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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.

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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

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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