Selfbuild Autumn 2023

Rory Best – Flogas Brand Ambassador

If there ever was a time to build or renovate, it’s now. Not only are construction costs falling, banks are willing to lend.

Best of all, in ROI you no longer need to pay development levies. That’s the fee you pay your local council for building your new home. Until next April, the government is footing the bill, which can run in the high thousands. And the government is paying for the water connection charges, saving you thousands there too (p9).

Meanwhile, those looking to renovate a vacant property

Astrid Madsen - Editor astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie

can avail of juicy handouts: €70k to do up the house if it’s derelict (€50k if it’s vacant) plus €7k to go towards professional fees – and over €30k in grants from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland to do up the energy efficiency of the home (p11). It may seem daunting to take on a large project but there’s a whole community of self-builders and experts out there happy to share their knowledge. That’s why we’re here. To gather that advice, in this magazine but also through our membership portal Selfbuild+. After all, information is power.

Til next time, happy building!

MARKETING

Calum Lennon calum.lennon@selfbuild.ie

Victoria Hunter victoria.hunter@selfbuild.ie

Rebecca Ferris rebecca.ferris@selfbuild.ie

Lizzie McCullough lizzie.mccullough@selfbuild.ie

SUBSCRIPTIONS/EVENTS

Maria Toland maria.toland@selfbuild.ie

Nicola Delacour-Dunne nicola.delacour.dunne@ selfbuild.ie

ACCOUNTS

Karen McLeigh karen.mcleigh@selfbuild.ie

Leanne Rodgers leanne.rodgers@selfbuild.ie

SALES DIRECTOR

EDITOR

Astrid Madsen astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie

DESIGN

Myles McCann myles.mccann@selfbuild.ie

Shannon Quinn shannon.quinn@selfbuild.ie

Becca.Wilgar becca.wilgar@selfbuild.ie

SALES

ADVERTISING

Emma Phillips emma.phillips@selfbuild.ie

Joanna McConvey joanna.mcconvey@selfbuild.ie

Lisa Killen lisa.killen@selfbuild.ie

Mark Duffin mark.duffin@selfbuild.ie

MANAGING

Brian Corry brian.corry@selfbuild.ie CHAIRMAN

Projects

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

22 From quantity surveyor to selfbuilder

James and Jessica Corrigan pulled in all the favours they could to build their family home from scratch in Co Laois.

32 Savvy split level

living

How Stuart and Katie Eadie built themselves a family home on a budget in Co Antrim.

42 Staying put

Having lived in their Co Limerick home for years before embarking on their renovation and extension project, Aoife and Mark Ryan knew just what to do to suit their lifestyle.

52 Extension for modern living

Advice

79 Ask Keith

Will a modular build save you money? Quantity surveyor

Keith Kelliher has the answer.

81 Ask Andrew

Project manager Andrew

Stanway explains what to guard against if you decide to go direct labour.

82 Going the whole hog

Why it makes sense to invest fully in the passive house standard, instead of adopting a pick and choose approach.

84 Build checklist

What you need to have in place before you can start scheduling your build.

86 DIY French drains

How to build the most basic drainage system around.

90 Bucking the trend: ICF

The downsides to Insulating Concrete Formwork.

92 Internal doors

Check out what your options are, from bifold to pocket doors.

Emma and Jonathan Rhodes took their lead from their architect to transform the back of their home from a dark and cold space to a warm and light filled haven.

62 What makes a house a home

Paul Lawford explains how he built his tiny abode and why it’s a more sustainable option than building a larger house,

SELFBUILD: THE ALL-IRELAND

both financially and from a construction point of view.

66 Living the big life in a tiny home

Michael Rauch shares the pros of cons of inhabiting a small house, having lived in one for three years.

69 Awards season

Showcasing workmanship in NI with the Federation of Master Builders Awards.

72 Covid casualty

Why Shauna and Finbar

O’Harte had to abandon their dream build in Co Fermanagh.

74 Hillside garden with stunning views

With views of the Burren comes high winds; this Co Clare home garden design makes the most of its location.

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.

INSULATES

FASTER HEATING RESPONSE SO ROOMS HEAT UP QUICKER WHEN THE HEATING IS TURNED ON

NI broadband coming to rural areas

Broadband infrastructure in remote rural areas depends on UK government funding, which the NI Department for the Economy (DfE) is working to secure.

Funds are coming from the UK government to roll out superfast (1,000 megabits per second) broadband to all parts of NI thanks to Project Gigabit, which the DfE expects will be rolled out within the next three to four years. Nigel Robbins, Broadband Project Director at the DfE, said this could mean NI would be the first part of the UK “with near ubiquitous access to gigabit-capable broadband”.

An open market review, which looked at the areas that weren’t getting broadband, shows that gigabit-capable broadband will reach close to 880,000 premises in NI. That leaves 85,504 premises without access to gigabit-capable broadband, as they are considered commercially unviable.

The majority of eligible premises likely to benefit from Project Gigabit are expected to be homes and businesses that may have access to superfast broadband (speeds of 30 Mbps or above), but which are reliant on technology solutions not capable of delivering gigabit broadband speeds (for example, copper line services).

Project Gigabit follows in the steps of the DfE’s Superfast broadband programme and the DfE’s broadband intervention programme Project Stratum.

Designs for changing weather

Recent modelling data from Met Éireann shows that overheating is “expected to become more severe in the future”.

Rainfall is expected to come in more heavy bursts in winter too, leading to drainage systems potentially being overwhelmed, as the meteorological agency predicts little rainfall in summer. The Met Éireann climate data is expected to feed into house building designs, to model for more extreme weather events; it’s freely available from housing.gov.ie and met.ie

Self-builds prop up housing stock

Completions and commencements are at record levels in ROI, and self-builds are propping up the mortgage market in rural regions, according to a new report.

The Banking & Payments Federation Ireland‘s Housing Market Monitor for the first quarter of 2023 shows the vast majority of mortgages in rural areas are drawn down for self-builds.

The self-build share in total housing output has declined over the past number of years, the report states, but self-builds still account for nearly 18 per cent of total completions, which include apartment and developer homes, in Q1 of 2023.

You can check if your house might get faster broadband on online.economy-ni. gov.uk/ProjectGigabit

Discover Easy Comfort with Pipelife Eco

Build cost report Development levy holiday in ROI

Construction costs account for about half of total delivery costs, according to the Department of the Taoiseach.

Self-builders won’t have to pay development levies to their local authority, saving on average €12,650, as long as they complete their house build by 31 December 2025. The holiday will apply for a 12-month period, until April 2024, in a bid to stimulate more house building.

The ROI cabinet introduced the measures to stimulate house building in April 2023, taking immediate effect. Your

2019.

Connections up to 10m from the mains now cost €2,272 for water and €3,929 for wastewater, representing a saving of over €6k for water charges alone.

