Selfbuild Winter 2023 Preview

Selfbuild EXTENSIONS RENOVATIONS NEW HOMES INTERIORS GARDENS

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EDITOR'S LETTER

Astrid Madsen - Editor astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie

ands up if you want to build a draughty house that’s falling apart at the seams. Any takers?

Let’s face it, we all pretty much want the same thing from our home improvement or new build project. A home that’s so cheap to heat, we’re laughing at our utility bills.

We also want a sanctuary, one that has a feel-good factor, filled with fresh air.

And where possible, a home built with materials that aren’t polluting the environment. A home that hasn’t required much energy,

H

water, or waste to come into being.

The question is, as always, how do you achieve any of that? It’s a debate that’s creating factions; some will sing the praises of timber builds, others concrete. Gas with PV or a heat pump?

There are many different ways to get to your end result.

For inspiration, check out the projects on pages 32 and 42.

And to delve into the topic, our guide starts page 99.

Last but not least, don’t miss our exciting bit of news on page 93...

Happy eco building!

Selfbuild Guide

COVER PHOTO Paul Lindsay

Selfbuild EXTENSIONS RENOVATIONS NEW HOMES INTERIORS GARDENS

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Dream it . Do it . Live it

MARKETING Calum Lennon calum.lennon@selfbuild.ie Victoria Hunter victoria.hunter@selfbuild.ie

P ROJ E C TS I N: . DUBLIN . D OW N . CLARE . FE R M A NAG H . L AO I S . GA LWAY

Rebecca Ferris rebecca.ferris@selfbuild.ie

ECO HOUSE GUIDE AALLLL I IRREELLAANNDD BBEESSTT SSEELLLLI INNGG MMAAGGAAZZI INNEE FFOORR SSEELLFF--BBUUI ILLDDEERRSS AANNDD HHOOMMEE I IMMPPRROOVVEERRSS

EDITOR Astrid Madsen astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie DESIGN Myles McCann myles.mccann@selfbuild.ie Shannon Quinn shannon.quinn@selfbuild.ie

Lizzie McCullough lizzie.mccullough@selfbuild.ie SUBSCRIPTIONS/EVENTS Becca.Wilgar becca.wilgar@selfbuild.ie ADVERTISING SALES Emma Phillips emma.phillips@selfbuild.ie Joanna McConvey joanna.mcconvey@selfbuild.ie Lisa Killen lisa.killen@selfbuild.ie

Maria Toland maria.toland@selfbuild.ie Nicola Delacour-Dunne nicola.delacour.dunne@ selfbuild.ie ACCOUNTS Karen McLeigh karen.mcleigh@selfbuild.ie Leanne Rodgers leanne.rodgers@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.

4 / S E L F B U I L D / WINT ER 2 0 2 3

100 Overview 102 Top 12 eco features

118 Heating and hot water 120 Heat pumps

104 Jargon buster

122 Renewables

108 Grants

124 Environmental checklists

110 Airtightness 113 Ventilation 116 Windows and doors

129 Water saving 130 Maintenance

CONTENTS

99 Projects Selfbuild Guide Your guide to building an eco house.

Learn from other self-builders all over the island of Ireland who have built new or renovated their home.

32

22 Retiring to the garden house

When Linde and James Lunney decided it was time to downsize for their retirement, they chose to build their new home in their Dublin side garden.

32 Low energy home on a budget

Seeking out the most eco of options were Brian and Karen Corry in Co Down who chose mass timber (glulam) as their build method and an exhaust air heat pump as the ventilation and heating system.

42 A castle in waiting

Advice 79 Ask Keith

Where are material prices heading and should you wait to start your project? Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher points you in the right direction.

81 Ask Andrew

What contingencies should you set aside were the build to go overbudget? Project manager Andrew Stanway has the answer.

82 Build Schedule

Now that you’ve decided you’re going to be managing your home construction project, we’ve got the tools to get you started. Plus what to expect from the day to day, and pitfalls to avoid.

