Selfbuild Winter 2021

Selfbuild EXTENSIONS RENOVATIONS NEW HOMES INTERIORS GARDENS

SELFBUILD.IE

WINTER 2021 £4.50 / €4.99

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Dream it . Do it . Live it

P ROJ ECTS IN : . M AYO . ANTRI M . RO S C O MMON . DOWN . C O RK . T Y RO NE . GALWAY

KITCHEN GUIDE

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EDITOR'S LETTER

Astrid Madsen - Editor astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie

here are a lot of reasons to take on a home building project, from having a significant input into the architectural features of your house to choosing everything that’s to go into finishing it.

It also usually costs less, if you can keep a leash on the budget. Even despite the recent material price increases we’ve witnessed during the pandemic, which are lingering on (see p91), it continues to be possible to build an affordable home.

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To rein in costs, the kitchen is as good a place as any to start. Here, it’s clear how each design decision can make a big difference to the bottom line.

The good news is, the investment could pay off more than you’d imagined as statistics in ROI show that rural house prices are increasing at twice as fast a pace as those in cities.

Some argue this will tamper off but if hybrid working is here to stay, who knows? The trend could well continue.

Stay safe and happy building!

Selfbuild EXTENSIONS RENOVATIONS NEW HOMES INTERIORS GARDENS

WINTER 2021 £4.50 / €4.99

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Dream it . Do it . Live it

MARKETING Calum Lennon calum.lennon@selfbuild.ie SUBSCRIPTIONS Becca.Wilgar becca.wilgar@selfbuild.ie

PROJECTS IN: . MAYO . A NTRIM . RO S C OMMON . DOWN . C ORK . T YRONE . GA LWAY

KITCHEN GUIDE

Your guide to kitchens for your new build or renovation project.

Kitchen guide

COVER PHOTO Niamh Duffy

SELFBUILD.IE

99 Selfbuild Guide

HOW TO DESIGN AN D BUIL D YOUR N EW KITCHEN , WHETHER IT ’ S A REN O OR N EW BUIL D PROJECT

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EDITOR Astrid Madsen astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie DESIGN Myles McCann myles.mccann@selfbuild.ie

ADVERTISING SALES Joanna McConvey joanna.mcconvey@ selfbuild.ie Lisa Killen lisa.killen@selfbuild.ie

Nicola Delacour-Dunne nicola.delacour@selfbuild.ie

100 Overview

ACCOUNTS Karen Kelly karen.kelly@selfbuild.ie

102 Styles

SALES DIRECTOR Mark Duffin mark.duffin@selfbuild.ie

104 Design

120 Cookers and extractors

106 Costs and sequence of works

122 Design project on a budget

110 Kitchen units islands

124 Solid wood finished kitchen project

MANAGING DIRECTOR Brian Corry brian.corry@selfbuild.ie

Maria Toland maria.toland@selfbuild.ie

CHAIRMAN Clive Corry clive.corry@selfbuild.ie

Maria Varela maria.varela@selfbuild.ie

DISTRIBUTION EM News Distribution Ltd

Shannon Quinn shannon.quinn@selfbuild.ie

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 FBU I LD / WIN T ER 2 021

114 Worktops and splashbacks 116 Taps and sinks

118 Lighting and appliances

128 Farmhouse finished kitchen project

CONTENTS

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

22 Building the nest

Jason and Nicola O’Donnell set about building their home near family in Co Mayo as soon as they got married; the result is a spacious and warm abode to raise their children in.

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34 Neo Georgian

Brownen Clements and Mark McCausland were lucky to have a site in Co Tyrone they could build on, as house prices had skyrocketed in their area.

Advice 89 Ask the expert

This issue we take a quick look at what our experts have been chatting about in the Live events we’ve hosted in our Selfbuild+ Members Only Facebook group.

91 The perfect storm

Timber, steel, insulation: where material costs are heading.

96

How you light your home will have a greater impact than you might imagine; check out our guide to get you started.

Alex Cullen and John Kilkenny bought a small terraced house in the heart of Dublin to transform it into a space saving family home, all on a budget.

58 Step by step reno

78 Common sense

Kirsty Tumelty had her heart set on renovating a Victorian house in Belfast; the house she bought stepped up to the challenge in spades.

96 Sensational seasonal containers This winter enjoy what nature has to offer in seasonal pots.

Here’s a quick guide to adding vibrancy to the home.

dream

The planners approved Niamh Duffy and Gary Jordan’s application in Co Roscommon on the first go, thanks to the quality of their submission which included a detailed architectural statement.

46 Hidden treasure

94 Overlooked

70 Follow your

Fiona and David McKee’s self-build project in Co Down was in the making for over a decade and it was worth the wait as building methods and renewable technologies had become more mainstream by that stage.

86 The art of asking

22

How Cork based musician Áine Duffy built herself a selfsustaining, compact studio in her parents’ garden.

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. WIN T ER 2 0 21 / S E L FB U I L D / 5

10 REASONS SELF-BUILDERS SHOULD BUILD WITH AIRCRETE THERMAL BLOCKS Building with Aircrete blocks is on the rise in Ireland, and the outlook tells us demand will continue to grow both nationally and globally, with recently published research forecasting the continued surge of the autoclaved aerated concrete market: “Rising demand for sustainable building materials and eco-friendly nature of AAC material are key factors driving industry growth,” says Emergen Research.

1 SUPERIOR COMFORT There is no substitute for a comfortable home, and with self-builders usually planning to build their forever home, comfort is top of the priorities list for many.

2 REDUCED ENERGY BILLS Reduced energy usage means reduced energy bills – perfect for every self-builder! It’s all down to the unique properties of Aircrete and their superior thermal performance.

3 THERMAL PERFORMANCE Aircrete blocks offer superb thermal performance, insulating up to ten times better than dense concrete blocks. With the walls of the house traditionally the biggest source of heat loss, the blocks can significantly reduce this and easily achieve better U-Values whilst maintaining an optimal thermal mass.

The blocks’ thermal performance is undoubtedly one of its most appealing properties for self-builders.

4 ELIMINATES DAMP & MOULD RISK It’s unsightly and unhealthy, and quite frankly, damp and mould should not be a problem in modern homes, but unless you deal effectively with the potential cold spots in your new build, it can still be a risk. With Aircrete, the risk is eliminated.

5 SUPERIOR FIRE PERFORMANCE Aircrete blocks far outperform some of the other alternatives on the market when it comes to fire performance, with timber frame only providing 30 minutes fire resistance and Aircrete up to 4 hours for the 215mm block and 2 hours for the 100mm block.

6 FASTER HEATING RESPONSE Aircrete walls respond quicker when heating is turned on. So rooms heat faster and the heating is on for a shorter period with less energy usage.

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SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION

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Made from up to 80% recycled materials, an A+ Green Guide rating and one of the first construction products to have an Environmental Product Declaration published by the Irish Green Building Council. But it’s not just the block that’s more sustainable, it’s the home you build. Aircrete’s superior performance means selfbuilders can build a much more energy efficient home, with passive house or net zero standards much easier to achieve.

Aircrete is tried and tested as a strong and durable construction material.

It’s been established for decades as the material of choice in wall construction in countries right across Europe and beyond, including Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK.

10 COST EFFECTIVE

8 REDUCE HEAT LOSS THROUGH THERMAL BRIDGING Aircrete reduces heat loss through thermal bridging by up to 80%. As thermal bridging occurs at every junction where there is a break in the insulation fabric, it is one of the largest sources of heat loss and important to address correctly.

Aircrete built is not only better built, but also a very cost-effective way to achieve a superior home.

For example, the cost of upgrading from using Aircrete in all key junctions of a house to building the entire inner leaf with Aircrete is typically only a very small percentage of the overall build cost.

This is then offset quickly by the resulting energy savings, and well worth it for the added performance benefits. In many cases the net result can be cost neutral.

Visit SelfBuildWithMannok.com for more on building with Aircrete and our tailored self-build packages.

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NEWS . ANALYSIS . PRODUCTS . REVIEWS

ABP decision making ‘irrational’, says judge

Help to Buy here to stay

Stock photo by Benjamin Davies

A self-builder is a step closer to building his home near his organic farm after a High Court judge ordered An Bord Pleanála (ABP) to review its decision to deny him planning permission.

n Bord Pleanála (ABP) showed “notable flaw[s]” in its reasoning when it turned down an appeal by an organic farmer who had applied to build a house on his landholding, ruled High Court judge Justice Barrett on 27th July.

The judge stated his ruling did not have to do with the viability of the planning application itself, but on the flawed reasoning presented by ABP. The farmer had given evidence that he had a social and economic need to build at the farm; he also demonstrated the financial viability of his holding. Despite these submissions, An Bord Pleanála did not acknowledge them and indirectly refuted them without reason.

The judge ruled the board breached its statutory duty under the Planning and Development Act 2000 by not stating the

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main reasons and considerations on which the decision was based.

The judge quoted a case from 2019 in which part of the ruling stated: “It is a basic element of any decision-making affecting the public that relevant submissions should be addressed and an explanation given as to why they are not accepted, if indeed that is the case.”

“This is fundamental not just of the law but also to the trust which members of the public are required to have in decision making institutions if the individuals concerned, and the public more generally, are to be expected to accept decisions with which, in some cases, they may profoundly disagree, and with those consequences they may have to live.”

The judge quashed ABP’s decision and ordered the case to go back to ABP for “fresh consideration”.

As Selfbuild went to print, ahead of the ROI budget, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar indicated the Help to Buy tax break for first time buyers and first time self-builders would “remain in place for a little bit longer”” He added: “I think while some people criticise it as a measure that can cause house price inflation, most people will see it as a measure where people get their taxes back and put that towards their deposit.”

The most recent report from daft.ie found that the average house price in ROI in the third quarter of 2021 was €287,704 – €24k more than last year. The figure is 22 per cent below the Celtic Tiger peak but three quarters above its lowest point in 2012.

NI needs VAT cut, say builders The Federation of Master Builders has called for a reduction in the VAT rate for all types of renovations throughout the UK. The call is to reduce VAT to 5 per cent and also update the building regulations to mandate more energy efficient properties.

The industry body that represents builders also supports introducing a licence to trade for building firms to increase consumer confidence and promote high quality construction.

An FMB membership survey also recently showed that the crisis in the availability and cost of building materials has been compounded by a resurgent skills shortage, with 98 per cent of FMB members experiencing material price increases through the second quarter of 2021 and around 50 per cent struggling to recruit for key trades such as bricklaying and carpentry.

WINTER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FBUI L D / 7

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NEWS

Building sites becoming scarcer

image: Freepik.com

County Development Plans are tightening up zoning rules, effectively reducing the number of self-build greenfield sites.

OI’s Department of Housing tells Selfbuild its update to the 2005 Rural Housing Planning Guidelines “will not happen before November”. The guidelines as they currently stand include a provision for only locals to be allowed to self-build on specifically zoned greenfield sites – a position challenged over a decade ago by the European courts.

The draft guidelines were meant to be published in June; the press office told Selfbuild “departmental workload, environmental assessment considerations and public consultation” are causes for the delay.

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Louth running out of sites

Meanwhile the Argus reports that Louth is running out of “suitable sites” to build on as the county recorded a 30 per cent increase in self-build applications for planning permission.

Councillors heard at their monthly meeting that in some cases, there are applications from six or seven members of the same family to build houses in the same field.

“Let’s not forget that this is probably going to be the most important decision a family will ever make, building their own home, that now because of delays, are probably going to be denied or refused planning permission, and this is likely to have a big impact on rural communities in Louth,” said Cllr Paula Butterly.

As the new County Development Plan is coming into force, the planners said “no one will be disenfranchised” if they do meet a genuine local need for planning and are able to qualify under the old plan.

Draft Tipp plan: have your say

In Tipperary, the Nenagh Guardian reported similar concerns as the Tipperary draft 2022-2028 County Development Plan was put out to public consultation.

Eamonn Lonergan, a Director of Services, said the aim of the new plan was to protect the environment and landscape. Cllr Máirín McGrath said she did have some concerns about provisions in the draft as they related to “ribbon development rules”.

What she wanted to see were policies that made it easier for young couples to build houses in the countryside. Cllr Michael Anglim agreed, saying he was not in favour of restrictions of house building on regional roads within the county, while Cllr Michael Fitzgerald said it could be “totally victimising the people”.

Cllr Kevin O’ Meara said it would be very unfair if the council was going to refuse young couples planning permission to build on sites along regional roads if the family providing the site had no alternative land to offer.

Cllr Micheál Lowry said a message seemed to have got out to the public that the council intended closing down planning in the county under the proposed new plan. He said this was misinformation with councillors agreeing that people should be allowed to build homes for themselves in the areas where they were born and reared.

Wexford rule changes

Members of Wexford County Council passed a number of motions calling for amendments to the criteria for planning permission for one-off rural housing.

The Wexford People reports the draft plan

had recommended that priority be given in rural areas of strong urban influence to a person who has lived there full time for a minimum of 10 years and who has never owned a rural house before, with the site of the proposed house within a 5km radius of where they have resided. (In coastal areas, the site must be within a 3km radius.)

Cllr John Hegarty successfully proposed two amendment motions relating to permission for one-off rural houses in coastal areas, inserting the clause that “the person can work from home or commute to work daily”.

However, working from home would not be considered justification for an applicant receiving planning permission for a rural house. A person must have lived full time within the coastal zone for a minimum period of 10 years in order to fulfil the criteria.

“The three kilometre radius is for people who live in that area, not to facilitate people who want to live beside the seaside. We want to provide long-term houses for people to live in and contribute to the area they are living in,” said senior planner Diarmuid Houston.

Cllr Hegarty’s second coastal zone motion clarified that the 10 years of residence does not have to be concurrent and can have been at any time in the applicant’s life, to cater for people with childhood and family links to rural Wexford, in the interest of revitalising rural areas and sustaining communities.

Cllr Fleming also had motions passed, making reductions in the years of residence criteria and site distance for one off housing in stronger rural areas and structurally weak areas.

WINTER 2 0 21 / S E L FBUI L D / 9

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NEWS

The Covid bounce back

Home improvement splurge

House building is back to pre-Covid levels in ROI, and surpassing them in NI, first half statistics show.

I new home registrations have jumped to a 14 year high between April and June 2021, according to industry body and insurance and warranty provider the National House Building Council (NHBC).

All UK nations or regions recorded increased registrations compared with the same period last year. Northern Ireland (grouped with the Isle of Man) recorded a 230 per cent increase in registrations to reach 1,175.

Builders register homes with the NHBC at the beginning of the build; the figures also include all types of construction from apartments to one-off houses.

Within the UK total, 15,790 registrations were for detached homes, 14,022 were for semi-detached properties, 9,447 were for apartments, 6,397 were for terraced homes and 796 were for bungalows.

The NHBC said it has seen extraordinary growth since the second quarter of 2020 when lockdown restrictions saw work on many sites halted, with registrations now up by 130%.

“Despite the combined effects of the pandemic and Brexit causing labour shortages and some disruption to the supply of materials, the outlook for the medium term is a positive one,” NHBC chief executive Steve Wood said.

Meanwhile commencement notices in

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ROI for one-off houses in the first half of 2021 were back to the 2019 first half levels, after a 22 per cent drop in activity due to Covid in the first half of 2020.

The first half of 2021 recorded 2,628 oneoff homes filing commencement notices, as compared to 2,000 the year before.

Completions are slower to bounce back.

There were 1,149 completions in the second quarter of 2021 as compared to 868 the same time last year, as recorded by the Central Statistics Office. Even though this represents a 32.4 per cent year on year, the figure is down 12.6 per cent on 2019 figures.

New dwelling completions in general rose more in urban areas than rural, with apartments accounting for a large portion of the total 5,000 completions figure.

The highest number of single dwelling completions in the second quarter of 2021 was in the South-West region (198) followed closely by the West (197). The Border region had the highest proportion – 59.5 per cent – of its completions being single dwellings.

As per previous trends, the local authority with the highest number of single completions is Cork County (115) followed by Galway County (111).

Average house sizes for single dwellings fell from 223sqm in 2019 to 218sqm in 2020, then to 194sqm in the first two quarters of 2021.

The Irish Independent reports on a new survey that estimates that one-and-a-half million homeowners have spent over €11bn in the last year on home improvements. This works out to an average spending of €7,343 per household.

Another 861,000 homeowners have plans to undertake further improvements to their homes, according to the survey commissioned by Aviva and carried out by iReach.

The spending captured in the survey is on everything from painting a room to extensions to homes. Other projects include installing home offices and replacing windows.

The majority of the projects are home decoration jobs and the average amount spent came in at under €5,000. Around a quarter of those engaged in home improvement work spent between €5,000 and €20,000.

Just 5pc of people spent over €20,000.

Most of these spent less than €50,000.

Half of those surveyed said they have carried out some DIY work themselves, with the remainder employing tradespeople to carry out the jobs in their homes over the last year.

Dearest and nearest

image: Freepik.com

Build costs in Dublin are the third most expensive in Europe, according to a report by project managers Turner & Townsend.

Construction costs in Dublin are running at €2,400 per sqm, ranking it behind Geneva (€2,954/sqm) and London (€2,720/sqm).

Turner & Townsend’s study of world building prices attributes Dublin’s price increase to 40 per cent inflation in the price of some key materials including timber, steel and copper piping. The cost increases are hitting all cities.

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NEWS

Still no remedy for defective homes Mica affected homes have thrown a spotlight on insurance policies failing to cover costs, and on the systemic lack of regulation in the construction industry. report in the Sunday Independent highlights how a homeowner who completed his self-build in 2000 started noticing hairline cracks in his wall in 2007. Since then he has had to demolish his house as it was declared unsafe because the crumbling blocks contained muscovite mica.

The self-build had a structural guarantee for new homes but this self-builder explains his provider refused to pay out, saying the defective substance was in the block before the guarantee was taken on the house.

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Analysis

“In 2021 Ireland stands on the cusp of the

biggest building boom since the Celtic Tiger to boost housing, but construction still works on a self-regulatory basis, there is no independent body to enforce standards and if something goes wrong Irish law is stacked against the homeowner,” wrote Lisa Hone, another mica affected homeowner, in thejournal.ie “The regulatory environment these homes were built under unnecessarily exposed its citizens to malpractice, and deficiencies in Irish law do not give homeowners a route to redress.”

“More attractive for Government was the less onerous and cheaper preference of the construction lobby who enjoy working to the sweet sounds of self-regulation,” she added.

“Given the nature of builds, a small number of operators acting negligently, whether with intent or not, can result in devastating safety and financial implications.

The mica/pyrite crisis spiralled because there was no mechanic to halt the production of bad blocks, so for at least 13 years, defective blocks were churned out.”

“An independent inspection regime testing the blocks would have detected the mica/pyrite, production halted, and the situation seriously mitigated.”

Meanwhile the cost of fixing homes that are known to have been affected by mica could reach up to €3.2 billion, according to a draft report carried out by a working group on the defective concrete blocks grant scheme.

€365m bill for other defects Fire defects in apartment blocks will cost at least hundreds of millions to fix, says the Construction Defects Alliance, an informal alliance of homeowners and Owners’ Management Companies that suffer from building defects.

The Irish Times reports first submissions to the Government’s working group on defective homes indicate that the cost of remedying Priory Hall type building issues, which mostly have to do with inadequate fire safety measures, will be at least €365 million.

The Construction Defects Alliance, which represents almost 400 affected homeowners, suggests in its submission that this sum is the “tip of the iceberg” with almost 21,000 impacted units now identified.

Costs submitted by apartment owners show they are facing an average bill of €17,635 to remedy legacy issues.

Legislation aims to protect self-builders A new Defective Dwellings Bill was published in ROI, and if this gets turned into legislation, it will provide better guarantees for self-builders.

It’s early days yet but the way the bill is currently worded, damages would be recoverable from the builder, not just for economic loss but also for anxiety, distress and inconvenience. Legislation currently places ultimate responsibility for building works on the owner.

The bill will have to go through the Oireachtas, a process driven by what the government decides has to go on the agenda. It will also be subject to financial scrutiny.

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NEWS BOOK REVIEW

Walter Segal Self-Built Architect

Solo artist

here’s no name more closely associated to self-building than Walter Segal (1907-1987), apart from perhaps Grand Designs TV presenter Kevin McCloud who has incidentally written the introduction to this reference book.

Not only was Segal a champion of selfbuilding, he also believed in people taking charge, at every level of their project, celebrating “equality without sameness”.

This compendium delves into Segal’s globetrotter life from early childhood in Berlin, then Spain, Egypt and London,

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shedding light on what influenced and shaped him, interweaving his life’s work and vision to ensure his legacy lives on.

Death highlights dangers of scaffolding A roofer died in 2016 as a result of an eight meter fall from scaffolding, thejournal.ie reports of an inquest in Dublin.

An inspector from the Health and Safety Authority said three storeys of scaffolding had initially been safely erected by a scaffolding firm but during the course of the work, it had become necessary to add another level to allow workers to reach the roof.

The inquest heard a price had been quoted for the cost of the additional scaffolding but that it had ultimately been done by unqualified workers, who were employed by the contractor, and they used pieces of scaffolding

Stock photo

Walter Segal timber frame house built around 1970.

Image courtesy of John Segal

Walter Segal Self-Built Architect by Alice Grahame and John McKean, published by Lund Humphries lundhumphries.com, hardback 250x190mm, 224 pages (160 colour illustrations), ISBN 9781848223899, £45

Irish musician Ronan Keating, who is building a family home in the UK, announced he and his wife Storm Keating were taking charge of their renovation project DIY style.

“It’s so sad that after all these years [the renovation started May 2016] our home is still not complete,” reads the couple’s house Instagram account @thekeatingshouse. “There are so many opportunists in the construction industry who are happy to take advantage and take your money. Sadly we came into this project very naive and far too trusting. We have learnt the hard way.”

“So if you’re thinking about a build, extension or even a reno, our advice is always go with a recommendation and even then, check their references (or even visit previous projects they have completed if possible). One of our lovely subcontractors, Alessio, said always go local – that way you know where they live and they can’t run and hide! If only we had been given this advice before we embarked on our journey.”

NI tackles climate change NI’s Climate Change Bill is going through the Assembly, to play its part in helping the UK reach net zero by 2050. It is the only part of the UK and Ireland with no legally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets.

The aim of the legislation is to set up a framework within which to combat climate change; five yearly climate action plans containing annual targets, carbon budgets, nitrogen budgets and sectoral plans, will become mandatory.

from the lower levels.

The HSA inspector accepted that there was “no obvious flaw” with the additional scaffolding although an examination of the site showed a 3.5ft piece of a “pigtail” tube had been used incorrectly as a guard rail on the scaffolding. He guessed that the deceased had leaned against the scaffolding and it came down with him.

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NEWS

A Titanic effort Selbuild Live Belfast was the first major in person event in NI, and despite all the trepidation it was a resounding success. Visitors and exhibitors alike adhered to the Covid protocols with great panache. n many ways, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for – a live event that’s really live! With real people milling about. This seminal event at the Titanic Exhibition Centre (TEC) was a perfect example of how society can safely reopen with minimum fuss.

After all, mask wearing is a small price to pay for the benefit of being able to speak to someone face to face about your project.

There’s also no way of comparing products if you can’t touch and feel them for sturdiness, texture and quality.

And so the big event did come to pass in September, when the TEC flung open its doors to visitors who had pre-booked their time slot.

Over the three days, 9,000 people from all parts of NI, and some from ROI too, visited the show. Self-builders were brought up to

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speed on the latest developments in home building and renovating with over 100 exhibitors there to share their experience, knowledge and expertise.

