EXTENSIONS RENOVATIONS NEW HOMES INTERIORS GARDENS
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EDITOR'S LETTER / WELCOME
Welcome... If you have the time and inclination to build your home on a DIY basis, mud and timber are attractive options. Even though they’re labour intensive materials to work with they tend to be low cost too; see p126 for a guide to building with clay, p82 and p128 for projects using roundwood. This kind of DIY approach to self-building is however fast disappearing. One reason is that it’s more hassle for your engineer, or in NI Building Control, to certify. But new and unexpected DIY opportunities are emerging. Cross laminated timber, for example, is made in a factory and assembled for you on site. But what you BATHROOM BLISS have left on the inside, structural exposed timber, is It’s all in the planning an ideal backdrop for an industrious self-builder. And the leftovers from the cutting process can be used to make furniture, see p92 for more. The beauty of a self-build is that you can be as hands off or as hands on as you want. The point of it all is that you’re in control of creating your very own home. That basic premise will never change. With Selfbuild. Dream it. Do it. Live it.
HEATING CONTROLS Reduce your heating bills
KITCHEN DESIGN The ultimate guide
CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER The new way to build
Astrid Madsen - Editor astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie
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PROJECTS
110 SMART HEATING CONTROLS
One of the cheapest and most effective ways to reduce your energy bills is to control how often your boiler comes on and for how long.
Learn from the Irish self-builders who have been through the process of building and home improving
123 WALL FINISHES
There’s more to it than choosing between paint and wallpaper.
24 IN FOR A SHOCK
How a humble electricity pole bust the budget for Lisa and Nathan Langtry in Co Armagh.
36 A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
Keith and Romina McGreal of Co Mayo fought long and hard to buy and then build on their dream site.
48 OF RUMOURS AND ROOMINESS Tim and Mairead Andrew of Co Down managed to revive a grandiose house that had already gotten a few facelifts.
60 ‘WE LIVED OFF MANPOWER, RAINWATER AND BOTTLED GAS’
Tracy and Pete Collins literally shed blood, sweat and tears renovating their dream cottage on an island in Co Cork.
84 SENSE OF PLACE What started off as a retirement project in Co Kerry turned into a work of art.
112 BY GEORGE! Giving new meaning to the term tailormade, Mark Johnson of Co Armagh had to precision engineer with specialist equipment most of the tools he needed to build his mock-Georgian circular home.
102 INTEGRATED KITCHEN Sometimes a kitchen redesign is more about working with what’s already there than moving it to a new location, as John and Mary Shafferty of Co Dublin learned.
128 CERTIFYING AN ECO HOUSE Marcus Tindal of Co Donegal explains how he landed the fire safety certificate for his straw bale, clay and exposed roundwood building.
128 BUILDING WITH MUD
84 BASICS Basic information about building or improving your home in any of the 32 counties
A low cost but labour intensive way to build your home.
ADVICE 82 SELFBUILD LIVE CORK
Come meet the experts at Selfbuild Live Cork this November 10-11th in Millstreet, and bring your plans!
69 SELFBUILD BOOTCAMP
94 NEXT GENERATION TIMBER
88 BATHROOM BLISS
104 KITCHENS OF THE FUTURE
Your complete guide to building in ROI from the experts we gathered at Selfbuild Live Dublin.
How to make your bathroom work, whether you’re designing it from scratch or upgrading an existing one.
Cross Laminated Timber is the new kid on the self-build scene; we look at what this building method has to offer.
The tech gadgets that will make your life easier in five years’ time.
90 WALK-IN SHOWERS
118 WINTERPROOFING THE GARDEN
98 TAILORED
122 ASK THE EXPERT
Wet rooms are all the rage and for good reason – find out what you need to know about them.
Kitchen design is at the heart of the home and budget so make sure you get it right with our handy guide.
108 BIOMASS BURNERS
How to protect the garden from cold and damp, give shelter to wildlife and grow some vegetables in the process.
Your self-build questions answered.
130 SCRAPBOOK Ideas for where to store your logs this winter.
All you need to know about biomass boilers and biomass stoves.
