The shape of the roof is very basic for this same reason, we didn’t want dormers or a hipped roof.”

Not your standard bungalow

“We went to visit other houses, watched a lot of house building television programmes and hired an architectural designer to help us with the drawings and he drew up his vision,” says Seamus. “We also took in all of the guidelines available from the local council website about how to design houses in the countryside and we explored the area to see what had been built and how our design would fit in.”

“We used tracing paper and made changes and eventually managed to get what we wanted. A lot of people thought it was mad looking. It’s certainly not your standard bungalow but it’s tailor made for us.”

“The main tip I’d give for this stage is to design the inside first then figure out the

‘...the balance of windows outside is the biggest thing, and the the depth of the house.’

‘...design the inside first then figure out the outside.’

24 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

outside,” adds Gillian. “There’s a happy medium between aesthetics and how it’s going to work. The balance of windows outside is the biggest thing, and the depth of the house.”

“From the inside, because we don’t have amazing views, we used the windows to strategically frame the greenery that’s around us. This gives the impression that there’s something interesting to look at. It’s about how you frame it.”

“We also spoke with my brother who has a background in planning and arranged a pre-planning meeting with the local council so as to know in advance what their response would be to the design.”

“One of our relations actually went for planning in our area with an off-the-shelf design and they had much more difficulty securing planning permission than we did,” adds Seamus. “We had expected the opposite but that’s probably because our house was built to match our specific site.”

“We looked at every aspect, picking colours that match. If you’re in a forestry area maybe timber cladding is a good idea or if the area is renowned for stone and you want to use some as a finish then explain to the planners why you’re incorporating it.

Research goes a long way at this stage of the 

PROJECT / CO LAOIS

process; it also shows the planners you’re ticking all the boxes.”

“The changes that we made, and that actually arose at the pre-planning meeting, were to move the laneway. We also had to site the house further away from the road than we originally intended, about 40m.”

Managing costs

“We know some builders and initially had a chat with a couple of them and realised our design was going to be too expensive to build so we cut the cloth to fit the table and took out any extras,” says Gillian.

“For instance we originally thought we’d get a pantry but instead settled on a larder press in the kitchen. The island has plenty of storage space and, along with the fridge, that’s all we need. I think the more storage you have the more you fill it up with stuff you don’t necessarily need.”

“We wanted to get as much done by the builder as possible but to cut costs we went direct labour on some aspects and did as much as we could ourselves. Because we’d never built a house we didn’t know where to save, little jobs in between work better when you have the advice of the builder to hand and we were lucky to draw on his experience,” says Seamus.

“We briefly considered timber frame but eventually decided to go with the tried and tested block build method. Our Building 26 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

‘From the inside, because we don’t have amazing views, we used the windows to strategically frame the greenery that’s around us...’

Gillian upcycled the 8ft oak table

CO LAOIS / PROJECT

Energy Rating assessor recommended we go above and beyond the current insulation requirements to future proof the house and we felt this was well worth the investment.”

“We sourced all the windows ourselves, we also got the block work, carpentry and plaster work organised. The work in between like airtightness membranes, the builder helped with all the bits and pieces, advice and organisation.”

“We agreed to a fixed price with our builder and then did the rest around that; his being around all the time took the stress away. I don’t think we spent more with this approach and probably saved ourselves wasting time and money because of our inexperience,” adds Gillian.

“We have a relation who’s a carpenter building his house himself and it makes me realise it’s a lot to take on. Oftentimes I think you’re better off in your day job.

It’s true there are areas where you can save money, but there are others where you shouldn’t. The main things is knowing what you can and can’t do.” 

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 27

PROJECT / CO LAOIS

Tips Stick to your guns. People will have different opinions and because there are pros and cons to everything, listen to all of the advice you can get. But go with what makes sense to you and stick with it. You know better than anyone else how you live. For example our utility is not beside our kitchen, mostly because it’s only a laundry room and not an extra kitchen, which seems to be a big departure from convention. As our relations mostly come through the back door at the other side of the house, it made more sense for us to move the utility away.

Get big ticket items costed early on. We had an issue with sourcing the window colour we wanted. We were looking for RAL7023, which would’ve been really expensive, €30,000 for the colour alone. At the time we were building, black or cool grey were our only two standard options unless we sourced the windows from abroad which we eventually did. The other reason for going abroad was the size of the panes of glass which were again not standard and therefore more expensive to source in Ireland.

For the aesthetics, we had the downpipes and gutters sprayed to match the colour of the windows.

28 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

CO LAOIS / PROJECT

adds Seamus. “In total we were four years living at my parents’ house as the build took 15 months, from August 2016 to November 2017.”

Personal touch

Cash flow was another key feature of this self-build. “We were dealing in thousands and had only five stage payments, so we got a lot of money a little of the time,” explains Seamus.

“Because the bank only releases money as the stages are completed, we used our savings to get to each stage. Tradesmen have to get paid when their bit is done. There are also things that we just had to buy on the spot like flooring. We topped up the kitty at every drawdown to pay for the following stage of the build.”

“We got as much done with the mortgage as we could and moved in as soon as possible to be able to draw down on the last stage payment.”

“For the design, planning permission, getting money sorted and the tender it took us about two years before breaking ground,”

“The kitchen is where everyone is and we gave it a lot of thought,” says Gillian. “The manufacturer did a lovely job, and it is the main area where we spent money. We have the hob in the island with popup extractor, an undercounter sink and had wanted quartz but it was too expensive so we went with an engineered stone which is good with heat and staining unlike the formica which we used on the bench side.”

“To link old style with contemporary I reused copper wire armature I had lying around from pottery classes and I put them inside the presses. In terms of painting and choosing door handles, I’d advise to do it only once, and as best as you can afford.”

“One aspect I might revisit is the popup extractor because containing cooking smells can be difficult on the island; it works best if we turn it on before we start cooking. When we moved in, we just had the kitchen fitted and the tiles down in the main living areas plus one bathroom, but nothing else. We’re doing it slowly to get the champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget.”

“The style indoors is a mixture of cottage style and Victorian. For instance I upcycled a unit I bought second hand, it had a marble worktop and I just painted it. All of the furniture is mostly from thrift shops, 

Q&A What would you do differently?

We’d probably hire a quantity surveyor. We got caught out with the electrical work; we started off with a basic specification but by adding sockets and switches, at €50 each, we paid about €7,000 more than we intended. The irony is, even though we added sockets and switches we still could use a few more! This is why spending money on a QS at the start helps draw up the full list of what you will actually need. It holds true for other trades, a more accurate listing of the materials would have been useful. A lot of tradesmen will price the job to get it and the cheapest quote rarely ends up being the lowest one once you factor in the ‘extras’.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 29

PROJECT / CO LAOIS

Q&A What’s your favourite design feature?

Gillian: I like the living room with pink sofas, I also love the outside courtyard that acts as a linked space, it’s one central space with each room off it. The size of the overhang is also very good for hanging out clothes in this crazy weather and very handy to sit out in the evenings.

Seamus: I like our bedroom because it’s dark and I can sleep during the day. In hotels the bedrooms are often dark and moody, whereas the hall and living areas are very bright and we replicated that to great effect.

What single piece of advice would you give a self-builder?

We’re very happy with the layout because of the amount of time we spent on it. Take the time to think it all through, find faults, and don’t get too excited by aspects you fall in love with.

You also need someone for advice; we knew our builder well but we weren’t close. It probably helped not mixing business with pleasure, but still having a professional and excellent relationship.

Were there any surprises?

How expensive it all is and unfortunately now as we’re tackling it, realising that the outdoors is also pricey. We sowed the grass last week and had topsoil brought in to do the garden because the builder’s rubble is no good. We were also surprised to find it would cost us €2,000 for a basic hedge.

Would you do it again?

It feels like we’re still in the process of doing it, so we’ll have to finish this project first before we can consider another. But the answer is more than likely to be yes.

30 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

people selling their stuff online and flat pack suppliers. We also have my grandmother’s dresser; in one way or another each item has a story which adds to the character of the house.”

“I even drove to Galway for the table that’s in the hall and only paid €50 for it. It’s time and effort but that’s where we saved.”

“What I like is that the aged furniture tells a new story. It’s also more sturdy and feels nicer than what you’d buy in a shop,” adds Seamus.

“We decided on the styles as we went

along,” says Gillian. “At the start you want everything. Then you realise you just need a couch and a TV! The basic necessities are quite simple and you can layer on top of these, taking your time to find additional items at the right price.”

“In fact the stairs weren’t fitted when we moved in. We eventually found a carpenter who cut the pieces of poplar we got, reclaimed, to make the staircase and it only cost us €1,000 in materials as we assembled it ourselves.”

“Now it’s all about doing as much as we can ourselves because the big stuff is done,” says Seamus. “Looking back we were very lucky with the cost of everything; prices were much lower in 2016 and even though our build took a while to progress the tradesmen all stuck to the price they agreed to. There was probably an increase of 20 to 30 per cent towards the end of 2016 in costs overall that we were able to avoid.”

PROJECT / CO LAOIS

More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

Project information

Find out more about Gillian and Seamus’ new build project in Co Laois...

BUILDING SPECIFICATION

SUPPLIERS

Walls: Cavity walls 125mm PIR board full fill

Architectural designer PDS Planning & Design Solutions, Carlow, tel. 059 9164328, pdscarlow.ie; final engineering drawings

by Dean Design

Roof: 150mm PIR board between rafters with insulated (50mm PIR) plasterboard on ceiling Floor: standard build up with 120mm PIR insulation House size: 2,620 sqft

Plumbing Kieran Fitzpatrick, Mountrath, Co Laois, mobile 0879854874

General contractor Patrick Brennan, Co Laois, mobile 0861069842

House value: €375,000 insurance was in place for the final drawdown BER: A2

Insulation Xtratherm, xtratherm.ie Electrical Contractor Gary Dunne Electrical, Co Carlow, mobile 0872226017

Bathroom

Kitchen Newhaven Kitchens, Carlow, tel. 0599176873, newhavenkitchens.ie Tiles and bathrooms Tile n Style, Graiguecullen, Co Carlow, tel. 0599132767

Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery Beam, beamcentralsystems.com

Sitting Room

Roofing Michael Hand Roofing & Carpentry, Co Carlow, mobile 0872420293

Photography Damien Kelly, Co Kildare, mobile 0879624766, damienkellyphotography.com

NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0

Utility Ensuite Bedroom 1 Foyer

Bedroom 2 Ensuite HP Bedroom 3 Living Room

Kitchen Dining

GROUND FLOOR Ensuite

Walk-in W

FIRST FLOOR 325

32 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Master Bedroom

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PROJECT / CO DOWN

‘...we didn’t want a huge mortgage and not being able to go on holidays; a house is important but it’s not the only thing in our lives.”

34 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

CO DOWN / PROJECT

NEW BUILD

Modernist twist Giving free reign to an architect whose style you admire pays off, and as Kerri Farrell found out, it’s not nearly as expensive as you might think Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: Paul Lindsay

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had always wanted to build my own house but thought it was more of a dream than a possibility,” says Kerri. “My husband Rory is a joiner and he’s done contract management on self-builds, so has some experience, but for us I just thought building a house was out of reach financially.”

Still they held out hope and bought a serviced site close to where they were living at the time, in an area zoned for residential development in the countryside.

“We did the sums and when we realised we could afford it, we went full steam,” adds Kerri. “The serviced site was ideal because it meant we needn’t worry about utilities and connecting to them. There were 14 sites and when we bought ours Phase One was complete with four homes already built.”

“They’re all individual properties very different to one another. A major asset is that we’re not on a main road, which was important from a safety point of view for the pets but also as we were planning on having children. I didn’t want to be too secluded either, up a country lane, not that Rory would have minded.”

Kerri says she’s very happy with her choice, living beside likeminded self-builders. “There’s a great sense of community, with everyone having built their own house round about the same time.”

Dream in the making

“The project started off with the search for an architectural designer and we found a newly qualified architect who had built his own house. What stopped us was that we weren’t confident he had enough experience behind him. We had to keep the costs down  WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 35

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Q&A What would you change?

The only thing I wouldn’t do again is the polished concrete; we have some stones that came loose as we polished it quite well and you can see the aggregate with a light shine. It doesn’t look any better than a large profile tile and it’s more expensive to get done. One of the reasons we chose it was that I wanted a similar floor finish everywhere but we could have achieved that with a cheaper finish that might have looked better.

What surprised you?

Lead-in times probably were the biggest surprise, we couldn’t even get a price off some subcontractors just because of how busy they were getting again.

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but also needed to build the right house, and because neither Rory nor I are designers we knew we needed an expert to guide us through that process.”

“We kept looking and found John through his website and really liked his style but we also thought he’d be above our budget so didn’t bother contacting him.

Then in work, a colleague who heard we were thinking of building, and who’d been an architect himself, recommended we talk to John.”

“We were still considering it when we went for a cycle and passed a house we really liked the look of. We knocked on the door to ask about the design and their architect was John so we knew we had to at least get in touch and see what his fees were like, and they were surprisingly reasonable.”

“We started off with a wish list. I had the usual in mine: walk-in wardrobe, open plan, and maximum size as I didn’t want a massive house we weren’t going to use. I also didn’t want a huge mortgage and not being able to go on holidays; a house is important but it’s not the only thing in our lives.”

“Rory’s wish list had two things on it: a smart bike and a Labrador. It’s genuinely all he wanted. So the gym was part of the house design. We also made sure we costed the furniture we’d need at the end.”

“John came back to inform us that we weren’t going to get the entire wish list for the size we specified so we had to decide what we could live without, which were rooms like the larder and the small toy room off the kitchen.”

“Even though we didn’t have a family at the time, we were designing for one, yet we were realistic with our expectations. There was nothing extreme we needed and we didn’t want a showhouse.”

“We trusted John and the most important thing for us was that we were happy with his style and the way the house would look and feel. John came back with the design and we didn’t change a single thing. The only alteration arose from a miscommunication, we wanted to have a wall between the gym and garage to have it as a separate room.”

“There was one small change during the build which was the car park space. It was reduced because we didn’t want the car at the front of the large window.”

“Those are very minor compared to what most people we know go through 

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when self-building. It probably made John’s life easier and he was able to free up some time to give us advice regarding the interiors. We’d only really paid for the design and sign off for the mortgage and building control but we got a lot more than that as a result of not making any changes to the plans.”

“We applied for planning permission at the time when the local councils took over from the centralised department that used to process all applications, and there were delays for what appeared to the be no reason.”

“It took us over a year for approval; for our neighbours who lodged their application six months later it took them just three months. Thankfully we weren’t planning to sell our existing home until the process was more advanced so it was just a question of starting later than originally anticipated.”

Construct

“We then got our construction drawings from John and went to a quantity surveyor to draw up a full list of what we would need exactly, and at what approximate market price. This is when we had to look at the plans again to reduce, reduce, reduce.”

“We quickly realised the most economical thing was for Rory to take a year off work to build the house himself. He’s a contractor so it made the most sense. We had different block layers and people for the foundations, everyone was brought on board

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Tips Use local companies as much as possible. It’s a way to support your area but you’re also likely to get quicker and better service.

Remember that you need time to choose things and rushing it could lead to the wrong decision.

Work with the Building Control officer. In NI every self-build is inspected by the local authority so you will develop a relationship with your building control officer.

We had two inspectors during the build; one insisted we might bring a rug next to our stove, on top of the concrete floor, and that we needed a raised hearth to prevent this from happening. You need a non flammable surface 150mm around the fire.

individually.”

This self-build was certainly a handson one for everybody. “The day we broke ground I was driving a dumper truck on my due date for our first child,” recalls Kerri.

“I remember the date well, it was the 5th September 2016. Five days later the baby was born.”

“The original plan was for it to take 10 months and it took a year; delays mostly had to do with the weather and some lead times.

There were some frustrations; Rory is very laid back and I’m not but perhaps that was a good mix.”

“We’d sold the house before we started building, in June 2016, as it seemed like a good time to build in terms of costs and we were mortgage free for over a year which relieved some pressure,” continues Kerri. “We moved in with my dad for the construction phase, and he took sick so it worked out for the best we were there when it happened. We’ve been in since September 2018.”

“And it was good in fact that I was off, for my dad but also for the build. I could go and look at bathrooms, kitchens, tiles. I only had a newborn in a pram to bring with me, it would have been a different story had I had my second or if I’d been working full time.

I spent a lot of my time chasing up people while Rory was on site.”

One of the issues with juggling family life and a self-build was keeping tabs. “I started off by tallying our expenses and keeping on  WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 39

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top of things but as the build progressed and I became more involved with family duties, I let this aspect slip.”

“What ended up happening was that Rory and I would separately buy things for the house; and think 100 pounds here or there wasn’t much to add in the grand scheme of things, or even a thousand. All of these small things add up but in our case, I wouldn’t change a thing. Those choices we made were worth it, and we’re lucky we could manage it financially.”

The construction method was blockwork.

“We wanted a solid house so it was concrete all the way for us. We spent eight months planning the whole thing. For the upper floor we wanted to prevent noise from travelling either way.”

Feature windows

“Because we both work in the world of construction we know changes cost money, especially at the later stages. Also because of the type of design we had, if we were to move anything or change anything slightly the design wouldn’t work as a whole.”

“If we’d changed windows for example it would look silly. Some people think there’s one missing upstairs, in fact we’ve recently heard it described as the house with no windows. But it’s part of the design, and I love it. The openings are up to 4m wide but not fully glazed for privacy. They’re easy to

‘...we’ve recently heard it described as the house with no windows. But it’s part of the design, and I love it.’

clean; upstairs they have an opening sash mechanism and are made of solid timber.”

“The patio has a double set of sliding doors leading to it. John designed it for us and the space is exactly what we asked for.

We considered bifold but because of the size of the slider at 3.9m and our climate we felt they weren’t suitable.”

“In the open plan area we have two sets of double doors, one south facing the other westerly facing, and we can get 27degC in that space in the summer when we come home from work. Now that we have small children I realise we could have used a window or roof light for ventilation because as soon as we open the sliding doors the children run outside, not always supervised.”

“We got electric blinds on all the windows to mitigate the problem with eight blinds in the living room. They’re recessed in the ceiling so when the blinds are up there’s nothing on show. We chose a grey colour but could have gone a shade lighter to cut out the heat. An outdoor shading 40 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

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Q&A What’s your favourite part?

I love the open plan area, it’s a great house for kids to go around in bikes. When we have people over they’re at the table, at the island, they have the entire open plan to mill about. The pocket doors are ideal; you can open and close them depending on use.

device would have changed the appearance of the house so we had to go with an internal system.”

“We have mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and while it’s great at keeping the indoor air fresh and circulating air around, it doesn’t provide any cooling.”

Upstairs the use of roof lights has paid off. “As we needed privacy with the ensuites and walk-in wardrobe we only installed roof lights in these rooms. This means no need for frosted glass or blinds. It makes these spaces bright and also leaves the wall space clear.”

“We also have underfloor heating upstairs because the windows are too low for radiators. The bedrooms aren’t massive in 

Would you do it again?

Yes, although I’m not sure I should encourage Rory because he keeps talking about ‘next time’. The house is not to everyone’s taste, in some ways it’s featureless, for instance the gutters are all concealed. But we love it so I’m in no hurry to take on another project now.

What single piece of advice would you give a self-builder?

Add 20 per cent to what you think you’re going to spend. All those little extras you’ll want to be able to afford will probably up the cost by that amount. I was also under the illusion that we’d be moving into a completely finished house, with external work done within a year. That didn’t happen; we were showering at the gym until the tiling was done.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 41

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size as we integrated built-in wardrobes.”

“For the heating and hot water we chose an oil boiler because natural gas was not available. We might have gone with photovoltaic panels to generate electricity but the orientation didn’t suit. We could still put them on the east end of the house or the flat roof on the garage.”

In terms of energy use, Kerri says their bills are the same as the three-bed semi they lived in that was built in 2013.

Interiors

“We planned the furniture layout in advance which helped with the lighting design; for

example we have floor sockets in the living room for a tall lamp near the sofa.”

“For the staircase John warned us we were at the maximum for riser height for the building regulations. It was a trade-off between taking out a part of the walk-in wardrobe or having steep risers,” says Kerri.

“Because it’s solid oak, with squared edges, with a young family it’s not that practical to use. What I would do with hindsight is see if we could reduce the size of the snug instead.”

“In terms of the floor, we didn’t want anything so hard as a tile so we went with 42 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

luxury vinyl on the landing and in the bedrooms because it’s soft underfoot.”

“For the lighting we decided against too many spotlights so we have recessed LED strips hidden in the ceiling. When they were being installed I realised they were cool white lights and that colour temperature didn’t feel right because the finish in the house was already very modern with a lot of greys. At this stage half had been done, but we still changed the lot to warm light.”