A third of self-builders planned to spend between £150k and £250k on their build, with the majority currently going through the planning process or building.

So why not join them? If you’re in any way thinking of self-building or simply home improving don’t miss our next events: Selfbuild Live Dublin will take place in March 2022, Selfbuild Live Cork in May 2022 and Selfbuild Live Belfast the last weekend of September 2022. Stop dreaming, start building!

More info and tickets on live.selfbuild.ie

NEWS

Master Builder Awards crown projects throughout NI Northern Ireland’s biennial Master Builder Awards crowned winners in 11 categories, celebrating high quality craftsmanship, exceptional customer service and building excellence. See fmb.org.uk for the full award details and who won in the other regions.

M G Developments (NI) Ltd won the NI Sustainability Master Builder Award for this timber frame home with larch and fibre cement cladding and sedum roof

Marlfield Joinery and Construction won the NI Kitchen Master Builder Awards for this open plan kitchen

Philip McElhone Construction’s single storey extension bagged the NI Small Renovation Master Builder Award

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Instead of renting your energy each month, you can own your energy systems just as you own your home rather than renting it & making someone else rich.

Q: What exactly does off-grid mean? / A: It means that you will no longer be tied to central systems

where you buy your energy. Instead, you will make all your own free renewable electricity, heating, hot water & power for your electric car(s) 12 months of the year regardless of weather conditions.

Q: Do I have to sacrifice anything for this lifestyle? / A: Absolutely nothing changes, in fact as you will have unlimited free renewable energy on demand, your lifestyle and comfort will be unlike anything you have ever experienced before.

Q: Why would I choose this direction? / A: Because you want zero energy bills, total comfort, no blackouts, a zero-carbon footprint, and more money in your pocket for the things that really matter.

Q: How much is my home energy costing me by renting it monthly? / A: If you assume, a 1,250 sqft house with annual bills of 1/electricity €1090, 2/heating & hot water €1,500, one car charging (avoided petrol/diesel) €1,614, totaling €4,210/year, you will spend €200,293* over the next 30 years on renting your energy. (*index linked @ 3% annually), currently 2021 energy inflation is 20%. This home could be taken off-grid completely starting from €35,000 installed or €107/month on a 35-year mortgage.

Professional Private grid systems have a design life of 50 years.

Q: What homes are suitable? / A: Any age detached home is likely to be suitable, either existing or being newly constructed of any size small or large. Roof orientation not important.

Q: What certification/accreditations has HONE technology? / A: HONE is accredited to ISO9806, ISO9001, IEC60904, IEC61215, EN12975, BAFA Germany, Keymark, MCS UK, SRCC, OG-100, and additionally in Ireland, SEAI Approved product, SEAI HARP accredited, SEAI Triple-E accredited and an approved product for accelerated capital allowance by the Revenue Commissioners.

• • • • • • • •

Off-grid homes operate the same way as a standard home You will have an unlimited energy supply All your energy will be free forever Your home will have the highest value per sqm An off-grid home has the highest comfort levels all year round An off-grid home is immune to energy disruptions & price increases An off-grid home will recharge your electric car faster & for free No heating, hot water, electricity, or petrol/diesel bills

Richard Bruton, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment on an official government visit to Ireland’s first off-grid zero energy(retrofit) home in 2020.

The Minister quoted to the media: • • •

“This is the future, “It is a very exciting project” “one of the more forward-thinking projects I have come across to date” “The design of panels that give much higher output of power than your standard solar panel, but also the integration of it into a standard home without dramatic disruption to the home while it is being done, those are impressive things for a consumer to look at because a lot of the fear of retrofitting is that that it would be disruptive.”

www.honeworld.ie or email sales@honeworld.ie

C O M PA N Y N E W S

Shine on Climate change is on top of a lot people’s minds these days, not least NI electricity supplier Budget Energy. The company recently reached their aim of only supplying 100 per cent renewable electricity to their customers, marking the occasion with the hashtag #shineon All of the electricity supplied to Budget Energy customers is now sourced from

renewable electricity provided through the purchase of renewable electricity certificates, subject to verification by the ROI Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and the NI Utility Regulator. Renewable technologies include wind, solar (PV), hydro and anaerobic digestion.

Budget Energy also supports microgenerators, so if you have PV panels on your roof make sure to contact them for their export tariff rates.

For the latest offers go to budgetenergy.co.uk

High tech Many people choose to install a stove in their home to add warmth and comfort, but as houses are now being built to high energy standards there isn’t as much need for all that heat.

Enter Onyx, a new luxury stove and fire

brand that just launched to market with an exciting premium electric fire range called the Avanti.

The stoves offer a one, two or three sided configuration, meaning you can fit your fire to a corner or even enjoy a 180 degree spectacle.

Layer upon layer of visual technology allows you to enjoy an entire palette of captivating lighting effects. The choice of log effects replicate oak and silver birch, modelled on real log cuttings.

Pair this fire with your mobile device and adjust the various options almost indefinitely, from dual flame visuals to flame speed, for a bespoke display to suit your home.

The LED mood lighting system completes the experience and complements your entertainment hub.

Keep your eye on the ball… …and join thousands of people, including Rory Best, who have made the move from oil to LPG. To help you hop on board, Flogas is now offering its new customers a free LPG Boiler* when switching from an oil based heating system to an LPG heating system.

“Switching from oil to Flogas only took two days and there was no disruption to our everyday lives,” says Rory Best, Flogas Brand Ambassador. “The family love it – the rooms heat up fast and we are never waiting for hot water.”

It is a great option if you’ve recently had your oil boiler break down. Not only is LPG more environmentally friendly than oil, producing less emissions, it’s a cleaner choice.

Flogas LPG can provide instant, controllable central heating and hot water on demand along with gas cooking, gas tumble drying and gas fires. *T&Cs apply, contact Flogas for more information.

ROI: flogas.ie/homeheat, tel.

041 214 9600; NI: flogasni.com/ homeheat, tel. 028 9073 2611

Find out more at onyxfires.com

Helping a good cause The pandemic and cancelled events have had a profound effect on fundraising for charities. Masonry and retaining wall company Colinwell decided to do something about it, organising a 100 day step challenge through millionsteps.com, a social good startup.

The aim was for each member of Colinwell staff to walk one million steps in one hundred days and to raise money for local Belfast charity PIPS, who provide suicide prevention and bereavement support services to those in need.

Together, the Colinwell staff walked a whopping 5,367,677 steps or 2,683 miles which is more than the distance between Belfast to Halifax, Canada – and they managed to raise a stunning £2,000 in the process, so PIPS can continue to provide lifesaving support.

Colinwell products, available throughout the UK and Ireland, include: the Allan Block Retaining Wall System, Colinwell Architectural Masonry, and Martello Stone Walling. colinwell.com WINTER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FBUI L D / 19

poured insulating screed Introducing Ultrabead from RTU, a specially engineered poured thermal lightweight screed that has many benefits over traditional insulation boards.

Ultrabead is quicker to install and less labour intensive with no material wastage due to it being manufactured entirely on site.

Ultrabead completely encapsulates all service conduits, eliminating thermal bridging and cold joints, creating a uniformly insulated layer, ready for installation of the floor screed.

Key Benefits of Ultrabead • Install up to 1,000m² per day • Less labour intensive • No cold bridging joints • Highly durable • Low environmental impact • Improved airtightness • Encapsulates service pipes and ducts on sub floor

Other Related RTU Signature Products:

Contact Our Sales Team: 028 9085 1441 sales@rtu.co.uk

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Projects WINTER 2021

RENOVATIONS . EXTENSIONS

NEW BUILDS

22 46

Building the nest

A seaside family home

34

Neo Georgian When self-building is the only option

Hidden treasure Ambitious reno in the heart of Dublin

See your home featured in Selfbuild magazine by emailing info@selfbuild.ie More photos of these projects available on selfbuild.ie

58

Step by step reno

Renovating on a budget

70 Follow your dream

New build modernist design

78 Common 86 The art of asking sense Eco new build the easy way

Back garden DIY project

WIN T ER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FB UI L D / 2 1

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Building the

nest

Before they start a family, couples are often drawn to building their own home, which happened to be the case of Jason and Nicola O’Donnell.

2 2 / S E L F B U I LD / WIN T ER 2021

Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: John Mee

C O M AY O

Overview House size: 272 sqm Plot size: 0.6 acres Bedrooms: 4 Building method: blockwork (cavity wall) Heating and hot water: air to water heat pump Ventilation: mechanical with heat recovery BER: A2

WIN TER 2 0 2 1 / S E L F B U IL D / 23

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“All of this helped us understand what we liked and what we didn’t, and that we had similar tastes, which made life easy,” says Jason.

Design Windows. “Because some of them are apex in shape, we had to get custom curtains. They’re more expensive than you’d expect,” says Jason.

Nursery. “Two bedrooms were left to be done when we moved in, with the intention of doing them up when we had children,” says Jason. “One of those rooms is now our daughter’s bedroom, and there’s so much space she already has her own walk in wardrobe.”

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icola and I are both from the local area, have jobs here, and knew we wanted to stay put to start a family,” says Jason. “We were lucky to have a fabulous site with amazing views. My parents had the foresight to buy the land next to their house when it came up for sale.”

“We started our journey buying magazines, watching various house programmes, and using social media to create mood boards and follow house accounts. Visiting the Selfbuild shows was a great help too,” says Nicola.

“We then spent a lot of our spare time driving around looking at the different styles of houses, taking pictures of what we liked. We found that we would always pick up at least one idea from a house visit, be it layouts, interiors, sizes of rooms. Its’ funny now because we see people doing the same thing with our house, which always makes us smile.”

N

“We approached a structural engineer based in Tubbercurry, John, who has his unique style of modern design that we really liked.

We visited homes he’d designed before and got on well with him,” says Nicola.

“After meeting on site, he drew up the design of the house which Nicola fell in love with,” says Jason. “I was unsure of the section of the house that is at an angle but now I think it’s what makes the house. The patio doors in the family room are fantastic; because of the angle, we can see all the way past our local town towards Carne.”

“We did make some changes from the first set of plans, and it was mainly to the upstairs layout,” says Nicola. “The section that is at an angle initially was a single storey double height ceiling. We decided to put our master bedroom into it to make the most of the views.”

“John was brilliant to work with. He answered any questions we had, made any changes we wanted but also stood firm with some architectural features such as the section of the house at an angle, which we are

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NEW BUILD

Open yet separate. “We use the open plan area every day so it was important to us that everything flows really well but also in the evenings we can turn on the kickboard lights in the kitchen, close our blinds, put on our lamp and gas stove and completely forget that the kitchen area is behind us,” says Jason.

grateful for,” says Jason.

“Having the utility off the kitchen evolved from the design process, thinking how we would use the space so we have drawers which are actually a great use of space.

Then to maximize storage in the kitchen, we decided to put the freezer in the utility room.

There is a hanging rail above the sink in the utility for light tops and shirts, and that works brilliantly.”

“Overall, our biggest piece of advice is to do a lot of research, and to design your house to fit your life,” says Jason. “I do shift work so having our ensuite and walk in wardrobe completely separate to our bedroom was a priority for us.”

“To maximise the space in our bedroom I came up with the idea to add a stud wall,” says Nicola. “Behind the wall I have my own hair and makeup area and on the other side of the wall is our bed which faces directly out to the bay. We don’t have anything else except bedside lockers so that space is always clutter free.”

“For the interiors in general it was important to us that the overall feel of the house is connected, yet for each room to have its own identity.”

“Once our plans were in place, we engaged with the local council and had a preplanning meeting before filing for planning 2 0 // SSEEL FBUI 020 26 LF BU ILD LD // AUT WINUMN T ER 22021

permission. Thankfully, we didn’t have any major issues. There were no problems with wastewater either, as we are on the main public service line for both water and sewage.”

“Then we got John on board to sign off on the stages for us, for the mortgage, and we opted out when we filed our commencement notice,” says Nicola. “He was always on call and regularly came down for his inspections; we had a few phone calls to double check

things as well.”

A central plank of their design was to build an energy efficient house. “We knew we would need to invest our money in insulation for good U-values and airtightness,” says Jason.

“Our first set of drawings showed we would get an A3 Building Energy Rating, so we decided to spend additional money on insulation and airtightness to get an A2. Our electricity bills are averaging around €1,700 a

C O M AY O

“Our first set of drawings showed we would get Q&A with an A3 Building Energy Jason and Rating, so we decided Nicola to spend additional What’s your favourite part of money on insulation and the house? airtightness to get an A2...”

Lighting. In the kitchen it consists of spotlights, kickboard lights, and strip lighting around the dropped down bulkhead that hides the extractor fan. The glass light pendant over the dining table was chosen so that it wouldn’t take away from the view. The living room has spotlights and a distinctive lamp. The light fitting in the living room was sourced from overseas, half price.

5

We absolutely love our house and to pick a favourite is hard... We spend so much time in our open plan area, although the living room with the tall window overlooking the bay and high pitched ceiling is just amazing.

We’re really proud of that room. It has a completely different feel to the rest of the house, but it works. The electric fire is a nice feature too. We thought it would only be in use for movie nights and sports, but we actually use both sitting rooms a lot.

The gas stove in the open plan living area was a splurge but we’re glad we got it. We turn it on with a remote, there’s no ash and during the winter we do use it quite a lot – mostly on flame only, but the odd time we would activate it with heat.

What would you change?

If we could change one thing it would be to make our utility room bigger, even though it’s a good size at 10sqm. We also have a plant room but we could have made that bigger too. It’s not just the ventilation unit but the heating system, with tanks and manifolds, etc., that take up a lot of space.

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year which includes our heating system and all other electrics, including for cooking.”

“From the start we had decided on an air to water heat pump; we had spoken to different people who had one and they all had good things to say,” says Nicola. “We normally turn the heating side of it off from May until the end of September and still have constant hot water during that time.”

1

The build

There was an old derelict house on the site, and the first step after getting planning permission was to demolish it. “Clearing the site took a lot longer than anticipated, between the demo and site access,” says Nicola. “We were paying a guy in a digger to do it for us, carting off the waste, so each day cost us money, and it took longer than expected as we ran into hard ground.”

From the beginning, the couple had decided to go direct labour. “Based on the experience of people who’d gone through it before, we figured it would cost us 20 to 25 per cent more to build the house with

2 8 / S E L F B U I LD / WIN T ER 2021

2

a contractor than if we were to hire all the trades ourselves,” says Jason.

“We have no construction background, but I had kept an eye on my cousin’s house when he was building. When we started our build, we were both working full time and planning our wedding at the same time. We found that the key to manage it well was to be as organised as we could, and to keep on top of the cleaning.”

“After that, our involvement was to help out where needed, so we lent a hand with the scaffold, ordered materials, and if we noticed any snags we would try and fix them ourselves,” says Jason. “Nicola’s cousin, Damian, was of immense help to us throughout the build. He’s a carpenter and

he did our roof, first and second fix, and was also someone we could go to and lean on for advice and guidance.”

“His brother Ciaran is a plumber, and he did all of our plumbing. Nicola’s dad, who’d worked in the construction industry, was also great source of knowledge. His input was invaluable at different stages of the build.”

“While we were working, my father was available to sign for deliveries and to collect any materials the tradesmen needed, which was also a massive help,” says Jason. “We sourced the bulk of our materials from local suppliers in our area.”

“We are thankful that we didn’t have too many problems,” says Nicola. “Except about six weeks before we were due to move in. Our

C O M AY O

Jason’s tips Ask for your electrician to meet with your kitchen designer on site. Even if they can’t meet on site, get them to agree on everything at first fix. Ours did and they spent an entire day at it. The result is that every detail was worked out, including the small spotlights in the kickboard. That way, they both knew exactly where they stood. We also got our electrician to put in a sound system in the house, and we have the speakers connected to the TVs. Don’t set a date to move in. Because it probably won’t happen. Ours was Easter, then May, then whenever before the wedding. Just remind yourself all the stress will be worth it when you move in.

Try to get three prices for everything.

And spend your money where it’s most important to you. We invested in our insulation knowing this would lead to a nice warm house and good electricity bills.

Don’t rush into any decisions. We had bought a light for over the stairs, but had to change it as our electrician warned us it would be too small for the space, which he was right about.

Take some risks. At the end of the day, this is going to be your forever home so decorate it in your style. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but all that matters is that you love it. In the living room that meant having a reading corner, a navy couch, and feature (different coloured) walls. It was funny when my father would see some of the pendants and artwork, and we would ask him “what do you think?”, he would look at it and just say “it’s different”.

Tiles. “We first looked into polished concrete flooring but we heard people were getting cracks and that just wasn’t a risk that we wanted to take,” says Nicola. “So, we looked for a tile that would give us the same effect, found it online at 32x32 inches and showed it to our local tile shop, and they sourced it for us. Upstairs we chose to have continuous timber floor running throughout in a light grey colour.”

6

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1

painter moved away and couldn’t finish his work with us.”

“This was a massive headache as the weather was really good, so painters were in high demand. In the end, I have a friend who managed to help us out and finish the job.

Our family and friends were so supportive in the lead up to moving into the house.”

Budgeting

“Going direct labour was a lot of work but it was time well spent,” says Nicola. “The main thing was keeping on top of the schedule by keeping in touch with the trades, which meant lots of phone calls to keep everyone lined up.”

“We would have known of them from the local area, as it’s a tight knit community.

To avoid delays, we had tradesmen booked in advance and kept them updated on our progress. This really helped with the tiler, who was in high demand.”

30 / SE L F BU I LD / WIN T ER 2021

2

“We had a spreadsheet, and we got three prices for all quotes as we went along. We knew from the start the kitchen would cost quite a bit, for example, so we cut back on the timeframe for the landscaping,” she adds.

“Before we moved in, we put chips down along our driveway with the plan to eventually tarmac it. But we’ve decided to leave it as is because we really like the chips.”

“We had prices for each element and if we had gone overbudget we would look at where to pull money back from another part of the build without comprising on quality. If we were underbudget, we put the money into the contingency kitty.”

“Another example is the staircase; we always wanted open tread walnut stairs with glass banisters, thinking it would be too

expensive. We had it priced up and it ended up coming in at a good price. But we did have to give up on the idea of a curved design as the budget couldn’t stretch that far.”

“As for the landscaping, we had to save up for a couple of years to do it,” says Jason.

“Frankly we were shocked by the cost, between building front and back walls, steps, putting lights in the walls, finishing the planting and curbing, and the paving and patio area.”

“It was expensive but it is a lovely space,” says Nicola. “My parents are keen gardeners, and my mother planted all our shrubs and flowers. The sun is always at the back and it’s lovely to have dinner on the patio on a summer’s evening.”

AVANTI ELECTRIC fires beyond imagination ony x f ires .com

NEW BUILD

More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

Project info Find out more about Jason and Nicola’s Co Mayo project...

SUPPLIERS Engineer

John O’Hara, Tubbercurry, Co Sligo, email johnoharaeng@btinternet.com, tel. 086 8123584

Carpenter and roofer

Damian Deane, Belmullet, Co Mayo, email damodeane@yahoo.ie, mobile 086 8473744

Electrician

John Lavelle, Belmullet, Co Mayo, email belclareelectrical@gmail.com, mobile 087 3292497

GROUND FLOOR

Plumber

Ciaran Deane, mobile 0863377737

Bedroom

Kitchen

Philip Nolan, Enniskillen, nolandesigns.co.uk, worktop: Corian

by Dupont

Utility W/C

Kitchen

Heating and ventilation

Enviro-therm, Curry, Co Sligo, envirotherm.ie, mobile 0872842567

Plant Room

Living Room

Office Room

Entrance Hall

Windows and doors

Munster Joinery, munsterjoinery.ie

Sanitaryware

Hurst Plumbing & Heating Supplies, Castlebar, Co Mayo, hurst.ie

Dining

Tiles

Micheal Shevlin, Belmullet, Co. Mayo, mobile 087 2427388

Lobby

Main builder’s merchant

Brogan’s Hardware, Belmullet, Co Mayo, tel. 097 81608

Stairs

Sitting Room

Barrett’s Joinery, Belmullet, Co Mayo, mobile 087 1911146

Raft foundation and shuttered concrete KForm Formwork Contractors, Belmullet, Co Mayo, mobile 087 9088978

FIRST FLOOR

Stonemason

John Kerrigan, Geesala, Belmullet, Co Mayo, Johngerardkerrigan@gmail.com, mobile 086 3126348

Bedroom

Paint

Bedroom Bathroom

Walk-in Wardrobe

Master Bedroom Ensuite

Colourtrend Winter’s Breath for neutral walls, colourtrend.ie, and Gatsby Blue

by Dulux in both office and utility/ bathroom, dulux.ie, sourced from Shevlins Complete House Finish tel.

09781116

Insulation

Roof: Knauf, knauf.ie. Floor and walls: Xtratherm, xtratherm.ie. EPS beads: Kore, kore-system.com. All doors, windows, sloped ceilings and attic sealed with Tyvek air tightness tape and membrane, dupont.com

Slates

Berona fibre cement slates, cembrit.ie Photography John Mee, johnmeephotography.com NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0 3 2 / S E L F B U I LD / WIN T ER 2021

SPEC

John O’Hara

Walls: 200mm cavity wall with 100mm blockwork each side, pumped with EPS beads, U-value 0.15W/sqmK

Design services:

Floor: subfloor, 175mm PIR board, underfloor pipes, 50mm liquid screed, U-value 0.11W/sqmK. Upper storey: precast hollowcore concrete floor, 50mm PIR board, underfloor pipes, 50mm screed.

• Design of New Homes, Extensions & renovations using 3D visualisation • Design of commercial, Retail and Community Projects • Compile Planning Applications • Projects manage your project from start to finish.

Roof: cut roof, fibre cement roof covering. Slopped ceilings 180mm glass wool insulation between studs, 62.5mm insulated plasterboard beneath. Attic insulated at floor level with 400mm fibreglass between ceiling joists. U-value 0.11W/sqmK Windows: uPVC triple glazed, grey inside and out, U-value 0.7W/sqmK

Project Supplier

Engineering services: • Construction drawings for your project.

• Tender documents, Bill of Quantities, scope of works, specifications etc.

• Carry out the work of the assigned certifier on construction projects.

• Engineers reports.

John O Hara & Associates provide an all-Ireland service

Phone John on 086 8123584 OR (00353) 868123584 N.Ireland Email : johnoharaeng@btinternet.com

Timeline Summer 2015

Met with engineer on site December 2015 Applied for planning permission April 2016 Planning granted August 2016 Build start July 2018 Moved in Summer 2019 Landscaping finished

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Neo

Georgian 3 4 / S EL F BUIL D / WIN T ER 2021

CO TYRONE e had tried to purchase a bungalow but it didn’t work out,” says Bronwen. “The properties we had been looking at suddenly shot up in price. That’s when we started investigating if we could build a house, and we were fortunate that my dad was happy for us to do so on the family farm.”

“There weren’t many options as the farm restricted us to fields surrounding an old dwelling. This is because we applied under the planning regulation known as PPS21 which meant we were only able to apply for a replacement dwelling beside a cluster of houses. We still had a choice of three fields and we are very happy with the one we picked in the end.”

W

“The properties we had been looking at suddenly shot up in price. That’s when we started investigating ...”

Designing the dream

Bronwen Clements and Gary McCausland turned their attention to the family farm after struggling to find a house to buy.

Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: Paul Lindsay

“To get started with our plans, we drew up our wish list and asked our architect what our options were,” says Bronwen. “I wanted Bangor blue slates, and a storey and a half house but he advised against this, due to it being more cost effective to build a two storey, and Bangor blue slates being very expensive. We also wanted sash windows; again the answer was no because, he said, they would be too dear. I found this hard to accept as he didn’t give us any alternatives.”

“In the end we compromised on these and went for Spanish slate which looked very similar to Bangor blue slates, but cost less, and we got sash windows on three sides of the house and not the back as this elevation can’t be seen from the road. If you know what you want, you sometimes have to fight for it, and shop around to find the price that meets your budget.”

“For our main entrance I wanted a farmhouse style doorway,” says Bronwen.

“But the architect said it would be too dark and suggested a Georgian style doorway with the surrounding windows.”

“I actually agreed with the architect; I wanted to bring in more light too,” says Gary. “And I like windows around doors.”

“That’s also why we have a sunroom.

Although with hindsight, we might give AUT UMN WINT ER 202 202 1 1 // SE SE LF LF BU BU II LD LD // 4 35 5

NEW BUILD

more consideration to entertaining and the need for seating when people are visiting. We don’t want to block the glazed double doors, so it’s a bit tricky with furniture placement.”

“At this stage of the process, we asked the architect to move things around from the original floor plan,” says Bronwen.

“For example, we wanted the boot room to be closer to the back door, and we also wanted to add a bedroom downstairs with wetroom.”

“We eventually had to submit our application twice as we hadn’t included the garage in the first one. But the process still only took three to four months.”

“Then, when we went to get our plans approved by Building Control, we realised that if the house was larger than 2,590 square feet, we would have to pay more for the applications, and as we were just over 36 / SEL F BUIL D / WIN T ER 2021

this amount we tried our best to cut down in size to save some money,” says Gary.

“This was our first house and, like a lot of people, a large utility was on the wish list but we ended up reducing it in size for this reason. In the redesign we also sacrificed a bedroom upstairs for a large walk-in wardrobe, an idea we got from an online mood board.”

After that they went to tender, that is, gave their construction drawings to builders to get prices. “We had secured the shortlist of builders through word of mouth yet out of the three we had tendered to, only one came back with a cost,” says Bronwen.

“Another said he was too busy and could only start in a year’s time. That same person came back to us months later, when the build was well underway, to see if we still wanted a price.”

“The one who won the job is very well known in the area and has built every house that we know. He gave us a price for a builder’s finish, for both the house and garage. So we were on our own for the kitchen, tiling and painting.”

“We had made an allowance for doors, oak skirting and architrave in the contract with the builder,” says Gary. “In the end, being able to go through the builder saved us £1,200 for traditional Georgian doors.”

“We also had a 10k allowance in the contract for windows, and spent £17.5k for the sash. We went for a window supplier our builder was very familiar with and so he could barter on the price for us. It also meant we didn’t have to pay a deposit, which is often half the cost. That helped with cash flow.”

“There wasn’t the option of triple glazed with the sash windows, as they only

SELF BUILD INSURANCE

PROTECTING YOU &

YOUR PROJECT

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NEW BUILD

come in double, but we are happy with the finished result,” says Bronwen.

“We find that the double glazing is more than sufficient in keeping out sound, as we rarely would hear a car pull up at the door.”

Decisions, decisions

“We went with a block built house, and then had the choice between insulating the cavity with rigid boards or EPS beads,” says Gary. “Our contractor recommended the beads so we chose that. We have an oil boiler because the price of oil isn’t too dear, and we only have to fill up the tank about twice a year to keep the home at 19 or 20 degC.” “With underfloor heating, our oil bills are £400 to £500 a year for heat and hot water; then electricity is about £700 per year.”

“From the get-go we knew we wanted concrete precast slabs for the upper storey, mostly to prevent noise transfer and also make the underfloor heating installation more straightforward,” says Gary.

“And we had originally planned to go with a timber staircase. It was a last minute decision to change to precast concrete stairs, we thought it would speed things up and help us move in quicker.”

3280 // SSEL BUILLD D // WIN ER 2021 ELFFBUI AUTTUMN 2020

“This meant we had to reconfigure the slabs when they were delivered. We had to leave one or two out to make room for the precast stairs. We also had to make changes to supporting walls so they could take the weight of the new stairs.”

“Precast concrete stairs are cheaper and offer better sound resistance,” he adds.

“It also gives the builders a safe means of access to the upper storey during the build. But overall, it worked out the same

price as timber stairs because you need to clad them with timber, and in our case carpet them too.”

“We got a company to give us the materials to cover the stairs, and got a joiner to put it on, showing him a picture of what we wanted it to look like at the end.”

“Then came the task of finding ourselves a kitchen,” says Bronwen. “I hadn’t realised how important customer

CO TYRONE

“The amount of things that can and will go wrong surprised us...”

Q&A with Gary What would you change?

We would have thought about more things before starting the build, as we were left in a situation where we couldn’t change things when we were too far along. We could have added cornicing throughout, it looks well, but we hadn’t budgeted for it. In the kitchen, we just have a normal double door larder, but the hidden walk in larder is a great idea. This would need to have been decided back at the time of planning or blockwork stage, so I’d advise people do their kitchen research at the earlier stages. We would also make the hot press larger or make a bedroom smaller to allow for another bedroom upstairs.

What’s your favourite room?

The kitchen. For Bronwen it’s the ensuite bathroom and walk in wardrobe.

What surprised you?

The amount of things that can and will go wrong surprised us. Even though you have provided drawings and plans, things can still be done incorrectly and need to be closely observed.

Would you do it again?

We joke about the extension, as at the time we didn’t have the budget to allow for a bigger design. Things like the sash windows and the heat recovery ventilation added on a lot to the price and now thinking of landscaping and taramacing really makes us conscious of the amount of money we spent.

I’m glad I went for the walk in wardrobe I always wanted, but things like that required forfeits such as a bedroom upstairs. I wouldn’t go with the electric shower again as the water pressure isn’t as good, and I would make a larger utility room.

I think it’s hard to know until you live in a house you’ve built, what you like and don’t like and understand the cost of.

As much as they cost, I would definitely go with sash windows again. They really make a difference to the house and the built in safety locks are very effective.

5

6 WINT ER 202 1 / SE LF BU I LD / 3 9

NEW BUILD

1

service would be to us, but it really mattered how people treated us. We started locally but the places we went to were so busy, they didn’t even have time to have a chat.”

“I went online and found a place in a village in Donegal. I went for the drive with my mum; we decided to make a day of it. By crossing the border, we thought we might save a bit with the exchange rate too.”

4 0 / S EL F BUILD / WIN T ER 2021

“The first place we visited was pleasant and accommodating; they took the time to have a chat with us. I learned what an in frame kitchen was, for example, and the designer was happy to work around our budget.”

“They had a lovely booth in the showroom but it didn’t suit our kitchen.

They also tempted us with a large walk in pantry they had on display. We ran through the checklist and realised what we did and didn’t want. For example there’s no wine rack in the island as we were warned it wasn’t ideal for children, but have one high up in the larder.”

“For the same reason the electrical oven is high up and we chose a safer option for small hands in the form of an induction hob.”

“We put in a corner seat in the kitchen 2 however there isn’t a corner window, and I would have liked that. We didn’t do it because we feared it might look too modern for the style we were going for, and also because it was too late at that stage to change as a corner lintel would be required. Instead, we made the corner sash window longer to reach the seat.”

“The company we went to in Donegal was really accommodating, and they gave us the hot water tap we really liked, for free, due to an offer they had on at the time. They also designed and fitted our walk in wardrobe, utility, and boot room, and also the mantle in the good room.”

Lockdown woes

“We had planned the bathrooms well in

CO TYRONE

WINT ER 202 1 / SE LF BU I LD / 4 1

NEW BUILD

advance, including putting in an electric shower,” says Bronwen. “We were advised by many people to have one electric shower, due to the likelihood of running out of hot water and not having a last minute alternative,” says Bronwen.

“The style of the bathrooms is classic, with a mixture of high cistern wcs, to fit in with the Georgian style.”

“After all that planning, the timing of our bathroom delivery was unfortunate as it was the day before lockdown,” says Gary.

“Half of everything showed up and we could only do half a bathroom with what they sent. There were no pipes, even the toilet seats were wrong. The basin came with the wrong stand, that kind of thing.”

“There was no way of contacting them,

1

so we ordered the missing components from England paying a lot for the delivery of a pallet,” says Bronwen. “And then after lockdown the branch we got our bathroom ware from didn’t even reopen so it was difficult to resolve the issues.”

“However we were able to get our sofas delivered and collected last minute just before lockdown, which meant we were able to store them for moving in,” she adds.

“Upstairs we have a very old cast iron bath; it was red with rust when we salvaged it and originally came from the dwelling we replaced. It had only been painted, so we sent it to be sandblasted and enameled, which saved us some money over buying a new one.”

“We also liked the character of the

4 2 / S EL F BUILD / WIN T ER 2021

2

old bath, as there would be very few like it. And the idea of having part of the old house in our new home. Fortunately we were able to have the tap holes filled in as we chose a freestanding, overhanging tap.

It really looks well.”

“The only downside is that the bath was very very heavy; it was in the sitting room, then the bedroom, before five men managed to get it upstairs before the railing went up. To get it into the bathroom, they had to turn it. It took all three of the apprentices who were on site to get it in. We don’t know what we would ever do if we decided to change the bath!”

Follow Bronwen and Gary’s journey on Instagram @copper_beech_house_

CO TYRONE

Bronwen and Gary’s tips Think about where the waste pipes will go. It surprised us that the pipework for the wcs and other plumbing was external, rather than built into the building. This should have been decided early on as part of the instructions given to the block layers, and it was not something we were familiar with or knew to look out for. At the back of the house, we now have a cluster of black pipes that we could do without.

Make sure the house is painted before you move in. The good room cornicing needs painting again but it’s so messy to do. We will have to move everything out.

Don’t accept any defects as they could drive you crazy after you move in. For the flooring, we decided to tile all of the bottom floor, mostly because engineered wood isn’t as good for underfloor heating.

We also felt it would be a more resilient finish. We had parquet wood effect tiles, and they had a red mark running through a large portion of them. So we returned them and got replacements no problem. Thankfully this imperfection was spotted by the tiler before it was laid.

We discovered a few pairs of lights hung lopsided and had these corrected, and things like plastering around spotlights had to be corrected.

6 WINT ER 202 1 / SE LF BU I LD / 4 3

NEW BUILD

More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

Project info Find out more about Bronwen and Gary’s project in Co Tyrone...

SUPPLIERS Builder

Fred McDowell

Windows

McMullan O Donnell, mcmullanodonnell.com

MVHR

Beam, beamcentralsystems.com

Oil boiler

Grant Vortex, grant.eu

Kitchen, utility & wardrobe Dukes, Donegal, briandukeskitchens.com

GROUND FLOOR

Tiles En-suite

Bremar, Cookstown, bremartiles.co.uk

W/C Bedroom

Kitchen

Staircase timber covering Farrell Joinery, Ballygawley, farrelljoinery.com

Tiler

Boot Room

Mark Sommerville

Sunroom

External render

K-rend (polar white), k-rend.co.uk

Dining

Bath (sandblasted and enameled) Living Room

Bath Doctor, thebathdoctor.co.uk

Wood burner

Firefox 5 and Firefox 8 from Bennett’s, Omagh, elkinplumbingsupplies.co.uk

Timeline

FIRST FLOOR En-Suite

October 18

Bathroom Bedroom

Planning approved, start tender Feb 19 Build start, foundations

Walk-in Wardrobe

June 19 Slabs and stairs in

Bedroom

Bedroom

July 19 Windows in November 19 Underfloor install February-March 20 Kitchen, tiling May 20 Moved in

44 / SEL F BUILD / WIN T ER 2021

CO TYRONE

Internal doors

SPEC

Furniture

Walls: 350mm blockwork cavity walls, 150mm full filled cavity with EPS graphite beads. Insulation to jamb/head/cill 20mm polystyrene dense block with cement.

Render’s thermal conductivity of no less than 0.45sqmK/W. Insulation between upper corner of wall plate and sarking board 65mm fibreglass.

Double garage stone Tipperary Blue and Brown stone from Thornhill Stone, Brendan mobile 07738581218

Flat roof: 200mm glass fibre between joists, 200mm over joists with insulated (50mm PIR) plasterboard (12.5mm) bonded and skimmed to underside of joists.

Macblairs, Cookstown, macblair.com Blue sofa in good room from Moy Furniture Centre, moy-furniture.co.uk; leather couch in sunroom from CFC Interiors in Cookstown cfcinteriors. com; bench from Dream Interiors Omagh, dreaminteriorsomagh.co.uk

Garage doors Ashlock Door Systems, Dungannon, ashlockdoors.com Outdoor steps Keys McMahon, Omagh Outdoor lights Homebase, homebase.co.uk

Photography

Paul Lindsay, paullindsayphoto.co.uk ROI calling NI prefix with 0044 and drop the first 0

Pitched roof: 100mm PIR board between rafters leaving 50mm air space above, insulated plasterboard to underside of rafters with 50mm PIR insulation and 9.5mm plasterboard bonded and skimmed. Trapdoor insulated with 60mm PIR board with sealed perimeter bolted shut.

Floor: 125mm PIR insulation below sand cement screed and above concrete subfloor. Insulation to vertical edge of floor screed 20mm PIR; thermal conductivity no more than 0.023 W/mK.

Project Suppliers 2018 Best of Houzz Service The Second Nature 2015/2016 Kitchen of the Year award rd

2019 Houzz Design awa 2020 Houzz Service award

Installing dream kitchens in Ireland and the UK for over 20 years. www.briandukeskitchens.com 00353 74 9156080

Flooring and Wooden

For the latest concepts in tiles and wooden flooring

Tiles | Mosaics | Laminate Flooring | LVT | Adhesives & Grout | Tiling Tools & Accessories

T: 028 8676 2647 E: info@bremartiles.co.uk W: www.bremartiles.co.uk Mon. - Wed. 8.30am - 5.00pm | Thurs. 8.30am - 5.00pm (& later by appointment only) Fri. 8.30am - 4.00pm | Sat. 9.00am - 1.00pm

WINT ER 202 1 / SE LF BU I LD / 4 5

E X T E N S I O N & R E N O VAT I O N

Overview House size before: 70sqm House size after: 90sqm Atrium size: 15sqm Bedrooms: 3 House cost: €355K Project cost: €150k Value: €600k Heating and hot water: gas combi boiler (space heating) with heat pump (hot water) Ventilation: natural BER after: B1 Build method (upper storey extension): light gauge steel

46 / SE LF B U IL D / WIN TER 2 021

CO DUBLIN

Hidden

treasure Alex Cullen and John Kilkenny bought a 100 year old house in Dublin city centre to do it up as cost effectively as they could. The result is to die for.

Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: Gareth Byrne WINT ER 202 1 / SE LF BU I LD / 4 7

R E N O VAT I O N & E X T E N S I O N

e bought the house when we were young professionals, pre children,” says Alex. “We were renting at the time, in a house share, and wanted to buy something of our own. But the area we lived in at the time was beyond our budget. By chance, we came across a small house that had the potential to tick all of the boxes.”

“It was only because we were living on the same street that we saw the sign go up on the house,” says John. “We were lucky to be there to see it.”

“My brother Marc is an architect and he told us it was a really good site and that it was an ideal renovation project. He had ideas about how to bring in light, and advised us to go for it,” he adds. “Despite its size, seven children had lived there; extensions had been added on in the 1960s and 1970s.”

W

100k budget

“It was an ambitious project from the start,

4 8 / S E LF B U IL D / WIN TER 2 021

1

2

as we only had €100k to do it up,” says Alex. “We started off with Marc helping us put our ideas on paper. We wanted an open plan, contemporary cottage feel. We wanted to maximise the available light, with a focus multi-functional living spaces and designs that would maximise the floor area we had.”

“In response Marc included a lot of small design features that achieve this; there is an enclosed pantry that provides plenty of storage for food and also doubles as a utility with washing machine, boilers, etc.”

“The custom built wardrobes, added in 2018, in the back room are also designed to maximise storage and still look neat as

they are seen at all times. The cloak/ coat/ shoe space also had to be custom built to get the most out of the space. Then the steel frame extension overhead allowed us to fit in storage nooks.”

“Marc had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve, and I would define our relationship as one with healthy tensions between our needs and what we could afford,” says John. “We made some structural changes to the original plans to make savings. Upstairs, for the extension, we had a couple of different ways we could go with the shape and that was only tweaked slightly. There weren’t that many design iterations.”

“Meanwhile, the sale took a while to

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R E N O VAT I O N & E X T E N S I O N

go through the executor of the estate, and we had nowhere to live so stayed with family and friends for different periods of time,” says Alex. “Then when we got the keys, we rented the house out on a six-month contract while we were waiting for planning to come through. The council had some questions, we had to redo the advertisement. There were a few delays like that, but we eventually got approval.”

“Once we got planning permission, the first thing we did was file our commencement notice on the back of Marc’s construction drawings. We gutted the house; all that was left were the roof and the walls,” says John. “The lime plaster render was redone on the front of the house on Marc’s recommendation, to preserve the existing cottage walls.”

“We then basically had a shell to work with,” says Alex. “So we dug down 1.5m and had the floor insulated, reinforced and fully repoured, all to current building standards, gaining some head height in the process. The majority of the rebuild was done with a mix of timber and steel framing. The engineer specified the type of RSJs we would need for reinforcements.

We re-roofed the existing cottage and a composite panel was put as the covering plus the flat roof construction on the 2 0 // SSEEL AUTTER UMN2 021 2020 50 LFFBUI B U ILLD D // WIN

upper floor extension. An alu-zinc cladding covers the rear of the second floor extension.”

“Choices like the traditional sash windows and the wood front door, as well as aluclad windows for the back of the house, were all choices that Marc helped us make. Marc guided us on every aspect, and he was always available to discuss and advise.”

“The plumber helped devise the

heating system; we have a combi boiler, as we’re on mains gas, with underfloor heating throughout and electric heaters upstairs (radiant heat panels). We also have a heat pump for hot water.”

“We would have liked to get a builder to do all of the work,” says Alex. “But we got prices from three of them: they were too expensive and couldn’t commit to our timescale. Going direct labour was a necessity from a budget point of view.”

CO DUBLIN

Q&A with Alex

“Going direct labour was a necessity from a budget point of view...”

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

The usual, double your budget and extend the schedule!

What surprised you?

The time spent looking for better deals and prices. Some quotes would blow your mind. I can also vividly remember being completely perplexed by having to hand pick every single element. Trying to decide on small features such as light switches and plug boards was daunting.

Would you do it again?

I would, despite knowing how deeply stressful it is to endeavour to renovate an existing house. Once the dust settles, you find you let go of all that – plus five years down the line we can still say with conviction we love living in our house. For me, that would be the main motivator to going again.

What is your favourite design feature?

John: When you walk through our front door, the design of the features (floor tile layout, glass panels, steps, atrium, etc.) have been so finely considered that it gives an optical illusion that the house is very long and that there are many spaces to investigate. So from the outside you think you’re going to walk into a small cottage, but once you enter you are invited into a charming home.

We just have to remember the glass panel when kids come round to play!

Alex: Our bedroom is my happy place.

We have the perfect balance of space, light and privacy.

Kitchen. The butcher block style kitchen, with simple white cabinets, is a clean and easy to manage area.

Tiles. The same tiles were used in the entrance, kitchen and carried into the outside atrium space.

6 WIN TER 2 0 2 1 / S E L F B U IL D / 51

R E N O VAT I O N & E X T E N S I O N

“The thing I wish we had done was listen to our gut a lot more...”

1

Direct labour Storage. In the living space, simple inbuilt shelving caters to the need for storage.

Open plan. The engineered timber floorboards distinguish between the functional kitchen space and the living area.

5 2 / SE LF BU IL D / WIN TER 2021

“While we had the demolition underway, we organised the labour for the different points. Alex took on the role of project manager of the build, with heavy supervision and guidance from Marc and other family members. She does this type of thing in her work so it made sense to apply her skillset here,” says John.

“Most of the suppliers and labour were arranged via family members or recommendations from friends,” says Alex. “The thing I wish we had done was listen to our gut a lot more, as we should have gone a different way on some elements. As novices, we listened to the advice of the tradesmen, which we often caught on the hop. But now with a bit

more experience, if we were to do it again,2 we would trust ourselves more.”

“An example of this is the skirting boards. We wanted shadow gaps, as in no skirting boards, but for one reason or another we were told we couldn’t have them. Then for the floor, we wanted an engineered wood in a herringbone pattern but we struggled to find one that would be fully compatible with underfloor heating.”

“Granted, you can find whatever you need in Dublin but that always comes at a cost. For some things we did buy local because of the time pressure we were under.”

“Then there was a stage where we had to break for five to six weeks as contractors had another job to attend to,” she adds.

“Some costs were higher than we had

CO DUBLIN

WIN TER 2 0 2 1 / S E L F B U IL D / 53

E X T E N S I O N & R E N O VAT I O N

expected, all of which was eating away at the budget. We managed to save on certain things like getting a flat pack kitchen and sticking to simple finishes. We made every effort to get everything as well priced as we could, but we still went at least 30 percent over budget, which in turn meant we had to refinance.”

“Some things were worth the investment; the floor and lights were definitely a splurge, and even though we knew we weren’t building a house for life, at least the next homeowners will benefit from them. We finished the house in such a way that anyone can come in and put their own stamp without it necessarily costing them too much.”

“An added challenge was that, this being an old house, there are no square angles,” says John. “These imperfections have been covered up by good carpentry.

We also made a feature of the stairs which includes storage underneath. Originally it was a visually difficult space to work with, but by harnessing natural light and clean details it makes the hall feel large even though it isn’t.”

“We really came to appreciate the atrium during lockdown,” he adds. “We used it more in the 14 months of Covid than in the previous four years. In general, the pandemic really brought to the fore

5 4 / S E LF B U IL D / WIN TER 2 021

1

how, for a small house it functions really 2 well.”

“If we could magically extend the house by 20 or 30 percent, we would love to stay here. We love the area and our street,” says Alex. “We just need a bigger site, even from the point of view of where to store the bikes. I think even twice the size might be too small!”

“But we’re so grateful to live here,” she adds. “We love the house and it works very well for us. It provides exactly what was on the brief all year round.”

CO DUBLIN

Timeline September 2015 Bought house

End 2015 Planning applied March 2016 Planning approved and start demo October 2016 Moved in

WIN TER 2 0 2 1 / S E L F B U IL D / 55

E X T E N S I O N & R E N O VAT I O N

More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

Project info

SUPPLIERS Architect

Marc Kilkenny, marckilkenny.com

Windows

Velfac double glazed aluclad from Teroco Windows, teroco.ie

Find out more about Alex and John’s Co Dublin project...

Lighting

gantlights.de and John Lewis

GROUND FLOOR BEFORE

Roof windows Velux, velux.ie

Sanitaryware hurst.ie

Bedroom

Flooring

Bathroom

irwintiles.ie and tilestyle.ie

Kitchen/ Dining

Kitchen

IKEA, ikea.ie

Bedroom

External Decking

Electrical Suppliers

Living Room

Phibsboro Electrical Suppliers, pewl.ie

Furniture

Bedroom

swoon.com, made.com, habitat.com, ikea.ie

1551

Photography

6886 approx 3696 approx

Gareth Byrne, garethbyrne.com 3054 approx

ROI calling NI prefix with 048, mobile prefix with 0044 and drop the first zero

GROUND FLOOR AFTER Bedroom

Bathroom

FIRST FLOOR AFTER

Kitchen

.L

Bedroom

KING

Bedroom

Living

En-suite

Dining

BEFORE

5 6 / SE LF B U IL D / WIN TER 2 0 21

AFTER

Walk-in Wardrobe

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R E N O VAT I O N

Overview House size: 100 sqm Plot size: 120 sqm Bedrooms: 2 Heating & hot water: gas boiler Ventilation: natural House cost: £130k Renovation cost: £20k House value (pre Covid): £165k

5 8 / SE LF B U IL D / WIN TER 2 0 21

CO ANTRIM

Step by step

reno

Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: Paul Lindsay

Kirsty Tumelty’s Victorian renovation project literally got under her skin.

y partner Gary and I had lived in a rented apartment and didn’t think about moving for a long time,” says Kirsty. “We went to view a few houses to see if we might be able to buy something; we were on the lookout for a Victorian terraced house in particular.”