90 Attic stairs

Need access to the loft space?

Here are your options if you plan to put in a set of stairs.

93 Selfbuild+

Bigger and better than ever, you’re in for a treat…

TV presenter and eco builder extraordinaire Harrison Gardner shares how he and his wife Erin went about renovating and extending their home in Co Clare.

52 A craftsman’s legacy

Simon and Gail Forster built their family home two decades ago in Co Fermanagh, and while it delivered a functional space they felt now was the time for an upgrade.

62 Relationship builder

How Mary and Tom Walsh of Co Laois brought their past experiences living in houses of all shapes and sizes to build themselves a cosy and tailor made family home.

68 Belfast bungalow renovation

Serial renovator Allison Cordner shares how she and her husband John went about updating a dated and tired bungalow in Belfast for their retirement.

74 Creating a flow

This garden design project in Co Galway is all about easy access to the great outdoors.

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. WINTER 2 0 2 3 / SEL F B U IL D / 5

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NEWS . ANALYSIS . PRODUCTS . REVIEWS

Help to Buy extended to 2025 ROI’s Budget 2024 extends the Help to Buy scheme to the end of 2025 alongside more tax breaks on electricity exports to the grid. udget 2024 has extended the Help to Buy scheme to the end of 2025, which is worth up to €30k, despite a government report published two years ago stating more than half of selfbuilders availing of Help to Buy would go ahead with their building project without the support.

The Help to Buy provides income tax relief to assist first time buyers, including first time self-builders, with obtaining the deposit required to purchase or build their first home.

Minister for Finance Mattie McGrath said the scheme was extended to bring “certainty to the market”. He also suggested changes might be made to the scheme in the coming months.

Applicants to the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme (not open to self-builders) will now be able to avail of the Help to Buy scheme. If availing of the First Home Scheme, which is open to selfbuilders, you cannot avail of Help to Buy.

This comes at a time when contractors registered to carry out grant aided work on Irish homes are scoring poorly on SEAI quality checks.

Retrofit grants

Budget 2024 is setting aside over €3 billion for climate and nature related investments between 2026 and 2030 in what the Green Party describes as an insurance policy for future generations.

The Climate and Nature Fund is one of the first of its kind in the world and means that even if the economy experiences a downturn, investment in environmental projects will be prioritised in the years to come.

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The SEAI grants are fully funded as Budget 2024 allocated the biggest ever budget for residential and community energy upgrade schemes at €380 million.

Investment also supports the establishment of centres of excellence for retrofit skills, including Near Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) and the development the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction.

Other measures

A temporary one-year mortgage interest tax relief scheme is also being introduced for homeowners with an outstanding mortgage balance on their principal private residence. The tax relief applies to the increased interest paid on that loan between the calendar year 2022 compared to the calendar year 2023 at the standard rate of income tax 20 per cent, capped at €1,250 per property.

The tax relief on the Microgeneration of Electricity is also increasing from €200 to €400, providing an exemption of up to €400 from income tax, USC and PRSI for certain profits arising to a qualifying individual who generates energy from renewable, sustainable or alternative energy sources for their own consumption.

Climate and Nature Fund

New planning rules for ROI An overhaul of the planning system in ROI has been approved by cabinet and is making its way through the Oireachtas, with enactment expected in 2024.

All County Development Plans will be valid for 10 years, with a review at the five year mark. Currently timeframes vary from local authority to authority and policies across jurisdictions aren’t consistent.

There will also be a significant restructuring of An Bord Pleanála, with the body to be renamed An Coimisiún Pleanála, and mandatory timelines for decision making to be introduced. The aim is to speed up decision making and get projects off the ground more quickly.

Louth fees skyrocket Louth County Council is more than doubling the levy it charges home builders, according to the Irish Independent.

The new development contribution scheme will see residential developers and one-off home builders pay €11,646 per unit built, with a 75 per cent relief for town centre regeneration projects.