With pops of colour peppered throughout the house, the overall impression is one of warmth and cosiness.

More Individuality.

Supply & Fit Service

Tel: 028 9077 0044

www.sykesbathrooms.com

Showroom 38 Duncrue Crescent Belfast BT3 9BW

Open Monday-Friday: 9am-5pm Saturday: 9am-12.30pm

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More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

Project information

Find out more about Kerri and Rory’s new build project in Co Down...

SIZES & BUILDING SPECIFICATION

SUPPLIERS

House size: 2,700 sqft / Plot size: ¼ acre

Architect John Lavery of BGA Architects, Newtownards, Co Down, tel. 9181 5736, bga-ni.com

Roof: attic truss, breathable membrane, counter battened and 12x24 natural slate covering.

Staircase, windows, doors Miller Woodcraft, Randalstown, Co Antrim, tel. 9447 8988, madebymillar.co.uk

Walls: 150mm cavity construction EPS bead filled, 2x100mm blockwork with phenolic board insulation, plasterboard with skim finish.

Floor: Radon barrier 150mm concrete sub floor, 100mm phenolic board floor insulation underfloor heating pipes 100mm concrete screed polished to exposed aggregate finish.

Kitchen Ravensdale Indoor Living, Newry, Co Down, tel. 3025 2324, ravensdale.com

Windows: painted timber frames double glazed and solid timber opening sash.

Electrical Braham Electrical, brahamelectrical.com Blinds Maypole Interiors, Newry, Co Down, tel. 3026 4689, maypoleinteriors.com Builder’s merchant Kelly’s Point Building Supplies, kellys-group.com; Newry Building Supplies, murdockbuildersmerchants.com; Point Hire, kellyspointhire.com

Shower Room Afternoon/evening terrace

Garge

Photography Christopher Hill Photographic, scenicireland.com

Gym

ROI calling NI prefix with 048

Covered Porch

Utility Living

Kitchen Lounge TV

Dining

CR

WC ground cover planting

GROUND FLOOR Bedroom

Bathroom

Bedroom

Master Bedroom Landing Master Ensuite

WW

FIRST FLOOR 44 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

HP

Bedroom

P R O J E C T / C O M E AT H

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C O M E AT H / P R O J E C T

EXTENSION & RENOVATION

Against the clock When disaster strikes sometimes you have no option but to carry out that much dreamed about renovation project, as Denis and Sarah Murphy of Co Meath experienced in 2017...

Words: Astrid Madsen

W

hen we came back from holidays in June we came home to find the hardwood flooring on the ground floor rippled and swollen. The pressurised water pump had leaked and flooded everything within a 20ft radius,” recounts Denis.

“We always turn off the pump before going on a holiday but this time the seals had given way and a constant water flow made its way silently under the floorboards from the hot press into three rooms,” adds Sarah.



“It was clear from the start we’d have to replace the floors which in turn meant taking out our beautiful German alder wood kitchen. The silver lining is that it was over 20 years old and in need of a facelift.”

“Perhaps the most daunting part was that we had to make our first ever home insurance claim,” continues Sarah. “Little did we imagine the €15,000 claim would spur a €150,000 spend but slowly it dawned on us that this was our opportunity to do something special with a cramped and cold north facing kitchen dining room and radically transform our main living space.”

“We had less than a year to get our act  WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 47

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‘...our only window of opportunity was the summer months when the kids had no school.’

Before

together between topping up the mortgage, designing, obtaining planning permission and arranging the builder,” adds Denis.

“The extent of the work we planned meant we would have to move out of the house so our only window of opportunity was the summer months when the kids had no school.”

About 10 years ago the unusually shaped dormer bungalow already went through a major renovation with extension. “We found a draughtsman at the time to help us put plans together and secure planning permission,” explains Denis.

“It involved us taking the roof off half of the house and converting the attic in the other half adding three new bedrooms in total. By sacrificing an old bedroom, we created a super master bedroom with walk in wardrobe and extended en suite.”

“This was our first major hands-on project, achieved by direct labour for the main sections, like roof work, plumbing, plastering and electrical,” says Sarah. “We undertook everything else ourselves, from demolition, breaking out new windows and doors, through to slabbing out, insulating and flooring.”

“The build dragged on for about two years and while we were delighted with the result, we were not keen to repeat the process again. But time is a great healer and 10 years later, we were happy to take on this new project.”

‘Beautiful and not boring’

“The kitchen was a very cold room despite being the one we spent the most time in; it 48 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

C O M E AT H / P R O J E C T

Before

and the garden had remained untouched for about 20 years,” says Denis. “As a photographer, light is everything so I spent much time pondering how we could bring sunlight into this dark and north facing space.”

“We had lived in Australia for a short time 16 years previously where we fell in love with and brought back a gigantic 9ft x 4ft solid, one piece, redgum table.

It just took over the room. So the dream renovation was also driven by wanting better proportions for this table,” says Sarah.

“For years this long dreamt-of project had been relegated to the back of our minds, with priority given to our schoolgoing age children, not to mention a steady stream of foster dogs.”

“To get this new project started, we originally contacted a design and build company that suggested a box shape at the back of the house, which left us a little underwhelmed and not really delivering anything special,” adds Denis.

“We also approached a local builder to give us some advice. He has a very good reputation and after seeing a project he was working on at the time we asked him if he’d be interested in doing our job. He recommended an architect that he regularly used and that’s the person we chose to help us with the design.”

“The back of our house was quite ugly,” confides Sarah. “A tall steep pitched dormer bungalow, peppered with rooflights, that we had added over the years in an effort to let in more light. We really wanted something beautiful, not boring, inside but also outside.”

“With the aid of the architect’s twodimensional CAD design we moved on quickly from a flat roof box design to that of an apex and then on to a triangle shape (a flat roof with a lean to) that would give us a tall gable wall on the eastern side. The architect also put together 3D videos of the plans which really helped us to visualise the design.” 

During

‘As a photographer, light is everything so I spent much time pondering how we could bring sunlight into this dark and north facing space.’

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 49

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Q&A What surprised you?

How often we completely changed our minds! We were originally against artificial grass but started to consider it as a low maintenance option. We looked at five or six types and didn’t like any of them until we came across a local supplier, it has a lovely fleck going through it which mimics nature very well.

I think it looks better than the real stuff! No more mud and no more grass cutting.

Maintenance is easy even though we take puppy guide dogs year after year and have a dog of our own. The poo can be lifted easily when going with the grain of the grass. It’s also so easy to power wash. I’ve even been known to vacuum the lawn!

What’s your favourite design element?

Denis: The laundry chute from the hot press upstairs to the utility downstairs… there is no guarantee the kids always use it though! Overall it’s having our main living space transformed; now the garden is part of our everyday lives. We transformed the back yard from a swamp to a beautiful living space with mature trees. On a sunny morning it’s a place for breakfast, in the evening perfect for BBQs. Sarah: I drink a lot of tea and love the instant boiling tap but the 10ft long island is the main stand out feature for me.

Would you do it again?

Every time we undertake a renovation, we say never again. But this time we really won’t need to for a long while.

That said you are never really finished. The bathroom upstairs needs to be renovated, and now that we’ve experienced some settlement in the tiles they definitely need replacing. We also plan to add a link to our block built shed with a glass corridor as well as tackling the front garden.

50 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

“We put in a letterbox window in the top of the eastern wall, at last allowing the early morning sunshine to flood the room, directly influenced by the Newgrange winter solstice,” adds Denis. “The western facing roof has three large rooflights to allow the evening sun to illuminate the extension at the other end of the day.”

“In terms of the roof covering and what to cover the wall with it was our architect’s idea to go with a replica zinc finish which is made of a 5mm uPVC coating that is ribbed to make it look like the metal. At half the cost of zinc it really looks fantastic,” says Sarah.

“To get them on board but also to get their advice, we showed our plans to all of our neighbours. We thought we wanted a stove on the western wall, but that would have added a large silver flue to our neighbours’ eyeline so we were reluctant to do that.”

“Instead we piped it for a gas fire as that requires a smaller flue,” adds Denis. “During the build when we ran the connection our

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builder told us we would not need the stove.

And he was right, we never installed it. We were completely amazed at how effective the new levels of insulation are and didn’t realise the central heating would be more than enough.”

“As for the design itself, indoors we totally flipped the room around, the kitchen used to be on the exterior wall facing out on to the garden,” explains Sarah. “Now we have sliding doors that really bring the outdoors inside the house, it’s all one space.

During the summer they’re open all the time.”

“The kitchen of course was at the core of the design and we easily spent 20+ hours poring over what to do with that space. We redesigned it over and over again,” says Denis. “The flow of the day to day usage of the room was very important to us.”

“For example, the positioning of the sink at an end corner of the island kept the washing/ cleaning area in one space, while a glance over the right shoulder allows us to keep an eye on the news on the TV in the adjacent sitting room. And the cooking and preparation area along the inner long side of the island keeps guests out of harm’s way while still being able to be sociable across the island at the same time.”

“We also made sure the bar counter stools were positioned with ample knee room around one of the corners, which makes chatting to each other so much easier,” adds Sarah. “Depending on the day, dinner can

be at the island, at the big table, or in the sitting room in front of the TV. The couch in the dining area adds to the sociable atmosphere, it’s soft and inviting.”

“Another tip for entertaining, which we swear by, is to have two dishwashers because while you’re unloading one you can fill the other,” says Denis. “We accidentally ended up with this setup when we thought our old dishwasher had to be replaced and bought a new one. It had turned out to be just a clogged pipe. Since then, 20 years ago, we’ve kept the two and never looked back.”

“Perhaps best of all is the white engineered countertop,” says Sarah.

“Amazingly it is really easy to keep clean, while being virtually bulletproof. The salesman’s pitch had us hooked instantly: he tried to scratch it with a knife, he set it on fire, and then wrote on it with permanent marker. Everything wiped off. It was a big expense at €5,000 and the sheet cracked four times when it was being cut. The supplier sent an expert over from Spain to advise on a specific cutting method in the end.”

“Lastly the boiling filter tap was simply a must-have from the moment we first saw them on display, despite the eye watering price,” she adds.

Time is of the essence

“In terms of the build, we had a rough guide price from the design-build outfit  WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 51

P R O J E C T / C O M E AT H

Q&A What would you do differently?

When house was built 23 years ago and when we did our big renovation 10 years ago the regulations weren’t so tight as they are now. We only have 50mm insulation in the roof and that’s what bugs us the most. We also can’t install airtight insulation now as that would mean taking off all the plasterboard So maybe one day integrated photovoltaic roof tiles will come within reach financially and we could replace the slates and insulate from above. We could have gone with solar thermal or photovoltaic panels on the front of the house, which is south facing and baked in sunshine, but we find the panels so ugly we never did it.

What single piece of advice would you give a budding renovator?

Decisions about what goes where have to be made well in advance. The more homework and research you do will return benefits to you in spades; you will save time and money because any changes made on site will be much more costly than if they had been made on paper. So Plan, Plan, and Plan some more. Changing things later is expensive and so is getting it wrong. Living in the house for years previously really helps as you tend to know exactly what you need and where you need it.

Check every detail and again, make sure you are very clear of what everyone expects of everyone else to cut out misunderstandings. And remember it always turns out to be more expensive than you think at the start.

52 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

The letterbox window in the top of the eastern wall allows the early morning sunshine to flood the room, a feature influenced by the Newgrange winter solstice.

that had priced for the box extension.

I also had a good understanding of the building process, and the builder we chose put a lot of effort into pricing the job. Our builder was great to deal with, a very clear communicator of the issues as they arose and realistic about timelines. He was open to our rapid changes of mind and in the end delivered exactly as he said he would” recounts Denis.

“He gave us a detailed breakdown of costs based on the construction drawings our architect had put together. I got a quantity surveyor to check the figures and we went ahead with it.”

Overall what racketed up costs was being on a tight deadline. “We didn’t always have time to get multiple quotes which can mean getting caught out on price,” says Sarah.

“We did our build rapidly because we had to have the house ready by September for the kids’ return to school.”

“We had a window of opportunity and if we didn’t do it then, we would have had to wait another year,” adds Denis. “To keep costs as low as possible we minded a selection of friend’s houses and pets over the 10-week build duration while they were away on holiday over the summer. We moved back into the house at the end of August with bare walls and no kitchen.”

“In an ideal world we would have had all of the finishes planned out in advance,” says Sarah. “But in reality it was quite rushed and we went with it. Our architect was pessimistic we’d be able to do it all within that time frame, and it was tight alright,

because building in summer we had to factor in builders’ holidays which go on for two weeks in July.”

The big ticket items were the windows and doors. “They were the biggest single expense at €16,000 which includes the fixed pane of glass above the sliding doors, the other smaller sliding door in the office, and two external doors,” says Sarah.

“The research to find the right supplier was lengthy. It boiled down to two quality suppliers and in the end we had to choose how many bars within the expanse of glass that we’d be looking at. We could have had two doors with just one dividing bar in the middle but that would have cost us a 

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P R O J E C T / C O M E AT H

Tips Get the kitchen designed before you get your construction drawings done up. Just as is the case with a bathroom you need to know pretty much exactly where things will go, so as to get the first fix plumbing and electrics sorted which happens early on in the build.

Install a rainwater harvesting tank. We have a 1,000 litre one we use for the showers and toilets. The system filters and cleans the water.

Keep lines of communication open. Absolute clarity about who is doing exactly what and cutting out any assumptions will really help.

Get deals on white goods.

Our white goods supplier has a continuous supply of highend electrical goods like Neff and Bosch on sale with some small issues like a little dent or scratch so they are significantly reduced yet brand-new with manufacturer’s warranty. Our integrated fridge had a large scrape on the side but you don’t see this when it is installed. We saved hundreds of euros.

54 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

thousand euros more.”

Any hiccups? “There are always a few,” says Denis. “One issue we came across had to do with the fixed triangular pane of glass above the sliders. Our builder said we would have to order it once it was built to make sure it would fit the space; he said ordering off drawings wasn’t good enough because tolerance levels are so low.”

“We said fair enough and ordered the rest. We waited for the opening to be built to place the order on the triangle. At that stage the manufacturer priced it €800 more than originally quoted because of extra shipping costs.”

“After having spent so much with them we were surprised by this, so decided we

needed to look for other suppliers,” adds Sarah. “At this stage our architect was telling us that by his calculations our very large north facing windows were dragging us down in terms of U-values and therefore heat retention.”

“To keep all of the glazing, including the triangle, he said we could bring down the overall house U-value calculation by replacing the 20 year old double glazed windows to the front of the house with triple glazing, which we ended up doing in uPVC.” “We got companies to price these and the triangle as well,” she adds. “For the triangle we got a quote for aluminium only as opposed to timber clad in aluminium and it came in considerably cheaper than expected so that allowed us to go with granite window cills at the front replacing the concrete painted brown ones that were there. The new cills really lift the front of the house.”

This inevitably led to delays and the family did have to live with the boarded up windows during the month of September.

“The triple glazing is a delight and the doors are very well built,” comments Denis. “During the heavy snow when we stood beside the glass we were surprised to find we couldn’t feel the cold. Nothing radiated through; you do get what you pay for. Being on a flight path the triple glazing is also a godsend from the point of view of acoustics.”

“Another worthwhile addition was the wifi controlled heating which allows us to zone the heating in the house. It was all done without the need for any work on the plumbing and it works brilliantly.”

As for that big Australian table, they can now walk around it no problem.

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Consultation O U IL D LIV E C

P R O J E C T / C O M E AT H

More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

Project information

SUPPLIERS

Find out more about Denis and Sarah’s extension and renovation project in Co Meath...

Architect Fergal McGirl Architects, Dublin 1, tel. 01 873 5441, fmgarchitects.ie Builder Herd Construction, email patherdbuild@gmail.com, mobile 087 261 1746

BUILDING SPECIFICATION

Quantity surveyor Neil McGroary Quantity Surveyor, mobile 086 3484495, hillcourtqs.com

House size before: 248sqm / House size after: 280sqm Build cost excluding garden: â‚Ź150,000

Structural engineer Michael Hetherton Architectural & Engineering Services Ltd, Oldcastle, Co Meath, tel. 049 854 29 11, mheng.ie

Extension walls: 215mm solid concrete block wall with 140mm external wall insulation and silicone render finish, sand/ cement render and gypsum skim plaster finish internally.

Perimeter insulation 100mm XPS EWI extended to top of foundation. U-value 0.2W/sqmK. Extension floor: floor build up 150mm poured concrete slab on 100mm PIR on radon barrier joints lapped and sealed on 50mm sand blinding on 225mm well consolidated hardcore.

U-value 0.2W/sqmK. Extension roofs: 16deg flat roof, proprietary PVC finish incorporating decorative zinc

effect extruded profiles at 450mm centres on 18mm OSB3 T&G sheets on 140mm PIR insulation on vapour control membrane with 150mm overlaps on plywood decking on roof structure; plasterboard and skim plaster finish to ceiling.

Pressed metal cladding to fascias with cedar sheeting to soffit/ underside of overhanging roofs.

U-value 0.16W/sqmK Existing walls: dry lining to existing walls at the back of the house was approached by removing existing plasterboard and applying 2x50mm layers of foil-faced PIR insulation with staggered joints fixed to the bare block wall through 35x50mm

battens on the inside face. All joints sealed between insulation boards with aluminium foil tape and junctions between wall and floor with proprietary airtight tape to create a continuous vapour control layer (VCL), wiring contained in battened service cavity, finish with 12mm plasterboard skim coated, 27mm insulated lining to window and door reveals. This dry lining approach allows all services to be located on the inside of the dry lining so that the insulation and VCL is not broken by services penetrations.

Windows: timber aluclad sliding door screens triple glazed U-value 0.8W/sqmK.

Mature trees and landscaping advice Caragh Nurseries, Kildare, tel. 045 879 170, caraghnurseries.ie Kitchen Kitchen Elegance, Dublin 15, tel. 01 9036317, bespace.ie Artificial Grass Lansdowne by ArtificalGrass, Co Meath and Co Wicklow, tel. 01 801 8000, artificialgrass.ie Alu clad sliders Nordan, nordan.ie uPVC windows McMahon Nagle, Dublin, mcmnwindows.ie Roof lights Velux, velux.ie Zinc lookalike roofing material Renolit Alkorplan, renolit.com WIFI heating controls evohome by Honeywell, honeywellhome.com White goods Baize Electric, Dublin 11, tel. 01 8307411, baize.ie NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0

.

Utility

Dining Room

Dining Kitchen

Bathroom

Kitchen

Utility

Family

WC

Bedroom

HOT PRESS

Studio

Study Store

GROUND FLOOR AFTER 56 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Living Room

Bedroom

GROUND FLOOR BEFORE

THE FUTURE OF HEATING IS ELECTRIC.

DIMPLEX. THE COMPLETE SOLUTION FOR HEATING, HOT WATER AND VENTILATION.

t: 00 353 1 842 4833 e: salesireland@glendimplex.com w: www.glendimplexireland.com

PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

EXTENSION & RENOVATION

Value added Gareth and Lesley McAuley’s reconfiguration and extension project created a connection with the garden and increased the value of their home.

Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: Paul Lindsay

58 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

CO ANTRIM / PROJECT

W

hen we bought the property in June 2014 we always knew it would be a renovation project; the house had been built in 1955 and not an awful lot had been done to it since then,” says Gareth. “In the late 1960s, a stud partition had been added to one of the bedrooms to turn the house into a four bed, which we removed, along with a two-storey extension at the front of the house. A lean-to extension was also added in the mid-1990s at the back which we eventually knocked

down to build our own extension.”

“When we moved in we replaced the pipework and changed the heating system; we chose to move from oil to gas and changed all the radiators throughout as well. We replaced the uPVC double-glazed windows, guttering, fascia and soffits, removed one chimney stack and rebuilt the other.”

“The window frame colour went from white to grey which seemed like a bit of a bold move at the time but we knew we wanted the windows in our new extension to be aluminium framed which would

eventually tie in with the rest of the glazing.”

“We found the uPVC window company for the existing window replacements through a neighbour and friend of ours who had used them in his own building and refurbishment business, and he also recommended a plumber who we used early on for the changeover from oil to gas, and later for the extension.”

“It was during this initial phase that we removed some of the stud walls in the first floor, creating in essence three generous bedrooms and adding a dressing room to the master bedroom. We replaced the window 

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 59

PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

Q&A What single piece of advice would you give a budding renovator?

Go with your first choice, your A-list. But have at the back of your mind what fixtures and fittings you’re prepared to compromise on. Also really ponder how important the high cost items are; if something costs a disproportionate amount of money decide if it’s really necessary to your original design objectives. We did that exercise with the staircase, it seemed like an awful lot of money to be ripping out a staircase to put it back in again – thousands of pounds – but in the end it was integral to the success of the design and layout and we know it was the right decision. We get a great sense of achievement having seen it through.