“All of the properties we visited were very different. The one thing they had in common was that they were all done up.

There was one exception, and that’s the house we bought. It’s funny how people say that as soon as you enter a property, you fall in love. We thought the opposite when we first saw it. Our initial thought was, it’s awful, we hate it!”

“So we kept looking and saw other nice properties. But for some reason, we couldn’t stop thinking about this one. And so we eventually decided to put in an offer.

M

Words: Astrid Madsen Photography: Paul Lindsay

We thought it was overpriced so we put in a lower offer, and ended up in a bidding war. We eventually won, and moved in for a month to get to know the place.”

“The first thing to do was tidy up. The house had been rented, and we got rid of everything including carpets. That meant a lot of skips and a lot of trips to the dump. We’re in the middle of a terrace but thankfully there’s an alley at the back. The garden was also a mess, so we had to get rid of weeds, everything.”

Action plan

“The first thing we did was sort out a leak, and then came up with a plan to do up each room in succession,” says Kirsty.

“We did as much as we could ourselves; the only trades we had to hire were a plumber and a plasterer. Later on we also got a builder in to do all of the work in the bathrooms as we felt that was too much for us to take on.”

“The plan from day one was tackle the renovation room by room, as we could afford to. We moved the kitchen facilities around the place, but as it was just Gary and I, it was manageable.”

“We decided to tackle the living room WINT ER 202 1 / SE LF BU I LD / 5 9

R E N O VAT I O N

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first,” she says. “We needed somewhere to sit. And it felt like the easiest of all the rooms to do – it was pretty much a space ready to be cleaned and decorated. The internal walls had already been knocked, and the other walls only needed to be plastered. So it was a good place to start, and to get a feel for what we were up against.”

What they were up against was lath and plaster. “Most of the rooms had to be stripped back to the bare structure. Getting rid of lath and plaster was pure mess and dust,” says Kirsty. “Any wall or ceiling in good condition, we skimmed. But there

6 0 / S E LF B U IL D / WIN TER 2 0 21

was a lot of stripping down needed, which2 on the plus side gave us the opportunity to add some insulation on both the ceilings and walls.”

“The insulation has made such a difference in comfort. We do pay as much in utility bills as we did before we renovated, but Gary works from home now so that could have something to do with it.”

“Surprisingly, putting in new studwork and moving plumbing was actually easy, as we ended up replumbing the property anyway. We changed all of the radiators but kept them to the same size, and only

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had to reposition one, in the kitchen. We also got some electrical work done, such as adding an electrical box and earthing.”

“The windows we chose based on their performance,” adds Kirsty. “They’re all hardwood double glazed and in the kitchen it’s uPVC. We kept some of the draughty windows, which we resealed and painted. One of the bedroom windows is still a bit draughty.”

“Since we finished the renovation in 2020, we’ve turned one of the bedrooms into an office and did up the living room again. We didn’t want grey anymore. Also, the living room had been our kitchen at one point so it needed a bit of a facelift after that experience.”

Bathroom and kitchen

“I like things to flow, and I knew I wanted tiles for the bathroom,” says Kirsty. “I had seen a wall half tiled on social media that I really liked. I was worried about the price, and doing it half tiled, so changed the layout of the bathroom, which meant more space for the shower. We had looked at a claw foot bath but it was just too big, and we use the shower more anyway.”

“As a result we went for a more modern, slim design. That said, we didn’t know how much it would cost and it came in so AUTTER UMN2 0221 020 6220/ /SSEEL LFFBUI B U ILLD D / /WIN

much more than we thought! Our quotes were all over the place, with some builders charging almost twice the price of the company we went with.”

“We put in place a contract with the builder, who drew the construction plans up. It was handy because they have an office close by. Still, it took forever for them to build it, but thankfully we only had to move out for a month, to my

CO ANTRIM

“One of our biggest splurges turned out to be the paint; it was only going to be the one room at the start and it snowballed from there...”

Q&A with Kirsty Would you do it again?

Yes, but it would have to be another renovation, preferably a period property.

What would you change?

A bigger kitchen would be nice – we could extend to the side to make it wider, but that would be a lot of work (and money).

What are your favourite features?

Our bedroom, I love the fireplace with art deco surround. The tiles themselves are very intricate, with painted details. For the walls, light peach blossom as a colour was not in the original plan but I love it; it’s a grown up pink. The sulky room prints on the wall tie in really well.

What surprised you?

One of our biggest splurges turned out to be the paint, as we did do the whole house in top end brands. It was only going to be the one room at the start and it snowballed from there. Even at that, we never thought our paint budget would be so big.

Timeline June 2017

Bought house Autumn 2017 Living room reno 5

2018 Bathroom and kitchen reno 2019 Bedroom reno 2020 Hall stairs and landing reno

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parents’.”

“Fixed price is more expensive but there was a lot of skilled work involved, that we didn’t feel confident to take on. Initially we didn’t think we would need to strip the walls back to the brick so that added to the cost as well.”

“We had bought part of the bathroom online and sourced the shower for a better price via the builder, who also supplied the spotlights.”

“We found it mostly ok buying online, as we stuck to outlets we were confident

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could match our expectations with reality.

For the shelves, for example, we got a nice piece of wood from friends and bought the brackets online. All of the radiators were bought online too, and they really suit the house.”

“It was good to do the renovation in stages, not just from a financial point of view but because I feel if we had done it all at once we would have made mistakes.

What we thought we wanted at first wasn’t right.”

“That was especially true of the kitchen.

CO ANTRIM

Kirsty’s tips Stick to your guns. Our aim was to keep the coving, cornicing, corbels. Our plasterer and builder would roll their eyes when I told them they had to cut around these features.

Don’t impulse buy. You might be tempted, really tempted, to buy things to just get the project done. We had no ceiling lights for two years, but it was worth the wait.

Be organised and tidy to survive living on a building site. We had a mini shed on our landing, which was really useful.

SUPPLIERS Radiators

Screwfix, screwfix.ie

Kitchen and appliances IKEA Belfast, ikea.co.uk

Shower cubicle

Alexander Kitchen and Bathroom Solutions, Belfast

Flooring

Living/dining area, stair runner and landing carpet from City Flooring Centre, Belfast. Kitchen floor tiles from MacBlair Builders’ Merchant. Kitchen wall tiles and bathroom floor tiles from TileMarket. Bathroom wall tiles from Homebase. Bedroom carpet from Martin Phillips, Newtownards.

Paint

Farrow and Ball, Little Greene and Dulux Trade

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I always thought I wanted to get a grey gloss Scandinavian kitchen, now it’s black shaker style. As time went by, I changed my mind.”

“The main inspiration for the kitchen was actually visiting the showroom. We went straight for what we wanted. We have a galley kitchen, and really do recommend drawers as they can fit a lot more than cupboards. We switched from a U shape to an L shape which I feel works so much better.”

“People ask me why I got rid of the cupboard space next to the window – the reason is, it feels so much bigger without them.”

“Looking back, we were prepared for hard work, but were surprised there wasn’t much structural work to get done,” says Kirsty. “It was pretty plain sailing from that point of view.”

“What’s really strange now is that it’s all done. It feels weird; I really can’t believe it. It’s funny because when you’re in the midst of it you can’t wait for it to be over.

And to be honest, it feels good to be able to spend on holidays now, instead of the house.”

“Actually due to Covid we did the hall, stairs and landing much sooner than expected, otherwise we would have been holidaying in the USA.” Follow Kirsty’s journey on Instagram @atnumberfourteen_

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“It was good to do the renovation in stages, not just from a financial point of view but because I feel if we had done it all at once we would have made mistakes.”

CO ANTRIM

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Katie Grogan

Grant’s sustainable heating solution for Co. Offaly self-build For over four decades, heating technology manufacturer Grant has been leading the way in providing home heating solutions, thanks to its range of innovative heating appliances that provide exceptional performance and reliability. In recent years, Grant has been working with home builders across Ireland to design highly efficient heating systems, which help to meet compliance required for building regulations and ensure the homeowner benefits from a sustainable heating system with maximum efficiency.

A recently finished 2400 sqft self-build in Co Offaly which is benefitting from one of Grant’s integrated heating packages is that of Katie Grogan and her family.

Hassle free heating solutions

Working alongside the appointed contractors for the build, the technical team at Grant used the house plans to calculate the heating requirements for each room of the property and correctly size all heating technologies. This ensured that a bespoke, highly efficient, integrated heating solution was designed to best suit the needs of the property and the family.

The Big 3 C’s – Carbon, Comfort & Cost

Speaking about the project Barry Gorman, National Renewable Sales Manager at Grant says “When a contractor comes to us, the first thing we do is review the house plans for the

project, calculate the heat requirements for each room of the house, in line with SR:50 requirements, and we then build an integrated heating package that meets all requirements - it really is individual for every new-build home.

Our heating systems are focused on satisfying the Big 3 C’s – Carbon, Comfort and Cost and help to achieve Part L compliance as required under building regulations in the Republic of Ireland.”

Grant’s Integrated Heating Packages for New Builds give homeowners peace of mind from knowing that their heating system has been professionally designed to maximise efficiency and long term savings.

Integrated Heating Packages For this particular self-build project, the Grant technical team worked with the contractor to identify which technologies from the Grant product portfolio would best complement the new build home.

The main heat source of choice was the Grant Aerona3 R32 air to water air source heat pump and this was supported by a Grant pre-plumbed hot water cylinder to provide 24/7 hot water.

The Grant Uflex underfloor heating system was used as the heat emitter for each room throughout the property. Grant smart heating controls were added to control the full heating system and can be operated by the new neoApp, available to download on both Apple and Android smart phones.

Grant Aerona3 R32 heat pump

Grant hot water cylinders

Grant Uflex underfloor heating system

10kW Grant Aerona3 air to water air source heat pump

Grant Integrated unit

Grant Uflex underfloor heating

The Grant Aerona3 has an ErP rating of A+++ with an SCOP of up to 5.4:1 and is available in outputs of 6kW, 10kW, 13kW and 17kW. Championing exceptional efficiency, the Aerona3 delivers over four times the amount of energy for every 1kW of energy used. The 13kW and 17kW models have also been recognised for their quiet operation by the internationally acclaimed Quiet Mark.

Grant hot water cylinders are available pre-plumbed and pre-wired and as integrated units. Grant hot water cylinders are designed to heat water faster and more efficiently than standard cylinders and ensure that homeowners have access to hot water 24/7.

All pre-plumbed and pre-wired features are conveniently located to ensure quick and easy installation.

Grant Uflex underfloor heating was chosen as the heat emitter throughout both the ground and first floor of this self-build project. The Grant Uflex underfloor heating system is popular amongst self-builders as it is a highly effective product at complementing minimalist home interior design and offers individual zone heating.

How to avail of Grant’s Home Heating Design Service 1. Send planning drawings, a contact number and your preference of underfloor heating, radiators, or both to heatpump@grantengineering.ie 2. Grant technical specialists will be in touch to discuss your requirements.

3. Full property specifications with recommended Grant products will be provided.

Contact the Grant Technical Team on 057 9126967 (Republic of Ireland) or 0800 0443264 (Northern Ireland) For further information visit www.grant.eu All Grant products are available from plumbing and Heating merchants throughout Ireland.

GrantIRL & MyGrantNI mygrantIRL & mygrantNI

NEW BUILD

Follow your

dream

Overview House size: 2,800 sqft Plot size: 1 acre Bedrooms: 4 Construction: light gauge steel frame Ventilation: mechanical with heat recovery Heating and hot water: air to water heat pump BER: A2

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The kitchen units are floor to ceiling, which brings the eye up and makes the ceilings look higher. The units have drawers incorporated into them for easy access. The corner unit has a pull-out microwave which eliminates appliances from the worktop space and reduces clutter. The boiling hot water tap means there is no need for a kettle.

CO ROSCOMMON

Self-builders in ROI often think a contemporary, or otherwise striking, design in the open countryside is unlikely to get planning permission. Yet Niamh Duffy and Gary Jordan’s project proves that if you have the right architectural designer, and a clear vision for a design that will enhance the landscape, you have as good a chance as any to get the green light.

How did the house get planning permission so quickly?

Gary: Even though the house is not in keeping with others in the area, the local county council planning officers expressed their overall approval with the design intent. The architectural statement convinced them the house would make a positive contribution to the area. Credit where credit is due, our architect Patrick put together a brilliant submission with 3D drawings, including photo montages, showing how the house would sit within the landscape. All that hard work paid off and there wasn’t a single design change from the planners.

Niamh: It was always our plan to have an architect design our home.

We wanted something modern and timeless that would stand the test of time and that was unique to us. We are strong believers that architects come with a wealth of knowledge and experience not only in design, but in planning too. Choosing an architect is definitely an extra investment at the beginning but it’s worth every penny when you get the design of your dreams approved by your local county council.

I would recommend spending as much time as you need to research which architect to hire. We started our quest online, checking out websites and social media pages. This was a great starting point which allowed us to narrow our search down to three architects in the western region. We had an initial meeting with each of them and visited previous work they

had done. The architect we chose had come from a commercial background, which tends to go with more modern finishes, so we felt like we were on the same wavelength from the get-go.

After seeing the concept drawings for the first time, we knew we had made the right choice in terms of our architect selection. He had understood our brief perfectly and brought it to the next level. It was the unique elements that he had added to the design that really did it for us – the fan effect roof in particular on the single storey side, the monopitch roof on the two storey element and the wrap around projecting canopy to the front door really set off the design, both inside and out.

Timeline January 2018

First met with architect May 2 018 Trial hole for percolation test dug June 2018 Planning submitted October 2018 Planning approved May 2019 Commencement notice filed June 2019 Build start November 2019 Structure watertight March 2020 to May 2020 Delay due to Covid July 2020 Build end and moved in

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3D cutaways by Broderick Architects

NEW BUILD

CO ROSCOMMON

wasted space and we didn’t want a porch or an A frame roof, as we felt they lent themselves more towards a traditional style house. Design wise we liked the idea of an L or U shape, to allow for the living area to be to one side of the house with high ceilings.

Then bedrooms on the first floor for maximum views. The site is open on the side road, and we have no mature trees, so the plan was to orientate the house south west for the evening rooms, and have an open courtyard out from the kitchen to bring in lots of natural light.

Gary: Our architect put his stamp on our ideas, and presented us with two schematics. There was a white two storey all render, the other was black one storey. There was the option of

How did the project get started?

Gary: We were very lucky and grateful that we were gifted this site from my dad; it’s on the family farm. Niamh and I always had it in our heads to self-build and when the time was right, we just went for it. We first met with our architect on site, and we showed him things we liked, such as the mix of modern renders and cladding. I work in the construction industry and knew I wanted a system build rather than traditional block construction, because that’s what I know best.

Niamh: The list of what we didn’t want was longer and was in many ways more useful in crafting the design. We definitely wanted to avoid a flat or mono pitch roof. The black cladding idea came from a job I had worked on in London, and at first, I didn’t think it would look right in a residential build but as soon as we saw the 3D images we were sold.

Tell us about the steel frame construction.

Gary: The company I work for designs light gauge steel frame in-house. There are many benefits to building a steel frame house: there are no block layers to source, all of the insulation is on the outside, and we had the design freedom to include large openings for the windows with the addition of

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NEW BUILD

The island has a downdraft extractor for the hob with waterfall countertop edges on both sides.

structural steel. We built the roof with steel too. A couple of companies in Ireland do steel frame, and you get a kit to assemble on site.

It was a direct labour self-build, meaning we hired all of the trades, and we got a few people locally to help put the frame up. I’m 20 years in the trade so I’m familiar with how to assemble the product; we then got structural steel from a local engineering company and we got the projecting boxes for the windows from another, which we put in once the steel frame had been cladded.

Steel frame construction is a warm frame construction, so the majority of the insulation is placed on the external side. All of our roof drainage pipes are fixed to the cement board outside, hidden behind the external cladding.

How did you tackle the kitchen?

Niamh: The layout was pretty much fixed at the design stage with the architect. What we had to pin down was the style and for a few months, online mood boards were my best friends as they gave us a good idea of how we wanted the kitchen to look and feel.

I had a black kitchen design in my head for quite some time and felt it would work with the overall classic, modern and timeless feel of the house.

With the white walls and large glazing screens in our kitchen/living areas, we knew we could get a dark colour to work in the space.

We priced two kitchens, and went with a local company that had done my sister’s house some months previous.

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The main dilemma I had with the kitchen design was choosing the stone for the worktop. I had numerous samples from our local supplier in various light and dark colours. Choosing internal finishes can be extremely daunting given the amount of choice out there but I eventually went with the light colour as I felt it would complement the black units and bring a nice balance to the overall design. It has a beautiful gold vein throughout to complement the brushed brass handles.

In the utility/pantry we went with sleek white handleless doors with J grip handles. They are again floor to ceiling units finished with quartz worktop in a snow storm white, which was a slightly more cost-effective choice in comparison to the kitchen. Every bit of

CO ROSCOMMON

Niamh’s tips Invest in a lighting consultation. Artificial lighting is really important once you move in – where exactly you want it, and also choosing the right type of lighting for each room/area. Because we have so much glazing throughout the building, natural light is not an issue so we could have put in less spotlights and possibly more task, mood, and wall lights in certain rooms.

Even though we had a great electrician and good overall electrical layouts completed, I don’t think you could spend enough time reviewing these as they are quite difficult to visualise.

Interior choices. Spend the time researching and analysing the overall look and style you would like to achieve room by room at the initial design stage. Create mood boards and order samples to help you visualise the space. Consider what colours, fabrics and materials work well together and just make it your own, there really are no rules, it’s just a matter of getting an eye for it and what you love in your own home.

Staircase. A lot of effort went into getting the levels correct for the concrete wall which forms the main feature in the hallway. It acts as both the structural rigidity for the floating stairs but also as the banister for the first floor landing. There was a lot of head scratching to get the dimensions correct for both the ground and first floor finished floor levels, all of which had to be done at foundation stage. See Tips.

Windows. The 6m sliders are triple glazed, all aluminium, while the floor to ceiling windows are fixed aluminium and the smaller punched windows are uPVC triple glazed.

Pick out internal finishes early. The steel frame structure went up so quickly, I had to do a lot of research into finishes in a short time span. It was constant decision making for six months; thankfully Covid then gave us the breathing space we needed. That time gave us the opportunity to make lots of changes to our tiling arrangements and bathrooms/ensuite designs. We picked a whole new scheme, and we’re so much happier with it. Covid also allowed the concrete floors to dry naturally before polishing. That said, we were pretty frustrated as lockdown hit within a day of getting power on in the house!

Keep an open mind. Even though there was a lot of forward planning, we adapted the staircase design based on a conversation we had on site. At the groundwork stage, the person who poured our raft foundations showed us work he’d done with concrete board marked walls. The more we talked, the more we realised it lent itself to our idea of floating stairs. The original plan had been to put up a blockwork wall to sink the supports for the floating stairs, but this solid concrete solution seemed way more rigid and provided an instant finish. We then bolted steel treads into the wall, and clad the treads in oak so all you can see are steps going up.

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Project Supplier

NEW BUILD

SUPPLIERS Architect

Patrick Broderick, broderickarchitects.ie

Steel frame

Stanta, stanta.com

savings helps when it comes to internal finishes.

How does the house perform in winter and summer?

Electrician

Gary: The house has an A2 energy rating bordering on A1, and thanks to the glazing on the southwest façade, we have very little heat loss. So little in fact that for our first winter, our underfloor heating only came on a select few days when the external temperature was well below zero. It’s very comfortable in winter; all of the rooms are the same temperature thanks to the heating controls and the ventilation system with heat recovery.

But we do get overheating if the summer is very warm and the sun is bright. Our first summer we had to switch on the cooling on the heat pump in August, as we had that add-on installed. That meant we never had uncomfortable nights. We had looked at shading at the early design stage, but it would have taken away from the look. A balance had to be struck and it weighed in favour of the aesthetics.

Plumbing/heating

Follow Niamh and Gary’s project on Instagram @modern_monohome

Kitchen

Flannery Kitchens, mobile 086 195 3008; Kitchen is from the Tavola range. Countertop: Dekton (Entzo from the Natural Collection) by Cosentino, cosentino.com sourced from Feelystone, Boyle. Downdraft extractor: Elica, elica.com. Hot water tap: Quooker, quooker.com

Stairs

Geraghty’s Design and Install, Galway, geraghtyjoinery.com

Windows

WRL Galway, wrl.ie

Fibre cement cladding Cedral (black), cedral.world

Flat roof covering

Gerard Nolan Roofing; Trocal, irl.sika.com

Polished concrete

Barry Ryan, Schrule, Co Mayo, barryryanconcrete.com David Regan Electrical, mobile 087 2393358 Joe Madden Renewables, mobile 087 7921581, MVHR: Renson, heat pump: Mitsubishi EcoDan NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0

SPEC Walls: skim on plasterboard, steel frame and studs filled with 100mm internal mineral wool insulation board, sheeting board, 200mm external mineral wool board, insulation render, fibre cement cladding.

U-value 0.11W/sqmK Roof: skim on plasterboard, 200mm mineral wool insulation board between 200mm steel joists, 18mm plywood boards, 150mm mineral wool rigid insulation, membrane roof with standing seams. U-value: 0.10W/sqmK Floor: 125mm PIR insulation with 100mm concrete screed polished in a bronze matt finish.

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NEW BUILD

Common

sense

For Fiona and David McKee, building an eco house was the obvious way to go…

Overview House size: 2,200 sqft Plot size: 1 acre Bedrooms: 5 Build method: blockwork cavity walls (thermal blocks) Heating: oil boiler, two wood burning stoves Ventilation: mechanical with heat recovery EPC (SAP): A (106)

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CO DOWN

Timeline 1990s

Farm acquired 2007 Apply for planning and approved 2007 Foundations poured

How did the project come about?

We acquired our own farmland in the early 1990s, but there was no dwelling on it. So we lived in the nearby town.

We got thinking about building our own home, and started reading Selfbuild magazine, watched relevant TV programmes, took pictures of any new builds which interested us, and attended every Selfbuild Live event in Belfast.

We became somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information we had gathered, but went ahead and applied, and received approval, for full planning permission.

Then property values collapsed as a result of the recession, resulting in less money becoming available from the sale of our house in the town. We laid the foundations so as not to let the planning lapse even though we knew that the single storey design we’d gotten planning for did not meet our growing family’s needs.

However, we were still determined that we should proceed with the building of our new home and in 2013 attended yet another Selfbuild show, where we had in-depth discussions with a number of architects but none seemed to be singing from our hymn sheet.

That was until we were handed a flyer as we passed a stand, and within a few minutes of reading its contents we went back and spoke to Ronan.

Straight away we were impressed with his practical, no nonsense, realistic approach and the fact that he understood what we were looking for, coming from a farming background.

of experience we reapplied for planning, for a change of design, using part of those previous foundations.