INSIDE TRACK A showcase of Irish products and services from our sponsors
17 INSIDER NEWS
Latest products and services for selfbuilders.
35 FIND THE PERFECT FACADE Fibre cement cladding options from Cedral.
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 2018 / SELFBUILD / 07
CONTRIBUTORS / TEAM
Contributors
EXTENSIONS RENOVATIONS NEW HOMES INTERIORS GARDENS
Selfbuild SELFBUILD.IE
WINTER 2018 £3.50 / €3.75
Annabelle Carvell
Jackie holds a BA in Interior Architecture and launched Style my Room in 2012 stylemyroom.ie / ROI tel. 01 4948150
Annabelle is part of the Stovax Heating Group, one of the UK and Ireland’s leading stove and fireplace manufacturers that range solid fuel, gas and electric products. stovax.com
Deirdre Coleman
Marion McGarry
Dr Marion McGarry is an author, historian, Deirdre trained and worked as an part-time Galway Mayo Insititute of interior designer in London before Technology lecturer and freelance setting up her first practice in 2007. She illustrator. She is the author of The Irish moved back to Dublin in 2015 and is Cottage published by Orpen Press. now the director and founder of Interior @marion_mcgarry Space Design, based in Malahide. isdesign.ie / mobile 083 455 9915
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Jackie Carton
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NEW BUILD IN ARMAGH FAMILY HOME IN MAYO CORK ISLAND RENOVATION CO DOWN REVAMP KERRY COTTAGE ARMAGH’S GEORGIAN GEM
ALL IRELAND BEST SELLING MAGAZINE FOR SELF-BUILDERS AND HOME IMPROVERS
Cover Photo Paul Lindsay Editor Astrid Madsen astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie Design Myles McCann myles.mccann@selfbuild.ie Shannon Quinn shannon.quinn@selfbuild.ie Marketing Calum Lennon calum.lennon@selfbuild.ie
Micah Jones
Niall Keenan
Fiann Ó Nualláin
Paul O’Reilly
Micah Jones is an architect based in Newtownards, Co Down. He built his home with Cross Laminated Timber and featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs. micahtjones.com / tel. 9744 5044
Niall is maintenance director at SAP Landscapes. saplandscapes.ie
Award winning garden designer, author and broadcaster, Fiann has a background in fine art, ethnobotany and complementary medicine. theholisticgardener.com / @HolisticG
Paul is an award-winning energy consultant with over 25 years’ experience. He is a director of ORS consulting engineers and of Watt Footprint. ors.ie / wattfootprint.com
Subscriptions Becca.Wilgar becca.wilgar@selfbuild.ie Business Development Manager Niamh Boyle niamh.boyle@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
Karl Purcell
Andrew Stanway
Tony Traill
Tom Woolley
Karl is the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s behavioural economics unit’s programme manager. seai.ie
Andrew is a project manager with over 30 years’ experience. He is also a writer and the author of Managing Your Build published by Stobart Davies.
Tony has over 25 years’ experience in the construction industry and has a vast array of experience ranging from award-winning low carbon building design to industrial energy efficiency. elementconsultants.co.uk
Tom is an architect specialised in the renovation of old buildings and is the author of many sustainable design publications. bevanarchitects.com / ROI tel. 44 83 09 88
Come meet more experts at our events in Belfast, Dublin and Cork - turn to page 82 for details 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 2018
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
BUDGET 2019 HIGHLIGHTS Mica repair fund available from ‘19 Homeowners suffering from defective blocks in counties Donegal and Mayo will be eligible for a compensation scheme similar to that administered by the government-appointed Pyrite Resolution Board created in 2013. Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said it was a “key priority for the department” and that funding would be available from next year. The pyrite fund, meanwhile, will also get a fresh cash injection of €32 million, an increase of €2 million on 2018, to fund the remediation of a further 460 houses. The Mica Action Group has been lobbying for a redress scheme since 2014. The pyrite fund has spent €94 million since 2014, including €30 million in 2018, to remediate approximately 1,340 dwellings at an average cost of €70,000 each.