“All residential developments (Apartments, Scheme Housing and one-off homes) will be exempt from Development levies and water connection fees,” a spokesperson for the ROI Department of Housing told Selfbuild. “The Exchequer

The Residential Construction Cost Study published late April shows that introducing standardised specifications for wall build ups and heating and ventilation systems can yield significant savings.

Labour costs and using “site-based heat generation”, i.e. installing boilers or heat pumps, as opposed to district heating also contributed to the high unit costs.

Most relevant to self-builders was the analysis done for the cost of building semi-detached homes in Dublin. A 123sqm five bedroom semi-detached house designed with five occupants in mind cost €180k to build, which was 15 per cent more than it cost to build a similar unit in Birmingham.

The report’s action plan includes rolling out standardised social housing plans and “simplified layouts”, although these will be “indicative only” and accompanied by performance and economic best practice guidance.

Updated RIAI guide

commencement notice must have been submitted to the local authority within the 28 day period prior to 25 April 2023 i.e. on or after 28 March 2023 to qualify.

Self-builders currently have to pay development levies to their local authority to pay for infrastructure costs such as roads. These can amount to tens of thousands of euros in certain areas.

Self-builders will continue to have to pay connections charges for electricity but won’t have to pay for water connection fees. The waiver does not apply to group water schemes; according to the Department of Housing it only applies to “houses connected to a water and wastewater supply provided by Irish Water/ Uisce Eireann”.

Water connection fees used to be done on a case by case basis, as is electricity at the moment, but a flat rate for water and wastewater connections was introduced in

will compensate Local Authorities and Irish Water for this loss of revenue.”

“This will cut the cost of building a home and apply for a limited time only to act as an incentive,” stated the press release dated April 2023.

For those at the site hunting stage, know that under the Ready to Build Scheme local authorities can provide serviced sites to self-builders.

Also know that self-builders are exempt from the new ROI rezoning tax on land as it will only apply to developments of more than four houses. The new Land Value Sharing (LVS) charge of 30 per cent will apply on the difference between existing use value and the market value on land that has been zoned for housing. The aim is prevent land speculation and land hoarding.

The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) updated its guide to working with an architect for 2023.

The guide now includes the RIAI’s 2030 Climate Challenge, a voluntary pledge to design buildings to have as little impact as possible on the environment.

The document outlines your obligations, from planning, health and safety through to building regulations and building control. It also provides a bird’s eye view of the stages you can expect to go through during your building project.

Even if light on details, the guide is a great overview of the process. The first edition of Working with an Architect was published in 2017.

The ROI government axes development levies and water charges for new builds, footing the bill for self-builders to the local authorities and Irish Water.

Renovation grants jump to €70k

Island properties can get up to €84k plus a €7k grant for professional services.

The Croí Cónaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant increased the grants on offer from €30,000 to €50,000 for vacant properties, and from €50,000 to €70,000 for derelict properties. Island homes can avail of an extra 20 per cent, bringing the grant amounts to €60,000 and €84,000 respectively.

The grants are for homes built up to 2007, and are now available for properties intended for rental as well as those that will be owner-occupied.

Applications are done through your local authority and are open to both rural and urban regions. You must own or be buying a vacant or derelict property to avail of the grant.

VAT is included in the grant amount, shaving 23 per cent off the face value of the grants unless you hire a contractor in which case the reduced VAT rate of 13.5 per cent will apply.

Those who have already applied for the grant won’t be eligible for a top up, unless they haven’t drawn down on their grant amount.

“Anyone not yet paid the grant can be considered for additional funding as part of the recent grant increase,” a Department of Housing spokesperson told Selfbuild. “This will be based on the refurbishment costs applied for as part of their grant application, the local authority’s assessment of those costs and proof of expenditure.”

Expert conservation advice grant

A top up grant of €7,500 is also available for expert conservation advice for those doing up a vernacular dwelling such as a farmhouse and availing of the vacant property grant.

The Conservation Advice Grant Scheme for Vacant Traditional Farmhouses provides grants of up to €7,500 (excluding VAT) to cover the cost of having a conservation expert with proven and appropriate expertise visit a property, conduct a survey, and compile tailored conservation advice for the property owner.

This expert advice will include a report

€5k lead pipe grant open to all

All homes built before the 1980s that contain lead pipes can avail of a grant to replace them, thanks to a grant scheme first introduced in 2016.

As of December 2022 the scheme is no longer means tested and the grant amount is higher.

You can now get a grant to replace lead pipes and related fittings for 100 per cent of the cost or €5,000, whichever is the lowest. Before the change, grants up to €4,000 were available to those earning up to €50,000 per year.

The new grant includes €200 for the provision of a certificate from a laboratory or notification from a registered building professional.

which outlines the condition of a building and suggests conservation repairs and improvements which would improve the building and enhance its character, energy efficiency, integrity, and amenity.

The aim of the scheme is to help owners of traditionally constructed buildings to understand the heritage value and potential of these structures and to prompt them to consider investments which could enhance that value.

All applicants must be willing to complete a short questionnaire to assist with the evaluation of the scheme and provide a selection of before and after photographs.

Note: Not all conservation professionals will have energy modelling skills so engagement of additional conservation expertise may form part of the report recommendations. The grant does not cover costs associated with the design and specification of new build additions.

Both of these grants can be used in conjunction with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grants to help improve the energy efficiency of a home.

The minimum expenditure has been increased from €200 to €750. The scope of works is to replace old lead pipes and fittings with copper or plastic pipes.

Customers of Irish Water must apply through the Customer opt-in Lead Pipe Replacement Scheme. If you are not an Irish Water customer, contact your local authority to apply for the grant.

Planning still difficult to get in rural areas

Despite political pushback the update to the ROI Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines has yet to be published by the ROI Department of Housing.

The rural housing guidelines date back to 2005 and allow for so-called ‘locals only’ rules, whereby people from the local area may be given the right to build in the open countryside.

Each local authority can interpret what that means through its County Development Plan, leading to detractors saying the practice is unfair and arbitrary.

“Ireland’s rural young people are once again leaving in droves because it is so difficult for them to have a future and build a house in their communities,” said Elaine Houlihan, national president for Macra na Feirme, a voluntary organisation representing young people from rural Ireland.

Meanwhile RoscommonGalway TD Claire Kerrane told Agriland: “Local authorities are really being a law unto themselves. The rules are different in various parts of the country and in other parts of the country, it’s even more difficult than in other parts, to get that planning permission.”

An example of planning inconsistencies came up at a recent meeting of Galway County Council, according to breakingnews.ie, which heard of self-builders pretending to break up so they could build a

second house on their land to sell on for profit.

The Galway County Development Plan 2022 to 2028 excludes individuals from applying for planning permission for a one-off house, if they have previously been granted planning permission in the area.

Minister for Rural Affairs Heather Humphries indicated the government is favourable to building in the open countryside, as have previous ministers.