This time round we got approval for a one and a half storey dwelling, which had a positive effect on build costs and also the design was one which better suited our needs.

We learned from the negative aspects of our previous home. We wanted a bright east and south-facing combined kitchen and living room

2013 Reapply for planning (change of design) and approved 2015 Build start 2015 Build end 2020 Battery for PV panels

How did the design evolve?

With Ronan’s help, advice and wealth

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with the natural glow of green electricity*

Visit budgetenergy.co.uk or call on 0800 012 11 77 *100% of the electricity supplied to Budget Energy customers is sourced from renewable electricity provided through the purchase of renewable electricity certificates, subject to verification by the CRU and Utility Regulator

Project Supplier

CO DOWN

area big enough for all the family to spend the major part of the day together.

We wanted the luxury of a large second reception room where we could entertain visitors or watch television in a quiet, undisturbed, comfortable environment. A utility room to deal with laundry and more bathroom facilities were also essential. Finally, more than three bedrooms.

This was to be the only opportunity for us to build so it had to fulfil our needs from the outset. Many hours were spent perusing and tweaking layouts and trying to imagine how they would work in reality.

A hugely important benefit to us was that Ronan has a particular interest in low energy self-builds and this became paramount to our project.

In what way?

We knew we would be building a house more than twice the size of the one we had in town. This meant we had to focus on reducing our energy costs, but also on environmental issues and for us that meant investigating our options for rainwater harvesting and sewage early on.

The orientation of the house and its position within the site were paramount to making the most of solar gains, or free heating. This coupled with a highly insulated and airtight building would reduce our heating requirements, but we still had

“We got thinking about building our own home, and started reading Selfbuild magazine, watched relevant TV programmes, took pictures of any new builds which interested us, and attended every Selfbuild Live event in Belfast.”

the issue of power so we looked into photovoltaics (PV).

On reflection it all worked out ideally in the end. Technology and materials and knowledge of environmental issues had advanced so much in the interim period that we have ended up with a home which is better than we could ever have dreamed of in the past.

What did you do for heating and hot water?

This is the part of the build which resulted in the most deliberation.

From our initial enquiries about burning wood instead of oil, to “save the planet”, and using the then Government backed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, we followed a dead end path, finally abandoning the whole idea. To name a few issues, waste wood (of which we had a plentiful supply) did not qualify, neither did a multifuel stove.

It appeared to us that the scheme did not reward a heat retaining, low energy consuming house but instead subsidised a poorly insulated, high energy consuming one. The cost of the only approved wood burning stove at £2,500 with an additional £300 required for a heat monitor, and seven year subsidy of £10 a year didn’t make sense. We also calculated that for the equivalent amount of energy per litre from oil, it would cost much more to buy in wood, never mind the extra work and storage involved with anything other than oil.

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PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM Application process The network operator NIE would not progress an application for greater than 4kW (16 panels) without planning approval already in place. Following a hastily arranged on-site meeting with the planners, they granted permission for the maximum number of panels which would physically fit on our roof (36), enabling the NIE process to restart.

System size 9kW in the form of 36 panels on the roof.

Orientation South facing, 42 degree angle, free from any shadowing obstructions, all of which help maximise PV production.

Cost of system Installation cost of £10,000 for the 9kW system, a payback period of five years based on ROCs and feed in tariff.

When installed in 2015, the panels qualified for the Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) scheme (no longer available), earning £1,500 in ROC payments each year.

Feed in tariff On average we sell back £500/yr to the grid. The current cost of electricity in NI is approximately 17p/ kWh purchased from the grid, and we receive 5.1p/kWh for the export tariff so to maximise the benefit from the solar panels it pays to use the power

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you generate.

Battery The 4.6kW battery cost £3,700 to install in 2020; naturally this reduced the amount of electricity being sold back to the grid. The battery has priority over the water heating but if there is sufficient electricity being produced the battery sensor will allow water to be heated simultaneously to it being charged. Any surplus to that feeds into the grid.

Electricity costs In 2020, a year when we had five residents, three of whom were adults working full time from home, our bill including standing charge was £308 for the year and the income from the power exported was £276 so effectively our net electricity bill for the year was £32. We did shop around to get the best tariff.

We also run the washing machine and dishwasher only when there is surplus electricity being generated and even cook on our electric hob during that time. It was a conscious decision to have both gas and electric hobs, to be able to cook during any power cut.

On long sunny days we can live totally independently from the grid thanks to the battery. Without the battery, 45 per cent of our annual consumption of 5,300KWh electricity would have been from the PV panels.

So we installed an oil fired system that feeds underfloor heating downstairs and radiators upstairs – after five years living in the house the radiators have barely been used and with hindsight, we didn’t actually need to install them. We also have a multifuel stove in each of the two reception rooms.

We have used the stoves mostly to create a feature focal point but last winter in particular (2020/2021) we made a point of lighting the slightly larger living room one more often in the dead of winter. We burned our waste wood which significantly reduced our consumption of oil from an average of 900 litres per year to 500.

We have not had a delivery of oil since December 2019.

If we were building today, we probably would research an air source heat pump and this could be something we consider in the future as a replacement to our oil boiler once it nears end of life.

In reality, even on a sunny day mid-winter, the temperature in our glass room and living / kitchen area increases so much (23 to 26 degC) that we keep internal doors open to let heat out to the rest of the house, and this heat is then circulated around by means of the mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery.

What did you do for water and sewage?

For wastewater, we selected an air-

CO DOWN

vented sewage treatment system which is environmentally friendly, has no moving parts to wear out or go wrong and is not powered by electricity.

This complied with our aim to keep maintenance and costs to a minimum.

We were in the fortunate position to be able to install it ourselves to the given specification, and we have found that it

works well.

It made no sense to us to be using treated water needlessly for flushing toilets, watering gardens etc., so we harvest and store all rainwater from our roof. In times of drought, we top it up from an old farm well.

This water is used to flush all three toilets, to water the garden, and to power wash paving and vehicles. David designed and installed the rainwater storage system himself whereby all roof water is harvested via a network of underground pipes to the underground storage tank near the house.

There is a second storage tank at a higher level, uphill from the house, to which water is pumped from the lower tank from time to time, as necessary.

This means that the harvested water to the house is gravity-fed. On average we use 1,000 litres per week from this system for up to six adults.

We found that the geology of our land is suitable for a borehole, which should cost £3k to drill and install.

This will allow us to get below or within rock, to access a plentiful supply of drinking water. In light of climate change, and with increasing frequency of restrictions to public water supply recently publicised, this is likely to be our next project to augment the off grid benefits of our home.

WINTER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FBUI L D / 83

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Roof: trusses are not built into the concrete walls but rest on a wooden plinth to reduce heat loss. Flat ceiling section (area above the ceiling of the first floor) filled with up to 550mm of rock wool insulation, U-value 0.08W/sqmK. Sloped areas of the ceiling to either side of the first floor rooms has 150mm glass wool insulation between rafters plus 50mm PIR board to underside, U-value 0.16W/sqmK. Black concrete tile covering.

Floor: concrete precast hollowcore units for the ground floor on which 150mm of phenolic board insulation supported the layout of the network of underfloor heating pipes, over which the liquid floor screed was poured. U-value 0.11W/sqmK Glazing: all windows including rooflights and glass room are triple glazed.

84 / S E L FB U I LD / WIN T ER 2021

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The art of

asking

Musician Áine Duffy recounts how she built her own DIY annexe on her parents’ land for a song.

8 6 / S E L FB U I LD / WIN T ER 2021

o build my little studio, I first went to the Credit Union and got a loan of €12k, then drove to a company that has a seconds factory where I bought the windows. I designed around these, keeping sunlight and privacy in mind.

I repurposed an old door my cousin had lying around and made it like the outside of my house; I put a film over the window for privacy.

The one room structure is 16ft (4.8m) by 10ft (3m) and 11ft (3.3m) high.

I borrowed a nail gun from my cousin, and used my jig saw and a skill saw my uncle gave me a loan of. I wish I’d had a chop saw but I was on a budget; a musician during a pandemic.

Then I had a steel base made to size, along with a timber frame for the walls and a fibre glass roof to allow me to add plants on top.

Once the box was made, it was wrapped and dropped onto blocks. I

T

CO CORK

“There are always things around to find and reuse, and word of word is a wonderful thing.

There definitely is an art in asking...” ordered materials cautiously.

I then battened and clad it all. A mix of corrugated iron and timber shiplap, which I burned with a blow torch. I double battened where the iron sheets went, cutting them to size in certain areas.

Then I insulated the walls, floor and roof with hard and soft insulation. Six inches deep (150mm) and wrapped in an airtightness membrane and then battened again with 2x2s (50x50mm lengths of timber).

To find out how to make sure the structure wouldn’t allow much heat to escape from the house, I spoke to a friend of mine who has a business building small passive spaces. He told me the correct thickness to use. I’ve insulated before on other projects, it wasn’t my first time, but I was doing it passively this time so adding much more insulation.

I read into sheep’s wool also and spoke to two architect friends of mine. I prefer to learn by doing, by asking someone I know who has the knowledge, rather than look up videos online.

Then I laid the wires and electric underfloor heating. Put down the engineered timber floors, which are compatible with underfloor heating.

From leftover timber floorboards I salvaged, I clad one internal wall, and doubled slabbed and plastered the ceiling and the other three walls.

I made a timber partition, clad with one sheet of corrugated iron to match the external finish but in a biophilic green rather than black. Also using pieces of an old timber blind from a family friend.

To finish off the inside, I built a window seat; my friend also gave me lovely timber he finished for me to make a kitchen counter. My sink is small and sits on a steel barrel my uncle found for me at a garage.

The compost toilet is outside, sheltered from the elements, and I built

it from timbers I had lying around.

There are always things around to find and reuse, and word of mouth is a wonderful thing. There definitely is an art in asking.

Follow Áine on Instagram @aineduffymusic

WINTER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FBUI L D / 87

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the

lowdown OPINION . ADVICE . INSIGHT . KNOWLEDGE

A Selfbuild+ membership gives you, among many benefits, access to exclusive Facebook Live events. This is where we interview Irish experts about all things home building and renovating. To give you a flavour of what’s been discussed, here’s a quick overview of a few of the talks we hosted over the past few months.

Design saviour

Architect Zeno Winkens gave us a quick guide to house design, starting with the basic premise that it’s impossible to go near the drawing pad without a site.

The house configuration will wholly depend on solar and wind directions, as well as the site layout, slopes and vegetation. Once that’s all taken into account, your lifestyle and needs will dictate the internal flow. All of this well before the external appearance is decided upon. Zeno also discussed the need to make sure the house doesn’t overheat in summer, also the difference between an A1, A2 and A3 Building Energy Rating home, and how to tackle the build itself, among other insights.

Energy saver

Energy consultant Patrick Waterfield chatted through his home’s simple, low cost, heating solution – a stove with spot radiators and no underfloor heating (apart from electric in the bathrooms). It was all possible thanks to a well thought out insulation and airtightness strategy, which he made sure was delivered on site, and keeping the overall U-vales to a minimum benchmark.

To become a Selfbuild+ member and listen back to the live streams, log on to selfbuild.ie/sb-plussubscriptions

Cost buster

Self-build advisor Niamh O’Donovan from self-build Instagram account @passive_build also decided to do without central heating. She chatted through her choice of going direct labour versus hiring a main contractor and warned against potential budget busters, like how she had no choice but to pay an enormous amount in local development fees – each local authority taxes you for building a new house; the amount they charge varies widely in ROI. Lots of tips and advice in this talk from a self-builder who’s been there, done that.

WINTER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FBUI L D / 89

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BUDGET

The perfect storm

Keith Kelliher quantitysurveyor.ie

There is not a single cause for the sudden increase in the price of materials. The pandemic, Brexit, ROI tree licencing, high demand compounded by shortages of raw materials worldwide, have all contributed to the problem. The madness will subside on most fronts, but it’s likely that costs will continue to rise for certain products.

To put the current material price increases in context, it’s important to remember that materials account for, on average, 40 per cent of the cost of any domestic house build. Each material itself will amount to a fraction of a percentage of that overall material amount.

A percentage increase in a single material will therefore only raise the cost of a project by a fraction of that percentage. By way of example, on most projects if steel increases by 50 per cent in cost, the actual impact on the overall project cost might only be 2.5 per cent.

This explains why the tender price index of the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland for the second half of 2020 has tender price inflation at less than 2 per cent. It now looks like tender price inflation for the first half of 2021 (not yet published) might reach 8 to 10 per cent.

This is clearly a substantial increase within such a short timeframe, and one that will no doubt cause some projects to be delayed or even cancelled.

For self-builders who are involved in every aspect of the process of building their home, this type of increase will be keenly felt. Much more than someone who employs a single contractor to carry out the entire build.

This is because when a client hires a main contractor, under the standard forms of contract, it is commonplace to

“Ireland would have been relatively immune to drastic price increases had tree felling been able to go ahead...”

have a price certainty clause meaning the builder absorbs material price fluctuations.

A traditional self-builder has no such protection and carries the risk of price increases on any and all materials up to the date they purchase the product.

So, first off, what are the causes of so much inflation?

Brexit and transport

A number of the price increases that we are currently witnessing were actually well underway before any of

the pandemic or Brexit issues further exacerbated the situation.

For years, steel, tar and other oil based products such as insulation have been slowly creeping upwards year on year with no sign of levelling out. The worldwide demand for these products and the fact that the majority of steel arriving into Europe now comes from China, a country that’s experiencing high domestic demand, means they are always budgeted for with a large degree of cost uncertainty.

Transport accounts for a large part WINTER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FBUI L D / 91

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C O S T O F M AT E R I A L S of the cost in their supply, and has hit other materials too as shipping costs from China have escalated from some €2,000 per container to over €15,000.

Adding fuel to the fire, Brexit has added complexity, time and travel to any material transiting through, or originating from the UK. Next day deliveries are no longer viable from the UK due to the cost per pallet, (between custom levies, charges and excises), and delays at the ports which also cost money.

Tree felling licences

In Ireland, the forestry industry has, for a number of years, been highlighting a licencing issue that was going to cause huge shortages of timber if not resolved.

In order to plant a commercial forest, a farmer or landowner (promoted by various government grants and funds) must apply for planning permission for the forest.

Despite getting planning, planting a forest and waiting over twenty years for the product to grow, the same farmer or landowner must then seek a felling licence to cut down the timber.

Anyone can object to the licence, and the licence then ends up in a complaints process that can delay the cutting of the timber for a number of years. This issue has resulted in there being little or no commercial timber cutting in Ireland this year with companies now having to import timber for processing from abroad.

As Ireland only imports timber from certain disease free areas, such as parts of Scotland, this further limits the availability for timber for processing.

Of course the pandemic and Brexit exacerbated the issue as it drove up worldwide demand for timber.

Despite this worldwide shortage of timber, it is widely understood that Ireland would have been relatively immune to drastic price increases had tree felling been able to go ahead.

Pandemic shortages

The pandemic, meanwhile, caused a once in a lifetime shock to the material industry.

For the first time on record, when the world went into lockdown, all production of all products ceased.

Factories stopped producing insulation, cladding, and just about everything else. There were no fire products, drainage pipes or even the glue that combined insulation.

When the world reopened, this

PRICe increases January 2020 to June 2021 Bricks

16%

Ironmongery

20%

Metal stud

26%

Rebar reinforcement & mesh

40%

Insulation

43%

Timber

47%

Steel

47%

Plywood

55%

Copper

62%

Source: SCSI CPD on material price inflation with figures supplied by SISK

clearly had an impact on supply chains. Demand for products skyrocketed at a time when stocks were low. Factories had to work with social distancing in order to catch up with back orders before they could even think of upping production.

The coronavirus also had unintended consequences. Perhaps the most impactful one is how online retailers are now competing with insulation companies for paper pulp, as consumers moved en masse to online shopping.

Crystal ball gazing

With so many variables involved, it’s not clear what will happen in the future. Still, the signs are good for cost stabilisation in the short to medium term.

The consensus seems to be that by mid-2022 many material prices will level off. Production is, by then, expected to return to more sustainable levels as worldwide supply catches up

with demand.

The tree felling issues in Ireland should also be resolved by then, and costs should start slipping back to prepandemic levels. However, the outlook for items like steel and oil based products may differ, with high costs more likely in the long term.

What I expect to come out of this is for suppliers to look at new ways of doing business, and invest in new product types and systems. By stocking new, innovative products and materials that could substitute steel for example, local supply chains will become less reliant on current, traditional building systems.

This inflationary period has also forced us to look at the consequences of being overly reliant on others for materials, especially with regards to shipping costs. So perhaps there is a silver lining to the mad price increases after all, as suppliers are likely to examine more closely where products are made.

WINTER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FBUI L D / 93

LIGHTING DESIGN

Overlooked

Andrew Stanway Author of Managing Your Build

The whole mood and feel of a room, or even of a whole home, can be altered by its lighting. Despite this, we often give more thought to our kitchen tap. aylight is the oldest way of lighting a building but once the sun goes down, we need to add other types of light source to make life safe and comfortable.

Prehistoric peoples used oil lamps burning animal or vegetable fats while fuel and gas lighting in the 1800s brought affordable light to our homes and streets.

Today we all take electric lighting for granted as a way of illuminating our homes. This said, most people give scant regard to how their new build home will be lit and are then disappointed when it’s too late. You can’t start planning your lighting too early.

D

It’s never too soon to plan

It’s all too easy to ruin a perfectly well designed home with bad lighting. Bad as in not fit for purpose or just plain boring.

too easily have a commercial feel, a downer for someone who wants a cosy mood, which is often enhanced by artificial lighting. Successfully lighting large, hard surfaces and expansive areas of glass walls (with or without blinds/curtains) can be a sophisticated job.

Consider too that lighting and

If you don’t plan at the design stage, you will end up with central, ceiling pendant lights and a few lamps on tables or sideboards. You might even throw in a few spotlights in the mix, which can easily give an airport runway feel. And your dream home will be pretty drab and less enjoyable than it could be.

As with other aspects of design, draw inspiration from everywhere you can think of, learn from buildings and homes you enjoy being in. There is no copyright on ideas and you’ll be able to crib all kinds of tips if you keep your eyes open as you plan your own lighting.

Then engage your architectural designer early on in this discussion and if possible, employ a lighting designer to give you some ideas (or, more likely, tips to avoid the obvious traps).

In this discussion remember that contemporary architecture can all

How do we use light?

Pexels, Ann Nekr

9 4 / S E L FB U I LD / WIN T ER 2021

Each of the roles you want your lighting to fulfil will require different types of luminaires (light fittings) with different sorts of lamps (light bulbs).

Task lighting is mainly centred around a particular function such a working at a desk or in the kitchen.

Accent lighting is more decorative and focuses on illuminating features such as pictures, plants, elements of a building’s structure, and so on.

General (ambient) lighting comes somewhere between the two and creates general illumination for everyday use.

Lighting design tips

ENERGY BILLS

Reducing your lighting costs Lighting accounts for 20 per cent of the average domestic electricity bill. Here’s how to save.

Replace your bulbs. If you replace all of your old bulbs with LEDs you could reduce your carbon emissions by 65kg per year, the equivalent of driving your car 220 miles.

Intelligent lighting

Most conventional lighting plans assume that each fitting is controlled individually by a switch or a dimmer.

Intelligent lighting systems allow you to control several or all light sources at the same time at the touch of a button, often in groups that can be set in advance to produce particular effects or for security.

These controls can be via a mobile phone, a tablet or a wall-mounted keypad control panel. One system even triggers the lighting in a room to switch on and off when you clap your hands.

The more sophisticated, and expensive, the system, the less cumbersome and time consuming it should be to control. Above all, make sure it’s easy to use.

I shall never forget a friend of mine’s mother reduced to tears when visiting him as she couldn’t put on a simple light in her bedroom. It’s very easy to get carried away with the tech and what it can offer, but there are no prizes for making life impractical for everyday use.

Use motion sensors to turn off the light when you’re not in the room.

Have multiple switches. You don’t always need all of the lights on. How about just using a table lamp or some other, local, source and use the whole lighting system only when absolutely necessary?

Make sure switches are easily accessible. Install two-way switches at each door if there is more than one door to a room. I install switches outside every bedroom door on to a landing or corridor, for this reason. Anything that makes it less likely you’ll switch off a light should be planned out from the start.

Use light shades for table lamps so they don’t obscure too much of the light.

Pexels, Max Vakhtbovych

Decide on your furniture positions and other key room features, so you can stage your lighting effects attractively. Plan where you’ll have features that need or would benefit from lighting, where you’ll be working or concentrating on things that need good task lighting, and so on.

This is also the stage to think creatively about alternatives to the usual, standard ways of lighting a home. How about lit stairs, alcoves, floors, ceilings, sconces that throw light up a wall, or LED tracks embedded, flush, into the walls?

If you intend to feature special fabrics or pictures it’ll be worth thinking about the Colour Rendering Index of your lamps. Talk to a lighting designer or your electrician about this. This scale measures how natural a light makes things look, compared with daylight. The scale runs from 1 to 100. Aim for 90CRI or above, for the best effects. Lower than 85 can make things look very flat.

Layer your lighting. There are few worse effects than blankets of lights from a single type of light fitting. Grids of downlighters can be very harsh and make your home feel like an office. If you do use such grids be sure they’re zoned so you can choose selected parts to light various areas in the room independently.

Use the correct colour temperature for the lamps (light bulbs). This is measured in Kelvins (K).

Use lamps that provide a temperature of 2,700 or higher for that warm, homely feel.

LIGHTING DESIGN

Regularly clean light fittings and lamp shades as dirt greatly reduces light levels; the same rule applies for windows and natural light.

Pexels, Cats Coming

Collov Home Design

furnishing go hand in hand, and that many architectural designers don’t encourage any form of window obscuration, as it messes with their clean design. Some designers are more concerned about how their creation will look than what it’ll actually be like to live in.

Whenever possible hide lighting fixtures. When you walk into a room the first thing you’re aware of should not be the light fittings – unless they are designed to be the centre of attention, such as a fabulous pendant.

The secret of really great lighting is that the onlooker can’t tell where the light is coming from to produce the effects he or she is observing. This is best achieved by layering your lighting.

Use dimmers to ‘paint’ the room with varying degrees of light to produce really pleasing effects, from even quite modest lighting designs.

Use shadows and contrast. Not everything has to be lit. Pleasing lighting design uses shadows and ‘dark’ areas to great effect.

Avoid glare. There are few more annoying things about lighting than glare. Hide fittings where possible and imagine yourself sitting or standing in every area of the room to check that what you are planning will be glarefree.

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GARDEN

Fiann Ó Nualláin theholisticgardener.com twitter @HolisticG

Sensational seasonal containers To keep the garden’s momentum going through the winter months, why not add some colour and life with potted plants?

Just follow these simple steps.

Clay. Terracotta, which is fired clay, has a distinctive orangebrown colour and requires minimal maintenance. Still, the porous surface may begin to whiten up with water salts or green up with moss – you can either leave it age, or wipe it off with water and vinegar. Glazed clay pots are a variant of the classic, and look good even without the plant. Glazed clay pots can readily match any colour or contrast with any backdrop; they also wick away less water than uncoated terracotta.

Metal. Aluminium, tin, copper and other metal containers are especially trendy for balcony gardening but are also a great match for modern new builds. Metal can, however, be susceptible to hot summers. Plants may stress out because of the heat so best to choose shaded or cooler locations.