Affordable home loans extended to renovations Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy’s Budget 2019 statement hinted that more people could qualify for the Rebuilding Ireland Affordable Home Loan launched in February of this year, and that it might extend to vacant homes in need of refurbishment. At the end of September, the Housing Agency, which is in charge of administering the popular mortgage said that it had assessed and recommended 1,134 loans for approval, with an average loan amount of roughly €210,000.
Self-build tax break scrapped The Home Renovation Incentive which refunds the tax paid for home improvement work done on your property will expire on the 31st December 2018. The Help To Buy scheme which lapses in December 2019 has not been extended either, but the Department of Finance could theoretically make provisions in next year’s budget to adapt it or renew it.
Guide to walk-in showers on page 90
New regs show PV and gas most cost effective The software ROI designers use to assess energy use, the Dwellings Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP), will be published in January 2019, Selfbuild has learned. The new building regulations dealing with energy use, Part L, was being published as Selfbuild went to print in October. It seems the changes will favour electricity in line with heat pumps becoming the technology of choice for heating and hot water in new builds. However a cost analysis by Aecom points to gas and photovoltaics (PV) as the most cost effective way to comply with the building regulations. Selfbuild understands that in homes
with no central heating, electric radiators won’t be as penalised as they currently are. The draft DEAP version 4.1 published on the ROI Department of Housing website envisages penalising extensive artificial lighting strategies and also plans to make provisions for dual heating systems (currently you must choose a primary heating system). Hot water calculations will be more fined tuned by taking into account things like flow restrictors on showers reducing hot water demand. The equivalent tool that NI designers use, the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), is also undergoing review but it’s early days yet. It seems those changes will also favour electricity. SAP 10.0 is not under
consultation but is being reviewed by the Building Research Establishment, bregroup.com. An implementation date for a new version of SAP is therefore unclear. The NI building regulations are also due for review to push towards nearly zero energy buildings but that timeline has not been set. Both DEAP and SAP are used to prove compliance with the building regulations and to calculate energy ratings (building energy rating in ROI, energy performance certificate in NI). The Department of Housing told Selfbuild Part F, dealing with ventilation, was undergoing review and the process would take at least two months. A final publication date is therefore not expected until early 2019.
WINTER 2018 / SELFBUILD / 09
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Department of Rural Affairs shelves idea of rural town grant Two years ago, then Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys had mooted the possibility of introducing a grant to get people to buy older properties in rural towns and do them up. A PILOT SCHEME was announced, and in January 2017 Minister Humphreys indicated on RTE Radio the grant could amount to €20,000. Last year, under current Minister Michael Ring, the Department set up a steering group to deliver a strategy for the pilot. The result will disappoint self-builders in that the focus is not on individual home upgrades but in creating infrastructure that will encourage people to come live in rural towns and villages. A spokesperson for the Department of Rural Affairs told Selfbuild the plan was to get each of the towns to submit a proposal that could include anything from boardwalks to digital hubs, by mid-2019. Full funding can then
be applied for in the following year’s rural fund, which in total amounts to €1 billion to 2040. The reasoning is that there is no “one-size-fits-all approach to rejuvenating towns and villages in rural Ireland”. “The factors which attract people to live in particular settlements can be many and
varied, including the availability of schools, shops, transport and other services. Apart from the need to identify suitable properties which may be available for residential purposes, it is important that the right infrastructure and services are in place to make the town attractive and safe for people and families to live in. This requires supports that renovation grants alone cannot deliver,” the Department told Selfbuild in a statement. With the Home Renovation Incentive expiring at the end of the year, that leaves very little in the way of supports for home improvers apart from the Better Energy Homes grants for insulation, heating controls, heat pumps and now PV panels.