Council Chief Executive, Joan Martin, explained that Louth’s existing development contribution scheme was artificially low, having been reduced to €5,400 during the financial crisis. She said the new figure would bring the council in line with most other local authorities.

In a bid to stimulate housing, and as reported in previous issue of Selfbuild magazine, the ROI government is currently paying development levies for all developers including self-builders until April 2024.

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NEWS

First Home Scheme opens to selfbuilders

Supports for self-builders amount to €100k, says Minister

Self-builders in ROI can now get 20 to 30 per cent of their build costs financed through the government backed scheme.

As the First Home Scheme opens to those building a new home, ROI Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien says there’s now €100k in supports for self-builders.

he First Home Scheme (FHS) now provides financial support to borrowers who could not otherwise build their new home after combining their available mortgage and deposit. The First Home Scheme for self-builders operates in the same way as the First Home Scheme for those buying a new build.

The government-backed shared equity scheme will provide up to 30 per cent of the total build cost, which can be added to a self-builder’s mortgage and deposit. Those availing of the Help to Buy scheme can only see 20 per cent of their project financed.

The shared equity scheme is a zerointerest loan for the first five years. From the start of year six until year 15, a 1.75 per cent service charge applies. The service charge increases to 2.15 from years 16 and 29 and 2.85 per cent from years 30+. The service charge is fixed for the life of the equity facility.

You can buy out all or part of the equity share at any time. You must pay back your equity share at the current market value.

If the value has come up, so has the equity share. The site cost is excluded from the calculation.

The First Home Scheme application process runs in parallel with the mortgage application process so self-build mortgage applications have to be made separately through participating lenders.

The scheme is available to qualifying homebuyers and self-build customers who are taking out mortgages from AIB (including its EBS and Haven Mortgages businesses), Bank of Ireland or Permanent TSB. In ROI the cost of borrowing for a mortgage is currently around 4 per cent.

The Minister did the maths at the Ploughing Championship stating “if you take between shared equity and the Help to Buy grant it’s worth €100,000” to self-builders, plus savings of “between €15,000 and €20,000 per unit” thanks to the government waiving local authority development levies and Irish Water connection fees.

“There’s never been more assistance there, that’s why we’re seeing about 400 first time buyer mortgages being drawn down every week,” he added. “There are more first time buyers now buying their homes this year than we’ve seen since 2007”.

While the FHS is a way to finance your build, it works more like a great value loan than a grant. The Help to Buy is a tax back amount to help you put down a deposit for your self-build mortgage.

This is more akin to hard cash, which acts as your mortgage deposit, and the maximum you can get through this is €30k.

There’s a real saving in the development levy holiday in that the fees you would normally pay to the local authority for building a new home are waived until April 24th 2024.

Development levies vary widely between local authorities but water connection fees are fixed for connections up to 10m from the road, among other conditions, at €2,272 for drinking water and €3,929 for wastewater.

The government is more quiet about rolling out the concrete levy, which took effect in September 2023. It’s a tax on all concrete products that is expected to add at least €1k to new home building costs. The tax applies to all new concrete products, which will have an impact on extensions and renovations too.

T

Eligibility

For the purpose of the scheme, a self-build is defined as a home built on a site by the owner(s) of the site, either through direct labour (self-managed) or a fixed contractor (construction contract). The home must be

used as the principal private residence of the owner(s).

Among the conditions that self-build homes must fulfil are requirements to provide a Certified Build Cost and a Certified Valuation.

Self-build customers will have 12 months from the date of signing the First Home Scheme Customer Contract to draw down the First Home Scheme Equity Facility (subject to meeting all conditions). They will have a further 24 months from the date of drawdown to complete the build of their new home.

The house can be detached or semidetached and can be single-storey or have multiple floors, subject to planning permission. There are build cost caps depending on where you are building, on a sliding scale from €475k for most urban areas to €325k for more rural counties.