Wood containers come and go out of fashion, but I love their upgradeability. They can take a lick of paint and are thus instantly transformed. If purchased without lining, consider adding one to extend lifetime and prevent the container from leaking water.

Upcycled. Think old kitchen colander or wooden wine crate, whiskey barrel or pallet, galvanised attic water tank or vintage coal skuttle.

Any container can do the trick; you just need enough space to hold growing media suitable for good root runs, and adequate drainage.

Plastic. Personally, I am not a fan of plastic containers – planet-wise but they can also sweat the roots.

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Collov Home Design

Choose your containers

Patio with wooden and glazed terracotta pots

Top shelf plastic, bottom two shelves glazed clay pots

Terracotta pots

Polished brass containers

Aluminium pots

GARDEN

Find the right potting mixture

The ultimate success of any plant is what it is grown in, and that’s not the container but the growing media – the soil or compost mix that will support and nurture the root system.

Container planting gives you the opportunity to introduce any type of growing media; you are not restricted to the pH and particulars of your garden. You can grow acid loving plants in ericaceous compost and have the best of both worlds in your otherwise limey garden. Or you could bring some dry preference planting arrangements to your normally winter wet garden by amending the container mix with grit and free draining compost.

There are many premixed growing media types in your garden centre, conveniently bagged up, or you can make up your own. I usually add in some real soil to store bought mixes – just for a bit of body – but it is not a prerequisite. That said, don’t be tempted to only use garden soil as you’ll never move the plant around if you do. Remember, one of the benefits of containers is their portable nature.

The choice to mix in perlite, pellet feed, or wetting agents, is all dependent on the need of the plant. If you are planting perennials, shrubs or other long term commitments then a good nutrient base is essential. If the container is purely seasonal, and will be refreshed in a few months’ time, then standard compost will support the active health of the plants.

Add your favourite plants

Here are the stalwarts of container gardening that look great over winter, and even into spring.

Shrubs. Autumn and winter performing shrubs such as skimmia, sarcococca, daphne and viburnum can be the backbone of larger container displays as much as box, bay or topiary picks can be for summer containers.

Grasses. Carex, fescue, stipa and other ornamental grasses add texture and bold colours to complement shrubs or to offset herbaceous perennials looking good late in season – echinacea, asters, agapanthus, helianthus, chrysanthemums, sedums etc.

Flowers. Traditional autumn/ winter season bedding can add splashes of colour and fill any gap.

Try the wow factor of primroses, polyanthus, cyclamen, campanulas, violas and pansies.

Mix and match. You can break tradition and include ferns and interesting foliage plants from your local garden centre. For example, a large metal container is well suited to a fragrant daphne shrub underplanted with swishing grasses and a burst of ever-stunning cyclamens. The choice is yours!

Pots upcycled from tins

“

The ultimate success of any plant is what it is grown in.

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Heating, Cooling and Ventilation As homes become better insulated and draught-proof, radiators and even under-floor is coming to end. This is because the small amount of heat needed can be carried by the ventilation air.

If the ability to cool in summer without any condensation risk on uninsulated ducts is added to this, then a perfect healthy and comfortable solution is provided for your new or refurbished home.

Follow us for new product launches in 2021

Add to this, incredibly low running costs.

Features/Benefits ● Ultra-high performance ● Space saving design

● Cloud based controls ● Full technical support

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Phone: 091 739442 Email: proair@proair.ie Website: www.proair.ie Galway HQ Unit 1 Polkeen Industrial Estate Tuam Road, Castlegar, Co Galway H91 WYR8

Dublin Office

Unit P26 Greenogue Business Park, Grants Road, Rathcoole, Co Dublin D24 HW44

www.midlandheating.ie Tel: 046-9430529 Email: sales@midlandheating.ie

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THIS ISSUE: KITCHEN GUIDE

102 STYLES

106 COSTS & SCHEDULE

118

110

UNITS & ISLANDS

ELECTRICS

100 OVERVIEW / 104 DESIGN 114 WORKTOPS & SPLASHBACKS / 116 TAPS & SINKS 120 COOKERS & EXTRACTORS / 122 DESIGN PROJECT 124 SOLID WOOD KITCHEN PROJECT / 128 FARMHOUSE KITCHEN PROJECT WINT ER 202 1 / SE LF BU I LD / 9 9

KITCHEN GUIDE / OVERVIEW

Let’s get cooking!

The kitchen is at the heart of the home and as such, deserves all the attention it can get. It will have to cater to family life, seamlessly work with the rest of the home, and perhaps most importantly, make daily chores as straightforward as they can be.

image: Freepik.com

1 0 0 / S EL FBUI LD / WINT ER 2 0 2 1

Guide Selfbuild

or most people, the kitchen is the most important room in the house.

It’s certainly the one that gets the most attention, whether you’re renovating an existing space or building a new one. It needs to be functional, hardwearing, easy to clean, easy to access, calming, inspiring, comfortable, and it needs storage, storage and more storage. No pressure then!

F

The move towards open plan living means that the kitchen is no longer just a workspace; it’s a place for dining, entertaining and relaxing too. Even the process of preparing food and cleaning up after it has become more social and the popularity of kitchen islands and peninsulas reflects this.

So the first thing you need to do, before you even go online, read a magazine, visit a showroom or talk to a designer, is think about how you will use your space. It’s all too easy to convince yourself that a marble splashback or a hot water tap is essential once you’ve seen it in someone else’s picture perfect kitchen.

Think about seating, storage, lighting, appliances, heating and your own style preferences.

Make a list of must-haves and a separate wish list. How do you use your current kitchen? What do you like and dislike? Let your lifestyle lead your design.

Sometimes the best reason to look at trends is so you can avoid them. Thanks to the internet and the ease of access to photos, kitchen colours and finishes come into and out of fashion faster than ever before. A style you love today might look dated in five years’ time, so when you’re browsing websites, try and look at what was popular three, five, ten years ago.

Keep the bones of your kitchen – the layout, cabinets and surfaces

– as classic and timeless as possible and then you can use accessories to update it as often as you like.

It’s also important to consider the room itself, not just as a standalone space but as one that connects and responds to the spaces around it. If your kitchen opens onto the garden, think about how you can integrate the outdoor and indoor space to maximise light, views, access and flow.

If your kitchen space includes a dining and living area, think about how each separate zone interacts with the others and how you will define them in terms of structure, lighting, colour and texture. Consider also the continuity of light, colour and texture from your kitchen to any other connecting rooms – hall, utility, bathroom, bootroom.

Sunlight is not a constant so keep in mind how the patterns of light and shade will change over time. Track the path of the sun in your space during the day and also across the seasons. Even if you are remodelling an existing space, even if your orientation is not ideal, there are techniques you can use to grab that sunlight when you can.

Rooflights, clerestory windows and mirrors in combination with well-placed artificial lighting will allow light to flood into the darkest of spaces.

Fiona McPhillips Author of Make the Home You Love, fionamcphillips.com

When choosing materials for your kitchen, make sure they are durable and will withstand heat, water, spillages, droppages, children and pets. Marble makes a beautiful worktop but it’s a porous natural stone and it absorbs liquids. An oiled oak floor may be the perfect partner to your gloss cupboards but just watch that oily pesto seep into the grain. Ask suppliers for samples of flooring, worktops and cupboard doors, take them home and do your

survive your lifestyle.

And finally, the boring bit: budget. Be honest with yourself, make a budget and stick to it.

Buy the best you can afford but shop hard and don’t be afraid to ask for discounts. If you find yourself having to make tough decisions, cut anything you can buy in time. You need to get the bones of the kitchen right from the start, everything else can wait. Don’t rush into buying furniture, lighting and other

‘It’s all too easy to convince yourself that a marble splashback or a hot water tap is essential once you’ve seen it in someone else’s picture perfect kitchen...’ worst – stab, scrape and throw heavy objects on them, place hot cups of tea and coffee on them to see if they leave marks, soak them in red wine, water and olive oil.

Rigorous testing is the only way to know for sure if a material can

accessories you don’t love. Shop online, buy second hand, wait for sales and one way or another, you will get your dream kitchen in the end.

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KITCHEN GUIDE / STYLES

Kitchen styles overview Much like the external appearance of your house, you can pick your kitchen out of a book or you can design it yourself, mixing and matching elements you like.

Words by Marion McGarry, compiled by Astrid Madsen Walnut cabinet kitchen

Minimalist Scandi style kitchen

Island layout below, peninsula right

Single galley below, double right

Add warmth

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Sergei Sushchik

if you look quite cold one Kitchens can or gn si ernist de opt for a mod stone. surfaces like rd ha iling with a lot of ta le, warmer de Introduce subt ving, for a visual el with timber sh eric , and atmosph ss ne ft so ile tact d. oo m the lighting to set

L shaped below, U shaped right

Kitchen layout examples

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Traditional

Traditional styles can hark back to nostalgia for kitchens past; the warm fuzzy feeling of a grandmother’s kitchen that may or may not ever have existed. They might also suggest feelings of country or rural living as opposed to urban.

Traditional kitchen styles embrace decorative elements such as ornamental plate racks, fretwork, dresser shelves and pilasters. Traditional kitchens are often the realm of Belfast sinks and free standing range cookers.

Colour coded Laurence Katz

rarchitecture.com.au, photography Dylan James

integrated handles would suit a 1970s bungalow (recent-modern) and so on. See p110.

Contemporary

There are two broad categories of kitchen styles: traditional which evokes pre-twentieth century design versus the contemporary styles emerging from the post war period. As a fixed piece of furniture that’s expensive to replace, the kitchen should usually fit in with the overall style of your home.

Therefore a classical panelled door might suit a period Georgian house (traditional); a shaker style might suit a cottage (traditional); or a plain wood panelled style with

Contemporary kitchens are chiefly concerned with function: with no decorative elements or dust collectors included. Doors are usually plain which aim to complement the high tech appliances.

Any current design trend can take hold in the kitchen, be it Scandinavian (clean simple lines with reliance on wooden effects and often white as a prevailing colour) or minimalist. In general, an emphasis on manmade materials for worktops and panels, with glass and metal effects on doors and appliances, look more towards an industrial aesthetic as seen in the commercial kitchens of restaurants and hotels.

Green kitchen with golden accents

In many instances a prevailing colour will define the kitchen, be it the classic white or a stronger colour like blue, black or even green. The colour can be defined by a material as opposed to a shade of paint, e.g. wood.

Cat Han

Handlless kitchen with waterfall island.

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KITCHEN GUIDE / DESIGN

Easy access Kitchen design is all about how you are going to be using the space; here are the design parameters to know about.

Extracts from Marion McGarry, Paul McNally, Nicola Jones, Brendan McAlister and Shauna Stewart and Astrid Madsen

Guiding principles

Universal Design principles were devised to future proof your house so that it can be used by people of all abilities. The guidelines provide helpful kitchen tips/advice and dimensions to take into account; they are free to access on universaldesign.ie Even though parts of the building regulations take into account mobility needs for all ages and walks of life, mostly in the form of access, Universal Design principles are more thorough and provide practical, everyday living, design guidance.

Speaking of the building regulations, they will limit some of your choices. For instance, staircases need to be a certain distance from the kitchen for escape routes and heat emitting appliances must conform to standards, not forgetting the need for a heat detector (as burnt toast will set off a smoke detector).

There are also what can be loosely referred to as eco design principles, or a Less is More approach. Reducing the size of your kitchen comes first, meaning not being pushed into 1 0 4 / SE LF BU IL D / WIN TER 2 021

buying gadgets or appliances you don’t need, and keeping the kitchen dimensions fairly compact.

Choosing materials that are sustainably sourced and that emit low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can at times be easier said than done. But it is worth persevering to find out the credentials of the kitchen components you are buying.

Waste management is another part of the eco movement, and by extension, choosing to buy regional foods without packaging.

evening preparing food, then sit for an hour, then relax for three hours at the dining table and sitting area.

So a light filled living and/or dining area with the kitchen in a darker spot, using task lighting from above and beneath presses, is a very viable option.

Ceiling height is important to maintain at 2.5m at least, and if you can go more in the kitchen area, do. The devil will be in the detail to make sure everything fits, without any element looking like it was shoehorned in. This will require making choices about where everything will go early on.

If you dream of an island, the rule of thumb is that you need a room that’s at least 4m by 4m. In an L or U shape kitchen you will need a 1m to 1.2m gap between island and worktop.

precious to be wasted on a sink and, with modern plumbing and lighting you don’t have to keep to the old way. Sinks are now sited on islands or hidden away depending on the cook’s needs.

Window seats are also becoming increasingly popular in open plan configurations, especially in corners but these can be nestled elsewhere in a well crafted design.

Kitchen triangle

Traditionally, before the advent of dishwashers, the sink was placed under a window looking out onto the garden or back yard.

The practical reason for that was

The famous kitchen triangle refers to the path between your cooker, fridge and sink. The route to each should form a triangle for ease of use.

You will need the three to be close to each other, especially in larger kitchens. Keeping food prep (around the sink and hob) and cleaning areas (around the sink and dishwasher) separate is crucial, however.

To be a practical design, the layout should place each of these on one side of the triangle whose total length should not exceed 7.9m and be of no less than 4.3m. This is to allow the best flow in the main kitchen area;

light and being able to watch the children at the same time as tidying up.

The area next to a window is arguably a prized spot, too

any deviation around awkward corners should not exceed 300mm.

If you do a lot of cooking, consider an additional food

Window placement

Room size

The design and size of your kitchen will be determined at the earliest design stage. For some, the bigger the space you give the kitchen the better. That’s if it will be your main living space, between cooking meals, doing homework and browsing the internet.

As with all aspects of design, consider how much time you will actually spend in the room and how you will use it.

Consider that most people spend approximately 30 minutes in the morning and an hour in the

Guide Selfbuild

Zoning

‘In an open plan configuration, the island will delineate the kitchen...so you may want to make your island stand out with a different or bolder colour/finish. ...’ evenings are short and precious.

It’s not ideal to have the children in one room while you’re cooking in another.

In an open plan configuration, the island will delineate the kitchen from the other areas. So you may want to make your island stand out with a different or bolder colour/finish.

Areas can also be separated by furniture or shelving. Different floor finishes, be it the covering or a rug, will also give a visual cue as to what space you’re in.

On the topic of furniture, don’t forget to factor in your dining tables and chairs; these must allow you to circulate easily. Consider how you can move them or change their size for entertaining. As for built in benches and tables, know that they are restrictive to sit at (everyone is the same distance from the table) and tend to be a lot less comfortable, but they are

very economical of space, provide storage underneath and you will get a lot more people sitting on a bench than on chairs.

Pocket doors, meanwhile, are an excellent means to close off one area from another. They slide into the walls, in a casing, and therefore need to be planned for in advance. Sliders that hang above a door opening (with the mechanism on view) can be added later on; however these may need reinforcements.

For a clean finish, keep the form simple. The number of elements shouldn’t exceed much more than three, e.g. island, tall storage, counter with integrated sink. Use colour to visually merge zones.

Recent studies have somewhat overtaken the original kitchen triangle concept, with workflow and convenience now the main design drivers. A zonal layout to include consumables, non-consumables, cleaning, preparation and cooking allows everything to be at hand for a particular task.

To maximise storage, pullouts with solid bases are the way to go. Be they drawers or larders, they will make all of the usable space accessible. You will always need to share spaces but there are endless dividing and separation systems available to help your kitchen remain clutter free.

For a sleek finish, there are push to open systems which are now up to the level of durability and functionality of the more traditional systems. You can also pick up locking systems to keep little hands away.

If you go handleless, know that J-grip door designs aren’t suitable to those with restricted hand or finger movement, or if you like to maintain long nails.

The main thing is to go for what you like in terms of design and then make the space work for you. If you choose not to have wall cabinets, you will of course be restricting your options but in a larger kitchen you should easily be able to make that work. In smaller spaces you need to make the most of what you have so wall units will probably be necessary.

Roadstone

The kitchen configuration will form part of the initial design stage discussions with your architectural designer, and will take into account how you will circulate in this area and how it connects with the rest of the house.

Most common is the open plan, which refers to integrating living/kitchen/dining areas in one space. Semi open plan or broken plan refers to the same idea but with some element of zoning or partition.

Post pandemic, most of us will have intimately experienced what works (and what doesn’t) in our existing homes. While open plan living may have lost some of its lustre, for working parents

Forget the triangle, and go with the flow

LVT Weathered Hickory

prep sink – a small inset bowl close to the cooking area. An additional sink in a utility room is a must, for messier jobs such as handwashing clothes and watering plants.

A single crockery storage unit right beside your dishwasher (to one side of the sink and away from the cooking area) will allow you to stand at one point and empty the dishwasher, while another person uses the kitchen to cook or clean.

The dishwasher next to the sink enables you to rinse plates and load the dishwasher all in one movement. So does locating the pull out bin near both of these.

But in reality, not all rooms are shaped to accommodate the working triangle. And so as with most design rules, it can be broken.

For some cooks it will make sense to have the hob and sink on the same surface. In fact, according to Universal Design principles this alternative provides a way of reducing the need to carry hot food or liquids from one worktop to another.

An L or U-shaped layout, where pans and containers can slide from hob to sink, is another option.

Ronan Duggan, Sales Manager with Flanagan Fittings, fff.ie For further advice and inspiration check out thekitchenthink.co.uk, cleverstorage.com and dynamicspace.com

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KITCHEN GUIDE / COSTS & SEQUENCE OF WORKS

Bean counting All aspects of a self-build are affected by the budget. This is particularly true of the kitchen, where costs can quickly mount.

Bulthaup (Hanover Quay, Dublin)

Extracts from articles by Keith Kelliher, Marion McGarry and Astrid Madsen

In the world of kitchen design and manufacture, all kitchens are created fundamentally equal. The shell, which is made up of structural units known as carcases, tends to be crafted out of laminated manmade composite materials, usually chipboard or Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF).

This ensures the interior is practical, hard wearing and easy to clean. Other elements that are hidden from view, including shelves, drawer backs and panels, also tend to be made from these materials.

You should always ask what this skeleton is made of. A few manufacturers may offer carcases made from solid wood or veneered timber which are at the higher end of the cost scale.

The cost of the kitchen will therefore usually have much more to do with your choice of doors, exterior end panels and worktops than the structure 1 0 6 / SE LF BU IL D / WIN TER 2 021

upon which they’re laid.

The door style is likely to be your first costly component as it will profoundly affect the overall aesthetics and feel of the finished kitchen. Choosing a door made from a manmade composite material usually keeps costs down, the opposite is true of highly crafted or premium material doors, e.g. solid timber.

Don’t forget that appliances as well as fixtures and fittings such as water taps all need to be included in the price of the kitchen to get a full picture of cost. Indeed, a kitchen manufacturer will struggle to give you a quote without at least the room measurements and your electrical appliance list.

How much does a kitchen cost?

A basic kitchen might come in at 3k but when the cost of

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a second hand bargain online or buy an ex-display from a kitchen company.

Also, kitchen companies or flat pack suppliers can supply the units for your joiner to fit; this could turn out to be more cost effective than sending their fitter to do the job.

Another cost saving option is to opt for a standalone kitchen which is made up of units or pieces that can be bought separately, i.e. different pieces of furniture, and require no fitting, mostly used with free standing electrical appliances. Good if you’re creative, have a clear vision, and are able to source items individually.

fitting and electrical appliances is added, it could increase to 8k or 10k and well beyond depending on your choice of materials.

Things like solid timber doors or granite worktops will obviously inflate the figure.

So a flat pack kitchen, mass manufactured according to standard measurements, will be at the lowest end of the scale.

These have a cost per unit worked up, and might only cost a couple thousand excluding appliances and accessories. A fully kitted out kitchen of this type can creep up to 10k including fitting.

But more often than not, tens of thousands are spent on a fitted kitchen. In fact, at the higher end of the market, it is not unusual to come across some kitchen companies that charge a minimum cost.

If you’re on a budget but want a designer kitchen, and if you look for long enough, you could find

Don’t be afraid to book a consultation with a kitchen designer; they will be able to apply their experience to your particular circumstances.

Bring your house plans or room measurements along with your list of preferences including storage needs, spatial preferences and whether you want the kitchen to be a social space. First consultations tend to be free when booked through a kitchen manufacturer.

No matter the type of fitted kitchen you choose, an experienced kitchen fitter is key to the whole process: a top quality kitchen is no use if it is fitted incorrectly. This can be someone from the kitchen company or a joiner you hire directly.

In all cases you will require an experienced plumber and registered electrician to install pipework, wiring and fittings. If you plan to use gas, you will also have to avail of the services of a registered gas installer.

Figures published by onlinetradesmen.ie in July indicate that tradesmen are currently charging €1,300/sqm or about £120/sqft to build an extension, excluding both VAT and the cost of the kitchen.

For any quote you receive, it’s important to check what is and isn’t included. Usually a build price will include the groundworks and foundations (check who pays for waste disposal), the superstructure (the building built above the foundation), and first fix (including floors and ceilings, and inserting cables for electrical supply and pipes for water supply).

Allowance for demolition, structural alterations (e.g. creating a structural opening from the existing house, often supported with a steel beam), and connection to the existing house (e.g. flashing) will be extra, up to 10k.

Redesigning work, such as reworking an interior layout start from €390 per sqm. These onlinetradesmen.ie figures exclude VAT. Oftentimes second fix and carpentry are also included (this includes finishing work, which is generally done after plastering, like fitting floorboards and architraves, doors and windows) but if it’s a build cost only, not all of these elements will be included. Always go through the finer details and get a cost breakdown.

The following is a guide based on what Irish Denise Kavanagh

Who’s who

Extension costs

homeowners are getting quoted for building work via the onlinetradesmen.ie service in 2021, excluding VAT: Build costs (single storey): standard €1,300 per sqm, then with windows, lighting fixtures, standard electrics and heating included €1,900 to €2,200 per sqm. For extensive renovation work and higher specification finishes, fixings including flooring, from €2,600 to €3,000 per sqm.

Kitchen costs: the kitchen installation costs are extra.

Some builders will not fit kitchens, others will offer a quote in addition to the construction work. Kitchens can start from as little as €2,400, however, a recent quote obtained for a standard kitchen of approximately seven linear meters asked for €6,500 excluding appliances and accessories.

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KITCHEN GUIDE / COSTS & SEQUENCE OF WORKS

The running order of getting your kitchen designed and installed.

Architectural design

You will discuss your kitchen with your architectural designer well before seeking planning permission. At this stage room measurements and basic circulation spaces will be pinned down, along with the flow of the room. This is when you decide on room placements, including separate pantry or utility, where the windows go, etc.

Showroom visits

Initial kitchen plans

After you secure planning permission, the best time to consult a kitchen designer will be when you have your builder lined up, or your commencement notice approved (ROI) / Building Control plans approved (NI), as well as your construction plans at the ready.

The construction drawings need to have details of the final window/door sizes and positions as well as the room dimensions.

Based on your requirements, the kitchen designer will then draw up your plans on their in house software, which is done quickly once all of the elements are decided upon.

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As long as you have drawings, including elevations, then advice from kitchen designers is available from the earliest stages, even before you get planning permission. This could be helpful if you are unsure about window/ door sizes and placements, because after you get planning permission it will be difficult to

change your openings (how big they are and positioning).

But it would be premature to draw up full kitchen plans at the preplanning stage, as the house design is likely to change as a result of the planning permission process.

Foundations stage or demo

In the case of a kitchen remodel, you will need to take the old kitchen out (your builder may or may not do this, always check). Once that’s done, the first draft will show where all of the plumbing and electrical points will go exactly, so the builder/electrician/plumber can place the services correctly (at the foundations stage in a new build). In the case of integrated appliances, pipes should preferably be chased in the wall.