“None of us wants to see a return to the bad old days of ribbon development or houses being built on flood plains. However, there has to be a balance in this regard,” she told the Dáil in June.

“Our planning regulations need to support people to build on their own land. We have a golden, once-in-ageneration opportunity now to support the return of young people to our rural parishes. Government policy must support this, not get in the way of it.”

Case closed

The European Commission brought an infringement case against Ireland in 2007 regarding the 2005 Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines’ locals only rule.

The infringement case number INFR(2007)4011 was quietly closed in 2018. A spokesperson for the European Commission told Selfbuild correspondence with Member States is not published for infringement

cases, so there is no official reason why the case was closed.

“What this generally means is that the Irish authorities have notified their reviewed rules to the Commission, the Commission has assessed them and decided they are in line with the EU legislation and has closed the case,” the spokesperson said in an email.

According to a parliamentary question (PQ) dated April 2023, it’s had to do with changes to the planning system.

“Most notably, obligations under European Directives and international agreements relating to the management and protection of the environment and adapting to and mitigating climate change have become more central to the operation of the planning system,” said Minister for State Kieran O’Donnell in the PQ.

“While planning policy is a national, as opposed to an EU competence, due care is being taken to ensure the updated guidelines will not operate to conflict with fundamental EU freedoms, comply with EU environmental legislative requirements and have due regard to decisions of the European Court of Justice.”

“In this regard, the ‘Flemish Decree’ case was a successful challenge in the European Court of Justice to a March 2009 decree of the Belgian Flemish Region on land and real estate policy, which made the purchase or longterm lease of land (i.e. all

immovable property, that included existing homes, businesses and farms) in certain Flemish communes conditional upon there being a ‘sufficient connection’ between the prospective buyer or tenant and the relevant commune. The Flemish Decree therefore effectively restricted more than development rights in respect of new housing development.”

“The draft planning guidelines will address these complex environmental and legal issues, while also providing a framework for the sustainable management of housing in rural areas.”

Locals only saga: Why the delay?

The planning guidelines were ready to go, sources at the Department of Housing told Selfbuild in January 2023, but were awaiting cabinet approval.

However, the Department of Housing said in reply to the Parliamentary Question dated April 2023 that the reason for the delay was the need for an environmental assessment: “the guidelines are at an advanced stage of drafting and environmental assessments relating to the impact of the proposed guidelines on the environment are being finalised”.

The Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines, published in 2005, have been under review since 2007.

TDs, councillors and lobby groups are calling for the ROI government to publish Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines, 16 years in the making, to make it easier for people to build their own home in rural Ireland.

Pyrite scheme falls short

The ROI pyrite redress scheme is leaving homeowners significantly out of pocket as the grant available to rebuild pyrite affected homes works on a per sqm basis.

One homeowner speaking to Mayo Live said the subsidy for her 94sqm home didn’t come close to covering the cost of rebuilding, leaving her €102k out of pocket. Pyrite is a mineral that deteriorates concrete blocks over time, to the point that houses are crumbling. Affected property owners must apply to their local authority for the ‘Enhanced Grant Scheme for the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in their Construction’. Currently only homes in counties Clare, Donegal, Limerick and Mayo are eligible but cases have emerged further afield, including in NI.

House price drop

In Q2 2023, house prices fell slightly in ROI, by 0.5 per cent according to daft.ie, but increased in NI by 0.7 per cent according to building society Nationwide.

According to those same sources, the national house price average in ROI was €309.6k and in NI £182.7k in June 2023. Mainland UK recorded price decreases, with some regions seeing house values drop by 4.7 per cent. This coincided with a record low number of house completions in the UK, according to S&P Global, at a 14 year low excluding the Covid period.

In ROI the Central Bank estimates there will be 27,500 houses built in 2023, 1,500 below the current 29,000 target.

NI long way from net zero

Two in three homes in NI need energy upgrades to meet the region’s 2030 net zero goal.

50,000 buildings a year or 60 per cent of homes in NI will need improving in order to meet NI’s 2030 net zero targets, according to a new report by the Forum for a Better Housing Market NI carried out by Ulster University.

The Northern Ireland Energy Strategy targets a 56 per cent reduction in energy related carbon emissions by 2030 relative to 1990 levels.

“Northern Ireland is lagging behind other UK regions and the Republic of Ireland in the decarbonisation of its housing stock,” said David Little, Chair of the Forum for a Better Housing Market NI.

“Homes here are recording the lowest

energy performance scores compared with our neighbouring countries so we need to act now. One of the main reasons for this is, undoubtedly, the lack of a clear and coordinated policy response.”

The main policy solution outlined in the report was to “incentivise” building owners to create more energy efficient homes, presumably in the form of grants. There are currently few grants available to homeowners in NI.

Lead researcher Professor Martin Haran added: “A series of failed initiatives allied with a non-sitting Stormont Executive has ensured that NI significantly lags behind other UK regions and ROI.”

Log homes could get green light

Cork County councillors are banding together to update the County Development Plan’s Rural Design Guide to allow log homes to be built not just at the outskirts of forested areas, as is currently the case.

Independent TDs also want to see log homes allowed across Ireland. In most rural areas, they are difficult to get planning permission for. Log homes can cost as little as €60-€80k to build, according to the newspaper.

Log cabins could become more common thanks to a possible relaxing of planning rules in Co Cork, reports the Irish Examiner.

1 in 3 can’t afford to retrofit

A third of homeowners can’t afford to make their properties more energy efficient, according to a survey by Savills Ireland, as the costs can run into the tens of thousands of euros, even with grants.

Planning to build in NI? Contact NI Water first

It doesn’t matter if your plans are large or small, you must talk to NI Water before you submit your planning application.

That is the advice from NI Water as it launches a campaign to highlight the steps small developers and individuals planning to build or extend must follow.

Engage with NI Water by filling in a PreDevelopment Enquiry Form. This helps NI Water identify any potential issues with your plans. The utility could help resolve these issues in advance of submitting your

planning application.

“If you apply for planning permission in an area where there are capacity issues, we will have to recommend the application is turned down until you engage with us,” Davy McGrath, Head of Developer Services, NI Water explained.

“This is to ensure we can continue to protect the environment. So please, engage with us early to avoid delays to your project and potential disappointment if your application is refused.”

Further information on how to engage with the Developers Services Team and the Pre-Development Enquiry Form can be found at niwater.com

€20k grant for self-builders mooted

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

Meanwhile the property advisor says that homes with a Building Energy Rating of A or B sell more quickly, as people know they won’t have to do work on their home.

“If you put in external insulation, it can be €10,000 to €15,000, or to put in a heat pump it can be a similar cost so it’s no surprise that people can’t afford to retrofit,” said Orla Coyle, Head of Energy & Sustainability at Savills Ireland.

She points out that government grants are available, including fully funded energy upgrades for those on certain welfare benefits. But she added that “many people can’t afford it so we do need to look at green financing and alternative options to help people”.