Time to drive the cowboys out, says FMB NI THE FEDERATION OF MASTER BUILDERS (FMB) is calling on the UK Parliament to introduce a statutory register for builders. The FMB is a representative body that polices the builders on their register, including checking the financial health of its members, but operates on a voluntary basis. A lack of policing in the building sector is leading to poor workmanship, argues the FMB report Licence to build: A pathway to licencing UK construction. For example, roughly half of refurbishment projects sites the UK Health and Safety body surveyed in 2016 fell below the standard required to comply with legal requirements. “FMB Northern Ireland feel strongly that this review is the medicine the industry needs. We need to raise the level of quality of construction for clients
and drive the cowboys out,” Gavin McGuire, director for FMB NI told Selfbuild. “Seeing this policy become reality will mean more protection for everyone and improve the image of the industry.” The FMB calls on the UK government to adopt a scheme similar to those operating in Australia, Germany, Denmark and some US states which all have enforcement powers and penalties. In related news Judith Hackett, author of the UK’s building regulations review into fire safety, told a Chartered Association of Building Engineers conference in October that she “would be happy to never hear [the phrase value engineering] again. It is anything but value, it is cuttings costs and quality.” She wants “a tougher regulation regime that has real penalties and sanctions.”
In brief Self-build with self-care October’s mental health week highlighted some interesting statistics. The ROI Construction Industry Federation says a lot more workers die by suicide than by falls and while there are no statistics for self-builders, stress and anxiety tends to creep in with delays, budget overruns and pressure on the work/life/build balance. In the UK, the Health Service Executive reports around 100 times as many workers die from diseases caused or made worse by their work than are killed in construction accidents.
Bake a building For those who love architecture and can’t wait to get their hands dirty in the kitchen, the Ulster Architectural Heritage organised a bake-off in October. Historic buildings you were invited to bake included everything from cathedrals to museums.
RTE has no guidelines on climate change The ROI public broadcaster has no guidelines on how to cover climate change, a Freedom of Information request recently revealed. The impartiality clause, to give an equal hearing to both sides of an argument, continues to apply despite the evidence that climate change is a real phenomenon. The BBC recently published guidelines for its journalists including the broadcaster’s position that manmade climate change exists. The so-called ‘crib sheet’ tells its journalists to be aware of ‘false balance’ – “you do not need to be a ‘denier’ to balance the debate” states the briefing document. WINTER 2018 / SELFBUILD / 11
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Building regulations should lead the way in climate changes, says expert THE UPCOMING CHANGES to the ROI Building Regulations must ‘draw a line in the sand’, climate change expert Marie Donnelly told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change in September 2018, and should spell the end of oil and gas boilers in new Irish homes. The Building Regulations dealing with energy (Part L), which will bring new homes to the nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) standard, were to be published as Selfbuild went to print in mid-October (see p9). Part L contains two key parameters, the coefficient of energy performance and the coefficient of carbon performance which respectively limit energy use and carbon emissions in new homes. If the Department of Housing decides to set the Carbon Performance Coefficient (CPC) low enough it could effectively make installing renewable heating the most cost effective option. The draft Part L document that was put to public
In brief New RIBA and CIAT presidents both Irish
Both the representative bodies for architects in the UK and for architectural technologists have welcomed Irish presidents – Alan Jones for RIBA and Eddie Weir for CIAT.
Republic of sprawl
consultation indicated a CPC of 0.35 which Donnelly said “would permit oil”, at 0.3 she says oil would effectively be phased out and argued that we should be at 0.25. Marie Donnelly was up until recently the European Commission’s Director for Renewables, Research & Innovation and Energy Efficiency at DG Energy. Paul Kenny of the Tipperary Energy Agency explained: “0.3 would allow gas and 0.25 would effectively rule it out. [Donnelly]
requested 0.25 to effectively rule out fossil fuels from homes.” The Tipperary Energy Agency’s Part L public consultation submission argued for a CPC figure of 0.2 which Kenny said was “partly to encourage better standards for a climate emergency and partly to outline that 0.35 was ludicrous.” However even with a CPC set very low, no performance indicator can completely rule out gas and oil. It instead makes it cheaper to install renewable energy than fossil fuels to meet the building regulations.