Examples of how the scheme works in practice are available on firsthomescheme.ie

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NEWS

NI energy regs to change in 2024 The NI building regulations will change in 2024 for insulation, airtightness, heating, ventilation, overheating, and maybe even house size. hanges to insulation, airtightness, overheating, heating systems and ventilation are all on the cards for new builds in NI, as the Department of Finance published a public consultation to change the building regulations.

Oil boilers are likely to be de facto banned from new builds from 2024 even though a cost analysis by the Department shows heat pumps aren’t cost efficient to run on their own.

Changes to the building regulations will be incremental, with the first uplift under Phase 3 expected by 2023/24. It targets lower operational emissions and significantly improved energy performance of new buildings.

Phase 4 (2026/27) will take England’s 2025 Future Homes and Future Buildings proposals into account, to ensure that all new builds will become net zero over time without further work to the building or its services.

At this stage heat pumps or equivalent low carbon systems are likely to become mandatory.

The changes are part of NI’s Roadmap to Net Zero although pundits claim NI is a long way from achieving its 2030 net zero target.

C

Heating, ventilation and overheating

The NI Department of Finance’s public consultation outlines two scenarios for changes to the building regulations for heating:

heat pumps or gas with photovoltaics (PV). Changes will build on those made a year ago.

The NI technical booklet relating to ventilation will also see changes, including for existing homes where an energy upgrade has taken place.

Depending on how much work has been undertaken, a centralised mechanical extract ventilation system could become mandatory.

Monitoring of carbon dioxide levels may also be required.

A new technical booklet is also likely to be introduced to deal with overheating. Among other changes, rooms facing west, south or east may only be allowed glazing on 20 per cent of the total floor area of the room.

Oversized homes

The consultation document is

keen to “consider if anything could/should be done through the Building Regulations to discourage over-sized dwellings”.

“There is clear evidence of a different build mix, (with more houses and fewer flats), and outline evidence of larger new-build dwelling sizes here, compared to other regions of the UK,” states the consultation document.

Larger homes tend to consume more energy than compact dwellings.

Cost considerations “From a social perspective, it would be important that the increased capital costs should not unduly limit the capacity of rural communities to carry out building work,” states the rural impact assessment.

In terms of running costs, the Department’s initial appraisal of a semi-detached

house shows that a heat pump may not reduce running costs to the same extent as a conventional boiler with photovoltaic arrays.

“However, heat pumps or biofuels are the only solutions that, at present, reduce emissions to levels close to the expected 2050 levels demanded by the Climate Change Act,” reads the report.

“Further modelling of specific outcomes will be needed as part of future proposals, but this illustrates some off the challenges with low carbon heating led solutions.”

The public consultation runs until November 15, 2023.

More details on finance-ni. gov.uk under “Consultation on a review of energy efficiency requirements and related areas of Building Regulations”.

WINTER 2 0 2 3 / S E L FBUI L D / 11

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NEWS

Boiler grant axed The grant to replace oil and gas boilers has been axed in NI due to ‘budget constraints’, but new funding mechanisms for low carbon technologies could be rolled out in future.

The NI Department of Communities closed the boiler replacement scheme due to “budgetary constraints”, according to its press release. And there are no plans to replace it.

“Given the current financial position we do not anticipate that the Boiler Replacement Scheme will reopen,” a spokesperson for the NI Department of Communities told Selfbuild.

However, a new scheme might replace the boiler grant. “The Department for the Economy is currently preparing a public consultation on low carbon heat support,” said the spokesperson.

“The outcome of this consultation will help to inform the funding mechanisms, rules and guidance of a future support scheme for low carbon heating technologies with the aim of enabling households to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.”

Heating supports

To avail of the Boiler Replacement Scheme, offering a grant of up to £1,000, your fossil fuelled appliance had to be at least 15 years old and the household have a total annual income of less than £40,000.

The grant went towards replacing an inefficient boiler with a more energy efficient condensing oil or gas boiler; switching from oil to gas; or switching to a wood pellet boiler.