According to TD Mattie McGrath rural housing regulations are “overly zealous”, stating the coalition government has taken “an especially aggressive and unhelpful anti-rural stance on one-off housing”.

A feast for the eyes

The winners of the 2023 Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) Awards are….

he RIAI Awards placed a strong focus on sustainability this year with a passive house designed house in Co Down winning the Sustainability Award. Silver Bark House by Marshall McCann Architects is a contemporary timber clad new build with an oversized dormer window.

The Living category meanwhile rewarded two projects, an artisan cottage in Dublin’s north inner city designed by Scullion Architects and An Tuí by Karen Brownlee Architects. Winning the Workplace and Fit-Out Award is Clancy Moore Architects’ Writer’s Room, the envy of anyone who’s working from home.

Silver Bark House Marshall McCann Architects

Photo Keri Leigh Kearney

Charleville Scullion Architects

An Tuí Karen Brownlee Architects

u

Photo Aisling McCoy

Photo Fionn McCann

Photo Fionn McCann

Are

you

finding that building

costs have gone through the roof ?

Would you like to find out why ? and what you can do about it ?

scan here with your phone camera for the free guide the secret to lowering your construction costs that everybody needs to know

Growing family

Alpha Flow Screeds has acquired Cookstown concrete and cement manufacturing firm Milburn Concrete. Founded in the 1970s by the Thom family and operating out of Orritor Quarry, Milburn Concrete makes both ready mix concrete and different types of floor screed.

New Limerick branch Bring your plans to life

With a range of over 8,000 different

sig.ie

alphaflowscreeds.com

When you’re looking at your architect’s drawings, it can be difficult to visualise what it will be like to walk around your dream home. For that reason, John and Emma Foley are bringing new state-ofthe-art, patented technology to Ireland for the very first time.

Lifesize Plans Leinster will project your layout, to lifesize scale, onto the floor of its purpose built Dublin 10 premises, giving you the opportunity to walk through your plans before you start building.

The technology allows you to move walls and other elements around so you’re sure the house you’re building is one that’s fit for purpose – saving time and money by helping to prevent on-site changes during construction. Moveable furniture is part of the experience, to provide spatial awareness and gain a better understanding of the flow and function of the design.

The showroom also has an upper level observation deck, cutting edge meeting room technology and collaborative breakout spaces.

To book an appointment and for more information go to lifesizeplans.com or email leinster@lifesizeplans.com

SIG Ireland has opened its fifth branch in Limerick. With existing branches in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, and Omagh, the branch will supply Limerick city and the wider mid-west region.

building products, SIG is a leading supplier of specialist building products and technical expertise to main contractors and subcontractors. Its fleet of trucks and vans means that SIG can provide reliable next day delivery.

Alpha Flow Screeds plans to retain the current use of the business and expand it, as it will work to supply and fit material north and south of Ireland.

self-builder quantity From surveyor to

Overview

House size: 295sqm

Bedrooms: 4

Plot size: 1.3 acres

Site cost: €35,000

Build cost: Approx. €850/sqm or €250,000 total (not finished)

House value: €495,000

BER: A2

Heating system: air to water heat pump and wood burning stove

Ventilation: demand controlled, not centralised

Build method: Blockwork

Words: Heather Campbell

Photography: Damien Kelly

James and Jessica Corrigan took on the challenge of building their own home, trusting their own abilities and the power of strong connections within the construction industry. But did the gamble pay off? This is how they got on.

James is a quantity surveyor with a good understanding of construction and a keen eye for financial considerations. So when it came to building his own home, he saw the financial advantages of taking on the project himself. With a fair knowledge of construction and connections to trades and skilled labourers, he felt confident in his organisational abilities to manage a self-build.

“While I can see why a lot of people want to appoint a contractor to handle the hiring and organisation, I actually enjoyed taking on that responsibility,” says James. “It was a personal achievement for me, although I must admit it was not without its challenges.” The location of his new home held great importance to him. “I always dreamed of building a house in my home town, but finding the right site was not easy. Typically, you would have to approach a farmer and pay a hefty price for a suitable plot.”

However, fate worked in his favour. “One day, I was casually chatting with my father about the possibility of finding a site, and within a week, a plot went up for sale in our town. The site belonged to a local pub owner who had decided to sell it. Thankfully, I knew the owner well so I contacted him directly and secured the site at an agreed price.” James was only 25 when he bought the land.

When it came to the design of their new home, James and Jessica shared their preferences and considered various options. However, James believed that basing their design on an existing house

they both liked and found functional would be the best approach.

“As luck would have it, we came across a house nearby that we both fell in love with. One day, while admiring it from the outside, we noticed the owner in the garden. I took the opportunity to strike up a conversation and explained our desire to get an idea of the house’s plans to use as a basis for our own home.”

“The owner turned out to be a true gentleman and invited us to visit that evening and took us on a tour of his house. He generously provided us with the plans, which served as inspiration for our design. We didn’t copy the house exactly, we made a few tweaks here and there to personalise it. Our architect then polished up the plans for us, bringing our vision to life.”

James bought the original plot of land subject to planning permission. “A previous owner of the land had been refused permission because the site is located at a crossroads. Our entrance was carefully placed at the farthest point of the site, meeting the required distance of 100

meters from the crossroads. Planning took approximately two months to finalise.”

Key features

“Certain design features were particularly

important to me. I wanted the living area to be a spacious open space. As the heart of my childhood home was always the kitchen, I insisted on a large kitchen with a functional island where we could gather with friends and family to enjoy each

other’s company,” says James.

“I preferred to have the majority of the bedrooms on the ground floor, with three downstairs and two upstairs. Having grown up in a bungalow, I didn’t see the need for many rooms upstairs, so we built a dormer (although we haven’t finished it yet), to allow for future use.”

“A design consideration that stemmed from my mother’s input concerned the entry into the rear of the house from the garden. She suggested having quick access to a toilet from the back door to prevent muddy shoes from tracking through the kitchen. We made a late design change to accommodate her suggestion, adding a door from the back kitchen directly into the wc, effectively giving the toilet two entry points.”

The L-shaped living room area runs off the kitchen like a dog’s leg. “We opted for a double sided wood burning stove in the living room to provide warmth and a cosy atmosphere during the colder months. A neighbour of mine had the same brand of stove, and I always remember being in his house and looking at it and thinking wow, it really captures your eye. We’ve got a couple of additional features such as a roller glass door which is really nice.”

Q&A with James & Jessica

What was your biggest splurge?

The stove, it cost €12,000 (including installation). The kitchen was another expensive buy, but we were thinking of its long term use. When both our parents got their first homes they put in solid mahogany kitchens, which they still have today. So we’re hoping we get the same lifespan from ours.

What would you change or do differently?

Our bedroom walk-in wardrobe is quite small. Eventually we will move our bedroom upstairs where there is room for a bigger one. The downstairs bedroom can then become a guestroom.

What surprised you?