The ROI suburban population grew by more than 150 per cent between 1961 and 2011, the sharpest rise in Europe, according to statistics gathered by this year’s VELUX Healthy homes barometer. Half of the homes built in ROI, meanwhile, are currently less than 40 years old. velux.com
Cheaper to buy than rent in Dublin The Irish Times shares figures prepared by Cairn Homes, a developer that sells housing estates, showing that it is now 42 per cent cheaper to buy in the ROI capital than it is to rent. Securing a mortgage, however, remains a major issue.
Top 5 tips for a home green home World Green Building Week’s focus this year was sustainable homes, what they are and how to build them. Performance ratings are useful tools; for instance an energy rating will tell you how much the house will consume in a year. In ROI an A3 building energy rating is no better than required under current building regulations, the new regs will go up to an A2 (see page 9). Environmental performance certificates are entering the market to go beyond energy and these take into account the entire lifecyle of the house, including the carbon footprint and environmental credentials of the materials you use to build it as well as the impact that living in the house will have on many aspects, e.g. transport. Here some tips from the Irish Green Building Council’s for creating a home green home: Location Can you walk or cycle to shops, work or school? The cost of
needing two cars is the equivalent of a second mortgage. Water Remember the water restrictions we had this summer? Consider European Water label A taps and showers. Fresh air Poor ventilation can have serious health consequences inside the home. In an airtight building, you need a properly designed and tested ventilation system. Natural light makes us healthier and happier; daylight calculations should be factored in at the design stage. Responsible sourcing If you don’t check provenance, no one else will. Where is the timber you’re using coming from, is it FSC or PEFC certified? Flood resilience Large areas of impermeable surfaces such as roofs and poorly designed drainage systems can lead to flooding – in your home or in neighbouring properties. Permeable paving allows water to penetrate between the pavers and are fast becoming the norm. WINTER 2018 / SELFBUILD / 13
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Grants for generating your own electricity The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) now offers grants of up to €3,800 for installing solar panels that generate electricity, known as photovoltaic (PV) panels. Who qualifies?
Support is available to all owners of dwellings built and occupied before 2011. The grant is only open to people installing PV panels after the 31st July 2018. If you installed them earlier in the year you will not be eligible for the grant.
How much is the grant for?
€700 for every kWp up to maximum 4kWp. Any installation over 2kWp must install a battery for which a €1,000 grant is available.
How many panels do I need?
According to the SEAI a well located 1.8kWp system (six panels) could generate around 1,500kWh of electricity a year. That is about one-third of the typical annual electricity demand of an Irish home. The SEAI Payback Calculator shows that a 2kWp unit is large enough for a domestic dwelling, even one with a high demand for electricity. Furthermore, systems that take up less than 12 sqm are generally exempt from planning permission, with some caveats including that they don’t take up half or more of the roof area, and this equates to roughly 1.5kWp to 1.8 kWp in size. A 1kW solar PV system is roughly the equivalent of three or four solar panels.
How much do the panels and the battery cost to buy?
The SEAI says roughly€4,000 for a 2kWp system including VAT but the price will depend on the hardware, size, monitoring equipment and the structure and type of roof or site. The cost of installing a battery is currently in the region of €6,000.
What are the savings?
According to the Department of Climate Action the homeowner of a three bedroom house would only be out of pocket €1,800 with the help of a grant and would save about €220 a year on their electricity bills.
What will I be installing?
A domestic solar PV system consists of a number of solar panels mounted to your roof or at ground level and connected into the electrical loads within your building. The solar panels generate DC (direct current – like a battery) electricity, which is then converted in an inverter to AC (alternating cu rrent – like the electricity in your domestic socket). Solar PV systems are rated in kilowatts (kW), kWp stands for kilowatt peak and refers to how much output you get at peak performance, i.e. optimal conditions such as full sun. Any excess electricity produced can be stored in a battery, or other storage solution like your hot water immersion tank. It can also be exported from your house into the electrical network on your street.
Can I sell electricity back to the grid? As previously reported by SelfBuild the grant does not include any provisions for selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Where’s the best place to install the panels?
Solar panels generate electricity on overcast days but perform their best in direct sunlight; a south facing orientation is optimal but they can face in other directions
too. Shading is an issue so keep away from trees or chimneys.