The amount of grant payable depended on total gross income. For those earning less than £20,000 the grant was £700 to replace the boiler or £1,000 with heating controls.

For those earning over £20,000 but less than £40,000 the grant was £400 for the boiler or £500 with heating controls.

According to the Department of Communities, over the last decade the scheme made almost 50,000 payments amounting to £32.9m.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) will continue to replace boilers for those customers who have already received

formal approval. Customers whose applications cannot be processed will be contacted by NIHE. The Affordable Warmth Scheme (AWS) and the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme are unaffected by the announcement.

The AWS is an energy upgrade grant available to those on a total annual gross income of less than £23,000 that subsidises energy upgrades by order of priority.

Priority is given to insulation, ventilation and draught-proofing, then heating, then windows then solid wall insulation.

The Housing Executive’s Energy Advice Service offers energy advice and can signpost to other services and schemes.

The free call number is 0800 111 44 55.

UK boiler upgrade grant

The UK launched a new boiler upgrade scheme that subsidises replacing your fossil fuel (oil, gas or electric) heating system with a heat pump or biomass boiler. Grant amounts available are £5,000 towards an air source heat pump, £6,000 towards a ground source heat pump (including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops), £5,000 towards a biomass boiler.

The UK scheme is only open to those living in England and Wales. NI homeowners aren’t eligible.

Precast exempt from concrete levy Precast products will not be subject to the five per cent Defective Concrete Products Levy (DCPL) introduced in September 2023, announced ROI Minister for Finance Michael McGrath.

“It is my intention to bring forward an amendment in the forthcoming Finance Bill to exclude the value of pouring concrete used in precast products from the scope of the levy,” he said. “This will come into effect on 1 January 2024 and a refund scheme will apply for the interim period to the end of 2023.”

The DCPL will continue to apply to concrete blocks and pouring concrete for use other than in precast products.

The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI)’s budget submission described the DCPL in general as “counterproductive” adding that “the levy will undoubtedly contribute to higher construction costs”. This, “at a time when [the government] should be doing everything possible to drive down costs and increase the output of new homes”.

The ROI government introduced the levy following the publication of the defective concrete products redress scheme.

The SCSI’s submission also recommended scrapping local authority fees and development levies permanently, stating that “while the removal of development levies and Uisce Eireann connection costs until March 2024 is a positive, there are still significant delays with electricity and water connections that are hindering the completion of projects”.

WINTER 2 0 2 3 / S E L FBUI L D / 13

NEWS

Log homes: a low cost solution?

TDs and local councillors in ROI are pushing to change planning rules, to support the uptake of cost effective log homes.

Independent TDs want to see log homes given planning permission, in a bid to build more durable, energy efficient and cost effective homes in rural Ireland. In most rural areas in ROI, they are difficult to get planning permission for.

Rural Independents Group TDs are also calling for a new €20,000 grant-aid package for anyone who wants to build a permanent home on their lands, as the government drags its feet publishing the update to the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines.

Log homes are a type of timber frame house, often prebuilt and assembled on site. As the name indicates the logs can be left in the round, which provide thermal mass. There are variations, e.g. logs cut in half or into planks. And most often in Ireland, log homes refer to timber clad structures designed to fit tidily in your garden as a home office or annexe.

Planning permission must be sought for a new building that will be lived in, and the aesthetic of log homes can be difficult to get planning permission for.

The case for log homes

Cork County councillors are banding together to update the County Development Plan’s Rural Design Guide to relax planning rules around log homes, reports the Irish Examiner, to allow them to be built not just at the outskirts of forested areas as is currently the case. Log homes can cost as little as €60-€80k to build, according to the newspaper.

Log homes can be more cost effective to build than bespoke homes because they tend to be smaller in size, are built offsite and follow standardised plans. However, a bespoke (not off the shelf plans) log home won’t necessarily cost less than a house built with another building method, if the specification is the same.