Site check

Brandt Design

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The site visit happens once the walls (at least plasterboarded or otherwise finished) have gone up. In some cases, the plumbing may not be

in the right position, which either means it has to be repositioned or the plans adjusted to move the sink or appliance it corresponds to.

At this stage the fitters can mark out where exactly sockets need to be put. The electrical points can also be decided by the electrician, who would base them off the final kitchen plans when ready. Don’t forget the fridge if you choose to have it plumbed for water or ice cubes.

Additionally, your island will need power points – sockets can be useful here for things like phone charging or vacuuming.

Final kitchen plans

Final plans can only be drawn up after a site visit, but these

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shouldn’t be far off the draft plans.

The final plans will reflect the as built dimensions of the rooms and the positions of every kitchen element, based on the site visit.

Order placed

Once the order is finalised, and you’ve checked the drawings are all ok, the kitchen is built from the plans. This can take as little as two to three weeks. At this stage you will need to book in your fitter and pay your deposit.

First finishes

It’s best to install your tiles or other floor finishes before the kitchen is fitted, to provide a neater finish. For the walls, tiling usually takes place after the kitchen has been fitted. For walls that are to be painted, it’s advisable to only apply an undercoat as the fitting process may lead to scratching when the units are getting fitted. Also some caulking is likely to be necessary for fit out, and this will need to be painted over with the finished colour.

Kitchen installed

Installation usually takes anywhere from one to five days.

The fitters will install the units first then fit the appliances, including fixing the extractor fan, ready for the electrician to connect. The hob is left loose for the connection to be made and once that’s done the electrician secures it with the fittings supplied. The plumber is in charge of connecting all of the sinks, dishwasher and plumbed fridge (if any).

Snagging

The kitchen fitter will check everything is as it should be with the homeowners. If there are any issues, and they are identified at this stage, they should be promptly looked after. Final payment is then due.

Final finishes

Painting happens next and wall tiles. Light fittings are then added last by the electrician when the painting/other finishes are done.

‘It’s best to install your tiles or other floor finishes before the kitchen is fitted, to provide a neater finish...’

How long will my kitchen take, from design to completion?

On average, you can typically expect your kitchen to be installed within six weeks of placing your order.

The final appointment to view the floor plans is crucial, don’t rush the sign off, and always do it in person inside the showroom if possible.

The amount of time it takes to then build the kitchen can be as little as two weeks, with installation taking one to five days depending on the complexity of the job and whether it’s just a kitchen install or one that also includes utility and wardrobes.

The fitter’s schedule is really what determines the total lead time after that.

A lot of self-builders would come to us asking to be slotted into the fitter’s schedule as soon as possible, which is fine for us, but to avoid disappointment it pays off to be realistic about how quickly your build is progressing.

For us to fit the kitchen you need electricity connected and flooring in place. During the busier summer months, the fitter’s schedule can be booked up three to four weeks in advance. Therefore, changing the installation date without enough forewarning will set your schedule back. January/ February is usually the quietest time of year, so rescheduling can be done more quickly then.

Adam Butler, Cash & Carry Kitchens Designer

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KITCHEN GUIDE / UNITS & ISLANDS

How you plan to move around the space, where and how you store things, and at what height, will all have an impact on your design.

Storage is the key to success – tidying up won’t take as long if everything has its place, and you won’t have to do it as often.

originalbtc.com

Words from articles by Keith Kelliher, Marion McGarry, Paul McNally, Shauna Stewart, compiled by Astrid Madsen

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Robert Logan Architects

Kitchen units and islands

Carcase types

The carcase is the structure onto which, doors, drawers and countertops are connected, and it is the part of the kitchen into which all items are stored. It is generally constructed from chipboard at the lower end up to solid timber on the higher end of the financial scale. You can also find designs available in metal and other materials although these are less popular.

Within each material you will have further choices with some kitchens built with a carcase as thin as 10mm and others up to 12mm and even 15mm. The thicker the carcase, the stronger and more durable the kitchen will be on completion.

The carcase can be finished in veneer, laminate or it can be directly painted if made from MDF or solid timber.

The carcase will generally be produced into cabinets, generally 300mm, 450mm, 600mm, 750mm and 1000mm in width, although different manufacturers

may operate different standard sizes and it is important that you check.

It is from this standard size of cabinets that most kitchen designs are developed. Any design that requires a purpose made unit will add to the final cost so try where possible to stick to standard sizes.

A carcase can then be finished with a single door (either a solid or glazed door), two or multiple doors, it can have a number of drawers inserted into it or it can be left open to receive an appliance or other item.

A single door will obviously cost less than two or more doors and a single door will also cost less than drawers, due mainly to the additional mechanisms required.

Doors and ironmongery

For doors, premium manmade composite materials are popular with either high gloss lacquered or heavy matt finishes. Flush

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are various types of inbuilt hoover systems, the cost of which can run from the low hundreds and up depending on the extent of the system selected. You could also replace the trusty broom with a chargeable vacuum cleaner; these are now just as light and easy to use.

Facings or filler panels are also used at the top of the cabinets and at the sides to make up for any measurement shortages.

These small details will make a big difference when you are using the kitchen every day; they are available for both flatpack and bespoke kitchens.

What’s an in ? en frame ktoitincstalhl the doors

doors with no panel mean they are practical and easy to clean. But some say these lack character.

Glossier styles can be demanding in terms of how often you have to wipe them down, with handprints showing up more readily. The wrapping can be made of vinyl but more durable is acrylic, which provides a higher gloss effect and is applied in layers. Some even have flecks of metal to reflect light.

Popular materials for traditional door styles, from shaker (plain door with a square solid frame and recessed inset panel) to large square panel doors, are solid timber (pine, oak, maple) sometimes with hand painted finishes (often from a palette of warm creams and greys).

Doors are generally constructed in MDF or solid timber (but again a variety of finishes in metal are also available) and are finished in laminate, paint or similar.

How high should you go?

To make the house

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Each door or drawer will require a handle and fixing mechanism which will work towards the end cost. Indeed, advances in soft closing and anti slam devices, quick release hinges and the array of available finishes in handles, have resulted in an extensive amount of cost been taken up by ironmongery so don’t forget to factor these in.

Facings

At the base of the cabinets is a toe kick; it can be faced with a decorative or straight filler moulding to make it look flush with the finish above.

You can include a hoover outlet in this kickboard to allow you to sweep crumbs into. There

or use a combination of fixed height worktops between 760mm and 900mm high.

For universal access, wall units shouldn’t be placed higher than 450mm above worktop level.

Consider too that pull out drawers are easier to use than, say, deep shelves under your worktops.

Cabinets that go all the way up the ceiling, framed with or without a bulkhead or moulding, help prevent dust build up and can be more visually appealing than locker-like arrangements (where there is a gap between the ceiling and the presses).

Universal Design also factors in the fact that many people can find blank elevations to cupboards confusing. The methodology therefore suggests a mix of open shelving and glass fronted units to act as a reminder of what’s inside

and to allow easy checking of contents.

That said, there is a design trend for a clean contemporary look with sleek, uncluttered lines.

Drawers

Drawers are most efficient at storing things you can access, especially if you kit them out with convenient wire baskets and inserts. Larger ones can take the weight of pots and pans. They come 600mm long to match standard appliance sizes but also 800mm for cutlery and pots and pans; depth is usually up to 500mm to fit in the standard 600mm carcase.

Note that if you have large drawers in a small space, and someone is standing in front of them, they will have to move for the drawers to open.

Internal fittings in drawers, but also cupboards, make for a super organised space. Your options include plate racks, peg boards, pull out spice racks, individual cutlery holders and saucepan dividers. A 500mm wide press can hold a full pull out bin system.

These add to the cost but are likely to be worth the investment to help keep everything in its place.

Pantries and cupboards

For some chefs a pantry is also a must have, with all items on view in a walk-in area, but for others kitchen cabinets provide sufficient food storage.

And so a large food cupboard and a large crockery cupboard can be a good place to start in tandem with convenient storage solutions, such as pull out racks and shelves.

But remember that if the pull out larder presses are too tall, the units can be heavy to open and difficult to access. Always check the mechanisms before buying.

It can be a good idea to WINT ER 2021 / SE LF BU I LD / 1 1 1

KITCHEN GUIDE / UNITS & ISLANDS

Multi generational living

Paul McNally, MRIAI

hannawayhilltown.co.uk,

Roughly every five years, your needs as a family will change. As the children grow up, and, eventually move out of the house, you’ll see a shift in how living areas are used and what is needed from them.

With toddlers and young children, the true open plan lifestyle is ideal. You can potter about while keeping an eye on what the kids are up to.

Children this age will explore so give them access to some parts of the kitchen to help satiate this need, e.g. with easy to reach, hazard-free presses. Also be conscious of discouraging the use of items that pop in and out, e.g. concealed sockets, as they may quickly become a favourite toy!

7+

As your children gain independence, their need to be in your company diminishes. To cater to this, segregate the open plan area with French or sliding doors.

This will help break things up to achieve privacy in the living area, on demand.

In fact, in a typical semidetached house from the 1960s or 1970s, knocking the front room through to the kitchen with a set of doors is the most straightforward way to create an open plan. With demolition work, the addition of French doors can set you back around 2k to 3k while sliding doors, due to the 1 1 2 / S EL FBUI LD / WINTER 2 0 2 1

freepik.com

2+

mechanism and need for second partition, will cost double that.

If you’re building new

adding a small, 12+ consider separate sitting/tv room

into your design. That’s an optimal set up, built to last. You will end up using this room as a teenager hangout – with social media so invasive nowadays it beats sending them to their room. It will be a place for you to get a break too.

18+ It’s no harm thinking

about the children fleeing the coop, how will the space work for you as a couple? That set of doors could come in very handy and the island, which is likely to double up as your dining table. Will some of the children continue living at home? That spare sitting room will be a godsend if they do.

combine a couple of systems in a double tall larder press, creating a complete centralised storage solution. You could take this a step further by incorporating back lighting, so that the back panel illuminates on opening.

Don’t forget to look beyond everyday items and think of where you are going to house glassware, saucepans, large bowls and platters. Everything needs a place. Would you prefer to shut these away or do you have a beloved collection that might merit glass display doors – with lighting? All options are open.

Corner units

In kitchens where corner units are required there are no perfect solutions: if left as shelving these can be tricky to get into and may result in lots of items stored at the back which may never see the light of day.

On the other hand, pull out shelves and carousels

might be cumbersome and expensive. A diagonal corner unit (shelving with triangle at the back blocked off) might be the best compromise in such circumstances.

Magic corners incorporate two tiers of shelving, at front and back. The front set is attached to the door. As you open the door, the front row pulls out and the back row pulls forward, providing access to all four shelves.

Carousels feature two levels that spin around a centre bar. A Le Mans carousel has two kidney shaped tiers that manoeuvre out individually; these don’t tend to have the same storage capacity due to their shape.

Reputable brands are worth investing in when it comes to smart solutions and inserts, as they will stand the test of time and allow for changes as the family grows.

Islands

Islands are very fashionable

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a viable option and it’s now quite commonplace. It is also viewed as a more sociable and interactive alternative than cooking with your back turned to guests or family life.

Consider that with children in the house, it’s preferable to have a separate area dedicated to dining for mealtimes and only use the island as a breakfast bar.

The most compact set up, however, would be doing away the prepping activity from your guests.

Sink or hob at the island?

The first thing to do when you design your island is decide what you will use it for: prep, storage, seating.

So the answer boils down to how you will use the island and the kitchen itself. Some people choose not to have their hob on the island, to avoid splattering guests who might be sitting at it while the chef cooks.

But with downdraft extractors, and windows taking up a lot of wall space, it’s become

with the dining area entirely – in that case an island that allows for seating in an L shape will be more conducive to a chat than seating on one side only. Where space is tight, you could also consider a drop down dining table arrangement from the island. healycornelius.com

but there is nothing worse than seeing a narrow, ill proportioned island shoehorned into the middle of a kitchen, with the bare minimum of space to walk around it.

You need at least one meter to get around comfortably, and only after other kitchen units on walls are factored in. Island sizes increase exponentially when functions like using it as a workspace or seating area are added. The width of island will need to be at the minimum 600mm but 90mm, 120mm or more will give you more breathing space.

Ideally, provide 1300mm between opposite work areas.

This gives enough room to manoeuvre without being so great that unnecessary steps are taken.

If space is tight, a peninsular breakfast bar is sometimes a great alternative solution as it continues the flow of worktop space and can provide a useful partition to traffic for the central kitchen space.

Islands and peninsulas can have two heights: a standard counter height (600mm to 900mm) and a taller one for standing or eating (1100mm high). The double height can form a ledge which can hide

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KITCHEN GUIDE / WORKTOPS & SPLASHBACKS

Worktop materials

The big cover up Worktops, splashbacks, taps and sinks will be used all the time, so take the time to choose ones that are hardwearing and visually pleasing.

Words from articles by Keith Kelliher, Marion McGarry and Astrid Madsen

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The worktop or countertop is the main worksurface of your kitchen and its selection will need to take account of many factors including cost, scratch and stain resistance, heat resistance, durability and ease of cleaning.

Most common are laminate, manmade composites, solid wood, stone (marble, granite), concrete, metal and glass.

The laminate finishes are at the lower cost end and are a plastic finished layer bonded to manmade board which mimics the appearance of hundreds of different finishes, from weathered wood to veined marble. Laminate worktops are generally available for less than €100/£80 per m for a standard 600mm wide 40mm thick worktop. They generally come standard in about 3m lengths.

Natural stone (granite and marble) is one of the most popular choices for its durability and for being associated with luxurious kitchen designs. They are however expensive, and depend greatly on stone choice, colour, thickness and slab size.

Always go and view your slab as each one varies, and you might get more of a particular fleck than you were expecting.

For top quality products manmade composites are often comparable in price to natural stone. Composite materials offer seamless styling and stain resistance but may be prone to scratching so always check the quality. Quartz, which usually refers to a crushed stone bound with plastic resin, will generally be available above €300/£280 per m for a 600mm wide length but prices vary greatly depending on quality and colour.

Solid wood worktops have been around for generations and with the increases in costs of timber, have also become more expensive. Depending on the chosen material, solid timber worktops are available in oak, 600mm widths at 40mm thickness for €120/£100 per m and up, with iroko or walnut at prices in excess of €180/£160 per m. They require twice yearly oiling. Note that beech is said to have natural anti bacterial properties.

In recent times glass has

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Worktop dimensions A major consideration is how much of a run of straight worktop you need, for baking, food prep, stacking plates, etc. Three runs of 1m to 1.2m is a good rule of thumb for daily cooks if you can afford the space. At a minimum allow 300mm, with fixed worktop space or a pull out shelf, on either side of the hob and to one side of the oven and fridge/freezer to be able to put things down.

ivanasteiner.com

arrived as a contemporary option.

Clean and versatile but expensive and needs regular cleaning.

Concrete is hardwearing, although may be prone to staining when in contact with acids, and is also at the higher end of the cost scale.

For those looking for an industrial feel in their kitchen, stainless steel is a good option as it is the go to material for most commercial kitchens, being hygienic and easy to clean. It is also perhaps the most eco friendly option. Even though steel is notoriously energy intensive to make, it is unique in that it can be recycled over and over again without losing its properties; it also does not involve quarrying or present the possibility of high VOCs.

Zero waste kitchen designed by Austrian architect Ivana Steiner to combat the current climate crisis; the prototype is made of recycled stainless steel (arguably the most eco friendly worktop finish) and recycled glass.

concretefair.ie

The key is to keep worktops plentiful and not allow gadgets and everyday appliances encroach upon such precious workspace.

Microwave ovens and coffee makers can be built into the presses but these models tend to cost more.

A useful solution, which also applies to electric kettles, toasters and food processors, is to house them into a countertop roll up/ roll down tambour unit (along with some of the foodstuffs that go with them), or a larder (pull out or behind a cupboard door), so you can quickly and conveniently close them off when not in use.

Other basic tips include not crowding the sink in a corner, it should be 460mm away from any return in the work surface, and the standard distance between worktop and cupboards is 400mm.

Splashbacks

Splashbacks consist of the area between the top of the kitchen countertop and the underside of the high level kitchen wall units.

These can be limited to the area behind the cooker (usually 600mm in height, minimum 450mm) or extend along the entire cupboard length (usually 100mm in height).

Historically, the kitchen splashback was painted or tiled.

In more recent times, worktop surfaces, stone upstands and glass have taken centre stage in this area. Both materials add significantly to the end cost particularly when additional costs of cutting around power points are required.

Suitability

Check the standard dimensions of the type of worktop/splashback you are looking for – you may need to have two sections which would involve jointing. Where possible, and where the surface will be repeatedly exposed to water, heat or staining, try to get a straight run of the material.

Cutting can be specialist work, e.g. for the sink, tap, power points, etc. This needs to be factored into the total cost, as does installation which may need to be done by the supplier.

Regular maintenance as per the installer’s instructions is important as some surfaces will otherwise stain or weather. Ideally, check how it weathers by visiting a real home.

Some surfaces cannot withstand a hot pan or oven dish, so check this too. And, even though you should always use a cutting board, check if you can cut directly on the worktop surface.

Floors and walls Flooring is an important decision, not just for practicality but for aesthetic reasons as it sets the tone of the space.

Ceramic and porcelain tiles remain the traditional floor finish but laminate flooring is fast becoming a popular alternative.

Other options include linoleum, cork and cushioned varieties of these. Also polished concrete, engineered wood, vinyl and stone.

For a professional finish, the floor covering must go on before the kitchen is installed to avoid having to cut around the base of the units.

As well as selecting a material that ties in with the overall look of your kitchen and suits your budget, consider durability and ease of cleaning. Polished ceramic tiles can be very slippery when wet but they are excellent for reflecting light.

Full bodied porcelain are very durable but are hard to walk on; both of these are not forgiving if you drop plates or glass, unlike cork and linoleum which are great to walk on but the former does require maintenance.

Wood floors look wonderful but are not waterproof.

Floor finishes aren’t usually included in the kitchen cost, and neither are wall finishes apart from the splashback if you have it in the same material as the worktop.

Tiled worktops have somewhat gone out of fashion, but can be a cost effective alternative for a country look.

You can also get a more modern feel with classic subway tiles or mosaic tiles. These can complement virtually any type of worktop finish.

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How about tea towels?diators

KITCHEN GUIDE / TA P S & S I N K S

GoodHome Kitchens available at B&Q, diy.com

l ra introduce smal towels; an Some people eir tea th m ar w to the waste in the kitchen to make use of dry them alternative is to p ta er at w t ho towel heat from the have your dish out. You could tank to air them out. the drawer above sposable reliance on di To reduce your you could invest in s kitchen rolls, cleaning towel quick washing dried in a be a tap hole drilled behind copper. n that ca similar way. it. But in most cases,

Sinks

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with everything from scouring powder to steel pads, as can ceramic although these are subject to chipping.

Composite have the wow factor but you need to take care sharp cutlery doesn’t do damage.

Bear in mind too that composite sinks are not suited to extensive use of cleaning products.

If placed at the window, consider how the sink will bounce off light. Mechanical food disposal units fitted under the sink with debris posted in down a drain mean you can remove immediately strong smelling items such as fish skin. You must run the cold water tap at the same time and the motor is quite loud, remember to reverse the blades to ensure even wear.

Accessories include chopping boards that sit over sinks, providing extra space, and baskets to collect vegetable peels.

Under or over mounted

If you opt for manmade surfaces or concrete, the sink could be moulded into your worktop with

mcmonaglestone.com

Approximately 75 per cent of our time in the kitchen is spent around the sink: washing vegetables, filling pots, straining pasta, washing up, filling the kettle. If you’re a daily cook, consider at least a bowl and a half – this allows you have two sinks on the go for different tasks.

Sink sizes will vary according to your configuration but standard dimensions allow for approximately 450mm width to comfortably fit into a standard 600mm carcase.

Think about style, size and type of sink that fit your requirements and budget. How many draining boards? Would you prefer a traditional Belfast sink if you are going for a granite worktop?

The three popular sink finishes in ascending order of cost are stainless steel, ceramic and composite. Square corners can be difficult to clean and Belfast sinks tend to be deeper than normal and so harder on your back.

Stainless steel can be cleaned

you will have to either buy an undermounted sink or one that sits on the worktop, often referred to as an inset sink.

Laminate worktops require an inset sink as the core is susceptible to moisture. You or your joiner can cut the sink opening out with a jigsaw as per the sink dimensions, install the tap and add the sink on top.

There is usually a tap hole in the sink structure.

Undermounted sinks sit under the worktop and are usually better suited to impervious finishes such as manmade composite materials or natural stone. The tap is usually then drilled into the worktop or wall mounted. Undermount sinks are

usually more expensive, e.g. the Belfast sink, and harder to install than inset ones.

Taps

Taps are made of metal, most commonly stainless steel or chrome steel, then possibly brass. You will see reference to the metal being brushed or polished, this is how the metal is finished and the look will be matt versus gloss respectively. Other metals include nickel, pewter and

Colours can be applied on top of

these.

There are two basic mechanisms to turn on taps: the simple turn type or the push type which tends to be more hygienic. Taking it a step further is the smart tap with some touch free models; more smart features include measuring and temperature indicating LED lights, among others.

The tap head can either be fixed or flexible. Pull down, retractable and/or flexible hose extensions are most common nowadays as they are handy to rinse out the sink and clean vegetables.

Water filters to remove limescale and/or other impurities can be added (if you don’t have one for the house already) while integrated soap dispensers will unclutter the otherwise pristine look of your work surface.

The introduction of the boiling tap to the market in recent years has added a significant cost with the majority of systems retailing at over 1k.

You can choose between a separate boiling water tap with accompanying mixer, or one through which you can get all three (hot, cold or boiling). A child safety system is available and the tap sits on the worktop, with a tank underneath. These can now make sparkling water too, at an extra cost. While these eliminate the need for kettles, running costs tend to be similar.

Last but not least, at a time when we are all more conscious of our domestic water consumption, fitting taps with aerators is a practical move as they provide more pressure and use less water.

This clever cabinet SPACE TOWER by Blum makes optimal use of the storage space available. Provisions can be kept together and clearly organised.

Book an appointment to visit our showrooms to see our full range of storage solutions and accessories.

Flanagan Fittings, Falcon House, Dublin Airport Logistics Park, St. Margarets, Co. Dublin K67 F303 Ph: +353 (0)1 844 8400 Web: www.fff.ie Email: sales@fff.ie

KITCHEN GUIDE / LIGHTING & APPLIANCES

Powering up There’s a lot of electrics in the kitchen, from appliances to sockets. But music systems and undercounter and inbuilt lighting could also readily be added to your list. You need to know what you want, and where, at the earliest design stage.

Words from articles by Keith Kelliher, Paul McNally, Marion McGarry, and Astrid Madsen

Lighting

Paul Lindsay, paullindsayphoto.co.uk

On self-builds, hiring a lighting designer is not the norm but it’s worth considering if you have the budget. Lighting may seem easy but it’s actually quite tricky to get right.

Effective lighting is a must in kitchens, both for functionality and to create atmosphere, with mood lighting particularly important in open plan designs.

Task lighting normally

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involves white lighting for food preparation and other activities where clarity is needed. Warmer ambient lighting promotes relaxation. Dimmer switches for mood lighting can work especially well in an open plan area, as this becomes important when the family winds down and prepares for bedtime.

If the kitchen is in a darker part of your home, you can create a feel of natural light

by adding fluorescent or LED tubes over cupboards; the light will hit the ceiling which can be painted in light reflective paint.