The amount of waste that’s generated during the build, between off cuts in insulation and waste timber from the roof. I’m not blaming the contractors because I know they worked as efficiently as they could.

What single piece of advice would you give a friend who’s looking to embark on a project similar to yours?

Since I built it myself I’ve been helping friends not only with the cost side of their build, but with the scheduling of the works. I’m always saying the same thing to them: stay one step ahead. Always be thinking ‘what comes next’, and if you don’t know, ask. I might be in the construction game but there were areas where I didn’t have clue either. I was asking the guy doing the foundations about when I’d need to get in a plumber. They were asking when we were going to finish the first fix to plumb the toilet because it had to go in at that stage.

Would you do it again?

We would definitely not do it again. You couldn’t be calling in the favours from friends and family like we did more than once. We’re proud to look back on it but I think, for us, the one self-build memory is enough.

“Having grown up in a bungalow, I didn’t see the need for many rooms upstairs, so we built a dormer... ”

Trust earned

“When it came to block laying, I had a couple of people in mind, but ultimately I chose a local block layer. I knew he would deliver quality work, and his availability and efficiency were additional factors, even though speed wasn’t a top priority. Trust was the most important aspect for me.”

“The block layer actually recommended a roofer to us, as they had worked together before. While I did obtain three quotes for the roof, I decided to go with the recommended roofer based on their partnership and trusted relationship.”

“Following our roofing contractor’s advice, we also relied on his recommendations for the person to handle the fascias and soffits, who then pointed us to a tiler. The focus was on finding professionals who could work together seamlessly and coordinate the building process effectively.”

“I work for a mechanical contractor, so the heating and plumbing aspects were delivered by them, although we did bear the costs.”

“Having my father as an electrician and having served my time in that field for a few months, we were able to lend a hand to our electrician. This not only saved us time but also reduced labour costs.”

“Keeping things local was important to

us. I knew the guys who were working on our house, and I knew they wouldn’t try to pull the wool over our eyes.”

But James quickly realised the speed at which one late decision can hold up someone with knock on effect between trades. “If your electrician isn’t there on the day he promised, the next thing you know the cables aren’t put into conduit in the walls and then your plaster can’t start because of that,” he says. “It’s just

the knock on effects by one trade not being here on time. That is something that you don’t see until you’re hands on, controlling the programme on site.”

The ground floor is tiled throughout, with tiles also supplied by a local company.

Underfloor heating using an air to water heat pump serves as the primary heating source throughout the house. “I’ve always been interested in modern

Open plan area. James and Jessica’s favourite feature is the L-shaped lounge as it’s a cosy space that boasts a double sided stove as a focal point.

heating technology,” says James. “Growing up in our house, heat was supplied by a massive stove, fuelled by turf, timber or whatever my father could find. Although we were kept warm, I decided when I build my home that I wouldn’t be going to the bog anymore.”

“At the time we were planning the build in 2020, the heat pump was a relatively new technology that was being pushed out everywhere, and I was keen to install it.”

“I also have plans to install solar panels on our shed roof which sits in the perfect position to pick up the majority of the day’s sun. We have a duct in the ground wired back to the main electric board inside the house so sometime in the future I can wire the panels directly into it.”

James and Jessica considered installing a mechanical heat recovery system but decided against it, instead opting for passive air vents to control humidity and promote air circulation. Energy efficiency and insulation in particular, was a priority. They also chose triple glazed uPVC windows to minimise heat loss and provide an acoustic barrier to a busy nearby road.

All well and good

When James bought the site, there was an existing well, albeit at a relatively shallow 18m deep. “Before I purchased the land my father and I dropped a pump into it and pumped it for nearly a day without a drop in the water level. When the water passed quality testing we were quite happy that it was a usable and functioning well.”

James and Jessica’s tips

Spend time on the lighting design. It’s not something you realise will make a difference until it’s too late. But it all needs to be wired in early on, you can’t do it later down the line. Think of how you will use the rooms, do you need a reading lamp, LED strip lighting for different times of day, a statement piece?

Visit as many houses as you can. If you see a house that you really like, approach the homeowners. They might be happy to show you around. Even if they’re not, you’ve nothing to lose.

Plan your utility room to be as large as possible. You will be surprised how much space you need will actually need for laundry, drying etc. Ours could be bigger and could use an area for drying clothes. We have a bathroom there where we have our hot water cylinder and our indoor unit heat pump. That room does create a lot of heat so to use that space and have some sort of ventilation would have been a good option.

NEW BUILD

Located close to a limestone quarry means the water is full of limescale, so water softening equipment had to be installed for safe usage. “When we were digging out the foundations the machines were pulling out limestone boulders the size of Nissan Micra cars! At one stage there was a concern that we might need to put in a raft foundation, but luckily, this proved not to be the case in the end.”

The couple opted for a modern country interior style encompassing lots of neutral colours and natural materials, such as the granite island, splashback and borders and timber shelving in the kitchen.

“We fell in love with the white floor tiles in the entrance hallway and kitchen. They were an expensive choice but worth it for us.”

Lighting choices were handed over to the electrician. “At the time this wasn’t a priority for us,” admits James. “But if I was doing it again, I would go to a lighting consultant and work out a tailored lighting plan.”

In terms of landscaping, their focus was on creating a space where their two young children and dogs could freely play. They prioritised spacious lawns over elaborate flower beds or intricate features. Privacy and aesthetics were addressed by planting hedges and trees. “Our driveway is finished, but we still need to lay the kerbstones,” says James.

Throughout the entire process, the support and advice of their parents and friends proved invaluable. “Many of them had expertise in various aspects of construction and their input helped us make informed decisions,” says James.

Timeline

Jun 2016

Site purchased

Mar 2018

Planning applied

Jun 2018

Planning granted

Sep 2018

Build start

Dec 2019

Build end and moved in

“While I managed to strike a balance between being hands on and trusting the professionals, my knowledge of construction allowed me to negotiate and haggle on certain costs. I’m grateful for the assistance we received, as it made the project more manageable.”

“Currently, our home is working well for us, although there are still some unfinished areas. It suits our lifestyle, but we will need to use the upstairs space once our children start growing.”

Building their own home was a labour of love and a significant achievement for James and Jessica. “It allowed us to create a space that reflects our style and meets our needs. We are proud of the effort we put into the project and the end result.”

“It’s a place where we can build memories and enjoy the company of our loved ones. Despite the challenges and occasional setbacks, we wouldn’t change a thing. Our home is a testament to our hard work, perseverance and the support we received along the way.”

Bathroom tiles: James says the bathroom tiling is probably one of the nicest features of the house.

Project info

Find out more about James and Jessica’s project in Co Laois...

Suppliers

Builder’s merchant

Midland Hardware

Underfloor heating and plumbing

Lynskey engineering

Kitchen

Kinsella kitchens, Ballyroan, Co Laois

Windows

Munster Joinery

Ventilation

Humidity controlled inlets from anjos ventilation

Rooflights

Fakro

Bathrooms

AJ Plumbing

Tiles

Looby tiles, Roscrea.