How about maintenance? Your monitoring system will tell you if there’s an issue with performance and this can be an indication the panels need to be cleaned. Installers generally offer a maintenance service.
How long does it take to install? Usually one day.
How long do they last? According to the SEAI the whole system typically has a design life of over 20 years. There are no moving parts which makes the system quite robust but the inverter usually has a lifespan of 10 years so will need to be replaced at that stage.
Where do I find an installer? To avail of the grant, choose from the SEAI list of installers. They have completed a solar PV course and are a Registered Electric Contractor with Safe Electric Ireland.
How long will the grant be available for? The grant is at a pilot phase and will be subject to a review in six months’ time to assess the cost of installation and to explore “further opportunities to broaden this scheme to other groups and other technologies.” The pilot will run until 31st December 2020. Online calculator, vetted installer list and full details on seai.ie
Increase in home insulation grants The grant amounts for the Better Energy Homes scheme were also increased in July for attic insulation, cavity wall insulation and/or internal wall insulation. Grants for attic insulation are increased from €300 to €400, for internal wall insulation from €1,800 to €2,200 for semi-detached and end-of-terrace detached houses. Once approved, homeowners have six months to get the works completed by a registered contractor and claim the grant and the house must have been built and occupied before 2006. From August 1st, homeowners who are in receipt of Carers’ Allowance and live with the person they are caring for are also now eligible for free energy upgrades through the Warmer Homes scheme.
Cheaper, flexible solar The BBC reports Chinese researchers are working on making carbon and plastic solar panels as efficient at converting sunlight into electricity as their silicon counterparts. These Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) can be dissolved in inks and rolled on thin flexible sheets of plastic or even into clothing. Researchers are hoping to make OPV available within five years; the applications include everything from self-charging phones to building materials that generate electricity for the home. The research is being undertaken at the Nankai University in Tianjin, China.
WINTER 2018 / SELFBUILD / 15
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Spoiler alert!
When you install a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system in your home, you will find that the commissioning process – whereby the installer balances the system and checks it’s functioning as it should – will include making sure each room has a fixed amount of air changes per hour. How many air changes depends on how many people live in the house and what that room is used for. As this is a fixed rate, most systems have a party-mode switch you can turn on to boost the ventilation rates if more people are in the house. It would be too complex to ask the system to react to actual air pollution levels (humidity, CO2, etc.) in real time because a mechanical ventilation system has to be balanced in its entirety (whole house) to work effectively. But Aereco has figured out a way around it. By combining its know-how and experience of Demand Control Ventilation with state of the art heat recovery, the company says it has produced an MVHR unit that will provide room by room, minute by minute control of indoor air quality, combined with cutting edge user information and control. The product already has SAP ratings and is due to be launched early 2019; if you haven’t seen it at Selfbuild Live Dublin don’t miss the preview at Selfbuild Live Cork this November 10-11th in Millstreet. aereco.ie
Get in the TRV-ing seat To reduce your heating bills you need to look at conserving energy, and one of the best ways to achieve this is to add heating controls. In this field, exciting news comes from the Danfoss Eco thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) whose smart features have recently won it the coveted 2018 Red Dot Award: Communication Design (Smart Home) for high design quality and creative achievement. It was up against more than 8,600 international entries in the Communication Design category! The intelligent TRV is easy to install directly onto your existing radiators and,
with the Danfoss Eco App allows you to program individual radiator thermostats via Bluetooth technology. It’s a cost effective solution that can yield up to 30 per cent savings on your heating bills. Other smart features such as the open-window function help avoid wasting energy by automatically regulating heat when a room is being aired. And Eco’s away function can automatically reduce the home temperature while you are away, and warm it up again before you return. smartheating.danfoss.com
Plain sailing So you’ve got your planning permission approved, where do you go from here? The next stage is to finalise how you’re going to build your home exactly and here to help in NI is Build Aviator from JP Corry. Bring them your planning drawings, or more detailed drawings if you have them, and they’ll sit down with you to have a look at what the build options are and how much these are going to cost, including all materials, hire, labour, preliminary costs and fees. Build Aviator’s energy consultants will
carry out your energy calculations with the Standard Assessment Procedure, which is mandatory to comply with the regs. The process will result in detailed drawings, a full on site compliance pack which will have Registered Construction Details, materials lists and useful hints and tips to help you manage your project. You can also get your airtightness test done by them and if required an acoustic test too. Build Aviator is available across the 17 JP Corry branches in NI. jpcorry.com/build-aviator WINTER 2018 / SELFBUILD / 17
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Take a picture, measure anything Self-builders will tell you one of the best project management tools is taking pictures to document construction site progress. But imagine you had a smartphone-sized device that could take a photo and instantly measure anything in the frame. That’s exactly what the Leica BLK3D does, thanks to a unique combination of a highly calibrated stereo-camera (2 x 10 megapixel), advanced algorithms and realtime edge computing, fused with leading Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM) technology. The BLK3D measures everything in the photographs it takes, including hard-to-reach places. It estimates where installations such as ventilation ducting will go and creates CAD-ready floorplans.