This will bounce the light around the room, providing indirect illumination. For a conversation point, suspend a light box from the ceiling.

Undercounter and inbuilt lighting is an integrated part of any kitchen design at present, with most kitchens now including some element of lighting feature.

From lights in glass door cabinets, integrated lighting on the splashback to undercounter strip lighting, costs can vary greatly depending on the extent and quantity of lights designed.

With shelving, consider introducing an LED strip in a groove, to provide task lighting.

Deep drawers will benefit from adding LED strips inside them too; lights in kickers and pelmets are also an option.

Directional lights are flexible in that they can be orientated to hit the spot where you want the most intensity, after the kitchen has been installed. Pairs of

directional LED downlights will brighten up the island and cover all angles, for example.

It should always be kept in mind that power to, and connection of, these lights may well be in addition to the cost of the kitchen. Because this will most likely be done by your electrician, as will any sound system you choose. Plumbing costs (connecting to waste pipes, water connections) will of course also cost extra.

Choose appliances early

Appliances in general tend to be expensive. Including the fridge, oven, cooker... with extras such as a microwave and coffee maker you could easily be looking at a budget of 5k or more.

So doing your research on your chosen electrical appliances at an early stage will allow you to shop around for bargains, have the measurements ready for the kitchen manufacturer, and delivery organised for the fitters well in advance.

It will also help avoid

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panicked decisions in a busy showroom, blurting out that you want a range when what you really needed was a hob. Whatever appliances you choose, they will all make a major impact, not only on your budget, but on the dimensions of the room/ wall lengths, and on the overall feel.

All appliances are rated for water and energy efficiency; both should be taken into consideration before purchasing.

Ovens

freezer.

Undercounter freezers are handy if you cook with a select few items, such as peas and fish fingers, on a regular basis. This can be switched out for a drinks fridge when dietary requirements change.

Fridges Practical points For any appliance, to note are not but especially the to have the fridge, always underfloor compare heating capacity. u yo at where you th e tiv ra e, it’s impe To reduce nois ng machine and dryer plan to American hi move the was plan area. en op place your i m fridges se or out of any open washers nowadays fridge; are prized sh di ly ul Thankf they don’t rly noisy, and same goes for their aren’t particula on tv viewing anymore, ct for the rule look but massively impa fans can still cause a or ct tra of thumb remember ex . t el bu od m e th on ing ruckus depend d double height that they of making an Hard surfaces sign features are usually sure the oven de e ceilings ar r. fo t ou to watch

Think of the noise

isn’t right next to your fridge.

That said, take advice from your kitchen designer as this may not necessarily be an issue if there’s enough ventilation behind the fridge and the partitions are well insulated.

Other appliances

Dishwashers haven’t evolved as quickly as other appliances – most are of a standard size (600mm wide and deep), with the only difference tending to be the internal configuration (e.g. cutlery in basket or on top drawer) and wash settings. They can come in lamaison.ie

If you have a back problem, set both oven and hob at a comfortable height, and if family meals are important, then multiple ovens and timers might be things to consider. Plate warming ovens can be helpful too.

Smart ovens will help you time your cooking to perfection, while slick opening/sliding mechanisms will make handling dishes that bit safer. In fact, temperature control is now much more accurate and some manufacturers offer a unique residual heat function whereby the electronics decide when there is enough heat left in the oven to finish the cooking and it can safely switch off.

Other smart features include automatic switch off after a preset time, and ovens which stop heating when you open the door so saving energy, and the list goes on.

freestanding, taking up a lot of space. Check the model you like as sizes vary widely. You you could easily be looking at 900mm by 700mm depth so larger than standard carcase depth. And they usually don’t have a huge amount of room inside due to the ice making machine and/or water dispenser.

The fridge to freezer configuration in general will wholly depend on how you shop, and how you cook. If you mostly buy fresh and hardly use anything from the freezer, a double fridge might be better than a fridge

the more compact size of 450mm x 600mm deep.

Coffee makers, oftentimes integrated as you would your oven, are becoming more commonplace, along with wine coolers.

expensive product to purchase than a standard prefinished appliance. Semi-integrated usually means hidden behind doors but with the controls visible.

A variant on the theme is to conceal the pantry or utility room behind similar hidden door arrangements.

Sockets

USB sockets are a good idea as phone charging is likely to take place around the island area. You could consider wireless charging points too.

Popup sockets give you the option of hiding the sockets and revealing them as needed.

You can also hide sockets in a press, drawer or behind a larder door. Check with your electrician where you can and can’t place the sockets as there are safety rules, e.g. around water and unventilated spaces.

Most common is to have sockets placed on the wall but this will have a visual impact, and a need to cut the wall covering around them. This can yield an untidy finish, entail more work for the tiler or if buying a slab cost more as the company is likely to charge for each hole they cut into it.

Integrated appliances

Freestanding appliances sit in an open casing and can be taken with you, should you move house, whereas integrated appliances are hidden in a cabinet and faced with a kitchen door to make it blend into the overall kitchen. These are common in many kitchens today.

By their nature, integrated appliances require that you purchase a door for it, and they are also, generally, a more WINT ER 2021 / SE LF BU I LD / 1 1 9

KITCHEN GUIDE / COOKERS & EXTRACTORS

Steam team Cookers go hand in hand with extractors; find out your options.

Hobs

Nowadays most kitchens will separate the oven from the hob, although hobs can be integrated in a range or simpler cooker combination. When separate from the oven, they are usually fitted directly within the worktop.

The choice is then between

The presence of a detector ensures that the ring only heats up when there is a pan on top.

When in use, a ceramic hob glows beneath heat resistant glass which has a smooth finish and is easy to keep clean.

Copper, aluminium and pans with a rough base should not be used

electric or gas powered. The controllability of gas has long given it an edge over other types, but this position is being seriously challenged by the new generation of induction hobs which work in a similar way to microwaves and can boil a pan of water in four minutes.

With electromagnetic induction, using a spiralled copper coil with a ceramic glass surface, no heat is released until the base of the pan touches it, and some are sophisticated enough to adapt the heated area to the size and shape of the pan being used.

on a ceramic glass surface as they will damage it.

Gas hobs usually have four burners although the fifth wok burner in the middle is handy for both this type of cooking and also so the pots don’t bang against each other when using the cooker to full capacity. Cast iron grating, to place the pots on, completes the set up.

Stainless steel is the most common gas hob surface but glass and enamel are other options. The latter two are more likely to come in white or black; a word of warning, gas flames are hard to see on black finishes.

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Ranges

The range cooker remains as popular as ever for an all in one solution. Note that a wider than average range style cooker will require an appropriately large extraction overhead. You may then decide on a surround which will take up more wall space than you currently have on your plans.

Even though range cookers were once synonymous with back breaking stoking or nauseous fumes, times have changed and there are now electric models. Whilst these too have come into the modern world and offer customised colour enamel finishes, if they have a dual function of heating the hot water and/or radiators as well, they can never be just quite as flexible as a purpose designed cooking instrument.

On a range cooker, ovens can be single or double cavity, incorporate a microwave, fan, rotisserie, kebab unit, steamer, defrost facility, use only half the grill and finally, thankfully, clean themselves.

An oil, solid fuel or gas fired range will hold its heat for many hours without electricity if there is a power failure, and many now offer some of the features of standalone cookers such as a pull out section to provide more hob space, or a combined gas/ electricity unit.

Although lots of warmth from a cooker is great for bigger homes, too much heat isn’t good for a well insulated house and many of us don’t want the upkeep of a large space we don’t need, a factor that manufacturers have responded to with mini models suitable for an apartment. There’s even a gas fired flueless range cooker which can go anywhere; it’s on castors.

Cost is always an issue as

these items are more of an investment than an impulse buy, so if your budget is tight, look out for re-conditioned models. A properly re-conditioned cooker will have new burners, new insulation and even new enamel, if you wish, and are an excellent option.

Maintenance

Stainless steel and aluminium are the current cool in kitchen finishes. Very hygienic, they don’t chip like enamel, there is no rust, are moisture resistant and can withstand very hot foods or liquids spilling onto them.

Fingerprints are quite visible on smooth polished surfaces, but cleaning is quick and easy with warm water and mild detergent, which must be dried off otherwise the surface will become spotted with water marks.

For touch marks on any cooker, avoid using scouring pads or abrasive cleaners as they can scratch the surface. Better instead to use a proprietary cleaner suitable for chrome, enamel and china.

A stubborn stain on stainless steel will probably yield to a hot solution of sodium bicarbonate and, if buffed up afterwards with a few drips of baby oil, will regain its showroom shine.

Hood/extractor fan

All cooking produces water vapour and in our increasingly well sealed homes, the threat of unwanted condensation is never very far away so a hood has to be an integral part of your design. All extractor fans need at least 150mm or 6’’ ducting and are usually made of stainless steel; many integrate lighting and composite plastics.

Traditional extractors suck the steam upwards. There are various configurations for these, including the canopy which is

Guide Selfbuild

set into an existing or an artificial chimney, telescopic which is activated when pulled out, integrated where the hood is coordinated with your kitchen units and is switched on by opening the front flap, and finally the classic type which is fixed to a wall or under a unit.

If possible, duct it to an outside wall, but, if this is impractical or causes problems with your airtightness layer, use a hood lined with a charcoal filter which will recycle the air. These can be wall mounted or ceiling mounted, with the same pipework at the back.

Heights can be adjusted (although

there is a maximum distance between cooker and hood) so make sure it’s placed so no one is likely to bang their head against it.

Downdraft extractors are newer to the market, and tend to be quite a bit costlier. These direct the steam downwards, with the extractor either placed within the hob unit itself or behind it in a periscopic or pop up configuration.

The downdraft extractor ducting goes in the floor, making it more readily airtight as the ducting is put in at the earliest stages of construction. Just as importantly, allowances also have to be made for the mechanism under the countertop and you need to make sure you will have enough space for it.

Downdraft extractors are especially popular for islands as the other alternative, ceiling mounted extractors, can be costly when suspended (not fixed against a wall). Downdraft extractors have in fact become increasingly popular because they are pretty much invisible, unlike their updraft counterparts which tend to be at eye level.

To find the correct size of hood, there is a formula: length x width x height x number of air changes per hour required (minimum of 10). Note that despite technological advances, noise can be an issue, especially in open plan configurations.

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WINT ER 2021 / SE LF BU I LD / 1 2 1

KITCHEN DESIGN PROJECT / C O D O W N

Hubble bubble… cooking up trouble!

It made sense to design our house around the kitchen, simply because we will spend so much of Brian Corry our time in it, writes self-builder Brian Corry who’s on a mission to build himself an eco house in Co Down.

My wife Karen and I started thinking about the kitchen during the initial design phase, when we were doing up the floor plans with our architect. This is when we came up with our basic kitchen configuration: one side wall for the units and a large island to host everything else.

As we were starting with a blank canvas, our focus was to make the kitchen easy to use.

Everything will happen in this room, from entertaining, to family meals, homework supervision and relaxation.

Method and budget

Read up on ney Brian’s jour Building so far in his eries the Dream s .ie on selfbuild

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Budget wise, we were fairly constrained but luckily neither of us had a burning desire to have something hand made from rare imported timber! We felt we could achieve the style and look we wanted, within budget, by buying directly from manufacturers and getting a skilled joiner to put the kitchen together.

Eric Black, who is a builder and joiner by trade, is the person who is going to build the kitchen (and help build the house) for us.

We started the design process by taking all of our pet peeves and sketching out a

rough drawing of how to avoid them. In our current kitchen we are constantly bumping into one another and fighting for space as there is just one corner where you can actually do anything.

This is just one example of dozens of things that we would love to change as it is laid out so poorly.

Then we drove down to Eric’s home in Co Tyrone for a cup of tea and to go through our ideas with him. He produced these sketches as a result of our chat.

The total cost for the kitchen should be about £10K including appliances, and factoring in Eric’s labour. We arrived at this figure after Eric brought us to visit a manufacturer in Cookstown. There we looked at all the different options for the surfaces, doors and handles, and picked what we wanted.

Form and function

We have a young family so being able to keep an eye on them whilst still doing the cooking and chores was foremost in our thoughts. We wanted a seamless transition from kitchen on one side, to comfy living room on the other, with a large dining table in between.

Guide Selfbuild

Early on Karen and I decided that we wanted a big island for food preparation. By having the food prep on the island it is open on two sides and there is plenty of space for people to move around each other.

Having an integrated food waste bin close at hand, in a pull out drawer, will also be very helpful as we currently lift ours out from under the sink about 10 times a day. And that’s just for cups of tea!

After that we opted for the kitchen triangle arrangement, with the placement of the sink, fridge and cooker within reach of one another, and then expanded on it by placing the appliances in the most suitable places.

For example, we had the dishwasher placed beside the sink (where stacks of plates will accumulate) so that the least amount of movement would be needed to fill it. Similarly we wanted a nice big fridge and freezer so that everything would be easily accessible to the prep area on the island.

We also thought about where

we will store the plates and crockery, from the point of view of accessing them to set the table, as well as putting them away after being washed.

The ovens and microwaves, meanwhile, will be in a single

stack at waist to eye level height to keep small hands and fingers from getting burnt. Another advantage is that we won’t have to bend down to see if the turkey is burning.

Last but not least, we are

definitely going to be using drawers for everything. With cupboards, you lose things at the back and only what’s stored at the front is really accessible.

Passive house constraints

Finally, nothing is ever straightforward when building a near passive house. The cooker hood cannot have an external vent as otherwise it would compromise the airtightness.

Instead, we will use a hood with a charcoal filter. We will also have a ventilation inlet close by, from the mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, to hoover up any steam and moist air.

Also the cooker you see in the sketches is not a range cooker – the heat it produces would put you out of the house given the amount of insulation we have. Instead, we have chosen an induction hob that gives off very little heat.

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KITCHEN GUIDE / C O G A L W AY F I N I S H E D P R O J E C T

Semiopen plan

The design of the house in general came about from a lot of thinking, consideration and travelling the country to view different types of building designs. My wife Cathriona and I had fully made up our minds on our design at an early stage, prior to submitting plans to the local authority.

We had a couple of ideas and items on our wish list before we looked at the kitchen design; from the start we loved the idea of the Belfast sink and the colour

Michael Daniels shares how his kitchen layout embraces the room’s large number of windows and doors, both internal and Island of the external. the idea We toyed with t hen island bu sink in the kitc ing the hob ac decided on pl akes it a real m it as d instea e; it makes ac communal sp at with it easier to ch when nds family and frie cooking.

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palette of creams and greys. We wanted to keep a warm feeling to the kitchen area.

We started by visiting showrooms and chose the company we felt had the best designs, great customer service, all at the right price. They guided us through our choices.

The one company supplied and fitted our kitchen, and they were a dream to work with from start to finish. We had our own plumber and electrician and had to coordinate this with the

Guide Selfbuild

WINDOW SEAT The window seat came about because we wanted to both maximise the window area and also because we felt finishing the kitchen at the fridge would have given the feeling of coming to a full stop abruptly. The continuation of the seat and display cabinet really finishes the kitchen off and uses all the space we have.

CABINETS The kitchen cabinets were painted in a warm neutral mussel, complemented by a dusty grey on the island.

Style

WORKTOPS The quartz worktop is Petra white; the island has a solid white oak section too.

Contempora ry so wood kitchen lid with country feel.

kitchen fit out – being in touch with all our trades meant there weren’t any delays waiting on any one person.

We realised early on that when laying out the house, you need to know very early on the positions of electrical sockets, light switches and lighting design in general, where the hob/ extractor fan will go (pipes often need to go in the floor for this), positioning of the fridge, plumbing for the mechanical heat recovery unit and heat pump unit because every element needs to be taken into account. The flow of each room has to be well considered, especially your kitchen!

EXTRACTOR FAN The extractor fan has a filter, and we were lucky enough to have the space in our kitchen island to accommodate the unit as it is quite bulky but it’s working a dream.

KITCHEN TRIANGLE - The positioning of the oven, fridge, and dishwasher was all done for practical reasons all of which are very important in a working family kitchen. Having that triangle of workspace where everything is at arm’s reach is a must.

Thankfully we had no issues or concerns with measurements prior to the kitchen installation.

This is because our electrician had helped us with the positioning of our main appliances and made provisions for extra sockets before we had entered into the planning stage for the kitchen.

So we knew the space we had to work with before the installation took place. All was in order when the measurements were double checked on site.

All the carcases were installed first, then the measurements taken for the quartz worktop and

PANTRY One of our favourite features is the walk in pantry which has double doors. The shape of our kitchen meant that a standard door would have made it awkward, so this was an ideal solution and one we couldn’t imagine not having now.

UTILITY ROOM A separate functional utility room with elevated washing machine and drier were top of the wish list from the start.

Remember too that the heat recovery unit and the air to water unit are quite substantial in size and may cramp your utility room, so you will need to find a designated area for all the equipment.

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KITCHEN GUIDE / C O G A L W AY F I N I S H E D P R O J E C T

for the appliances. After that the appliances went in , then the kitchen doors, finally the quartz top.

It took about six weeks from start to finish for a fully functional kitchen to be installed.

Cost

The total cost of our kitchen and utility including appliances was €21k in 2018. The cost of materials and labour have gone through the roof recently, so first time self-builders really need to research and price out every aspect of their build attentively.

The kitchen is a big budget item so you will definitely save by shopping around for the best quality/price ratio.

Our entire project was direct labour, with Cathriona and I holding down full time jobs.

I looked after the build from the beginning to the very end; Cathriona took charge of the financing, organising different

“The kitchen is a big budget item so you will definitely save by shopping around for the best quality/price ratio.” trades and ordering materials.

I worked manually on the build myself (as I have a background in same) assisted by family and neighbours. Their help was of huge benefit to us, as you cannot do it all on your own.

SUPPLIERS Kitchen design and layout Mark Lohan Kitchens, mlk.ie Appliances Expert, Martin Dolan Electrical in Loughrea, Co Galway, expert.ie Kitchen furniture Homeworld, Oranmore, tel. 091 388848 Carpentry Trevor Slattery Carpentry, mobile 087 6305548 Paint Aiden Dixon Painter & Decorator, mobile 086 0732016 Colour: Dolmen and surround walls Oysterbed from Colourtrend NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0

1 2 6 / S EL FBUI LD / WINTER 2 0 2 1

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WINTER 2 0 2 1 / S E L FBUI L D / 127

KITCHEN GUIDE / COUNTY DOWN FINISHED PROJECT

Centre stage Richard Armstrong shares how, with his wife Clare, he designed his entire house around the kitchen.

Style

Traditional fa rmhouse kitchen with a modern twis t.

“We were told we should design our house around the kitchen and I’m glad we did.”

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We were told we should design our house around the kitchen and I’m glad we did. Ours is part of a 96sqm semi-open plan area that also includes the dining and living rooms.

The first thing we did was decide what view we wanted from the main kitchen window, then placed the sink under it.

We then spent a lot of time with the architect making sure door and window placements made sense.

For all of the rooms, I imagined myself walking around the house and have it suit our lifestyle and needs including how the house would work, e.g. access to the house for unloading the car, for hanging laundry, etc.

Once all of the windows and doors were on paper, we had

a blank canvas to design our kitchen. My brother had used a kitchen supplier and was very impressed with their work, so I went to visit their showroom. I too was impressed.

We started the process by sending them the architect’s plans, along with the list of what we liked from the showroom, and Brendan the designer was able to work around the plans to make it all fit. It took two to three months to bounce ideas back and forth.

Everything fitted in perfectly apart from the ivory mantle above the stove, so we had to move one doorway to get the cooker on a longer wall for the mantle to sit on.

We were very thorough deciding where everything was going to go. At the foundations

Guide Selfbuild

stage, services have to be in the correct place to avoid any problems later on when fitting out. So we took time to do that right.

For electrics we went through the kitchen plans with the electrician and placed all the electrical points on the plans.

The walls were then chased for electrics, pipes at the ready for taps, appliances, along with waste pipes. When we signed off on Brendan’s plans, he sent his fitters to double check measurements. We did have to move a socket and conduit as a result, but that was it.

The kitchen was delivered in boxes on a Friday; the boxes filled the entire 96sqm of open plan!

The fitters then went to work first thing Monday morning and had the entire kitchen, boot room, utility and pantry fitted in a week.

The fitters were fantastic, they got all of the details perfect.

Cost

We got a local joiner and another kitchen company to price up our

PATIO DOORS When we had the house designed, Clare and I spent a lot of time with the architect figuring out how the kitchen would work and how to best lay it out on the plans.

We have a set of double doors out onto the patio, and it took time to choose the best kitchen shape and layout to accommodate them.

DRINKS CABINET There’s a 3m opening to the living area, with a section of wall that didn’t serve much of a purpose until our kitchen designer Brendan suggested we put in a drinks cabinet in the same style as the rest of the kitchen.

BULKHEAD OVER ISLAND The idea to put in a modern, recessed ceiling shadow light above the island was taken from a house account on social media.

MANTLE OVER COOKER In the showroom, there was a kitchen on display with a mantle over the cooker in an ivory colour – it was exactly what we wanted! This ivory colour became the central theme and our starting point for the colour scheme. That’s why we chose cardamon green for the cabinets, and liked the purple heather grain running through the marble worktops.

SPLASHBACK AND WORKTOPS The worktop we found in the showroom was quartz, but when we went to the supplier it was discontinued.

Thankfully we were able to find a very similar alternative, in granite.

It turned out to be cheaper than the quartz so it worked out well. Both quartz and granite are meant to be porous but it’s polished so well it doesn’t stain. It’s very easy to clean, a wipe down and it glistens. We find it very durable.

MAIN SINK The main sink at the window has the dishwasher beside it.

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KITCHEN GUIDE / COUNTY DOWN FINISHED PROJECT

CHROME ACCENTS The sockets and plugs are chrome, as they too go with ivory. The handles are also chrome; our kitchen designer Brendan advised us on that.

CURVED WALL The curved staircase is on the other side of the kitchen’s curved wall, and we plan to turn it into a photo gallery.

TILES We chose the tiles to tie in with the cardamon green island; we then used tile samples as our guide to make final decisions on the cabinet door colour and the wall colours. Grey beige was the consensus.

UNDERCOUNTER FRIDGE We have the undercounter fridge for milk and other everyday items. So when we make our coffee in the morning, the milk is to hand. The meats and veg are in the American fridge freezer in the pantry.

plans, to give us some context and to get an idea of where we stood with the price Brendan gave us.

It turned out the cost of the kitchen, boot room, utility and pantry all came in more keenly priced from Brendan than the others had for the kitchen alone.

I’m not sure why; it may be that we’re building a large house and they felt they could charge a premium.

We got most appliances from Brendan as he told us at what price he could get them, which was better than what we could secure. We let him guide us, simply because he works with these brands day in, day out and knows which are reliable.

ISLAND SINK The sink on the island is for cleaning vegetables, with integrated bin at arm’s reach.

COOKER The induction hob cooker has drawers for saucepans right beside it.

SOCKETS The more sockets the better! Brendan gave us the option of a popup socket – when flush it’s a wireless phone charger. When you pop it up there are regular sockets plus USB and HDMI sockets too. The HDMI is handy for cameras to keep an eye on the kids when we’re in the kitchen.

STORAGE The island has more than enough storage but the utility, which is the size of a normal kitchen, stores the bed clothes, towels and a selection of clothes for the kids. The only thing it’s missing is a laundry chute. The utility also has a big sink, which is a hand washing station.

1 3 0 / S EL FBUI LD / WINTER 2 0 2 1

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