Limestone sills and lintels

Manor Stone, Ballacolla

Stairs and precast hollowcore concrete

Gleesons Precast

Double sided stove

KB Construction

Steel lintels

Steelite

Furniture

Minogues, Roscrea

Electrical fitting and lights

EEW and Bright Lights

Photography

Damien Kelly, damienkellyphotography.com

Spec

Floor: floor finish on 75mm 50N powerfloated concrete screed with underfloor pipe on 1000 gauge polythene sheeting on 120mm PIR insulation board laid with joints staggered on 150mm concrete slab with A393 mesh incorporated on radon barrier on 50mm smooth sand T3 blind on minimum 150mm compacted T1 structural hardcore.

Walls: 100mm inner leaf, 100mm PIR cavity insulation with thermal conductivity of 0.021W/mK, 100mm block outer leaf, sand and cement render finish.

Roof: cut roof rafters 75mm, 420mm centre, 41deg pitch.

Windows: Triple glazed uPVC

Words: Heather Campbell

Photography: Paul Lindsay

splitSavvylevel living

Stuart and Katie Eadie explain why persistence often pays off when building your own home.

Overview

Size of house: 250sqm

Bedrooms: 4

Plot size: 1 acre

Site cost: £107k

Build cost: £396k (£443k including all fees, connections etc)

House value: £600k

EPC (SAP): A (93)

Heating: oil boiler with wood burning stove

Ventilation: mechanised centralised with heat recovery

Build method: block and steel

tuart and Katie loved living in the Rosetta area of Belfast, however, they became increasingly aware of the drawbacks of their three-bedroom semi-detached house, such as the lack of natural light and sun in the garden and restricted internal space. They knew they wanted to find solutions in their next home, but they quickly realised that buying a fourbedroom detached house in the same area of Belfast – that ticked all their boxes – would be beyond their budget. So, they decided to explore building sites instead.

In 2019, they found a suitable site just five minutes from Katie’s family, which was ideal for both of their work commutes. The previously approved plans for the site were for a large two storey building, around 420 square metres. However, due to the sloping site, the building would have had to be built low down the hill to adhere to the maximum ridge height.

“We consulted with several architects

and ultimately decided on a split level design that allowed us to build half the house size but further up the hill,” explains Stuart. “We wanted a home that was functional and not too ostentatious. And we didn’t want to overspend on our project.”

Space to grow

Stuart, a pregnant Katie and their young son moved in with Katie’s parents in October 2019 and remained there throughout the entire build.

“When Katie and I were considering the design of our new home, we knew that space was a top priority. With one child at the time and two now, we wanted to ensure there was plenty of room for them to move around, and even ride scooters inside the house. We also wanted more natural light and a view of the sky –features that our previous home lacked.”

“Of course, sticking to our budget was crucial, so we carefully selected an architectural practice that had experience designing family homes while keeping costs under control. We had seen some of our architects’ previous work and felt confident they would be able to create a design that met our needs. We were delighted when they were able to deliver a plan that maximised space and minimised waste, resulting in a functional and comfortable home that perfectly meets our family’s needs.”

“It took us a long time to initially plan and work through all the details of the house, including walking through the space and trying to visualise how we would use it. We even went so far as to

“When Katie and I were considering the design of our new home, we knew that space was a top priority.”

MAKE THE OUTSIDE OUTSTANDING.

Exposa®️ sets a new standard in concrete solutions with its unparalleled versatility and durability, perfect for enhancing patios, pathways, driveways, steps, promenades, and expansive pedestrian areas.

An extensive palette of colours, allows you to effortlessly achieve various design styles, from minimalistic and rustic to elegant and modern.

LOW MAINTENANCE

INFINITE DESIGN POSSIBILITIES

HIGH PERFORMING & DURABLE

measure rooms in other people’s houses, to get a sense of what a ‘normal’ room size would be.”

“We had to reapply for permission as our plans were for a smaller house. But our architect assured us that this would not be a major issue and the process was surprisingly quick. From submitting the plans to receiving approval, the whole process took only about six weeks, which was much faster than we expected.”

“We had a fixed price agreement with the contractor who project managed, but the architects were also overseeing the build. The builder had his crew of workers, but he also had certain subcontractors who had worked with him for 20 years. We appointed specific people for the windows, kitchen, bathroom and polished concrete.”

“Since I lived close to the site, I would visit most days and we would also be

in constant communication with the architects. Whenever I was unsure about something, the architect would step in and resolve the issue for me, which was great as it meant I didn’t have to be confrontational.”

The house is built on three levels, with an H-style floor plan. The flooring for the open plan living room upper section and the middle section are all polished concrete. The rest of the house has standard screed, and the bedroom blocks have screed as well. Underfloor heating was installed in the middle and upper block and radiators are used in the rest of the house.

“We opted for oil fired heating, but kept in mind the possibility of retrofitting a heat pump in the future,” says Stuart. “To reduce our carbon footprint, we have solar panels with a 4kW system on the roof and heat recovery ventilation. Additionally, we have a wood burner for extra warmth during the colder months.”

Tricky business

Stuart and Katie encountered some challenges with the septic tank and electrical systems during the construction of their home. Initially, ground tests indicated that the soil wouldn’t be suitable for a septic

The large 3m sliding door in the entrance hallway is one of Stuart’s favourite design features, as is the kitchen.

Q&A with Stuart and Katie

What was your biggest splurge?

The polished concrete cost £12k, it was probably about £3k more than if we had tiled, but we both love it and think it was worth doing. It creates a great flow throughout and blends nicely with the wood panelling. The windows were £27k, but we worked to get that down quite a bit as well. The kitchen, utility, and appliances came to £31k.

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

Get a quantity surveyor to draw up a bill of quantities; we got ours done on the recommendation of the architect. This gave us more control over the spending, and we could easily add or deduct items based on the unit prices provided in the bill of quantities.

And we did add a few things to the contract that increased the cost, such as driveways and landscaping. To save some money, we initially planned to use concrete paving for our patio, but we decided last minute that we wanted sandstone instead. We knew the price per meter for the sandstone, so we had more control over the spending and could make informed decisions.

Overall, our main piece of advice would be to ensure you have the right professionals on board from the start. We hired an architect that we could easily communicate with and a quantity surveyor to help us control the budget. Although it cost us around £2-3,000 upfront, it saved us a lot more in the long run.

Good communication with the builder is key, and ours kept us involved throughout the entire process. The electricians, in particular, were great at keeping in touch with me and making sure everything was done correctly. The contractor in general was fantastic, and the site was always kept clean. Overall, the process was easy, although living in a space which wasn’t ours during the build was a bit challenging – probably more so for the parents!

“...we carefully selected an architectural practice that had experience designing family homes while keeping costs under control...”

tank, which could have led to a costly alternative system.