What surprised you?

We had learned a lot from our previous build and for this project we felt we got most of it right. In our previous house for example we’d chosen to go with a vaulted ceiling which did not turn out to be a great idea as it was more costly to heat.

We’d been discouraged from installing a wood burning stove at the time and we did regret it for that house.

However in our current home, we didn’t feel the need for a stove as the standard of the insulation and glazing we installed keeps the house at a regular temperature year round, and the gas heating is also so efficient. For the flame effect we do have an open fire in one of our front reception rooms, which isn’t great for energy with most of the heat going up the chimney but you can’t beat the comfort of an open fire on a cold winter night!

60 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

of the master bedroom with sliding doors and created a Juliette balcony to maximise the views to the woodland.”

Gestation period

“Once these initial renovations had been completed, we decided to live in the house for a while to ensure we knew what additional accommodation we needed from the extension, gauging where the available sunlight was throughout different parts of the day.”

“We commenced the design phase in late 2016. Realising we wouldn’t be able to match the existing brick (given the age of the house) it seemed obvious to adopt a contemporary approach to the new extension which would provide a contrast to the traditional brick frontage.”

“We initially sought inspiration online but also had some of our own ideas in mind having already extended one of our previous homes, albeit on a smaller scale.

We also visited some of our neighbour’s houses to see how they had extended in various ways, so it gave us some ideas as to what to do and not to do.”

“For instance, one of our neighbours told us he regrets putting in a back door directly into their kitchen as it’s open plan and gets draughty in winter. We decided to incorporate a separate porch at the back including a space to put in our wet gear and boots. It also helps with the dogs.” 

PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

“But it was my brother Colin who’s an architectural designer and planning consultant who brought it all together for us. Through the design process we gained a pantry, utility room, downstairs toilet, a back porch/boot room arranged around the centrepiece of our open plan kitchen/ garden room.”

“Investing in the design stage is extremely

‘Investing in the design stage is extremely important; this is where you’re deciding on all of the details, how the new spaces will integrate with the existing house...’ important; this is where you’re deciding on all of the details, how the new spaces will integrate with the existing house and they need to be very carefully considered.”

“The old house layout provided no real connection to the garden so that was the primary focus of the design from the outset.

We now have full height picture windows from the living space onto the garden and a floor to ceiling sliding door to access it.”

“One of our major concerns in terms of layout was how we would create a legible connection between the existing house and the new extension. Through the design process we managed to achieve this by taking out the staircase; none of our neighbours had done this but by simply turning the staircase 90 degrees and providing a generous hallway width it flows much better.”

“The new oak staircase includes glazed balustrades to maintain a complete line of sight from the front door through the rear extension to the garden beyond, delivering on our primary design objective of bringing the outside in, and providing a tangible connection with our garden and the woodland beyond.”

“In addition to the extension works, we also adapted the two reception rooms at the front of the house, a living room and a  62 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

CO ANTRIM / PROJECT

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 63

PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

dining room, to make them fit for modern living. These are great for entertaining guests and for the teenagers as it gives them their own space.”

“The house now works well in that each room has a different purpose. Smaller upgrades included re-fitting the main bathroom, re-plastering and re-painting throughout, as well as replacing all internal doors.”

Once bitten…

“We extended our previous house and learned a lot from it. The first hurdle we had come across with that project was securing planning permission; it took us nearly a year because of a third party objection.”

“In contrast, securing planning permission for this current project was

‘The process was smooth and the application was approved within just six and a half weeks from the date of submission to the council.’ extremely quick. The process was smooth and the application was approved within just six and a half weeks from the date of submission to the council.”

“In our previous home we also had trouble with our builder so this time we placed a lot of emphasis on finding the right one. We got three quotes for the plans and went to visit previous work for all of them; we got talking to the owners when the builder wasn’t there to get a good idea of how they work and we could also look at the level of workmanship.”

“We went with a local builder who had extended our parents’ house a few years back; he was very good at making suggestions and he would take us to other people’s homes to show us what he meant with some of the changes. For instance when we landscaped the house, he brought us to a job where he was further ahead and that helped us decide what to do with the patio area and even the garden furniture.”

The contract included everything apart  64 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

edilians.co.uk OUR SOLUTIONS

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PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

Q&A What changes would you make?

I can’t image what we would change. We did hire an interior designer to help us fit out the house because we felt it was quite a lot to be thinking about at the one time. The interior designer helped with furniture, decoration, colour and flooring choices too. We went with a wooden floor unifying the surfaces from the front door through to the new extension which works very well.

Would you do it again?

After a year I would have said no. But now that we’ve been living with the new addition for two and a half years I realise what we gained. The experience leaves us with the impression that we would do it again if we needed to.

What’s your favourite part of the house?

Simply because we lived with a dated one for so long, the bathroom. I really appreciate the luxury! Above all it’s how good the house feels. It’s why we took on the project, to create a meaningful connection with the garden. Everywhere you look now you see the outdoors, it feels part of the house.

from the aluminium glazing elements and the flat roof. “We sourced suppliers ourselves where necessary. The plumbing and electricity were included in PC sums and we hired them directly. We also did the kitchen ourselves,” adds Gareth.

A Prime Cost sum is an amount set aside by a main contractor for a third party to supply; it’s a notional figure that allows the self-builder to budget for that aspect with a ballpark figure, i.e. without knowing how much it will cost exactly as the specifics of that element of the build haven’t been worked out yet.

Thankfully the family was able to live in the house while the work took place, which

hadn’t been the case in their previous home.

“With that previous project we had to move out for six weeks which made project managing less straightforward.”

“This time around Lesley was on hand to speak with the tradesmen whenever they needed her there, to the plumber and electrician to choose where to place radiators, sockets, where the TV would go – getting these small decisions right is so important.”

“The tradesmen need answers pretty much straight away so it’s good to be on hand to give them the answers as opposed to letting your builder second guess what you want.”  66 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

AGA 3-Series. Now There’s An AGA For Every Home.

ROADSTONE

QUICK FLOOR SCREED

Roadstone’s Quick Floor Screed is a self-compacting, flowing liquid screed.

• Provides quick, smooth and level • Suitable domestic, At AGA Belfast,awe believe every home should have anforAGA. And commercial now every home can. Efficient, flexible surface with minimal levelling and industrial floors and beautifully engineered, the AGA 3-Series is designed for busy lifestyles and modern living, with a choice widths fromof900mm to allows 1,700mm. • Rapid Warmth & Comfort for • of Ease and speed installation for placing rates of up to 10 times

floors with Underfloor heating

With controllable hotplatesscreeds – including optional induction plate – and responsive, cast-iron, ovens, it faster than traditional combines everything you’d expect from an AGA, with the latest cooking technology. To see the difference a 3-Series will make to your home, your kitchen and your cooking, why not call in today?

E. info@roadstone.ie For more info visit T. 01 4041200 www.roadstone.ie

Belfast 247 Castlereagh Road, Belfast, BT5 5FL T: +44(0)28 9045 0103 W: agabelfast.com

New from HETA SCAN-LINE 900 SERIES A welcome addition to any new home.

The stunning Scan-Line 900 is the latest addition to the HETA range. Designed, developed and engineered by HETA in Denmark, the Scan-Line 900 combines a stunning design aesthetic, with the very latest combustion technology.

The result is a remarkably efficient stove, characterised by an extraordinarily rich feature set. Engineered to provide a clean, efficient burn, the Scan-Line 900’s rich feature set includes: • • • •

A choice of 4 finishes including steel, soapstone, limestone and blackwood Integrated fireside toolset Concealed, cool-touch handles Large central viewing window with optional side windows

Exceeding all current and expected British, Irish and EU regulations, this ‘Ecoready’ stove is engineered today, for the world tomorrow. Over 80% efficient, the Scan-Line 900 is A+ rated for energy efficiency, providing more heat, whilst using less fuel.

To find out more, visit us online at hetastoves.com or contact your HETA dealer.

A+ To find your local stockist, call us on +44(0)28 9127 0233 or click heatstoves.com

PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

Tips Invest in the basics. That is the structure including the insulation, ventilation, airtightness. It all has to be done right even though you won’t ever see it. The windows and doors are another aspect you won’t be changing any time soon.

Plan as much as you can yourself.

Price materials yourself and pick them out; touching and feeling them in the flesh is very different to buying from a book. You want to know what you’ll end up with, don’t let the builder choose it for you because he’ll have to second guess what you actually want.

So the more involved you are in choosing door handles and the like, the more you’ll know what you’ll end up with. We picked lighting, glass, a lot of effort went into determining exactly what we wanted, not just an impression.

For quotes, three is the magic number. There is such a thing as getting too many prices; after a while the same prices will come back to you. And as you go on, you will get an idea of the value of things. You do get clued in and you’ll get a sense if you’re being charged too much or just about right.

Make a diligent search for good tradesmen. Go and see their previous work, get comparative quotes based on a specification.

Smooth sailing

“In terms of the building method, we wanted to make sure the existing house wouldn’t be compromised because of the extension so insulation was an important aspect; Colin had specified pumped EPS beads in an enlarged cavity and that’s what we did. The roof is also well insulated with both PIR insulation boards and mineral wool,” adds Gareth.

“Colin was really good at getting the design and finish he had envisioned. For instance he was able to make sure the colour of the render on the new extension would tone in with the brick finish of the existing house. He wanted a perfect roof

‘We had the foundations in by Christmas 2016 and had the overall extension works were complete inside and out by May 2017.’

finish so he guided the builder on sourcing and how to approach some of these aspects.”

“We had the foundations in by Christmas 2016 and the overall extension works were complete inside and out by May 2017.

The following year we landscaped the back garden, extended the driveway and redesigned the front garden.”

“Given how visible the garage was from our new extension, we decided to renovate it. We put in new windows and rendered it to match the extension which ties everything in really well.”

“Provided you spend enough time thinking about how a new extension can integrate with, and improve your home and standard of living, a renovation project can provide a really good return on investment.”

68 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

DG Windows & Doors Josko Partner www.josko.ie | www.josko.one

WINDOWS & DOORS

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A Mix That Always Wins.

With the Josko Smart Mix you can easily combine windows, all-glass systems, entrance and interior doors and natural wood floors. The colours, materials and surfaces match harmoniously and create a cosy interior atmosphere.

The latest Smart Mix highlight: ONE by Josko. A window-, sliding- and interior door series with prticularly symmetrical and slim frames and an avant-garde design.

VISIT OUR NEW SHOWROOM OPEN MON - FRI 9AM - 5.30PM & SAT BY APPOINTMENT T: (+353) 071 985 3753 | E: dgwindows@btinternet.com Contact Daragh Timoney on +44 (0)78 6633 7343 (NI) or Greg Timoney on (+353) 087 254 4232 (NI) Sli Macnean, Blacklion, Co. Cavan

PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

Project information

More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

Find out more about Gareth and Lesley’s extension and renovation project in Co Antrim...

BUILDING SPECIFICATION

SIZES & COSTS

Windows: double glazed, timber, aluclad, U-value 1.1 W/sqmK

House size before: 100sqm

Extension floor: 150mm concrete slab with 125mm PIR insulation and 100mm sand/cement screed. U-Value 0.22W/sqmK

House size after: 150 sqm

Extension walls: masonry cavity wall with 100mm blown EPS bead insulation.

U-Value 0.28W/sqmK

House cost (2014): £275,000 Refurbishment and extension cost (2014-2017): £100,000

Extension roof: EPDM flat roof with 150mm PIR insulation laid between coiling joists and 35mm PIR insulation below. U-Value 0.18W/sqmK

House valuation (2019): £400,000

SUPPLIERS

GROUND FLOOR BEFORE

Kitchen

BLR

CLK

Planning consultant and architectural designer Colin McAuley, Colin McAuley Planning, Belfast, tel. 90 489441, colin@colinmcauleyplanning.com

Fuel

Building, construction, joinery and landscaping Kevin Horner, K Horner Building & Joinery, Comber, khorner@hotmail.com

Lounge Dining

Plumbing and heating D. Glavin Plumbing & Heating Kitchen Clive Lonsdale, Lonsdale Kitchens, Belfast, tel. 90 657373 lonsdale.kitchens@gmail.com Staircase Colin Millar, Millar Woodcraft, Randalstown, info@millarwoodcraft.co.uk Aluminium windows and doors Derek Carroll, Carroll’s Glass, Belfast, tel. 90 481116, derek@carrollsglass.co.uk

Kitchen & Family

Interior design Jane McSherry, Belfast, janemcsherry@hotmail.com Furniture and interiors Keens Furniture, Belfast, tel. 90 453310, service@keensfurniture.com

Utility Pantry

Photography Christopher Hill Photographic, scenicireland.com NI calling ROI prefix with 048

WC Dining

Lounge

GROUND FLOOR AFTER

70 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

OVERVIEW / SELFBUILD LIVE

CITYWEST DUBLIN Embarking on a building or renovation project can be a daunting prospect but as seasoned self-builders will attest to, once you’ve done your homework, building or extending your own home is in fact a gratifying experience. The best place to get you started is to visit Selfbuild Live, in Dublin, Belfast or Cork, to get up to speed with the latest developments in the fields of home building and improving.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Selfbuild Live Product Profiles

A taster of what new and exciting products, services and building methods were displayed at Selfbuild Live Dublin, courtesy of our sponsors.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 71

SELFBUILD LIVE / REVIEW

Selfbuild Live Dublin

A few things happened over the weekend of Sept 15th 2019. Dublin won the All Ireland and Selfbuild Live came to the capital. Here’s an overview of how it went down (at the show) and what to expect at Selfbuild Live’s next event taking place in Cork in November…

T

he Selfbuild Live events are tailor made for people who want to build, extend or renovate their home; this is THE place to learn what it takes to undertake a house building project in Ireland.

Selfbuild Live is the largest self-build event in Ireland and as such is the perfect place to browse all of the latest, most performing products on the market and ask specific questions about these offerings. The stands are all exclusively focused on every aspect of building, renovating or extending your own home.

Once you’ve had a browse around, you’ll no doubt wander into one of Selfbuild Live’s three theatres. Jam packed with insightful and informative talks, the choice is vast: choose from the Tegral Bootcamp Theatre, the Daikin Theatre or the Self Build Zone Theatre. Grab a seat and listen to the experts providing an overview of virtually every element, from design, insulation and heating systems all the way to roof coverings and eco-building techniques.

Selfbuild Live is now also renowned for the free advice clinics available on a

1-2-1 basis manned by design professionals, quantity surveyors, building control representatives and planning consultants.

This is where you can drill down into the details of your specific project. Remember, each self-build is truly unique, whether it be the site or the design, the specification

or method of construction and delivery.

Last but not least Selfbuild Live’s most recent addition to its line up is the Meet the Self-Builders clinic which gives you the opportunity to have a chat with others who’ve taken on the challenge of building or extending their own home.

The fine print: The exact line up of each of the Selfbuild Live events are subject to change; go to live.selfbuild.ie for an up-to-date list of all of the theatre talks, 1-2-1 advice clinics and Meet the selfbuilder clinics, to see who will be on hand at the event of your choice in Dublin, Belfast or Cork. FREE tickets to all three events are also available on live.selfbuild.ie

72 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

PRODUCT PROFILES / SELFBUILD LIVE

NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0

Window cills by All Stone Windows are often referred to as the eyes of the house, and part of the effect comes from the cills they sit on. Most common are concrete cills because they’re cost effective but these usually need to be painted and/or treated to match the windows. An alternative, albeit more costly, is to use natural stone.

All Stone is a well-established company that specialises in high quality cut stone and can provide a range of granite and limestone cill products. They come smooth or textured. Generally stock sizes for block work are 220mmx140mmx100mm.

Benefits at a glance: • Natural product • Maintenance free • No need for treatment of painting • Instant aesthetic lift to the house • Adapted to block work and stone work • Choose from Bush Hammer or Rough Finish

Insulating Concrete Forms by Amvic Amvic Insulating Concrete Formwork (ICF) is a system for constructing highly insulated reinforced concrete walls. It comprises of forms made from high-density polystyrene panels 1200mm long, 400mm high, and 75mm wide, spaced apart by high strength polypropylene webs. The forms provide a fully insulating, permanent shuttering into which concrete is poured; the width of the concrete core can be 150mm or 200mm. External finishes include brick, stone, timber cladding, and polymer renders.

Benefits at a glance: • Passive house performance at traditional build costs • Inherently airtight with typical structure experiencing less than 1 air change per hour • Easy and quick to install, suitable for self-builders to do with forms only 3.5kg each • Lends itself to curves and unusual shapes • Core walls reduce transmitted noise levels by up to 60dBA • Three-hour fire rating • Made in Ireland

www.allstone.ie

www.amvicireland.com

059 915 5607 (ROI)

01 899 1883 (ROI)

office@allstone.ie

info@amvicireland.com

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 73

SELFBUILD LIVE / PRODUCT PROFILES

Stratus Thermal Lantern roof

by Celuplast A stylish roof light solution for your home is the Stratus Thermal Lantern available from Celuplast in Ireland. It can be fitted 2-way (1500mm x 6000mm), 3-way (3000mm x 6000mm) or Contemporary (1500mm x 3000mm).

Benefits at a glance: • 24mm glazing, fully thermally broken frame with U-values as low as 0.9W/sqmK and therefore up to 65 per cent more thermally efficient than other roof lantern designs • Polyamide nylon, glass composite thermal breaks • Innovative 20deg pitch allows for discreet, purpose designed top caps for a consistent, clean, crisp and contemporary finish without any unsightly gaps • The ridge is 66 per cent smaller than standard roof lantern systems

Energeo by Eurotech Eurotech with its range of Energeo products is the perfect partner for geothermal energy, providing everything you need, from borehole to horizontal collectors as well as floating lake and river collectors of all sizes. The earth probes range from 100m to 200m (2 x 32mm, 2 x 40mm) and geothermal HDPE piping comes in rolls of 60m to 220m.

Eurotech also supplies pre-made BRADO manifold systems for field collectors from 2 to 10 circuits with flow meters using electro fusion fittings to all connections and Eco Turbo original heat exchangers, and PVC manhole and cover. Complementary products include HENOCK P, HENOCK E and KilFrost Geo. Benefits at a glance: • Plug & Play Geothermal System: Job done in one day • Earth probe collectors: easy fit + Thermo Chem Plus Grouting • Quick-fit manhole manifold systems • Cut labour costs by 80 per cent; floating system requires no labour to fit • Easy access for servicing, setting and installing

www.celuplast.com

www.eurotechgroup.ie

01 832 6210 (ROI)

042 974 9479 (ROI)

info@celuplast.com

info@eurotech-heating.com

74 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

PRODUCT PROFILES / SELFBUILD LIVE ROI calling NI replace 028 with 048 NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0

•

Natural Slate Panel Cladding

by Fernhill Stone Building on two decades experience distributing stone facing and brick slips, Fernhill Stone has launched a new natural stone cladding product to the market: the Natural Slate Cladding. The panels are approximately 12mm thick.

Fernhill Stone’s core range of manufactured products is made from its own blend of unique ingredients including volcanic rock, lightweight aggregates and iron oxide pigments producing the look, colour, feel and weathering of natural stone, closely matching the environment.

Benefits at a glance: • Speed of installation • Lightweight panels can be installed by the self-builder with online how-to guide • Natural, long lasting product with high aesthetic value

Home Heat from Flogas Flogas home heat is a real alternative to oil. If your home is not on the natural gas network Flogas can still provide you with LPG. LPG is a cleaner energy source than oil and can be used for home heat, hot water, cooking and gas fires.

Join Rory Best and thousands of others who have made the move to Flogas and discover what Flogas can do for you.

Wherever you are.

Benefits at a glance: • Safe and secure: LPG cannot be stolen. It’s a clean burning and non-toxic form of energy • 1,200 litres of gas (LPG) free when you switch from oil to Flogas (T&C’s apply: www.flogas.ie/t&c) • Remote monitoring: With this system you’ll never run out of gas • Highly versatile: Combine modern heating technology with an economical range of condensing Gas Boilers

www.fernhillstone.com

www.flogas.ie / www.flogasni.com

+353 (0) 47 88 015 (ROI)

041 983 1041 (ROI) / 028 9073 2611 (NI)

info@fernhillstone.com

info@flogas.ie / info@flogasni.com

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 75

SELFBUILD LIVE / PRODUCT PROFILES

NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0

Icynene open cell spray foam

by GMS Insulation Icynene open cell spray foam insulation is a low density (8kg/ m3) polyurethane foam insulation with a thermal conductivity of 0.039 W/mK. It is 100 per cent water-blown and chemicalfree.