Also, all new builds must comply to planning regulations, building control regulations and health and 1 4 // SELFB U MN S E L F BUI U ILLDD/ /AUT WINT ER 20 2 02231

safety regulations. Building regulations introduced in 2019 require new builds to be very energy efficient so a log home, as any home, needs to live up to that specification.

Log cabins for sale as a shed may not necessarily comply to building regulations for a new build that will be lived in.

According to TD Mattie McGrath rural housing regulations are “overly zealous”.

He said that the coalition government has taken “an especially aggressive and unhelpful anti-rural stance on one-off housing”.

“Irish planning laws are outdated and almost impossible to navigate when it comes to obtaining planning permission for log cabins, with individuals who have invested their own money or taken out loans to build a home for themselves facing insurmountable obstacles,” said Independent TD Richard O’Donoghue, whose Planning and Rural Housing Motion was passed in the Dáil in May. O’Donoghue went on to say that log cabins offer a range of benefits for housing, including: durability, energy efficiency, and a rustic aesthetic. They can be built quickly and efficiently, making them a cost effective option for both builders and homeowners.

“To fully take advantage of the benefits offered by log cabins, planning restrictions must be eased to make log cabin construction more accessible and affordable for those interested in this type of housing,” he added.

The case against log homes

TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said at the Dáil debate that any relaxations of planning regulations could have unintended consequences.

“In my experience, once you begin to change, lessen or lighten regulation around something, there will always be a cowboy somewhere who will try to abuse that. It may be the case that in quite a number of circumstances a log cabin-type structure could be used to facilitate a family member to move out of the larger home, maybe to move in with someone they are in a relationship with and start a family, as a first step.”

“That is laudable and is worth investigating and supporting, if it can be done. We just know, however, a percentage of people will look at that as potential rental income and, before we know it, these log cabins, which we all thought were a good idea for giving people that first step to move outside the family home, will turn out to be used just for rental. Can we be sure about the standard of these cabins?”

“Do we want to be here in five, six or seven years’ time in a situation where we did not have proper oversight as to their construction and they turn out to be firetraps? These are the conversations I and other Deputies have all the time because of the failure of oversight, regulation and proper planning laws.”

NEWS

Insurance reform: what does it mean for self-builders?

The new insurance reform law rebalances the duty of care between trespassers and owners, but will it lead to cheaper self-build insurance?

The ROI government recently introduced an insurance reform law to rebalance the duty of care between trespassers and owners.

At the end of July 2023, legislation came into effect as part of the government’s Action Plan for Insurance Reform. The aim is to reduce claims and the cost of taking out insurance.

If you go into a “business or if you injure yourself where there has been reasonable steps taken by the proprietor to keep

you safe then you have to take a level of responsibility”, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee told RTÉ.

The legislation limits the circumstances in which a court can impose liability in the case of a trespasser entering premises in order to commit a crime.

The new law will therefore reduce the risk profile of someone looking to take out personal liability insurance, as they are less likely to see a successful claim brought against them. Self-builders need public liability (PL) insurance for their self-build site, which in part covers trespassing claims.

Cheaper insurance?

Brian Hanley of the Alliance for Insurance Reform told Selfbuild that premiums, or the cost of taking out insurance, should get cheaper not just because of this law but also

because of the general reduction in the number of claims, and reduction in the size of awards.

“And now with the change in the duty of care, we would expect fewer claims and people taking personal responsibility for their actions. All of this should result in a reduction in premiums and if it doesn’t, significant questions have to be asked,” said Hanley. He said the government should make sure the reduction happens.

The reduction “should be happening immediately and it should be a sustained and meaningful reduction” but “thus far public liability premiums have proven very difficult to reduce,” he cautioned.

Premiums “remain stubbornly high,” he said, arguing insurance companies are

“running out of excuses in terms of reasons why high premiums need to be so high”.

Insurance companies often cite turnover, claims history and risk profile as the reasons for high premiums.