“It was going to cost around £12,000,” says Stuart. “At one stage, we were unsure if we’d be able to get anything suitable for the discharge of water at all, which would have meant no discharge certificate and therefore no mortgage. Things were getting quite hairy, but, with the help of a neighbour, we were able to find an old field drain in the lane beside the house. We had to go through solicitors and Land Registry to get permission to dig. But eventually, we were able to install a very simple septic tank for £4,000 and the soakaway just goes into that field drain, which was a lifesaver.”

For the electrical installation, they assumed that connecting to an existing pole would be straightforward, but NIE told them they’d have to connect to a different pole at an extra cost of £8,000. “We spoke to a few different people at NIE,” says Stuart. “Katie eventually managed to chat to one of the workers and got the cost down to £4,000. You need to be persistent sometimes. If you just take the first word for it, you can find yourself paying over the odds.”

Katie adds: “I was pregnant, angry and emotional, which all helped!”

Interiors

Describing the couple’s interior style

direction as “warm meets minimalistic” Katie says: “From the start, we were adamant that we wanted polished concrete flooring which set the tone for the rest of the house. We also bought our kitchen and bathrooms quite early on, so we just hoped we would still like them when they were in the house. Not knowing what anything would look like in reality was the most difficult part.”

“We picked things that we liked, made an online mood board and looked at social media self-build accounts. We had a neutral aesthetic and just followed it through, room by room.”

“We wanted things that were easy to clean and maintain, like large tiles in the bathrooms and a minimal shower screen – all of that reduced that amount of grout and glass to keep clean,” adds Stuart.

“Phillip from the kitchen company was really good. He advised us that in an open plan living area, the kitchen becomes more like furniture (as well as being functional). So we changed from our original shaker style choice to one that was more modern and minimalistic,” says Katie.

“I like to choose items that have an enduring, timeless style, plus I don’t like clutter on the worktops or in the way.”

Savvy decisions

“We had to reduce our insulation package to save money in the end,” says Katie. “Originally, the house was specified with rigid board insulation, but we had to switch to cavity bead insulation. The thickness of the new insulation makes the U-values quite similar. Since much of the house faces south, we installed a lot of glazing to make use of the solar

Stuart and Katie’s tips

Visit different showrooms for kitchens and bathrooms. We got a price to do all our bathrooms and then went to a place recommended by our architect who was able to do all the bathrooms and the tiles for the same price as the other places were quoting just for the sanitaryware. So there’s £3,000 worth of tiles that we wouldn’t have otherwise.

Haggle. There’s no shame in just going in and saying, “I have a better price elsewhere. Can you match that?” Having a good, honest conversation can get you a long way.

Try to enjoy the process. I admit that I stressed out a lot and lost sleep over it, but in hindsight, I should have trusted the professionals more and enjoyed the process a bit more.

Katie loves how clutter free their home is, thanks to the utility room but also from the extra storage in the boys’ bedrooms, the walk in wardrobe in the master bedroom and the big cupboard in the hall. “We don’t need a lot of furniture because of it,” she says.

NEW BUILD

gain. Even in the winter, the house feels quite warm on sunny days. However, we purposely placed the bedrooms on the north side because we don’t like sleeping in hot rooms. This setup works well for us, keeping the bedrooms cool in the summer.”

“In the future, we would love to install an air source heat pump or a ground source heat pump, since we have enough land to fit it, but we had to draw a line in the budget somewhere.”

“We considered the payback period for our solar panels and estimated that they would be paid off within four years. They have been working for us. Last year, we didn’t use our oil for heating from May until the second week of October, relying solely on solar panels. This significantly reduced our electric bill and heating costs. Any extra energy that wasn’t used went to the immersion heater so hot water was free too. When fuel prices went up, we decided to buy an electric car, which at times we charge using the solar panels.”

“At design stage, our solar panel providers recommended installing a heavy cable from the junction box to the garage for a future EV charging point. We thought it would be unnecessary since we weren’t planning on getting an electric car for a few years. However, we decided to have the cable put in at the last minute. Within a few months of moving in, we had an electric car and were grateful for the futureproofing since it saved us money on cable installation, which would have been a nightmare to install with the vaulted ceilings.”

“Initially, we’d also removed landscaping from the contract to save costs. However, we later added it back in and were able to get our patios and tarmac done by the builder. He also sowed all the grass for us, and since then, I have been planting trees and hedges. If I had been left with a bare acre site, I’m not sure I would have been capable of making that lawn.”

One of the biggest challenges to the build was the timeframe, especially when it came to the windows. “The window installation took 10 weeks longer than expected,” admits Stuart. “But as we had specifically appointed the window people, it was our responsibility to manage those delays.”

After a year of living in the house, how is it working for them? “It’s been great so far,” says Katie. “There are very few things that I’m not happy with. I love the open plan living, which works well for our family life. We still need to decorate our lounge and have that as a separate space, but overall, I think the house is not too big and is easy to keep clean. It works well for us as our family home.”

November 2019

Site purchased

November 2019

Applied for planning for change of house

December 2019

Planning granted

May 2020

Out to tender

October 2020

Tender completed

March 2021

Build start

May 2022

Build end

Project info

Find out more about Stuart & Katie’s project in Co Antrim...

Suppliers

Architect

Mark and Jack Cassidy at C3 Architects, Co Antrim, tel. 9266 2555, mobile 075 4365 4495

Contractor

Sam McNiece at S L McNiece Ltd, County Armagh, tel. 3752 3421

Quantity Surveyor

Clarke Faulkner at W T Orr and Partners, Co Tyrone, tel. 8676 9520

Structural Engineer

David Graham at Add Consulting, Co Armagh, tel. 3760 0200

Kitchen and utility

Phillip at Cardy Kitchens, CoAntrim, tel. 9267 8884

Bathrooms and tiles

James at Hillsborough Tile and Bathroom, Co Antrim, tel. 9268 3330

Ensuite vanity unit

Danny Ogge at Dogwood Designs, Co Mayo, ROI mobile 085 269 0032

Polished concrete floor

Concrete: 100mm minimum thickness

Zircon Concrete by RTU, concrete colour: Roman Court, substrate: insulation

Grinding/Polishing process: Thomas Ringland of Remarkable Polished Concrete, remarkablepolishedconcrete. co.uk, mobile 07510934306, surface finish: powerfloat, cream finish and no exposure of aggregate, then polished.

Built-in bedroom furniture

Fusion Robes, Co Down, tel. 9045 9337

Windows and doors

Rationel AURAPLUS range

Photography

Paul Lindsay, paullindsayphoto.co.uk]

ROI calling NI prefix with 048, mobile prefix with 0044 and drop the first 0

Spec

Walls: 455mm cavity walls with 150mm cavity to include full fill pumped EPS bead insulation, to achieve a U-value of 0.21W/sqmK or better.