It expands to 100 times its size to fill every nook and cranny; breathability of 0.0049L/sec/sqm allows all materials in contact, including timber, to breathe naturally. Icynene is certified by the European Technical Approval Board, KIWA BDA Agrément and the British Board of Agrément.

Benefits at a glance: • Airtight and vapour permeable • Quick installation that fills all gaps, ideal for unusual designs • Once set, stays in place and moves with the house as it settles • Fire safe: Class 1 material • Reduces air borne noise

VELUX CABRIO®️ balcony Suitable for roof pitches between 35° and 53°, the VELUX CABRIO®️ transforms your roof window into a balcony in seconds adding air, light and a great view to your home.

When closed the balcony fits flush with the roof. Although ideally suited for new builds, the VELUX CABRIO®️ balcony can also be retrofitted just like a regular roof window, but please do check with your local authority in case planning permission is required.

Benefits at a glance: • Transforms from roof window to balcony in seconds • Top element functions as a traditional top hung roof window • Perfect for new builds and renovations • Prices starting from €2,444/£2,158 + VAT • Find a VELUX certified installer in your area today at velux.ie/findaninstaller

www.icynene.ie

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76 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

SELFBUILD BOOTCAMP / SELFBUILD LIVE

SPOTLIGHT ON...

The Selfbuild Bootcamp Your A to Z guide to building or extending your home in Ireland.

T

he Selfbuild Live Bootcamp, sponsored

by Tegral, is designed to equip you with the basic information you need to get started on your home building or home improvement project. It’s an unmissable event for anyone who’s either at the dreaming stage or has just started on their journey.

The talks and live panel discussions cover all of the topics you need to familiarise yourself with, including: choosing land that’s suitable to build on, planning permission, building methods and building control, floor plans and elevations, finance, budget and insurance as well as a showcase of projects presented by the homeowners themselves.

The bootcamp host is our resident construction expert John Corless who brings with him decades of experience advising self-builders and home improvers; in fact his house plan design workshop is a must-attend event for anyone who’s building or extending.

Of the topics discussed at Selfbuild Live Dublin, of course, was the million dollar question. Is €100/sqft still a good ballpark cost figure for a self-build? John put this question to the self-builders who took part in the panel discussion …

Some said that it was possible a few

‘...staying within budget is not only possible but should be what’s expected.’ years ago when they were building but that now, even with a healthy dose of DIY and day-to-day involvement on the part of the self-builders, it would be difficult to achieve. Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher said a builder’s finish was likely to come in at more than double that amount, at roughly €250/sqft.

Regardless of the amount, John says staying within budget is not only possible but should be what’s expected. Why should a project run over budget if it’s been well designed and carried out according to plan? Television programmes, he contends, normalise going over budget and this has the hallmark of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

For more about defining your budget,

planning restrictions and every other aspect of your self-build, join us in Cork in November, Belfast in February and Dublin in September. With Selfbuild. Dream it. Do it. Live it.

The next event is

Selfbuild Live Cork,

taking place in Millstreet on November 9th and 10th 2019 WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 77

SELFBUILD LIVE / PRODUCT PROFILES

Isohemp hempcrete blocks by Hempbuild

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Non-toxic and resistant to mould, pests and fire (class B for the rendered block), the blocks are 600mmx300mm and come in thicknesses of 60mm to 360mm. The new 360mm block with U-value of 0.19W/sqmK meets building regulations.

HomecAir Systems has launched a new smart feature for its MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery) range of products called KitchenClear™. It removes kitchen air pollutants by working in tandem with the cooker hood extractor.

The function is intelligent and fully automatic; switching on your kitchen extractor will boost the MVHR supply air to the dining/sitting area while reducing the kitchen’s MVHR extraction rate. The pre-set positive pressure clears cooking odours, moisture and greasy deposits efficiently.

Benefits at a glance: • Breathable and natural method to insulate brick or stone walls, internally or externally • Loadbearing solution available with IsoHemp Hempro system, ideal for new builds • Speed of construction: laying of insulation in just a few hours for a complete house • Easy to install and cut, fully compatible with underfloor heating • Negative global warming potential: the blocks store CO2

Benefits at a glance: • Improves efficiency of your cooker hood extractor • No odours while cooking, only fresh air in all the rooms of your house including the open plan area, the dining room, living room and kitchen • Lessens damage to room fabric, furniture, curtains and kitchen units • Less repainting required: keep that new look and feel for longer

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HBE by iDomus If you’re looking for an eco-friendly way to build, chances are you’ve come across the “mass timber” method of construction. In this category is HBE, the lighter weight and more cost-effective alternative to Cross Laminated Timber, suitable for up to three storey buildings.

HBE made by Mayr-Melnhof Huttemann Wismar GmgH, is a certified solid timber system that uses glulam parallel lamination timber panels assembled in a factory.

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WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 79

SELFBUILD LIVE / PRODUCT PROFILES

Daikin Altherma 3 by Keltic Renewables

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If you’re in the market for a heat pump you’ll no doubt know Daikin is a leading manufacturer and the main proponent of the R32 refrigerant, which is more efficient and has a much lower Global Warming Potential than alternative refrigerants.

Altherma 3 is Daikin’s range of air to water heat pumps for the domestic market and you can choose one of three models: the wall mounted, floor standing, or the Integrated ECH2 O unit which has a 300 or 500 litre integrated tank with solar connection.

New to the market is an air source heat pump with attitude called RED; it’s designed to look good and work to Irish weather patterns. For a typical well insulated house with underfloor heating the heat pump operates at a weather compensated flow temperature typically of 35degC, this can give seasonal efficiencies of over 500%. The company claims running costs are up to half that of an oil-fired boiler, based on oil at 70c per litre and a 35degC flow temperature in the heat pump.

Benefits at a glance: • The outdoor unit can operate in temperatures as low as -25degC • Compact footprint: can fit almost anywhere • A+++ seasonal efficiency with Bluevolution technology (energy label 2019) • Equipped with a super intuitive user interface and app • Reddot Product Design Award and IF Design Award winner (2018)

Benefits at a glance: • Round shape (780mm diameter) chosen to optimise air flow with patent pending technology • Corrosion-proof all plastic casing; heat exchanger coils treated to provide 5,000hour salt spray resistance, ideal for costal environments • Up to 65degC flow temperature, enables a hot water tank store temperature of 60 degC • Smart heating controls • Made in Ireland

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Capco natural slate by SIG

Cedral by Tegral

Waterproof, fireproof, resistant to weather extremes, durable and low maintenance, natural slate has, for many centuries, been the go-to choice as a roof covering. It’s got a classical look that’s hard to beat.

SIG Roofing’s natural slates are sourced from leading quarries worldwide, offering distinctive beauty, high performance and longevity.

A low maintenance solution to external wall coverings is the Cedral external cladding system made of fibre cement.

Available in 23 colours, with a woodgrain or smooth finish the weatherboards come either tongue and groove (Cedral Click) or overlap (Cedral Lap) offering both contemporary and traditional design options to create stunning facades.

They are installed to the “ventilated rainscreen” principle to remove moisture. This means air can flow in at the base of the system, behind the cladding and then out, over the top of the Cedral weatherboards.

Benefits at a glance: • All SIG Roofing natural slates conform to the European standards BS EN 12326, a guarantee you’re getting premium quality slates • Capco Natural Slates portfolio has been refined over many years to offer a range of products that have been tried and tested to offer a lifetime of trouble-free performance • Only the best natural slates are sourced from leading quarries in Spain and Brazil all offering distinctive beauty, high performance and longevity

Benefits at a glance: • Easy to install by self-builders with some DIY ability; stepby-step videos are available online • Easy to maintain: no need to paint and simply wash with soap and water if required • Resistant to rot and immune to attack by pests and insects • The boards can be installed vertically or horizontally

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WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 81

SELFBUILD LIVE / PRODUCT PROFILES

Premium Fibre Cement Slates

by Tegral

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Leading roof covering manufacturer is Tegral, whose bestselling fibre cement slates have been tried and trusted on thousands of homes and buildings throughout the country for over eighty years. Thrutone Endurance and Rivendale slates are Irish made for Irish weather and withstand the toughest meteorological conditions unique to Ireland.

Available in six unique colours, including Tegral’s flagship blue-black colour, Thrutone Endurance and Rivendale also come in a wide range of textures and edges to offer maximum design scope.

Make your home smart with VELUX ACTIVE. This smart based system works together with your VELUX INTEGRA®️ electric or solar powered roof windows, blinds and shutters, adjusting them automatically so you can enjoy a healthier indoor climate. The VELUX ACTIVE app means you can operate your VELUX INTEGRA®️ products from your smartphone for added convenience.

Benefits at a glance: • Super strong: extra reinforcing fibres and more cement • Unique siliconised paint and highest water repellence, guaranteeing your colour and finish will last • Rated Excellent to BES 6001, a quality mark for environmentally sustainable products • 20 year colour guarantee and 30 year structural guarantee • Guaranteed Irish; you support Irish products and Irish jobs

Benefits at a glance: • Smart sensors monitor temperature, humidity and CO2 levels, allowing VELUX ACTIVE to regulate your indoor environment • Easy control via your smart phone with the VELUX ACTIVE app • Easy installation, designed to be installed quickly by homeowners • Voice activation option with Apple HomeKit®️ • Full VELUX ACTIVE kit available from €203/£183 + VAT

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82 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

PRODUCT PROFILES / SELFBUILD LIVE

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The GO TO resource for anyone building new, extending or renovating in any of the 32 counties of Ireland.

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WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 83

N Z E B / R E G U L AT I O N S External photography by Myles Shelly Photography, mylesshelly.com

The images featured in this article are of an NZEB renovation project in Co Dublin designed by Daniel Coyle

What NZEB means for you Changes to the ventilation and energy efficiency requirements come into force on the 1st of November in ROI for new and existing homes; here’s what you need to know.

Words: Daniel Coyle

T

here has been a continuing ramping up of minimum energy standards in buildings over the past 15 years as a response to climate change and environmental protection concerns. The 2019 Technical Guidance Documents (TGDs) covering Ventilation (Part F) and the Conservation of Fuel & Energy (Part L) transpose Articles 7 and 9 of the EU’s 2010 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Recast) into Irish law.

The directive requires member states to ensure that all new homes are Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) by the 31st December 2020, whilst also tackling the 84 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

existing housing stock.

Upgrading the energy performance of existing homes is seen as a major priority due to the very low replacement rate of existing housing and their relatively very poor energy performance.

Why do you need to know about the regulations?

A failure to address the new requirements at an early design stage may result in later expensive ‘bolt-on’ technological solutions, or possibly even an inability to achieve compliance on completion.

To avoid this situation, you will need to hire an architect or other competent building professional and a BER assessor

at the beginning of the project. The early design stage DEAP assessments by the BER assessor will inform the final design as your designer experiments with different configurations to achieve the most robust and cost-effective solutions.

The BER assessor will issue a Part L Compliance Report using the DEAP software to ensure all the requirements of the new regulations are properly implemented into the house design.

You will also need to carry out one or more airtightness tests mid-build to ensure you are on track with compliance as part of a proper site management / airtightness regime.

Last but not least, it’s also very

R E G U L AT I O N S / N Z E B Internal photography by Patrick McKenna, wabisabi.ie

GLOSSARY

Jargon buster NZEB A Nearly Zero Energy Building is one with a very high energy performance and one that gets the very low amount of energy it still requires mostly from renewable sources, on site or nearby.

‘... overheating and underventilation are the two main risks to mitigate.’

important to know that the regulations apply to both new builds and existing homes. Remember, the legislation has always placed ultimate responsibility for compliance on the designers, builders and owners of buildings.

Extensions and renovations

A significant feature of the updated regulations is the requirement for “Major Renovations” to meet a “cost optimal” energy performance standard (in ROI this is a minimum BER of B2) insofar as this is “technically, functionally and economically feasible”.* “Major renovation” means the renovation of an existing dwelling where more than 25 per cent of the surface area of the existing building’s thermal envelope undergoes renovation.

Thermal envelope meaning the entire surface area of a building through which it can lose heat to the external environment or the ground, including all heat loss areas of walls, windows, floors and roof.

As an example, if you install external wall insulation (EWI) combined with say upgrading existing windows and doors, then this could very easily add up to 25 per cent of the surface area of the thermal envelope.

Appendix F of TGD L shows how to calculate the percentage of renovation surface area for typical dwellings, and Table 7 of TGD L indicates categories of major renovation works that activate the cost-optimal performance level. Note that Table 7 refers to works “planed as a single project” suggesting that the 25 per cent

rule is not intended to be aggregated over time.

Where an extension is carried out on an existing dwelling the “Major Renovation” requirement might also be triggered where 25 per cent of the heat-loss surface of the existing dwelling envelope is renovated. In the case of a semi-detached dwelling this would probably require both the rear wall and the gable wall to be extended in order to trigger the requirement.

However in the case of a terraced house, the party walls would not be considered to be heat loss walls, which means that a rear extension alone could trigger the 25 per cent threshold.

In all cases you must get your energy assessor, architect or other suitably qualified building professional to determine whether you fall above or below this threshold. If your project does upgrade more than 25 per cent of the building thermal envelope then the entire upgraded dwelling must either: l achieve a B2 Building Energy Rating (whole house energy performance of 125 kWh/sqm.yr as calculated in DEAP). l implement a package of pre-defined energy performance improvements set out in TGD Part L’s Table 7.

DEAP The Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) is the software you can use to demonstrate compliance with TGD Part L, and it was developed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) which is an Agency of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

BER The Building Energy Rating ranks a building according to its energy efficiency. The BER is calculated using the Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP). Note that DEAP is an ‘Asset Rating Tool’ – meaning it measures the building’s energy performance based on standardised assumptions – and not necessarily the actual way occupants use it. The most energy efficient BER is the A1, the least is G. In NI the equivalent is the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

U-value The most common way to measure how much heat is lost through a building element; the lower the value the better the energy efficiency. Units are Watts per square metre Kelvin (W/sqmK).

TGD The Technical Guidance Documents are the guidance notes that must be followed to demonstrate prima facie compliance with the Building Regulations, providing a formal interpretation of how to comply with the requirements set out in law.

Table 7 shows that achieving compliance in existing dwellings typically may involve adding a minimum 100mm of external wall insulation, 300mm of attic insulation and upgrading old boilers to 91 per cent efficiency gas boiler with full time, temperature and zone controls**.  WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 85

N Z E B / R E G U L AT I O N S

Ventilation requirements for new homes

‘A failure to address the new requirements at an early design stage may result in later expensive ‘bolt-on’ technological solutions, or possibly even an inability to achieve compliance on completion.’

Low-energy buildings can’t overlook the need for healthy homes with good air quality and low risk of condensation. This becomes even more critical as we move towards super-insulated, highly-sealed and airtight NZEB dwellings where overheating and underventilation are the two main risks to mitigate.

So the updated TGD Part F will lead towards an increase in the number of dwellings using mechanical ventilation systems, with or without heat recovery.

For the first year ever on record, the BER database shows that in 2018 the proportion of new dwellings using mechanical ventilation outnumbered those using natural ventilation.

Technically, the most significant change in TGD Part F is the requirement to have a mechanical ventilation system in a house with an air permeability test result of 3m3/ hr/sqm (at 50 Pascals) or less.

Whilst natural ventilation combined with localised intermittent extract fans in wet rooms, may still allow compliance in dwellings with an air permeability test result greater than 3m3/hr/sqm, Part L specifies the air permeability can be no more than 5m3/hr/sqm.

The reality of trying to design and construct a house to fall within this very narrow window of air permeability performance may be quite difficult to achieve and good design practice may be to design for less than 3m3/hr/sqm and provide a properly installed and commissioned mechanical ventilation system.

Another major change has to do with giving specific guidance to designers as well as installers in relation to the design, installation, and commissioning of mechanical ventilation systems (air change rate, ductwork design and insulation).

Notes * Table 13 of the Aecom report “Calculations for Part L 2018 TGD: Dwellings” dated April 2018, shows the additional costs for Major Renovations may range from €5k to €6k. See housing.gov.ie for the full report. **Specific requirements include: Upgrade of ceiling insulation to give U-Value of 0.16 W/sqmK or better, cavity walls 0.55 W/sqmK, other walls 0.35 W/sqmK, ground floors 0.45 W/sqmK Replacement of boilers over 15 years old / efficiency less than 86 per cent Reduction of window backstop U-Value (for replacement windows and doors) from 1.6 W/sqmK to 1.4 W/sqmK *** At a webinar hosted by the Irish Green Building Council on the 9th of October 2019, the NSAI’s Gary O’Sullivan said the ventilation validation scheme web page will be available towards the end of October/early November. Those currently on the Airtightness Tester registration scheme are likely to sign up as they are a “good fit”, he said. ****The DEAP software calculates the Primary Energy consumption and CO2 emissions associated with the specific dwelling design and compares this with a Reference Dwelling which is a notional house of the same size, shape, layout etc., but designed to baseline 2005 energy performance standards.

The energy and CO2 performance of the dwelling is expressed as a relative coefficient or ratio: the Energy Performance Coefficient and the Carbon Performance Coefficient.

New dwellings under the updated Part L, dated 2019, must achieve a Maximum Energy Performance Coefficient of 0.3 and a Maximum Carbon Performance Coefficient of 0.35.

This requirement represents a 25 per cent improvement on the previous 2011 Regulations, and a 70 per cent improvement on the baseline 2005 Regulations.

86 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Qualifications the regulations refer to for installers are Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) accreditation, Education Training Board or equivalent.

Requirements for post-installation testing and certification of ventilation systems by accredited testers have also been introduced. This “independent competent person” should be NSAI certified or equivalent; the NSAI operates an Air Tightness tester registration scheme, a Ventilation Validation Scheme*** and a register of competent Thermal Modellers.

Self-builders will be glad to know that user guides / operation manuals are now also enshrined in the TGD; your supplier must provide clear information on how to run systems, replacing filters, etc.

Energy performance requirements for new homes

Just like the previous Part L, dated 2011, overall compliance of a dwelling with the regulations is achieved and demonstrated by using the latest updated version of the DEAP software.

DEAP assessments**** need to be carried out by competent SEAI registered BER assessors and should be carried out at the very early stage of the design to check the proposed design will meet compliance.

As you need a BER prior to moving in, it’s mandatory to do an assessment for the asbuilt completed building as well.

Typically a Part L 2019 compliant new build house will correspond to an A2 BER. With Part L 2011 a new build house usually corresponded to an A3 BER. In addition to the whole dwelling performance, i.e. overall compliance with DEAP performance coefficients, the updated Part L includes further changes: l Increase in air permeability minimum standard from 7m3/hr/sqm to 5m3/hr/sqm under pressurisation at 50 Pascals. l Reduction of wall and floor backstop U-Value from 0.21 W/sqmK to 0.18 W/sqmK. l Reduction of window backstop U-Value from 1.6 W/sqmK to 1.4 W/sqmK (equivalent to a very high double glazing specification). l The renewable energy requirement is now measured as a ratio, with a minimum requirement of 0.2 or 20 per cent of Primary Energy input, as opposed to the previous fixed 10 kWh/sqm.year of renewable thermal energy or 4 kWh/sqm. year of renewable electrical energy in the 2011 version of Part L. l Requirements around limiting heat gains to reduce risk of summertime overheating. l New requirements for construction quality and commissioning. l Removal of variation of window U-Value

R E G U L AT I O N S / N Z E B

depending on percentage of glazing. l Requirement to carry out air pressure testing on all individual dwellings.

WEBINAR

NZEB Briefing

Appendix E of Part L contains examples of how to comply with the regulations.

Meeting the new standard in new homes may involve either introducing a heat pump or photovoltaic panels with gas boiler, triple glazing, and more insulation (better U-Values). Each dwelling must be individually assessed according to its shape, size and orientation.

In conjunction with the new Part L, the DEAP software itself has been revised and updated with some key changes including accounting for LED lighting, and more efficient hot water usage in showers/taps.

The Irish Green Building Council is hosting a series of webinars regarding the new building regulations; here’s some of what Selfbuild has learned so far.

Most ventilation systems fail to meet the minimum requirements expected of them, both in the case of natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation systems, according to two seminal studies (Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in New Homes by Aecom and Zero Carbon Hub 2016 ventilation study). There are many reasons for this, at every stage of the process: Noise, or draughts in the case of natural ventilation, may lead homeowners to turn off/block the system. Windows may be installed with trickle vents, compromising the mechanised system that’s in place. To save on cost flexible ducting may be specified instead of rigid. The list goes on. The good news is ventilation systems are easy to get right, and they either pass or fail, so the new building regulations are a big step in the right direction.

How much extra will it all cost?