Hanley added that the insurance space is now much more attractive than it was five years ago and that work by the IDA should attract more underwriters to the Irish market, which should help further drive down premium costs. He said it’s already started happening in the motoring space but not yet for public liability.

Meanwhile insurances brokers Selfbuild spoke to didn’t believe the move would lead to a reduction in premiums. They said insurance companies will need to see that claims are going down in the self-build sector to drop their premiums. As most self-build claims relate to theft, they said it was unlikely to see self-build insurance costs drop.

Still no timeline to lift restrictive planning rules Changes to restrictive planning rules for those building in the countryside will be published “shortly”, according to ROI Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Kieran O’Donnell, meaning locals only provisions are to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien told Selfbuild at the National Ploughing Championship that he gave responsibility to the Minister of State to progress the matter.

The Minister of State O’Donnell in turn told Selfbuild the consultation document to review the sustainable rural housing guidelines is still with the Attorney General’s office, to check the proposal complies with EU law.

He said the public consultation would be “published shortly” but refused to give a timeline.

The Minister of State said he didn’t want to pre-empt what might be in the public consultation and when asked if people in rural areas would continue to be allowed to build their home in rural Ireland, he said “that’s the intention” adding that the feedback from the public consultation would be important. He said he wanted to give the time to the Attorney General to “do it right”.

The current version of the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities, dated 2005, can make it difficult for people who want to build a home in the countryside. Colloquially known as locals only rules, planning authorities in rural areas have been known to refuse planning permission for a one-off house because of a lack of ties to the land or the area.

Each local authority is responsible for developing its own zoning and planning rules, through their local County Development Plan. However, the local authorities are required to follow national planning guidance including the National Planning Framework, the Climate Action Plan and in the case of rural housing specifically, the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines.

WINTER 2 0 2 3 / S E L FBUI L D / 15

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NEWS

Airbnb to fund renovations

Sewage connection backlog

Short stay booking website Airbnb announced it would provide funding for the maintenance and restoration of some of Ireland’s most historic homes.

Uisce Éireann, formerly known as Irish Water, will miss own targets for new facilities, putting house building at risk, reports the Business Post.

The move is part of the American company’s pledge to support the preservation of unique and historically significant buildings in Europe.

The collaboration in ROI will see the launch of the Capacity Awards, although

no date has been set for when it will be rolled out or how it will work. Airbnb says the Capacity Awards will provide funds to members of Historic Houses of Ireland to develop, maintain and restore their properties.

Historic Houses of Ireland is made up of a group of historic house owners, see ihh.ie, most of which are located in rural areas. According to Airbnb, recipients will also receive expert guidance and workshops from the company to help them understand how to showcase and maximise their properties’ potential on the platform.

ROI pushes for more timber builds A new forestry fund could become part of the climate change solution for the construction sector, a conference organised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine heard.

A new Interdepartmental and Industry Timber in Construction Steering group will examine what it will take to increase the use of timber in construction, as the ROI government pushes forward with its climate targets.

The group will also assess regulatory and standardisation challenges to greater use of timber in construction, and how maximise the use of homegrown timber. The group will consist of members of industry and government departments.

The steering group was formed at the Build with Wood conference in October, organised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Coillte. The conference focused on how to make Ireland self-sustaining for timber products and how to move away from carbonintensive materials to build our homes.

According to Des O’Toole of Forestry Industry Ireland, the construction industry needs to tackle embodied carbon, the energy it takes to produce and transport the materials we need to build our homes.

He said ROI needed more “demonstration projects to validate conformance and compliance with the building regulations”, adding that Forestry Industry Ireland is suggesting that a fund is ring-fenced to incentivise early adoption of timber in house building.

ROI’s water agency has delivered only nine of 24 promised new water and wastewater plants and 24 of 89 promised upgrades, which could threaten the construction of new homes. Developers and self-builders on sites with poor percolation will be denied planning permission if there is no sewage connection available for their homes.