Once a new trade comes on site you’ll be able to give them exact measurements of where services are running – a real time saver, especially if the area has been boarded up. Engineered by Leica Geosystems the BLK3D is robust and powerful. You can save hundreds of files on the device, share those via wifi, or upload them to your computer with the desktop software for measurements on a larger screen. The measurable images you take with the BLK3D can be analysed at any point in time – instantly or years later. It runs on Android 7 and is Google Play certified so the images are date, time and GPS location stamped. The Leica BLK3D will be available early in 2019. leica-geosystems.com
Easy-cleaning paving Despite the weather, most of us have come to appreciate the benefits to having a patio area for entertaining and al fresco dining. But with the fun comes the mess. Unless you’re extremely well organised, spilled wine or ketchup will rarely get mopped up immediately and can be difficult to remove. In comes Tobermore’s Easy Clean, a paving range that’s coated to repel and protect against dirt and stains. The unique patented coating prevents spills from penetrating the surface of the flag, allowing you to wipe them away with ease. This built-in protection is part of the manufacturing process; Tobermore has in fact invested in a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant which pulls together
the best of mainland Europe’s expertise to deliver what the company says is the first easy to clean paving flags in Ireland and the UK. For more information about Easy Clean contact sales@tobermore.co.uk
If you’re looking for a contemporary addition to your living space check out Gazco’s new Nordic inspired gas stove, the Loft. The stove’s tall firebox is framed with reflective black glass, adding a striking two-tone contrast to the matt steel body. Soaring flames dance amongst a highly realistic fuel bed composed of hand painted logs. Visuals are mirrored on all sides by the EchoFlame Black glass lining – a continuation of the stove’s glossy exterior styling details. You can wall mount it for an ultra-modern floating installation that lends itself perfectly to contemporary minimalism, or fix it to one of the cleanly styled Plinth or Logstore bases available in a variety of finishes including matching steel, Castillo grey sandstone or luxurious Woodgrain sandstone. This premium gas stove is available in the conventional or balanced flue models and provides a generous 4.4kW heat output, which can be effortlessly controlled with the various handset options. gazco.com WINTER 2018 / SELFBUILD / 19
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I N S I D E R N E W S / W H AT ' S N E W
REVIEW
Grant Solo CompactMAX convector radiator
Paint by numbers
Radiant Two ranges of radiators are now available from leading manufacturer of heating technologies Grant Engineering. The Grant Solo Fan convector radiator range features intelligent technology in a small and aesthetically pleasing design that ensures quiet, efficient and effective heating. The Grant Alu Rads, meanwhile, are designed to work with both low and high temperature heating systems, making
them a great pairing for both an Aerona3 air source heat pump or Vortex condensing oil boiler. For more information on Grant’s range of new products visit grant.eu Grant Engineering, Crinkle, Birr, Co Offaly, R42 D788, tel. 057 9126 967 Grant NI, Unit 117, 21 Botanic Avenue, Belfast, BT7 1IJ, freephone 0800 0443 264
Choosing paint colours can be a nightmare – how do you pick them out from a set of cards? How do you know the colour you choose will look right on an entire wall, or on that upcycled chest of drawers? Most important of all, will you like it? Starting at the end is the ColorReader by DataColor. If you find a colour at a friend’s house, a hotel or pretty much anywhere, and think it would work for your very own kitchen, bedroom or piece of furniture, then the ColorReader can take a reading with a handheld device that communicates with your smart phone via Bluetooth. It will identify the exact RAL number (or equivalent) to bring to the paint shop for mixing.