The extent to which the new Part L and Part F Regulations will impact on the cost of building a new house, or extending and upgrading an existing dwelling, is a matter of debate. According to research by a consultancy firm on behalf of the Department, for a new build the average increase in cost a self-builder can expect to witness is 1.9 per cent over and above dwellings constructed in compliance with the previous regulations. Depending on house type, the range of calculated uplift costs was between 0.7 per cent to 4.2 per cent. These costs uplifts are based only on construction costs.

However it is important that design, commissioning and handover is also considered in the implementation of NZEB, and these may incur additional fees and costs from: l Employing a suitably qualified design professional who actually understands the detailed provisions of the new regulations, and how to design regulation-compliant, low-energy dwellings to the NZEB standard for a start. l Testing of mechanical ventilation systems and certification. l Design and construction costs associated with the possible need to incorporate additional purge ventilation and shading measures to reduce the risk of summertime overheating (canopies, external blinds, shading devices, and automated roof vents).

The additional costs associated with “Major Renovations” to existing dwellings are more difficult to quantify, as each case will be unique. They will depend on the existing house including age, construction type, location and condition, as well as the type of work you plan to carry out in the first place*.

The bottom line

The quite complex and detailed technical requirements contained within the new Building Regulations, all of which need to be met to achieve compliance, will require expert professional advice. Meeting the challenges of designing and constructing these very low energy dwellings, safely and robustly (making warm healthy homes, properly ventilated, and without risk of condensation, damp and mould) will undoubtedly require up-skilling of both design professionals and construction tradespeople.

Further information EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Recast (EPBD Recast) 2010/31/EU of 19th May 2010, buildup.eu Building Regulations Technical Guidance Documents – Part F (Ventilation) 2019 & Part L (Conservation of Fuel & Energy – Dwellings) 2019, housing.gov.ie DEAP, seai.ie

Mechanised ventilation system maintenance is not just about changing the filters. The ducts themselves must be cleaned periodically – every three to four years if the house is fully occupied. This is another reason why rigid ducts are preferable (flexible ducting may get damaged) and the design of the system – where the pipes go, how many bends, etc – is vital to get right, not just for efficiency. The simpler the layout the easier it will be to get tools inside the ducts to clean them.

Purge ventilation requirements mean that houses with mechanical ventilation still need plenty of windows that fully open – the mechanised system provides continuous background ventilation only. Windows with restrictors don’t usually provide enough purge ventilation to count.

Overheating calculations are now mandatory (in accordance with CIBSE TM59); they weren’t in the past because occupancy for a home is very hard to model. For a one-off house these calculations probably can be done by a building professional without enlisting outside help.

External shading is much more efficient at reducing overheating than internal blinds; also consider the use of moveable external blinds so they can be drawn in summer and left open in winter. Silver coatings on glass will stop the heat getting in but the cost of adding it to the window specification is high.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 87

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INSIDER VIEW / NZEB

What do the new regs mean in practice?

John Brosnan of Energywise did an energy analysis to shed some light in relation to heating systems.

The aim of the new building regulations is to reduce the energy consumption in new and existing dwellings to nearly zero, to reduce CO2 emissions and to increase the amount of renewable energy produced and used within the dwelling.

When building a new home most people consider the option between a gas boiler with PV (solar panels that generate electricity) or a standalone heat pump. So, which is cheaper and which would you recommend?

To start off, fossil fuels are not banned from being installed in new builds or renovations just yet. The issue is that for many dwellings it can be extremely difficult to get a house compliant using oil/gas due to the high CO2 emissions associated with burning fossil fuels. With oil, the risk is that at the design stage the dwelling is likely to only just meet compliance so any small change, e.g. making a window bigger, could make the house non-compliant.

Also, 20 per cent of the energy used in the home must come from renewable resources. With oil or gas you would typically achieve this by installing solar (thermal or photovoltaic). The most popular heating and hot water option is to install a heat pump because when welldesigned, it meets this renewable energy requirement.

I’ve put together an energy calculation to compare two identical 182sqm dwellings in Causeway, Co Kerry which only differ in the type of heating system installed.

They both have underfloor heating, very good airtightness (0.25AC/h), mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and a wood burning stove as the secondary heating system. Both achieve a building energy rating of A2 consuming roughly the

CO KERRY EXAMPLE Main Space Heating

Heat Pump

Gas Boiler*

Water Heating

230L

200L

Solar PV

Not Required

3.75kWp (Required to achieve NZEB Compliance)

Primary energy value in kWh/sqm/yr

46.1

45.7

CO2 emissions in kgCO2/sqm/yr

8.13

9.06

Energy demand for space heating and hot water

2,331 kWh/yr

10,462kWh/yr

Primary heating installation costs**

€13,800

€8,500

Solar PV cost

Not Required

€7,795

Solar PV Battery Cost

Not Required

€2,895***

Total

€13,800

€19,190

Estimated annual heating and hot water costs

€537

€1,125

Estimated annual saving from PV

same amount of primary energy per year per sqm; the gas boiler’s high demand is offset by the PV panels.

I would advise people to go with the heat pump and make provisions to install

€561/yr****

PV for when funds allow, especially as the government is in the process of setting up a system to pay for exported electricity which will eventually help negate the need for a battery.

Notes * The gas boiler is LPG as there is no natural gas in the area; I then added just enough solar PV to achieve the same rating (as close as possible) as the heat pump was giving us. The LPG costs include standing charges for the LPG tank; natural gas would be cheaper (natural gas = 6.32cent/kWh, oil = 7.96cent/kWh, bulk LPG = 10.75cent/ kWh). ** Includes boiler or heat pump plus hot water cylinder and accessories, underfloor heating, heating controls. *** Solar PV Battery storage not essential for compliance but is advisory for larger PV systems as currently no feed in tariff for energy exported to the grid. Assuming panels south facing, 30 degree pitch with no shading. ****From SEAI PV Payback Calculator (battery costs and benefits are excluded from this calculation).

Other references: DEAP3 software, SEAI Domestic Fuel Cost Comparison (Electrical cost for Heat Pump Delivered Energy = 23.05c/kWh, LPG Gas cost for Gas Boiler Delivered Energy = 10.75c/kWh). Costs include VAT. Figures provided are estimated using certain assumption and can vary depending on the dwellings user(s) and fuel costs.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 89

H E AT I N G / G R O U N D S O U R C E H E AT P U M P S

Ground source heat pumps Even though ground source heat pumps are relatively expensive to install, they’re well worth considering for your new build.

Words: Paul O’Donnell

A

Where available and feasible, a stream or a large lake (pictured) may be more convenient as a heat source than the ground.

90 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

unipipe.ie

s the ROI government plans to ban oil and gas boilers from new builds, in 2022 and 2025 respectively, heat pumps are fast establishing themselves as the go-to heat source for new homes.

In fact, in 2018 over a third of new homes installed heat pumps as their main heating source; oil was only installed in two per cent of homes with gas remaining the dominant player*.

As the new NZEB building regulations come into force on the 1st of November (see page 84), it’s likely an ever increasing number of newly built homes will turn to heat pump as the technology of choice as it ticks the renewables box at the same time as providing heat, hot water and in the case of exhaust air heat pumps, ventilation.

With all heat pumps, the correct product selection, sizing and installation of the units are what will make the heat pump work to its highest possible efficiency, converting one unit of electricity to four or more units of energy for your

space heating and hot water.

A rule of thumb is that air to water systems give a seasonal average coefficient of performance (COP) of at least 4, with many achieving 5+, while ground source heat pumps will readily yield a COP of 5 or more.

Compared to gas and oil the savings are high; a heat pump should run at about half the cost**.

Most heat pumps provide space heating at a variable flow temperature (depends on the weather) of 25degC to 45degC but hot water has to be regularly brought up to 60degC, which is supported by the majority of heat pumps nowadays without the need of an immersion.

Heat pumps are fined tuned, with

weather compensation controls, to work at the lowest temperature possible on a continuous basis. Temperatures can also be fine tuned or adjusted on the control system in the house and many nowadays offer app or PC control too.

Ground versus air

Leaving exhaust air heat pumps to one side, which combine mechanical ventilation and a heat pump in a single box, how do ground source and air source compare?

In the early days, back in the mid-1980s, ground source heat pump technology was the most reliable, tried and tested in Nordic countries in particular. But with advances in technology the air source

G R O U N D S O U R C E H E AT P U M P S / H E AT I N G

Types

All ground source / geothermal heat pumps are connected to the ground via a heat exchanger, usually in the form of a plastic pipe collector array. Horizontal collectors take up a sizeable area, while vertical collectors take heat from a 150mm diameter hole drilled into rock. The higher density rock gives better heat transfer than the shallow collectors in earth.

When collecting heat from a horizontal field array of pipes, the area selected will need to be approximately two and a half to three times the floor area of the building being heated. The pipes are normally placed 1m below the lawn and at least 1m to 1.5m spacing. As a rule of thumb for a 250sqm you will need two sets of 300m long rolls to yield 12kW. In Ireland the soil 1m below the surface is about 10degC or even warmer all year round; the incoming collector fluid will usually not fall below 5degC inbound in winter. A correctly functioning heat pump should have a temperature difference of 3degC to 5degC. Placing the collector field deeper than around one metre in Ireland does not give any advantage, in fact the soil will take longer to recover heat that would trickle inwards from sun and rain.

If there is not enough room for a horizontal array, then a borehole or energy-well should be chosen instead. In this case a 150m deep energy well will yield 10kW for heating, which would be enough for a 200sqm house.

How far down you go will normally

REFRIGERANTS

Inner workings At the core of how a heat pump works is the refrigerant, explains Peter Bonsall A fridge running in reverse is the essence of a heat pump. In the case of a fridge the heat that’s inside it is extracted, thereby providing cooling and expelling waste heat. A heat pump similarly extracts energy from the ground, air or water. To make this kind of heat transfer happen you need a carrier that makes up the temperature difference, and that is the refrigerant.

A benefit is that this mechanism results in maintenance that is much lower than for combustionbased (oil or gas) systems as the care requirements of flue gas content and internal burners is removed. The need for checking the water and antifreeze mix being the only element for consideration.

The pump that circulates the water around the pipe network is usually a sealed unit and does not require regular maintenance. The internal circulation pump for the heating system would require checking for each heating season.

However refrigerants by their nature aren’t that eco-friendly; to reduce ozone depletion and global warming potential (GWP) a less harmful refrigerant now on the market is R32, fast replacing R410A as the standard.

R32 is a diflouromethane molecule that has zero ozone depletion effect and a GWP

be specified by the heat pump supplier or services engineer’s calculations, and for bigger properties, multiple holes may be required. There needs to be a minimum distance of 12m to 15m between the energy wells so they don’t rob heat from one another.

Where available it can be convenient to use a lake, river or even the sea as the source of heat for a geothermal heat pump. This simply saves the cost of earthworks or drilling.

Costs

In terms of installation costs, the heat pump components are roughly the same price for ground source as for air source; the additional costs come from getting the

nibe.eu

heat pump has taken over the market; less expensive to install, it can even be cheaper to run than ground source in mild weather which Ireland tends to have.

However, the ground source heat pump still has a lot to offer self-builders; over an entire year it remains more efficient than an air source heat pump as it is more efficient when temperatures start to drop below zero. As the units are placed indoors, longevity and reduced maintenance are also a factor in favour of ground source.

Over an entire year a ground source heat pump would only save perhaps €70 to €100 or about £90 as compared to an air source heat pump in a well-insulated 200sqm house. In that scenario an air source heat pump might cost you €800 to €900 or about £850 a year to run.

Perhaps the best-selling point for the ground source heat pump is its aesthetic appeal: they are often the first choice for larger properties where the sight and to a lesser extent, sound, of large outdoor units would be deemed unacceptable.

potential of 675 which is just 17 per cent of R404A and 32 per cent of R410A. R32 systems use up to 20 per cent less refrigerant than the previous R410A systems making them more efficient and therefore reducing carbon emissions and energy costs.

R32 is a single component refrigerant which means it is cheaper to produce and also easier for recycling and re-use.

Although it is considered slightly flammable with a level of A2L on the ASHRAE scale, which in the UK has led to further training for installers, it has excellent heat transfer and pressure drop in condensation and vaporisation.

The race to find a better refrigerant is on, with leading manufacturers already working on replacements for R32. Watch this space.

digger on site and the collectors (pipework/ borehole, antifreeze).

It is often advantageous in new builds to place the collector field underneath a percolation area dug for the wastewater discharge to save space and excavation time/costs. If you can save on this, then a geothermal system as compared to an air source system will be in the order of €2,000 or about £1,800 more expensive than an air source heat pump.

A borehole system will add an additional €3,000 to €4,000 or about £3,500 for drilling each well.

A ground source heat pump can reasonably be expected to last 20 years at which point the units in the home  WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 91

H E AT I N G / G R O U N D S O U R C E H E AT P U M P S

INNOVATION

A minicomeback for CHP

Patrick Waterfield

92 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Daikin

Combined heat and power (CHP) is the simultaneous production of space heating, hot water and electricity.

It was originally developed to tackle inefficiencies, mainly heat rejection and transmission/ distribution losses, associated with central electricity generation from large power plants.

Around 15 years ago microCHP, a term which describes the application of CHP on a domestic scale, began to come into the frame and a number of manufacturers entered the market.

Most of these systems were powered by natural gas and provided space heating and hot water plus about 1kW to 3kW of electrical output, depending on the exact type and size.

At the lower end this would have covered continuous loads such as fridges, alarm systems, etc, while at the higher end a significant proportion of a dwelling’s total electricity requirement could be met.

The viability of the systems proved not to be as favourable as expected because of the relatively low price of electricity as compared to fuel costs (gas), and relatively high capital cost.

The latest development in this arena is the fuel cell micro-CHP which uses a lot less gas because it converts it to hydrogen; the hydrogen is then put through the fuel cell to generate electricity and heat. A key difference between fuel cell CHP and conventional CHP is that, in the fuel cell, the fuel is not combusted.

The cost of a system today depends on installation details but a ballpark figure is around £20,000 / €27,000.

With advances in technology air source heat pumps (example pictured here) have taken over the market in Ireland, which benefits from a mild climate.

‘Heat pumps are fined tuned, with weather compensation controls, to work at the lowest temperature possible on a continuous basis.’

may need to be replaced; the collectors should last for the lifetime of the property (underground pipes can be considered good for 70 years or more).

Passive cooling

Ground source heat pumps combined with underfloor heating offer a unique selling point, which is that they can provide passive or ‘free’ cooling. On very hot days, water is circulated at a regulated temperature usually no lower than 18degC in the floors – now we have a climate system, not just a heating system.

This function is however only available with a borehole: unwanted heat is stored in the rock to be extracted later for water or space heating. This passive cooling function requires very little energy to circulate the anti-freeze circuit, which is why it’s referred to as passive cooling, but it can only be done with an underfloor heating system (not radiators).

This is especially useful in larger homes

that tend to overheat in summer because of a large amount of south facing glazing.

Active cooling which requires a larger energy input (to run the compressor), similar to that required for heating, can be supplied by any type of heat pump that’s designed to do so.

Passive or active cooling functions will add to the capital cost of the heat pump installation.

References: *Extracted from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) building energy ratings database, ndber.seai.ie **SEAI Domestic Fuel Cost comparison dated 1st July 2019 shows space heating costs for oil and natural gas at around 8c to 10c per kWh for high efficiency appliances. Most homes fitted with heat pumps will avail of a night rate tariff and will run roughly 50/50 night and day resulting in an average cost of 3.6c per kW/hr at a COP of 4. Even on day rate (19c divided by 4) that’s still only 4.7c per kW.

AGA 3-Series. Now There’s An AGA For Every Home.

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A choice of 4 finishes including steel, soapstone, limestone and blackwood Our efficient and effective heating and cooling Integrated fireside toolset systems are helping organisations throughout the UK & Ireland reduce carbon emissions.

Concealed, cool-touch handles Large central viewing window with optional side windows

We are agents for Sime oil and gas boilers and AtmosBritish, renewable forregulations, logs and pellets expected Irishboilers and EU this ‘Ecoready’ or lignite, turf and coal.

Exceeding all current and stove is engineered today, for the world tomorrow. Over 80% efficient, the Scan-Line 900 is A+ rated for energy efficiency, providing more heat, whilst using less fuel.

From design and planning through to manufacture, installation and after sales

To find out more, visit us onlinesupport, at hetastoves.com or contact your HETA dealer. we deliver the complete service.

T: 028 8774 6274 M: 07802 289 798 26 Coole Road, Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland BT71 5DP

www.coolestone.co.uk

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Call us today to discuss your requirements on +44 (0) 28 9073 2233 or email info@bsh-limited.com

To find your local stockist, call us on +44(0)28 9127 0233 or click heatstoves.com

I N S I D E R V I E W / H E AT P U M P S

How can self-builders maximise the efficiency of their air to water heat pump?

F

irst comes the choice of a split or monoblock system.

Monoblock combines all components in one outdoor unit so the installer runs the flow and return water pipes to and from it.

The simple set up makes it easier for a plumber to install but there are some downsides, the major one being efficiency.

Water in the pipes will freeze in the case of a sub-zero outdoor temperature and a power cut; an unlikely event but one that has to be planned for.

Oftentimes an anti-freeze agent (glycol) is added to the water as a means of protection but this reduces efficiency, up to 30 per cent in a worst case scenario.

Instead of adding glycol, you can have a system that discharges the water if there’s

an outage.

The split system consists of an outdoor and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit is smaller in size than the monoblock and you have refrigerant, instead of water, piped indoors to the heat exchanger which is wall or floor mounted. You can have the outdoor unit up to 30m away but the installation does require a plumber who is F-gas certified.

Another benefit of the split system is that you are creating hot water where you need it: indoors which reduces the risk of heat loss through pipework. Overall though, split systems do tend to be a little bit pricier than monoblock. But because it is pre-plumbed installation can be quicker.

In all cases there needs to be enough of an airflow going through the outdoor unit to work to its highest efficiency.

So if you don’t like the look of your unit at the back or side of the house, you could camouflage it with proprietary stickers. If you want to physically screen it off, make sure there’s enough distance between it and the unit; check the manufacturer’s guidelines but roughly allow 2m.

As for distance between the wall of the house and the unit, again it depends on the manufacturer but you usually need to give it 250mm. Very important too is for the unit to be off the ground, to prevent debris build up at the bottom and to prevent the unit from freezing in very cold ground conditions. Also remember not to place your bins right in front of the outdoor unit!

Ian Killoch of Daikin

Why hot water is the energy guzzler to watch out for when designing an NZEB house.

T

he greatest challenge we have when it comes to new builds is how to provide hot water efficiently. New houses are requiring less and less energy for space heating, thanks to high levels of insulation and airtightness, yet our hot water needs are increasing.

Compounding this trend is that the water temperature required for space heating in a modern home (around 45dgeC flow temperature) is much lower than for hot water, which is around 60degC. This means you need more energy to produce hot water than space heating.

For an NZEB house where the space heating load might be just 4 kW, all you’re likely to need in theory are two highefficiency electric panel radiators. But then the question is, how efficiently can you produce hot water?

Currently most heat pumps will supply hot water to an efficiency of about 160 per cent, so for one unit of electricity you’re getting 1.6 units of hot water.

This seemingly low efficiency is due to integrating the hot water function with space heating.

94 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

As soon as you start combining functions into a single unit, such as heating with hot water, or even systems that integrate heating, ventilation and hot water, there are engineering compromises. Each function can be individually maximised, but when combined, efficiencies will fall for one or some of the functions.

I think it’s better to let an appliance do one job, and do it well. Heat pumps that only supply hot water can reach efficiencies as high as 343 per cent. In terms of heat pump technology, air to water heat pumps dominate the selfbuild market because they’re a one box solution and are suited to our mild Irish weather patterns. Ground source heat pumps are losing market share because of the capital cost of ground works and the combined heat pump products, that include ventilation, tend to be installed in very low energy homes.

To qualify that remark, each design is unique – if you have a cube for a house versus a sprawling design of the same surface area, you will require more energy for the sprawling house.

This is why it’s vital for self-builders to understand that heat pumps are not

an off-the-shelf product; they must be designed for the building, sized accordingly, as soon as the design is finalised including specification for insulation and airtightness.

As a manufacturer, we would do a first principle heat loss calculation, at -2degC outside and +21degC inside, to help with system sizing and we also check the installation (commissioning) where any of our products are installed.

Jonathan Jennings of Glen Dimplex

Phlox

E X H AU S T A I R H E AT P U M P S / I N S I D E T R A C K

Exhaust air heat pumps Combining heating, hot water and mechanical ventilation, the NIBE F730 is the all-in-one solution for new build homes or apartments that are well insulated and airtight and up to 200sqm in size.

With an exhaust air heat pump from NIBE you can heat, ventilate and supply hot water to your home simply and efficiently. Create the perfect level of comfort in your home by reusing the energy from warm indoor air as it passes through your ventilation system.