Uisce Éireann told the regulator that new wastewater treatment plans for Macroom in Cork, Kingscourt, Bailieborough and Cootehill in Cavan, and Nenagh, Fethard and Tipperary town in Tipperary will not be delivered by the end of next year as planned.

NGO calls for boiler ban The environmental NGO Friends of the Earth has called on the ROI government to set a date this side of 2030 for phasing out oil and gas boilers from all Irish homes, according to RTÉ.

Friend of the Earth criticised the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s government grants for allowing homeowners to avail of funding even if they install a new oil or gas boiler.

“If someone is to install and oil or gas boiler today, they last 15 years plus. Houses are effectively being locked into burning fossil fuels for more than the next decade really,” Friends of the Earth’s energy policy officer Clare O’Connor said.

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C O M PA N Y N E W S

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The Monitored System’s video intercom has a unique square viewing angle giving you a wide 180-degree field of view so you can see a person from head to toe. Thanks to 1080p HD video technology and crisp night vision, you’ll get a clear picture of who’s at your door when it gets dark too.

With the kit costing less than €150 for a DIY installation it is quick and easy, done in less than an hour. You can use a rechargeable battery or have the system wired into the mains by a professional for continuous power.

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Elegance and convenience

Hardie cladding If you’re looking for a versatile, weatherproof, moisture, mould and fire resistant façade with a beautiful natural texture, know that Lagan Building Solutions (LBS) is Ireland’s new exclusive distributor of James Hardie fibre cement cladding products.

Since being founded in Australia in 1888, James Hardie has grown to be one of the largest manufacturers of fibre

New from Onyx is the Avanti Gas fire range, a collection of luxurious inset feature fires that complement all manner of contemporary interior styles. Avanti Gas fires create a breathtaking centrepiece with their wrap-around rolling flames, ultra-realistic hand painted Split Oak logeffects, and alluring EchoFlame Black Glass Lining.

Avanti Gas fires are available in two sizes and can be selected as natural gas or LPG. Both sizes can be chosen with the added option of two contemporary frames, either the effortless sophistication of the minimalist Edge+, or making a bold statement with the Expression frame.

cement products across the globe. Unlike wood or some vinyls, James Hardie does not crack, shrink or swell, even after years of use under the most extreme climatic conditions.

The best-selling Hardie Plank is thin, light and particularly robust and durable as a result of decades of research and development. This makes assembly quick and easy with fewer complications and breakages on construction sites.

Made with ColourPlus technology and advanced material fibre cement, which has an expected lifespan in excess of 60 years, the Hardie Plank offers a high performance, low maintenance alternative to wood or PVC cladding.

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Projects WINTER 2023

RENOVATIONS . EXTENSIONS

NEW BUILDS

32

Ecofriendly on a budget Mass timber new build

42 52

22

A castle in waiting

DIY renovation and extension

A craftsman’s legacy Renovation in Co Fermanagh

Retiring to the garden house

Dublin City new build

62 Relationship builder 68 Belfast bungalow How a clever design saved renovation money on a new build in Co Laois.

Upgrading a house for retirement.

74 Creating a flow

A garden design that brings the outside in.

WINTER 2023 / SEL FBUIL D / 21

NEW BUILD

Retiring to the garden house

Words: Heather Campbell Photography: Bláithín Rogers

Linde and James Lunney overcame unforeseen challenges to construct an energy efficient home on their side garden, setting the stage for a fulfilling retirement.

2 2 / SELFB UI L D / WINT ER 2 0 2 3

CO DUBLIN

Overview House size: 202sqm Plot size: 370sqm Bedrooms: 4 Total build cost: €700k including local authority charges, architects’ fees, VAT etc, including also the modifications carried out to the old house (approx €50k) House value: approx. €1.1m BER (provisional): A2 Heating system: air to water heat pump Ventilation: centralised mechanical heat recovery ventilation Build method: blockwork

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