The final frontier
When you’re looking at a set of plans on paper, it can be hard to visualise what your house will actually look like. This is why 3D modelling and Virtual Reality (VR) walk-throughs are gaining in popularity with self-builders. New to the scene is PrePlan 3D, a family run business with over 40 years’ experience in aerospace design, including 27 years in 3D digital design technologies.
They even used 3D software for their own self-build two decades ago. Today, their 3D modelling process allows you to not only visualise your house, gardens and surroundings, but also feeds back analysis (solar shading, interior lighting, etc.) and will help with visual reporting which is a great tool to have when the project goes live for dimensions and area/quantity calculations. With their VR headsets you can walk around the space, and the software can produce 2D CAD drawings if you need those too. PrePlan 3D, 3 Claughlin Lane, Ballyclare, Co Antrim, BT39 9JD, tel. (NI 028 / ROI 048) 933 23477, preplan3d.co.uk
Selfbuild had a go, and after an easy calibration exercise the device worked effortlessly – we tested two areas and got the correct RAL numbers. The rest of the functions such as colour matching were a bit more complex to grasp but at the end of the day, it’s identifying the colour that matters. ColorReader by DataColor, colorreader.datacolor.com/eu, €90+VAT / £119 via amazon.co.uk WINTER 2018 / SELFBUILD / 21
Incorporate award-winning technology into your home
For over four decades, leading heating manufacturer Grant has been leading the way in meeting customer’s home heating needs thanks to its range of innovative heating technologies that provide exceptional performance and reliability. As the number one choice for home heating, Grant boasts an impressive portfolio of heating appliances spanning from renewable technologies such as the VortexAir oil Hybrid and Aerona³ inverter driven air source heat pump, to
the award-winning Vortex condensing oil boiler range that features Grant’s patented Vortex condensing, ensuring efficiencies of up to 97% which can help homeowners save more on their annual fuel bills. With flexibility and greater choice for the customer in mind, the Vortex range offers great variety with an assortment of models including the combi, wall hung, external, boiler house and internal utility which is perfectly suited for installations where space is at a premium due to its compact design. Bolstering its reputation for great quality, Grant recently received a Which? Best Buy 2018 for its low NOx and Blueflame Vortex condensing oil boilers including the Vortex Pro Utility, Vortex Pro Combi and VortexBlue External/Outdoor ranges. The recent achievement makes Grant the only oil boiler manufacturer to achieve such an accomplishment over two consecutive years, placing on par with some of the world’s best-known home appliance brands in the UK and Ireland.
GRANT VORTEX KEY FEATURES � Each Grant Vortex condensing oil boiler has an ‘A’ efficiency rating and is up to 97% efficient – one of the most efficient on the market � The entire range features the unique and innovative award-winning Grant Vortex heat exchanger � Grant Vortex boilers come with a oneyear manufacturer’s warranty on the burner and a five-year warranty on the boiler heat exchangers � Each boiler is simple to install with no complicated wiring � Grant Vortex Combi models ensure instant hot water � The Grant Vortex also comes in a utility model which can easily fit into your kitchen � All Grant Vortex boilers feature quiet operation and full-front service access � All Grant Vortex boilers are fully compliant with ErP directives
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PROJECT / CO ARMAGH
NEW BUILD
In for a shock There are some things you can plan for, like choosing finishes in advance, but others are unpredictable. Such as having to fork out £15,000 to get an electricity connection in a built-up area. Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: Paul Lindsay
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CO ARMAGH / PROJECT
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