Given that the use of an Exhaust Air heat pump includes the necessary ventilation, it is usually much more cost effective than the combination of standalone heat recovery air systems bought with, for instance, a separate air to water heat pump.

An added bonus is the there are no outdoor units, a practical and aesthetic benefit, and with its attractive, stylish design and compact size, the exhaust air heat pump is easy to accommodate and install indoors.

NIBE F730 is well insulated and energy efficient, which minimises heat loss and keeps energy consumption to a minimum; the inverter control produces an extremely high and economical heat output. Ready for connection to NIBE’s solar package and external energy sources, this multisystem can also be docked to several different accessories, e.g. the supply air module NIBE SAM 40.

Unipipe, the sole distributors of Nibe products in Ireland can provide the specialist help in product selection and necessary design help of your heat pump and associated accessories.

UNIPIPE For a Nibe heat pump in your home contact Unipipe, Bray, Co Wicklow, tel. 01 2864888 / NI 00353 1 2864888, unipipe.ie

Smart hub

Heat pumps can now regulate not only your hot water and heating to the highest efficiency possible with weather controls, they can also switch on when your solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are at peak production. What you’re getting is a climate system, which includes ventilation in the case of exhaust air heat humps.

In fact, if you want to add solar photovoltaic (PV) technology you can choose from NIBE PV’s integrated solution which is based on a fully modular system.

It can be connected to your NIBE heat pump via NIBE Uplink for maximum energy efficiency.

Thanks to smart technology, NIBE Uplink gives you control over your energy consumption and will be a key part of your connected home. The efficient control system automatically adjusts the indoor climate for maximum comfort, and you do nature a favour at the same time.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 95

Building a new home?

Think Heat Pumps. Think Grant.

*

*13kW & 17kW Heat Pump

www.grant.eu

KEY FEATURES • Highly efficient, quiet and reliable • DC Inverter driven • MCS approved • 6kW-17kW heat output • R32 Refrigerant • A+++ ErP Rating • 13kW and 17kW models received Quiet Mark • Compact Size • Superior seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) at low temperatures • In built weather compensation • Base tray element • High efficiency plate heat exchanger • Easy Installation and service • 5-year warranty • Complies with Part L of building regulations in the Republic of Ireland

Future proof your home with a Grant Aerona³ R32 air source heat pump Grant’s newly launched Aerona³ R32 air source heat pump range is the number one choice for those looking for a heating system which combines exceptional efficiency outputs with cleaner and more sustainable operation. Whether building a new home or considering upgrading your existing heating system, the A+++ rated Grant Aerona³ R32 air source heat pump (ASHP) range provides a highly efficient and effective solution which delivers both heat and hot water to the property and can help reduce a household’s carbon footprint.

The range is available in outputs of 6kW, 10kW 13kW and 17kW meaning that the unit can be closely sized to the exact requirements of the property to help ensure optimum efficiency levels and further savings on annual heating bills. Each model within the Aerona³ R32 ASHP range features the more environmentally friendly R32 refrigerant which champions a lower global warming potential (GWP) than typical heat pump refrigerants and meets upcoming legislative targeted outlined in the 2014 EU Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas (F-Gas) Regulations.

In addition to future proofing homes with the integration of R32 refrigerant, the Aerona³ R32 ASHPs boast a compact design and discreet operation. The 13kW and 17kW models within the range received the esteemed Quiet Mark accolade following acoustic testing and assessment. Quiet Mark, in association with the UK Noise Abatement Society charitable foundation, is the international award programme validating and awarding low-noise, high-performance technologies which help to deliver solutions which can overcome noise pollution throughout the world.

The R32 ASHPs also deliver a superior seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) of four when tested at low temperature and average climate conditions, meaning that for every kilowatt of energy used to run the heat pump, over 4kW of heat energy is being delivered by the heating system in return. The overriding factor is that the heat pump’s output will modulate up or down depending on the climate conditions and demand on the heating system, which ensures that your property is as energy efficient as possible all year round.

The state-of-the-art Aerona³ R32 heat pump range is a key feature within Grant’s free of charge home heating design service which designs, quotes and supplies a new build property’s full home heating requirement. To avail of this service, email your project plans to heatpump@grantengineering.ie.

All Grant products are available from plumbing and heating merchants throughout Ireland.

Contact the Grant Technical Team on 057 9126967 (ROI) or 0800 0443264 (NI)

BASICS / STOVES

BASICS

Stoves

The modern solution to having a fire in the home without the massive heat loss of an open fire.

Words: Patrick Waterfield

W

ood-burning and other fuelled stoves have become very popular in our houses in recent years, as people realise the problems with open fires and the associated ventilation heat losses, even when not in use.

Stoves allow greater control of the burning rate and thus heat output and are more efficient, making better use of the fuel.

Heating up the body of a stove allows it to radiate heat from all sides, providing a more even heat distribution. And, of course, they come in a wide range of styles that make a contribution to the interior décor of a room.

98 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

There are also convection stoves which are barely warm to the touch, whereby the heat is not conducted to the casing and thus does not radiate into the room. Of double skin construction, these are designed to heat air flowing between the skins which then exits from the front of the stove at the top.

Convection stoves may actually heat a room faster than radiation types and may also be specified in cases where there are non-fireproof surfaces around it – but you should know what you are getting and whether it is what you want.

Regulations

There are regulations governing the safe installation of stoves, in particular regarding combustion air

Did you know?

As with many things popular today, stoves are not new. In fact the earliest cast-iron stoves appear to have been produced in China in ca 220 AD. The first domestic pellet stove appeared on the US market in 1983, since when stoves have been progressively more and more regulated in terms of safety and emissions.

(avoidance of carbon monoxide risk), construction and location of chimneys/flues, provision of non-combustible adjacent surfaces (including minimum dimensions for hearths) and prevention of smoke emission if applicable.

In NI check with your local council Building Control service to see what regulations apply in your case and if an application needs to be made. In NI Technical Booklet L of the regulations covers installation of stoves and, in ROI it’s Part J. Whether or not your situation falls under the regulations follow them as they have been drawn up with safety in mind.

The stove must sit on a noncombustible surface which must extend a minimum distance to

STOVES / BASICS

Maintenance checklist • Regular emptying of the ash-pan • Cleaning of the glass: use a specialist cleaner or vinegar – or a piece of damp newspaper dipped in ash – but no abrasive products • Check the door rope seals (main glass door and ash-pan door) and replace if necessary • Clean the baffle plate to prevent build-up of soot deposits • Have the chimney swept periodically, at least once a year depending on how often you use the stove

the sides and front. Regulations may vary, though 225mm is recommended at the front when installed free-standing in a room (500mm if in a conventional fireplace with jambs either side) and at least 150mm at each side.

Check that the floor can bear the weight of the stove and, possibly, a short length of stovepipe – though the flue will have its own structural support when correctly installed.

If installing in an existing chimney then a flue liner can be inserted, connected at the top to a pot-hanging cowl (just what it sounds like) and at the bottom to the stove-pipe. Ensure a good airtight fit to avoid leakage of combustion gases.

Discharging straight into the chimney, even if well-lined, is not recommended as it can lead to problems starting the stove due to poor up-draught (the chimney will be colder than the flue), as well as condensation of flue gases and dripping of acidic condensate into the stovepipe and stove body.

The requirement for a permanent room vent for combustion air would be incompatible with low air permeability and also mechanical ventilation heat recovery systems.

However, in a new build, a dedicated pipe (e.g. 100mm noncombustible pipe), connected to the outside and running under the floor can be terminated at

the hearth and, depending on the model, connected directly into the stove.

With an existing house you may need to be a bit more inventive, though your air permeability is likely to be higher anyway. Some stove manufacturers have started offering ‘concentric’ flue systems, which usually consist of an inner layer for the exiting flue gases and an outer layer for incoming combustion air for the appliance, with an insulation layer in between – similar to a balanced flue on a modern fossil-fuel fired boiler.

Sizing

Naturally if the stove is too small, it will not be so useful but over-sizing the stove is also a risk as they are not instantly controllable in terms of heat output.

There are various rules-of-thumb calculators online that take into account the size and insulation standards of the room and a given stove manufacturer/supplier may also be able to help. It is safer to slightly undersize a stove and run it hard when necessary, as the combustion will be more efficient.

An oversized stove run in ‘slumber’ mode will produce products of incomplete combustion including carbon monoxide, sooty and tarry deposits and increase the risk of condensation of acidic gases in the flue.

Be wary of figures in kW which may be given in a range (say 3kW to

Further information Stove Industry Alliance, stoveindustryalliance. com Heating Equipment and Testing Approval Scheme, hetas.co.uk Stovax, stovax.com

6kW) as these may depend on the type of fuel to be used. Also, figures may be given for fuel input rather than heat output.

Consider too if you want the stove to heat hot water as well as the room. In that case you need a model with a back-boiler. Of course the stove will need to be sized to allow for hot water production as well as space heating.

You will also need appropriate plumbing connections, pipework to a hot water cylinder (or thermal store) and, generally, safety valves, pump, etc. Back boilers can also, with a large enough stove, run a number of radiators.

Fuel types

Wood-burning (biomass) stoves can be of log-burner or pellet type.

The latter are more controllable and can be automated (electric ignition), thermostat-controlled and with automatic fuel feed. Also, ash production is low meaning less intervention and mess.

However, the pellets are more expensive than logs and require storage conditions with more closely-controlled temperature and humidity. Logs have all the opposite advantages and disadvantages: cheaper, though more intervention (lighting, re-fuelling, ash removal).

If burning logs make sure they are properly dried as otherwise the heat output will be reduced and, in extreme cases, they may be hard to light. The best way to season logs is to leave them outside for at least a year, covered, though in a location where the wind can blow through them.

Some multi-fuel stoves can burn a variety of other fuels too, including coal (of the various types) and turf – though both of these raise environmental issues in terms of pollution and depletion of resources/habitats.

If your situation is not suitable for a wood-burner (for example, local council restrictions on smoke emissions, lack of options for combustion air and/or flue arrangements) then a gas-fired type might be an option.

Gas-fired stoves are available in various forms, from wood-burner lookalikes, to flue-less types that deal with combustion products via a catalytic converter and also require no separate combustion air – and various configurations in between.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 99

www.midlandheating.ie Tel: 046-9430529 Email: sales@midlandheating.ie

CHIMNEYS / BASICS

Chimneys and flues Due to the building regulations, open fires are a thing of the past but many people still choose to build a chimney for their stove.

Words: Les O’Donnell

A

n efficient chimney is one which carries combustion products safely from the appliance to the open air and which forms part of the overall weatherproof exterior of a house.

The chimney needs to comply both with planning guidelines and building regulations. The foundation must be the correct size for the chimney base; and wall and floor damp-proof courses must continue through the chimney base.

An internally located dual-facing stove can be fitted under a chimney with a fireplace recess which is open at both sides. The chimney should be built up as far as possible on the internal side of the cavity of the external wall to enhance weatherproofing and provide insulation which increases chimney efficiency.

Obviously, combustible materials should not be near the walls of a fireplace or flue and minimum separation distances are given in the building regulations.

Flues

Traditional flue liners of clay, pumice or concrete will be built with a void between them and the surrounding masonry. As work progresses, this void should be filled in accordance with the flue liner manufacturer’s instructions.

In the absence of such instructions, the spaces between the lining and the surrounding masonry should be filled with a weak insulating concrete such as a lightly-wetted 1:20 cement/lightweight expanded clay aggregate mix. Some prefabricated hollow block chimney systems are fitted with ceramic liners, around which is wrapped a layer of insulation.

Each flue section joint and the joints between the flue and starter block/ lintel and outlet terminal must be sealed with fire cement or refractory mortar (or in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.) A gas-tight soot collection box and cleaning access point will be required if a flue cannot be cleaned through the appliance.

Curved flue bends should be used at changes in direction (i.e. avoid cutting flues) and any angled or offset flue must be more than 45deg from the horizontal.

Use the correct size flue for the heating appliance.

Other considerations

Dimensions for chimneys and flues are provided in the building regulations, including the location of the outlet in relation to the roof, other buildings and windows.

Height may have to be increased where wind exposure, nearby tall buildings, high trees or high ground could have an adverse effect. Getting this right will optimise chimney efficiency and reduce downdraughts. Height should also be increased where a flue discharges near thatch or other ignitable surfaces.

Non-ferrous metal (usually lead) damp proof courses, flashings, aprons and trays are used to prevent water from penetrating the chimney masonry and the working drawings should include details of how this is achieved. Sulfate resisting cement should be used in the mortar above roof level where flue gases could affect masonry. Apply patination oil to lead to avoid staining roof coverings.

The capping must throw water off and prevent leakage around the chimney pot and can be pre-cast concrete, stone or sand/cement flaunching on top of frostresistant brickwork.

Watchpoints

Your architectural designer will have designed the chimneys carefully and the dimensions are aesthetically important, so keep an eye on what is being built before errors progress too far.

•Make sure chimneys are built as designed.

•Order the correct size of flue liners and the correct fill material to be used around them.

•The bottom end of the flue must match the flue pipe outlet position of your appliance.

•Exposed masonry and mortar must suit the exposure conditions.

•Flue liners should be fitted sockets uppermost, with correct bends and all joints properly sealed. Reject cracked liners.

•Use ‘coring’ drawn up the flue as work progresses, to avoid rough internal joints or mortar droppings.

•Double check your damp-proofing components before fitting them.

•Lead that is in contact with cement should be bitumen coated.

•Make sure that CE marks on readymade products match their intended use.

The final checks before you start using the chimney include: •Sweep the flue and check for obstructions.

•If there are bends in the flue, use a core ball to locate obstructions.

•Carry out a smoke test in accordance with the regulations.

•Carry out a spillage test with the appliance under fire.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 101

330

180

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AIR POLLUTION / OPINION

Hedging our bets

Words: John Sodeau

What does climate change mean if you’re building a house?

The environmental world has come a long way in the four years since I wrote an article for this magazine on heating/energy choices for both new builds and occupied homes.

In 2015 I did not mention anything at all about a climate emergency or climate breakdown other than a fleeting reference to “global warming”. Instead I concentrated on air quality both indoor and outside peoples’ houses.

In this commentary I am going to shift the balance toward the question: “What can I do to help reach national and global climate change goals that have been set by a variety of governments and international organisations like the United Nations?”

The advice I gave last time was as follows: (i) Use radiant panels powered by solar energy. (ii) Burn the most sustainable fuel (that is dried wood), but do so only in a modern, closed, very high-temperature combustion stove coupled with a heatrecovery-ventilation system. (iii) Plant a few trees in your new garden to take up the carbon dioxide that you release by burning fossil fuels.

I would still stick with the first and third points but would no longer be able to support the second recommendation. Here’s why.

Wood (biomass) is often termed a sustainable fuel. It isn’t really that sustainable because cutting one mature tree down to subsequently burn requires transport by trucks and sometimes ships running on fossil fuels. Worse, replacing a tree with a sapling requires a 30 or 40 year catch-up to take out the equivalent amount of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, while it grows.

Then, when burnt, it produces soot/ black carbon which also absorbs heat in the atmosphere.

And then there is the air pollution that accompanies wood or multi-fuel burning stoves. Open fire emissions harm occupants and soon will not be allowed to be put into new builds. But 90 per cent of modern stove emissions of particles, gases and vapours end up in neighbours’ houses. And theirs end up in yours.

Mass concentrations of PM2.5 by source

Peat Coal Wood Unidentified Other Peat/Coal

Oil, natural gas, coal (of any type) and peat (or other biomass) always produce pollutants that lead to global warming. But gas and oil burning do at least produce few, if any, toxic particles that can especially harm asthmatics, the old and the young.

Therefore, it comes as a surprise that the Irish government’s new Climate Action Plan, published in June, would ban oil and gas boilers in new builds (2022 and 2025 respectively) but nothing is proposed about wood and multi-fuel stoves.

So in 2019 the advice I would give self-builders is: (i) incorporate solar panels; (ii) install a heat pump; (iii) install an indoor air quality monitor that at least measures small particles and carbon dioxide; (iv) when available set up integrated, automated, multi-zone heating/cooling/air quality control systems that circulate air throughout the house to maintain a comfortable environment.

Also, we should hope that Ireland will be able to generate/buy its electricity from truly clean, sustainable energy sources soon. And yes, still grow some trees!

PARTICULATE MATTER

Burning solid fuel is making us sick A measure of air pollution is the size of the particulate matter (PM) that’s floating in the air. PM is made up of a number of chemical components including acids (like sulfuric and nitric), organic compounds (some carcinogenic), elemental carbon (soot) and metals (like lead). At 2.5 microns, particles can become deposited into the larger (tracheobronchial) branches of our lungs and studies show there is a greater health risk, including asthma and other pulmonary diseases, associated with exposure to small particles. PM10 is the size of dust and pollen.

University College Cork with the support of the Environmental Protection Agency has studied where these PM2.5 particles come from, in three rural locations, and the results show that the vast majority (60 to 83 per cent) are related to residential solid fuel burning in winter.

Therefore not surprisingly, PM2.5 concentrations are 10 times higher in the evening than during the day.

The graph above left shows the results for Birr (outer circle), Enniscorthy (middle) and Killarney (inner circle).

For more information see ucc.ie/en/crac/research/sapphire

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 103

BUDGET / ROOFING

How much will your roof cost?

Taking into account both roof structure and finishes.

Words: Keith Kelliher

T

he design of a roof can have a direct influence on the overall appearance of a property as its shape, colour and texture will have a striking visual impact. Broadly speaking, roof structures fall into two categories, flat or pitched, and there are fundamentally four main factors that influence the type of roof structure that is selected for a project.

1

Size and shape. A building with a simple shape (rectangular or square) will usually be covered with a pitched roof; the more complicated the shape of the house the cheaper it is to cover with a flat roof. The configuration of a property will also dictate the number of roof planes that are required, which may connect at different levels. Adding such layers of complexity will add to the cost.

2

Ridge height. If there is a restriction on the ridge height of a property, (total height of the house), a flat roof system will maximise the internal floor to ceiling height.

3

Appearance. The aesthetics will also obviously have a large impact on which type you choose; pitched roofs often suit small building designs better than flat roofs but the final choice will generally be down to local considerations, planning restrictions and personal choice.

4

Installation and maintenance costs.

A zinc roof finish for instance will not generally last the lifetime of a property and will certainly not last as long as a natural slate product, so these considerations will need to be examined prior to final selection of the roof finish and the structure beneath. Green roofs for example require additional supports.

It will not be a surprise to note that our grandparents (who always knew the

104 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

most economical way to build, as outlined in previous articles) generally constructed their properties with a pitched roof.

Pitched Roof

In simple terms a pitch roof is a roof with a slope greater than 10 degrees although in the main the minimum slope for a pitched roof will not be less than 15deg. Some proprietary low pitch products, which are generally tiles as opposed to slates, can be laid to a pitch of 12.5deg.

The slope of a roof is dictated by the minimum slope specified by the manufacturer of your roof structure. In general terms the minimum roof slope for concrete tiles is 40deg, clay tiles 22deg and slates from 20 to 30 deg.

Traditionally pitched roofs were described as cut roofs as they were built by a carpenter on site from bales of timber.

Each rafter was marked and cut to suit the required design. This resulted in high labour costs but low material costs due to the fact that simple lengths of timber rafters were used with standard fixings.

This generally results in being able to use, or convert at a later date, the roof space because the cut roofs tend to use larger

size timbers than truss roofs.

The vast majority of modern houses are now built using prefabricated trussed rafters which are produced off site and craned into position in a day. The detailed design and fabrication is done by the manufacturer.

Trussed roofs can be used over larger spans than traditional cut roofs and are installed more quickly, even though there will be some element of work on site for dealing with openings, chimneys, water tanks and the like.

It is generally expensive to change any aspect of a trussed roof design after installation due to the structural implications of any alteration, e.g. roofspace conversion.

Overall the cost difference between the two systems is minimal but the speed of installation of the prefabricated trusses is what is making them more popular.

Irrespective of which system that is selected, a detailed design by an engineer will be required to specify the layout of rafters, size of each rafter, bracing requirements, distance between each set of rafters (known as the spacing), connection details and fixings.

ROOFING / BUDGET

TYPES

Pitched designs

The variance in terms of each of these items from roof to roof can be substantial which has a knock-on impact on cost.

Flat Roof

Flat roofs are defined as a roof with a slope of less than 10deg. They are more common now than ever before because of advances in flat roof finishing products.

They are particularly practical for large roof areas or complicated shapes where they are usually a more economical option than a pitched roof. A flat roof is usually built from timber joists and plywood (OSB, WBP, marine or similar) or on occasions concrete (similar to a concrete floor).

They are generally installed on site (but can be fabricated under a prefabricated timber frame or Structural Insulated Panel system) in a similar nature to the traditional cut roof. A flat roof is designed to drain to outlets and working around rooflights and obstructions can easily be achieved.

There are generally three different types of flat roof construction known as a cold roof deck, a warm roof deck or an inverted warm roof deck. The latter is uncommon in Ireland. A cold roof deck is where the insulation for the roof is installed below the level of the roof deck usually in the ceiling which keeps the roof deck and covering at a low temperature.

A warm roof deck places the insulation immediately below the waterproof covering and on top of the decking and vapour barrier. The deck is therefore kept at a warmer temperature during winter months. The warm roof deck system would be the most common as it better controls the dew point.

The general downside to a flat roof structure is that it is generally the case that insurance companies rate a flat roof at a higher risk than a pitched roof. Care

should be taken to review this issue with your current or future insurers to have full knowledge of the ongoing cost impact of this type of construction.

The most common form of pitched roof in Ireland would be the gable or hipped pitched roof structure but there are also other versions known as gambrel, mansard, lean to or mono-pitch, butterfly and the very common dormer. Each design will require its own structural elements to take account of wall locations, slope requirements and obstructions like chimneys.

Roof finishes

Most roof finishes will require a build up which may include the need for additional layers of plywood, a vapour barrier or breather membrane, battens with or without counter battens, ventilation requirements and the likes, but the purpose of this article is to discuss and compare the range of finishes only. In order to ascertain the actual final cost of any particular makeup, the full design must be individually reviewed and costed.

Flat roofs used to be covered with a mastic asphalt but as the product can move in high temperatures, making the roof prone to leaking, and requires ongoing maintenance, it’s only really used on sheds costing less than €30/sqm or £25/sqm.

Most common nowadays for flat roofs are three proprietary systems, either made of built-up bitumen felt of uPVC. Installed as a complete system including  Specialist products such as integrated solar photovoltaic slates are non-standard and as such can be expensive

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 105

BUDGET / ROOFING

plywood, vapour barriers, insulation and the waterproofing layers, they are more controlled in temperature and can be easily worked around upstands, outlets and the likes. The majority of these systems cost from €80 to €120 per sqm or about £100/sqm taking into account all aspects.

Fibreglass is a more recent addition to the roof finishes options and one that has become very popular. Costing less than €70 or £65 per sqm for the all-in system, it is economical and quickly installed. Again it is easy to work around upstands and openings.

The selection of a roof finish requires a view on cost per unit and working out the number of each unit required. As slates, tiles and other finishes all vary in size, as does the manner in which they overlap, in order to work out the cost of any finish it will be necessary to identify the number of units per sqm. By way of example a slate size of 500 x 250mm slate will on average require 21 slates per sqm whereas a 600 x 300mm slate will only require 13 slates per sqm on average.

Traditionally the most common roof covering for pitched roofs was natural slate

INSIDER VIEW

What’s the best value for money when it comes to roof coverings?

The Vigo Slate by Lagan Building Solutions, a Natural Spanish Slate

Due to our harsh climate it will pay off to invest in a roof covering that will last structurally and not only that, the visual impact of your chosen roof covering should also be factored into your decision.

In increasing order of cost, you have a wide selection available: Concrete Roof Tiles, Natural Large Format Interlocking Clay, Man-Made imitation Slate (Fibre cement), Natural Spanish Slate and Bangor Blue Welsh Slate. For man made products check the warranty including a guarantee for colour fastness as some may fade over time. In all cases we recommend you exercise due diligence on your supplier; check their credentials, certification and warranties.

It’s important to remember that the roof pitch will determine what kind of roof covering can be fitted; not all roof coverings are suitable for all designs and locations.

Natural Slate works well on pitched roofs, interlocking clay is suitable for a wide range of roof pitches and can be fitted lower than most alternative products. Also because clay tiles are manufactured in a controlled factory environment these take less time to sort and install.

Hiring skilled slaters and qualified installers, such as a member of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, is vitality important for whichever roof covering you decide to use for your project. All roof coverings must comply with the BSI BS 5534:2014 + A2:2018 in NI, and NSAI’s Code of Practice for Slating and Tiling S.R. 82:2017 in ROI. Henry McKinney of Lagan Building Solutions

106 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

but being a natural product, over time it has become expensive and out of the reach of many. This is unusual and at odds with many of the traditional methods of construction which still remain the most economical methods of building. As a result of the increase in the cost of natural slating, fibre cement slates and concrete tiles have by far become the more common choice for pitched roofs in the recent past.

Natural slate. As a naturally occurring product quarried from various locations around the world, the quality and reputation of natural slate can vary greatly.

Traditionally the most renowned was the Welsh blue Bangor slate but due to issues with availability this product can now cost over €10/£8 per slate (over €120/£100 per sqm), with the majority of people now having to source it from salvage yards. The most common natural slate on the Irish market would now be of Spanish origin with costs ranging from €20 to €30 or about £25 per sqm. Slates are also widely available from places like Portugal and Brazil at a similar or lower cost to their Spanish alternatives.

Fibre cement slates are a manufactured alternative to natural slates. Traditionally they were asbestos based products but due to health and safety issues these were phased out in the 1980s. Fibre cement slates come in a range of colours and as they are man made they are uniform in shape. Less durable than their natural cousins, they are relatively cheap and can be bought for less than €1/£0.80 per slate (€12/£10 per sqm on average).

Concrete tiles are available in a range of colours and designs. The most common design would be the roman or double roman tile but flat tiles are often used.

These products are man made and will generally be available for less than €1/£0.80 per tile. The number of tiles per sqm varies greatly depending on how easy they are to install and can vary from as low as 8 per sqm to over 16 per sqm.

Other less common methods of coverings for a pitched roof include wood shingles, thatch and sheet coverings (lead, zinc, copper or various forms of aluminium). As non-standard products they can be expensive, involve a lot of detailing and design. Metal based roof coverings are more common on flat roofs for visual appeal. They require a great deal of detailing and joint work and will generally (depending on quantity, cutting and design) run to circa €200/£180 per sqm all in.

In the next issue, we will look at external glazing and outline how again design and material selection can seriously impact on the bottom line of your budget.

BUDGET / ROOFING

The figures are shown for ROI but equivalent numbers can be extrapolated for NI; in all cases consult with a professional about the exact cost of all elements of your project. Costs vary greatly by location, type, availability of product and fitting costs.

COST COMPARISONS

Flat vs pitched

Cost difference on our sample 139sqm bungalow with all other elements left the same.

Element

Qty

Rate

Element Total

Group Element Total

Qty

Rate

Element Total

Pitched

Flat €14,549.11

€19,459.80

Roof Structure

Group Element Total

Roof to GF Main Extension Roof Joists at 400c/c 175x44

502.57

10.40

€5,224.24

358.98

10.40

€3,731.60

Bridging at 1200c/c 175x44

301.54

10.40

€3,134.54

215.39

10.40

€2,238.96

Ceiling Joists at 400c/c 175x44

358.98

10.40

€3,731.60

0.00

10.40

€-

Bridging at 1200c/c 175x44

215.39

10.40

€2,238.96

0.00

10.40

€-

Wall Plate 100x75

47.16

11.25

€530.55

47.16

11.25

€530.55

EO for straps

40.30

10.00

€403.00

40.30

10.00

€403.00

Plywood

0.00

27.00

€-

139.00

27.00

€ 3,753.00

Insulation

139.00

28.00

€3,892

139.00

28.00

€ 3,892.00

Ridge collars and the likes

36.00

8.47

€304.92

0.00

8.47

€-

Bungalow vs two storey Cost difference on sample 139sqm properties with concrete tile and pitched roof. The cost difference between the two properties where all rates are left the same, is over €9/sqft of floor area in the two different properties. This further shows the dangers of costing a property based on average costing.

Element

Qty

Rate

Element Total

Group Element Total

Qty

Rate

Bungalow

Element Total Two Storey

€15,567.80

Roof Structure

Group Element Total €10,876.70

Roof to GF Main Extension Roof Joists at 400c/c 175x44

502.57

10.40

€5,224.24

344.40

10.40

€3,580.04

Bridging at 1200c/c 175x44

301.54

10.40

€3,134.54

206.64

10.40

€2,148.02

Ceiling Joists at 400c/c 175x44

358.98

10.40

€3,731.60

246.00

10.40

€2,557.17

Bridging at 1200c/c 175x44

215.39

10.40

€2,238.96

147.60

10.40

€1,534.30

Wall Plate 100x75

47.16

11.25

€530.55

35.40

11.25

€398.25

EO for straps

40.30

10.00

€403.00

35.40

10.00

€354.00

Plywood

0.00

27.00

€-

0.00

8.47

€-

Insulation

0.00

28.00

€-

0.00

750.00

€-

Ridge collars and the likes

36.00

8.47

€304.92

36.00

8.47

€304.92

€17,450.60

Roof Finishes

€9,041.76

Tile on batten on felt

194.54

78.00

€15,174.43

100.80

78.00

€7,862.40

accessories vents etc

1.00

2276.16

€2,276.16

1.00

1179.36

€1,179.36

Section Total

108 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

€33,018.40

€19,918.46

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Brian Vaughan: Yes, if the first stage drawdown is made by 31st December 2019 Green Mortgage customers will also get Cashback, which is 2 per cent of the mortgage borrowed. We also pay an additional 1 per cent of the total amount borrowed in 5 years’ time if you have a BoI current account, once you have met the conditions of the mortgage.

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For the Green Mortgage, if a BER cert is not available prior to

Green Mortgage Fixed Interest Rate

• Green Mortgage fixed interest rate giving you a discount of 0.20% off any of our fixed rate interest options • Fixed rate options between 1 and 10 years Brian Vaughan, Head of Mortgages at Bank of Ireland

drawdown, the customer must provide a build specification that shows that the property will achieve a BER rating A3 or better when works are complete.

We also understand the challenges facing First Time Buyers who are saving to buy a home. We want to help, with Bonus interest of €2,000 (less DIRT) on savings in a BoI MortgageSaver account. Customers just need to save at least €200 monthly for six months (the balance must reach €5,000) and draw down a BoI Mortgage within 30 months after account opening to get the Bonus Interest.

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WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 109

GARDEN / CUTTINGS

Winter propagation When you are on a budget, the best thing you can do to save on trips to the garden centre is to propagate your own plants. In winter this means gathering and planting hardwood and root cuttings.

Words: Fiann Ó Nualláin

Cut

S

pring can be a frenzy of seed sowing, while summer and autumn can be filled with soft cuttings and divisions but you don’t have to wait until next year to make a start. Winter is the perfect time to bulk up your borders and boundary planting.

Mature current season’s wood

Hardwood cuttings

This might just be the easiest of all propagation techniques; low fuss as there is no need to sustain a high humidity environment. The cuttings are taken from the stems and branches, when the plant is dormant and so without leaves, and if prepped properly can be pretty much forgotten about until spring.

The technique is called a ‘hardwood cutting’ because it is generally for shrubs and trees which have a more rigid or woody stem than the soft shoot stems of perennial plants, e.g. most ornamental shrubs, evergreens, edible bushes such gooseberries, vines and currants, ornamental climbers and hedging.

Weigela

110 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

2 year old wood

Cut

Euonymus

Skimmia

Unripe softer green wood

CUTTINGS / GARDEN

Soil in a partially shaded area

1/3 (for example 3 inches)

2/3 (for example 6 inches) Grit and sand

Taking a hardwood cutting

The trick is to select healthy stems, preferably ones that have grown in the current year; two year and older stems are tricky to root. The one-year-old stem will have plenty of plant hormones that will signal to the cut sections to make new cells.

You can cut off any length to begin with but do it with a clean, straight cut.

Remove any leaves and tip growth. You are aiming for a nude stem: a stick of the plant.

Cut the top, where the leaves were, at an angle. Cut the bottom straight, it’s sometimes referred to as the heel end.

Slope cuts at the top mean you won’t ever plant the wrong end and also will help prevent tip-rot as the water will run off.

Depending on the shrub or tree you

may have taken a length that’s as long as your arm or just the size of your finger.

Finger sizes can be dipped in some rooting hormone (see p110) and planted up straight away.

Longer stems can be turned into several cuttings, remembering to angle tops and straighten bottoms. The norm is to divide a long stem into sections of around 15-30cm long.

Over their winter rest, a callus will form over the cuts, later the meristem cells there will divide at those points and come spring, you will witness new growth.

Apart from knowing up from down, there are two other procedures to increase your chances. Both are optional but you may find them helpful.

The first is wounding: this is where you scrape off a thin strip of the stem skin or bark at the base. The idea is to expose some more of the cambium or light green tissue just under the skin. This is where the meristems that will become roots are housed and by exposing more there is more to divide.

The next is to hormone: a simple dip of the heel end into hormone rooting powder before planting.

What is a cold frame?

It’s like a mini greenhouse that protects plants from the cold and wet of winter; it’s built low to the ground, it’s enclosed and the roof is transparent to let in light.

Or you can choose the slit trench method which is like “healing in” – you can simply slice the earth with your shovel and slide the cutting into the slit and firm up. Or you can dig a narrow and shallow trench and amend it with grit and sand and then slip in the cutting and firm down.

Cuttings are generally sunken down to have almost two-thirds of the cutting below the surface. In part this tradition is to stop it being rocked or knocked out of place. If you don’t have pets or wildlife traffic and you’re not playing football nearby then you don’t have to go so deep.

Depth will not affect rooting capacity.

Leave a space of at least 10-15cm between each cutting. The big issue here is to firm well in so that no air or moisture pockets are present to trigger potential rotting of stems before callusing or rooting can occur. With slit trenches it is a good idea to check after any storms or strong winds just to make sure no wobble has occurred. Re-firm if necessary. 

Planting your hardwood cutting

Phlox

There are two ways to plant your hardwood cutting: straight in the ground or into a compost or soil filled pot. So you can just stick the ‘stick’ in the ground – push it in and leave it to root, traditionally done with willows and hedgerow plants.

Successful rose cutting

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 111

GARDEN / CUTTINGS

Come spring, those that have rooted successfully will produce top growth. You could dig up and repot but it is better for the plant if it can develop a decent root system first. So I would hold off if you can until autumn. If you can give it a growing season or two to get established all the better. Water it in summer as you would any growing plant.

The alternative is to use a plant pot to store the cutting over winter and let it root into. Simply fill a pot with a mix of compost, grit and sand – equal parts, to make a good free draining media.

Firm well and slide the cutting in two thirds depth. Best stored in a cold frame or a sheltered corner. Water in to firm the mix around the cutting. The tradition is to put three cuttings per pot, placed around the edges, but you can individually pot up.

Next year when growth occurs you can pot on to develop roots a little more or plant out direct.

Root cuttings

Another simple method for winter propagation is to take a root cutting. It’s not as awkward as it sounds. Wait until the plant is dormant, i.e. its leaves have been shed. You don’t have to dig the plant up, just excavate a little around its base to expose some roots. These roots will now be packed with carbohydrates sent from the autumnal leaves and full of hormones.

Root cuttings are a great way to bulk up your quantities of herbaceous perennials including: • Phlox • Oriental poppies • Anemone • Acanthus • Echinops • Some edibles including raspberry, blackberry • Some ornamentals including roses, mahonia and lilac What we need are a few 3-5cm sections from the fresher growth; often softer in texture or lighter in colour. The aim is pencil thick, but not all roots are so disposed so whatever is available.

Take them from as close to the crown (plant base) as possible. The section closest to the crown is ‘up’ so we can borrow a trick from hardwood and cut it at an angle to signify ‘top’. Even though most root segments can self-correct if planted flat, with cuttings it’s best not to tempt fate and it helps to angle them right when potting on.

I like to plant at a slight angle to prompt tip growth from the right point.

Echinops

Cover with grit and sand amended compost and water in. The willow water (see below) can be used to water in your root cuttings, adding both growth stimulation and some infection protection.

They will callus up over winter and bud and root come spring.

You can place in a cold frame. Come spring, plants that spurt can be watered and cared for until you are ready to plant out after the last frosts.

DIY

Homemade rooting agent

Oriental poppy

112 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Most commercially available rooting agents, be that gel or powder, will contain indolebutyric acid, a plant hormone that actively stimulates root growth at the basal tip of your cuttings. The indolebutyric acid is now often an analog, synthesised in a lab. Sometimes and once upon a time exclusively, it was sourced from willow trees.

Here’s a nifty way to make your own.

Take a stem of willow, about a meter or so. Remove the leaves. Chop up into a handful of 5cm segments; I like to give a little bit of a crush to each section to help release more of the good juice. So a tap of a hammer or a squeeze of a plyers.

Add to a jam jar or lidded container and cover with water. Let it sit on a windowsill until you notice white residue or threads appear in the water – that’s the leeching out of indolebutyric acid and also salicylic acid. You now have willow water – a natural rooting dip with a bonus.

The bonus is not just that it’s free. It’s the added salicylic acid, which is generally missing from propriety blends and which triggers “systemic acquired resistance” – that’s a plant’s natural defence mechanism against bacteria, fungi, and viruses, aka the downfall of a successful cutting. So a dip of your cutting in the willow water can enhance root stimulation and ward off failure.

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B A S I C S / M A I N S WAT E R S U P P LY

BASICS

Cold water supply When it comes to your water supply, there are three questions to ask yourself: where is it going to come from and will it be of sufficient quality and pressure?

Words: Aleyn Chambers

M

ains water is supplied to your home through pipes by gravity, so the water pressure into your home will be directly affected by your elevation and proximity to the local reservoir. Dwellings in low areas will generally have high water pressure and those in higher areas low pressure.

114 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Mains, water pressure is managed by using pressure regulating valves and monitoring points to achieve consistent water pressure across the network as well as checking for leaks.

Water quality

In Ireland there are many areas where mains water is deemed to be hard, i.e. it contains elevated levels of mineral deposits such as calcium and magnesium.

Did you know?

Water pressure is measured in units known as metre head or bar. A one metre head will counter the pressure from a column of water one metre high.

Given that the water supply is taken from a local source the local build-up and type of rock and soil will determine the degree of hardness of the water.

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M A I N S WAT E R S U P P LY / B A S I C S

Limescale is a coating or deposit, which will accumulate over time and will effectively reduce the diameter of your pipes and thus the efficiency of the plumbing system.

Water softener units prevent limescale from building up and are generally installed at the entry point of the water to the house.

Most softeners work by filtering the water through salt tablets. This increases the level of sodium which is why some plumbers recommend drinking water taps be fed straight from the mains supply.

If you have a well, water has to be treated and this is likely to take the form of a disinfection regime or ultraviolet light. Guidance is available from the Environmental Protection Agency (see epa.ie) and the Drinking Water Inspectorate for Northern Ireland (see daera-ni. gov.uk).

Gravity fed water tanks

Once the cold water supply has entered your home a body of water is then stored in an appropraite location before being drawn off for use. Traditionally there have been two principal cold water supply systems in Irish homes, known as direct and indirect cold water systems.

The indirect system is still the most common and involves the mains water supply feeding a cold water storage tank in the roof space or other highest point in the house, and one other tap in the property, generally at the kitchen sink for potable (drinkable) water.

Pressure or water head is created naturally by gravity from the tank to the relevant fixture. There is generally sufficient water pressure in the mains to allow the water to reach the tank so that it is filled up again once the water is used.

A ballcock is put inside the tank so as to automatically switch the water on and off as needed, in the same way your wc cistern works. To keep an eye on its functioning, an overflow pipe must be located in a visible part of the house.

Even though flowing water doesn’t tend to pose a health risk from the point of view of bacteria such as legionella, the issue with a storage tank in the roof space is that water quality can be compromised from external sources. Think flies or worse, from

birds to other animal droppings if the tank is compromised or not properly sealed.

They also pose a risk of flooding if the overflow pipe is not monitored as the tank is out of sight so any issues won’t be spotted until some damage has been done.

The risk of frost is usually tackled with insulation but again if it is compromised you are unlikely to notice until it’s too late.

The set up Pictured right is a plug and play pressurised water tank set up.

Southern Pumps, southernpumps.ie

which is contained within the cold water storage tank.

There are several manufacturers of tanks and pump systems which can offer a range of differing tanks and volumes depending on the available space and storage requirements of the house.

Pressurised water tanks

It is now becoming more common for self-builders to include a pressurised cold water storage tank at the ground floor level or in a plant room where available. Even though some tanks come with UV protection it’s best to keep them indoors.

Plant rooms will generally contain all of the services that make the house function, from the hot water storage tank (typically connected to solar thermal panels) and boiler or heat pump, to the mechanised ventilation system unit. In this context it makes sense that the cold water storage tank should also be located in this area so that the services are centralised within the home.

The specification of the cold water storage tank is very important, it should be fabricated with nontoxic high density polyethylene, certified for use with drinking water, and be fitted with both an insulation jacket to prevent/minimise condensation on the external face of the tank and a drip tray to protect against any leaks or water overflow from the tank gathering on the floor below.

Unless you have excellent water pressure coming in from the mains, locating the cold water storage tank on the ground floor does also mean that the water supply to all fixtures and fittings needs to be pumped in order to create the necessary pressure for appliances, etc. Pumped electric shower units can be installed in each shower to boost pressure (and heat cold water) but it’s a more cumbersome set up.

The pump fitted to the cold water storage tank should have an electronic controller to maintain constant supply pressure to fittings depending on the flow demand.

As with all pumps noise can often be an issue when in use. To address this consider a submersible pump,

CONNECTION

How much does it cost?

Getting a new water connection can cost a lot depending on how far you are from the mains supply.

NI Water charges £1,728 for a standard pipe licence, £330 for a network capacity check and £30 for a new domestic property application.

ROI’s Irish Water introduced a flat fee of €2,272 earlier this year for a cold water supply connection; it’s based on a standard pipe size of 25mm and the connection has to be within 10 meters of the mains. Connection requests outside these standard parameters may incur an additional fee.

An extreme example comes from news reports this past August which shared the story of one Danny Boyle in the west Donegal Gaeltacht who, after two years building his dream home, found he was quoted €66,700 to install 270 meters of water pipe to connect his house to the nearest mains point. This included road opening, liaison with local authorities for permits and other requirements, removal and reinstatement of surfaces, connecting to the mains with associated testing.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 117

PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

It’s payback time Building an energy positive is easier than it sounds, says architectural designer Martin Marshall Photography: Jeremy Phillips

“We didn’t have to go above and beyond the passive house requirements in terms of insulation or airtightness, we just followed them to the letter.”

Did you start off with the intention to build yourself a house that would cost nothing to run?

Yes that was always the idea, I thought I would prefer to pay a bit more on a mortgage than waste the same money on energy bills. When we started the project, I was working for a passive house builder so it was a natural progression for me to build a passive house. I now work along with my sister in our architectural practice.

The simple way to achieve that was to design the house to the German Passive House standard and then add on solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate electricity and the air to water heat pump for the central heating.

As per passive house guidelines we have mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.

I also incorporated zero carbon design principles.

118 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

We didn’t have to go above and beyond the passive house requirements in terms of insulation or airtightness, we just followed them to the letter. Because each house is unique you have to delve into the details and tweak the amount of insulation you’re going to put in for a cost optimal performance.

We paid a lot of attention to detail, spending six to nine months on the design and cost analysis with the builder. It was all down to payback times; anything that wouldn’t pay for itself within five years in terms of energy savings wasn’t going into the house.

The PV panels were cost effective because we qualified for the NI Renewables Obligation Certificates, a scheme that lapsed in 2017, and with those we get £800 per year. The panels themselves cost £5,500 to install and we put it on the credit card three years interest free, paying it back

with the NIROC payments. So half of it is paid for already.

Did you design the house so you wouldn’t need central heating?

We didn’t want to limit the square footage or the architectural design but we were economic with space: nearly every part of the house is designed to the minimum, without making it feel small. Most visitors think our house feels large but 2,200sqft for a four bedroom and three living room house is relatively small.

I wanted to experiment and not put in central heating at the beginning but plumbed in the pipes for radiators as we had a good idea that it would work out more expensive using electric heaters.

Initially, we decided to see if we could go without central heating. We have a dualfronted stove in the living area / lounge and

CO ANTRIM / PROJECT

Tips

had electrical radiators in the bedrooms, hall upstairs, living room and open plan area, all on timers. It turned out to be an expensive way of heating the house so the second year we installed the air source heat pump and the vertical radiators.

With the air source heat pump the water that is being pumped around is at a much lower temperature, radiators are sized at delta 50, i.e. with the water 50degC above the desired room temperature. With our heating the water only flows at 45degC, therefore we had to calculate the size of the radiators at delta 25. This meant that the radiators are more than double the size than if we had gone for oil heating. Balancing this requirement is the low heating demand of the house itself, so the radiators are of a ‘normal’ size.

What was the timeline?

Planning permission took about nine months. It was under PPS21, dwelling on a farm, as my wife’s parents gifted us land.

Everything went straight through.

The best tip when dealing with the planners is to frontload everything. If you think they will have any issues with any parts of the design, get in front of it and alleviate their fears. It is easier to help make up someone’s mind than try and change it.

Needless to say you do this by showing compliance with the planning guidelines and point out where your design fits in with them. If you try to fool them this will go against you so be honest as well.

The planners didn’t ask for any changes to our drawings; we just had to adjust the road splays. Once the approvals are in 

Scale. When you lay out the house in the field it will seem very small, then the walls go up and the space seems a bit bigger. Once the rooms are finished the house will seem small again; it really isn’t until you put in the furniture that you get a true sense of space.

When we were on site we thought the dining room was too small but we stuck to our guns. I knew that the drawings were right so I left it as it was.

When we put in the table it felt very spacious.

Take time to find the right people. If you want to selfbuild, make sure you have quality professionals behind you. A quantity surveyor will break down the quantities of orders; this can save you quite a bit of money. For instance you could be hiring scaffolding twice as long as you need to if you’re not precise about your quantities.

Get the kitchen designed before you secure planning permission. Always design the house from the inside out – it’s important to get the flow right. Once you have agreed on the overall layout with the architectural designer, go to a kitchen company to finalise the details, 200mm may make a world of difference when fitting presses.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 119

PROJECT / CO ANTRIM

“We designed the house around the social aspects of our lives...”

place and you have your design down pat, construction with timber frame should go fairly quickly. In our case we broke ground in January 2014 and moved in July of that year.

What was the design process like?

We split it up so that I was the designer and my wife the client. For inspiration we mostly used online mood boards; they’re a practical way to organise the things you like by themes.

I’m also a life coach and I incorporated some precepts from that line of work into the design. We all know about the importance of business plans but very few people create a life plan. Designing someone’s home is the perfect opportunity 120 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

to help develop a life plan.

In this case it was all about how the house was going to work for us. We have a galley kitchen, open plan layout and an oversized island, at 4mx1.2m, to encourage communal living and have a space to entertain.

We took our initial concepts from spas and hotels and the sense of wellbeing that can be got from such spaces. It’s all about quality of life so the views are really important, and the play on dark and light.

We designed the house around the social aspects of our lives, so the open plan area has no television, it’s an interactive space.

The bedrooms were purposefully kept small, at borderline minimum sizes, to force the children into the social spaces of the house.

We created reading and study areas too.

The house is on land that’s already got a farmhouse on it, and you access it via a quaint tree lined agricultural lane. There’s an old pastor house on the way up and I love the ruggedness. We wanted to stay authentic, in harmony with the space and use our surroundings to style the site.

Why did you choose timber frame?

When we started on site I’d left the build

company I was working with but was naturally inclined to bring them on as our builder; there was trust and their workmanship is second to none. The company is very careful with thermal bridging and building to passive house standards.

That company specialises in timber frame so that’s how we built the house. I was confident in the method even before I started working for them as it’s one that can more readily yield a passive house.

All new builds have to get an airtightness test done at the end but it is best practice to also get one done before the walls are plastered, to make sure you’re on the right track. With timber frame you do your first airtightness test before you dryline, with blockwork you do it after the sand cement goes on the external walls but before they are skimmed.

You’d normally also use a smoke stick, or thermal camera, to double check, especially around the windows and service penetrations. In our case we got a better score for that airtightness test than for the final one because we had to make some holes in the fabric for services. The difference was minor, from 0.4 to 0.5 air changes per hour.

CO ANTRIM / PROJECT

For people thinking of building to the passive house standard, what would you tell them?

You will find builders who talk the right talk, but you need to do your research to choose one that’s really passionate about the methodology. It really all boils down to the details and to get you through the pain threshold, you need someone who’s totally invested.

What would you change?

I wasn’t on site as much as I would have liked. Even though there was no deviation from the original design, I would have preferred to take a more hands-on approach. I could also have done with a bit more room in the master bedroom; only an extra 200mm would have been enough.

There had been a stage where I had to re-design the house to keep a lid on the budget. We had to cut £45,000 from the build because the mortgage was cut by that amount as I had changed jobs.

Unfortunately I went overboard on this cost cutting exercise and there is one thing I regret as a result: under the zinc roof we installed a uPVC window instead of timber.

The colour is the same, RAL7015, but all I can see is this wee small window in uPVC clashing with the zinc and the rest of the timber windows. I’m the only one who seems to notice it but for the sake of £200 I wish I hadn’t made that decision.

COSTS & BUILDING SPECIFICATION Builder’s finish: £140,000 Additional costs including kitchen and central heating: additional £45,000 Floor: 150mm PIR under 50mm screed, U-value 0.143 W/sqmK

Roof: 400mm fibreglass at rafters, membrane, service void, plasterboard, U-value 0.104 W/sqmK

Walls: Wind membrane, OSB, timber frame walls with 150mm fibreglass between

Windows and doors: triple glazed, U-value 0.8 W/sqmK

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GROUND FLOOR

Store

Design Marshall McCann Architects, Dunloy, Co Antrim, MMcCarchitects. com

Windows Munster Joinery, passive house certified triple glazed units, munsterjoinery.ie

Builder Setanta Construction, setantaconstruction.com

Packaged treatment system Kingspan Wastewater, kingspan.com

Utility

Study

Dining

Lounge

Entrance

studs, membrane, 80mm PIR, service void, plasterboard. 25mm PIR on window reveals.

U-value 0.143 W/sqmK

Living Room

Master Bedroom Kitchen

Bedroom

Front door Accoya wood and insulated with 40mm PIR for passive house standard by Cormac Murphy Joinery Photography Jeremy Phillips, jsphillips@mac.com, jsphillips.co.uk

Bathroom

Bedroom

Bedroom

Cinema Room

FIRST FLOOR WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 121

P R O J E C T / C O WAT E R F O R D

Enduring holiday With the children all grown up, Joanna and David FitzGerald decided the time had come for this modest holiday home to be injected with some architectural flair Photography: Leon Murphy and ROJO Architects

What was the house like before you renovated and extended?

David: It looked like it was an early attempt at a system build. We bought it about 30 years ago from a Dutch engineer who had moved to Ireland and who had gotten it built for himself and his wife.

We found it through an estate agent because we wanted to buy a holiday home in the area; we specifically asked not be shown bungalows yet this one had some character and it was practical. Surrounded by mature trees and high hedges and being so close to the coast, it served us well when the children were younger.

The biggest issue with the house was that we couldn’t see the views from the inside, and this was always something we knew we’d need to address.

Why did you undertake the project?

With retirement approaching, we decided to do something special with the house.

We also wanted the children to continue to want to holiday there, perhaps later Before

with their families, and for it to have enough room and be comfortable to host additional guests.

Ever since we bought the bungalow, we’ve been toying with ideas of how to improve it. There were many iterations, literally on the back of envelopes. Some considered demolishing the house to build a new one facing the westerly views but we most frequently ended up with an L-shape incorporating a new sitting area.

We didn’t want anything similar to what was already in the area, we wanted a bold statement and a house full of light.

How did the project get started?

We searched online for architectural practices and found a young outfit that seemed to have everything we wanted: a lot of energy, ambition and vision. We also knew it had to be done remotely, with us 122 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

living in London, and having an architect we really got along with was paramount.

We hit it off straight away, their style was exactly along the lines of what we were after. We really liked their previous work.

They stood out as being different and able to deliver a contemporary solution.

We didn’t want the design to look anything like the original house.

We showed them our back of the envelope plans and asked them to work on something that would achieve that, adding about two thirds to the footprint.

We started off thinking that by keeping the existing structure it would be cheaper to construct but I’m not so sure anymore.

Regardless of the cost implications we’re glad we kept the original frame. It’s good to know we’ve built on what was there, retaining some of that history.

All we ended up keeping of the original house was the timber frame

C O WAT E R F O R D / P R O J E C T

Tips Be prepared to make microdecisions. The architect won’t choose where to put your light switches, your plugs, or what colour to paint the walls. Have a lot of patience with this; if you rush it you may come to regret it or be annoyed by small things later. It worked out well in our case. I have the attitude of just wanting to get it done with an eye on “the big idea” and Joanna is really good with making decisions on the details.

structure which had been fitted with tongue and groove rendered panels but those were removed and we entirely reinsulated and re-clad the structure. The internal walls were demolished and rebuilt to accommodate the new configuration.

Within that original frame we enlarged the existing window openings and in the kitchen-dining area we opened up into the roof space to create a vaulted ceiling. We got rid of the old bulky fireplace and used the space for internal cupboards.

The main addition to the house was the living area with beautiful views of the mountains across a bog. It’s westerly facing and the sunsets are often fabulous.

We couldn’t see the views before without

going out of the house and we appreciate them all the more now for that reason.

We also have a garden room as a space dedicated to hobbies with internet connectivity and heating. It is like a study cut off from the rest of the house.

Was it tough getting planning permission?

Because there was an existing house on the site, it was fairly straightforward.

Our project was what you could call a radical extension. Also, our architects have experience working with the local authority and were very familiar with the planners’ requirements so it was painless from our point of view. 

Go local. From the beginning we thought this was important, which is why we got the process started with a local architect.

All of our local suppliers were really helpful and nice to deal with. Above all they were very patient with us and we’re grateful for all their advice and bearing with us while we were making decisions.

Be bold. A renovation, extension or new build is the opportunity to showcase architectural design and that usually means using products that aren’t off the shelf. This may mean the project will be subject to delays but keep your eye on the prize – the end product is what you’ll be living with for years to come.

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 123

P R O J E C T / C O WAT E R F O R D

How did you go about building and managing the project?

We went to tender to six builders in total, they were all local. We eliminated the most expensive and the cheapest which left us with four. I went to meet all four personally to give us a shortlist of two. We met with former clients who still seemed on good terms with them and we liked the builders as people, which I think is a really important criterion. It was a very hard final choice.

To decide we went back to the architects and, because they would be the main point of contact for the builder during construction, we asked them who they had the best relationship with. Even though I would be travelling back and forth I wasn’t going to be there on a daily basis.

The builder we appointed was the younger of the two and he turned out to be very flexible and accommodating of the innovative design. He possibly had less experience than the other but he was keen to do a good job and perhaps prove that. He was willing and able to solve problems and we had a very good relationship with him.

It was a worrying experience being so far from site, I was constantly waiting for the phone call about something like water from a hidden spring gushing through ďƒ˜

124 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

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Learn from The Past Build for The Future � Solar Panels � Heat Recovery Systems � Under Floor Heating � Heat Pump � Systems Collecting Rainwater

This system is based on a self supporting structure of EPS reinforced with Render combined with Glass Fibre.

Pre shaped elements are easily assembled on site keeping building costs keenly priced.

Triple glazed units are used throughout.

All buildings are fitted with near zero energy equipment and can be adapted to the clients requirements.

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C O WAT E R F O R D / P R O J E C T

What have you done for heat and hot water?

The house runs on electricity only; we didn’t want an LPG or an oil tank in the garden and there is no gas mains connection. It would make sense for us to put in photovoltaic (PV) panels with a battery, which we may do later down the line.

There is no mains water either so we drilled a new well. We have underfloor heating and because the house is really well insulated it’s not that expensive to run.

It’s theoretically controllable over the internet but when the fibre cable was damaged in a storm we were cut off from that functionality. The house needs wifi to work with the controls; technology is great but only when it works. If the internet service you’re going to get is unreliable you may want to choose old fashioned timers instead.

It being a holiday home we also have monitoring cameras for security reasons and these are also accessible over the internet.

What would you change?

The garden room

the foundations. Thankfully that never happened.

Our involvement in large part consisted of keeping in constant contact, by phone, email and VOIP conferences. I’d retired at this stage, but Joanna was still working so while she came to some meetings, at least once a month, I did most of the travelling.

I’d take the 8:50am Ryanair flight from Gatwick to Dublin and hire a car. It’s an easy run down with the motorway and I was on site by lunchtime. Because I always had to spend more than a day, I found a tiny bed and breakfast in the village nearby which became my base. It was big enough for two so when Joanna came we could both stay there.

The meetings on site mostly focused on detail action points. They became longer and more frequent as the build progressed, especially when we had to meet with kitchen suppliers, choose bathroom fittings, floor tiles, etc.

architect helped us with this immensely.

Our input was to agree on how they would look. One of the windows was larger than what most companies can manufacture so we had it specifically made in Poland which caused further delays. It was frustrating more than anything.

Also, the external panels below the zinc roof were a special order from Germany; there was some tricky detailing to sort out as well.

In the house very little. Maybe a small window in the ensuite shower room where there is no natural light. The children are still fond of the new place and we’ve achieved our goal of making it a holiday house that appeals to young adults. Our daughter is getting married and her fiancé proposed on the beach when they were holidaying here. We can see many more years of happiness ahead of us.

What was the timeline? Were there any delays?

We broke ground in November 2017 and it was a nine month project. Usually building over the winter months isn’t that big a deal in Ireland because the weather is moderate but that year happened to be one with a lot of snow so that did delay things.

Another delay had to do with the windows. They’re all made to spec, our

SUPPLIERS Architect ROJO-Studio Architects, Waterford, tel. 051513868, rojo-studio.com Photography Leon Murphy, leomurphyphotography.com

WINTER 2019 / SELFBUILD / 127

INSIDE TRACK / DIAL BEFORE YOU DIG

Dial Before You Dig goes digital Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), the operator of Ireland’s gas network, has just launched a new online version of its Dial Before You Dig mapping service.

The new online service, which complements the existing Dial Before You Dig phone and email service, will make it easier than ever to check whether there are underground gas pipes on a site before you commence work.

The easy-to-use Dial Before You Dig Online can be accessed at gasnetworks.ie.

Throughout Ireland, vast underground networks of pipes and cables supply vital utilities including gas, water, electricity and telecommunication services, operating safely and efficiently, day and night, to keep Ireland functioning.

But when these utilities are damaged by construction work it can cause major disruption, or even serious injury or death.

Gas Networks Ireland is responsible for the safety of the 14,390km gas network which 128 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

supplies clean, affordable and efficient natural gas to over 700,000 homes, businesses and industries across Ireland.

Last year, there were 550 incidents of damage to the low and medium pressure gas distribution networks, mostly in urban and suburban locations and there were nearly 50 instances of unauthorised excavation near the high-pressure gas transmission network, mostly located in rural areas.

In the first half of 2019, there have already been nearly 350 incidents of damage to the distribution network – a sharp increase, driven by the current construction boom.

A key control to prevent this risk of damage is access to utility maps from utility owners. All utility owners operate systems to provide maps of their pipes and cables on request. In 2018, the GNI Dial Before

Users who prefer phone or email will still be able to contact Gas Networks Ireland by calling 1850 42 77 47 or emailing dig@gasnetworks.ie to request maps as they have always done.

You Dig service dealt with nearly 10,000 such requests and has already seen a 15 per cent increase in requests in the first half of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.

The new online service makes it easier than ever to ensure a safe dig.

Users can select the location they want drawings for, check out the gas network at that location and have the drawings emailed to them. Vital drawings, that would normally take 48 hours or longer to arrive, will be available in minutes, day or night.

Owen Wilson, Networks Safety Manager with Gas Networks Ireland, said: “Any responsible contractor will want to make sure that they operate a safe site. Obtaining maps of underground services is a critical step when planning any excavation. Our new online Dial Before You Dig service can provide these drawings far more quickly and easily than ever before.”

Paul O’Brien, Gas Networks Ireland Design Services Manager with responsibility for the Dial Before You Dig service, added: “Before we embarked on developing this new system, we surveyed users of our current system and asked them what they’d like from an online system.

We’ve incorporated their feedback into this service so we’re really confident that it will deliver everything that users want and more.”

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A GLIMPSE of the FUTURE

A GLIMPSE of the FUTURE

A GLIMPSE of the FUTURE

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SEAMLESS DOOR ENDLESS OPTIONS. SHOWROOM Unit 10, Tramore Commercial Park, Tramore Rd, Cork, T12Y8DW M: 0857230511

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Stand L4

T: 0214364383 E: info@frameless.ie W: www.frameless.ie

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SCRAPBOOK / LIVING ROOM LIGHTING

Scrapbook:

Artificial lighting that encourages cosying up to a good book…

Natural fibres Uplights Mood lighting tucked away behind the cupboard.

The Den and Now

n Lighting John Culle

This seagrass pendant light complements the décor.

Colour coordinated

The pendant and table lamp enhance the moody embrace of the velvet sofa.

Pooky

Task lighting

Minimalist style for pure reading pleasure.

The earthy tones and bronze palm leaf lamp ooze style.

130 / SELFBUILD / WINTER 2019

Audenza

Loaf

Jungle fever

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