Pitched roof: Concrete roofing tiles or slates suitable for 35deg pitch on 50x38mm treated battens at centres to suit selected flat profile slates on breather membrane on 150x50mm C16 grade timber rafters at 400mm max. centres. 100mm PIR board between rafters with 50mm PIR board below rafters throughout the main dwelling. To achieve a U-value of 0.17W/sqmK or better.

Floor (bedroom block): Selected carpets / ceramic floor tiles on 100mm sand/cement screed. 1200 gauge vapour barrier on min 100mm PIR Insulation boards used in conjunction with preformed

perimeter strips on radon barrier on 150mm concrete slab. To achieve a U-value of 0.15W/sqmK or better.

Floor (open plan block):

Polished concrete floor incorporating under floor heating pipes. A252 Steel reinforcing mesh on 40 / 50mm concrete spacers (castles) laid above wet underfloor heating pipes, clipped into insulation. 1200 gauge vapour barrier on 100mm PIR insulation board used in conjunction with preformed perimeter strips on radon barrier on 50mm concrete slab. To achieve a U-value of 0.15W/sqmK or better.

Windows and doors: mix of double and triple glazed, aluclad timber, average U-value 1.2W/sqmK

Air permeability: 3.98 m3 (h.sqm)

More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

Words: Astrid Madsen

Staying put

Photography: Kirsty Lyons

Aoife and Mark Ryan lived in their home for years before they tackled their renovation project. The result? The family living space they dreamed of.

Overview

House size before: 123sqm

House size after: 146sqm

Bedrooms: 4

Original budget: €120k

Construction tender cost: €145k

Final cost, all inclusive: €185k

House value: €390k

Heating: gas boiler

Ventilation: humidity controlled

Build method (extension): blockwork

BER before: D1

BER after: A2

EXTENSION & RENOVATION

What do you do when you have a house that’s big enough for your family, in the right location, but is a nightmare to get around? Aoife and Mark Ryan’s answer was to stay put and reconfigure the space. But as is often the case, what started off as a modest refurb quickly snowballed into much more. “If you had looked at the original house it was three rooms across the back, living room/kitchen/utility, and we brought that whole space together and reconfigured some of the other rooms,” says Aoife. “One of us would be in the kitchen, one of us would be in the sitting room, the kids would be in the playroom.”

“And none of us could see each other. Reconfiguring it was a big thing and having a bit more space, adding a home office, and making it more comfortable for everybody was our ultimate goal,” adds Aoife. In addition to the reconfiguration, they added two small extensions, the one downstairs accommodates a new dining area; did an energy upgrade, including boiler upgrade; bought new appliances and new furniture; and got the whole house painted professionally.

The budget

As it turns out, when it came to the budget, Aoife and Mark had a leg up on other self-builders. “Mark is an accountant and I was working in sourcing at the time, so budgeting was our day job. So we were down to the cent, we knew exactly how much we could spend and stuck to our budget,” says Aoife.

“If we saved on one thing, we used that extra on something else, and we weren’t

going to go over our full budget. We were quite restrained in that sense,” she adds. “Choosing the tiles and other finishings, you can definitely go really expensive for things like that so we had to be restrained. We had a budget for those kinds of things and for the construction as well.”

That’s not to say there weren’t any budget busters. “The one thing we hadn’t planned for was to get a painter in. That cost a lot more than we had intended or even thought about. I don’t even know if we thought we’d do it ourselves,” admits Aoife. “I think we hadn’t thought about it at all. Because there was so much fresh plaster, new woodwork, we got a painter in to do every single thing, inside and outside.”

“If you include the painter and all of the paint, it was close to €6k and he was here for about three weeks. At the same time, it was absolutely well spent. We would have spent months making a mess of it. The technique, base coats, woodwork, I wouldn’t know how to do all that.”

Helping to finance the build was the green mortgage they got from their bank,

PV panels. Excess electricity from the PV panels go to a hot water inverter, heating water with that extra energy. Aoife and Mark also replaced the 20 year old gas boiler. “We basically now use gas as our backup and our bills are half what they were before we got the panels in 2021/22,” says Aoife.

A CORRECTLY SIZED GRANT HEAT PUMP CAN HELP YOUR NEW BUILD ACHIEVE MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY

If you are currently building your own home and have decided to use the Grant Aerona³ R32 air to water air source heat pump as your main heat source, it is important that the system is correctly sized. Sizing requirements are based on the heat load requirements for each room in a property and these calculations can also determine the best suited technologies for the individual project.

When carrying out a new build project, installing a highly sustainable main heat source like an air to water heat pump is now essential in order to meet required building compliance. When a heat pump like the Grant Aerona³ R32 air to water air source heat pump is chosen, then full heat loss calculations in line with currently building requirements and regulations are recommended. These calculations can be provided free of charge by the technical specialists at Grant.

In addition to providing the heat load requirement for each room, which helps to calculate the output of the air to water, air source heat pump, the Grant team will also correctly size and specify complimentary technologies for each individual build, including hot water cylinders, radiators, and underfloor heating.

A heating system that has not been sized in line with a property’s requirements is most likely to produce inconsistent heat using more energy, leading to increased heating costs, reduced efficiency, potential maintenance issues and the heating system not living up to expectations.

Grant works with both self-builders and those working on larger scale new build projects to have each heating system professionally designed and specified, free of charge. To have your bespoke integrated heating package designed and specified by Grant, send your house plans, contact information and your preferred choice of heat emitters (underfloor heating, radiators or both), to heatpump@grant.ie (ROI) or heatpump@grantni.com (NI)

Why chose the Grant Aerona³ R32 air to water, air source heat pump as the main heat source in your new build?

The Grant Aerona³ R32 air to water air source heat pump is the most popular main heat source within the company’s integrated heating packages for new builds. The highly efficient A+++ Aerona³ R32 air to water air source heat pump, offers a sustainable form of heating and can help achieve building compliance.

All four models within the R32 range, 6kW, 10kW, 13kW and 17kW, boast superior seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) and can run at both high and low temperatures which allows the heat pump to work in tandem with Grant’s other heating technologies; a prime reason why it is often chosen as the main heat source within the packages offering.

When paired with Grant’s other heating technologies like the Uflex underfloor heating system, the overall efficiency levels of the new build property will rise, as both technologies can run at lower temperatures, therefore enabling long-term carbon savings.

The Grant Aerona³ R32 13kW and 17kW models have also been recognised by Quiet Mark for their quiet operation. Quiet Mark is the international award programme validating and awarding low-noise, high-performance technologies, helping to deliver solutions to overcome noise pollution throughout the world.

All Grant products are available from plumbing and heating merchants throughout the island of Ireland. For further information visit www.grant.ie / www.grantni.com

Grant home heating design service

EXTENSION & RENOVATION

which Aoife says was one of the reasons to upgrade the insulation and install photovoltaic (PV) panels. “We got an energy rating assessor in to prove we’d made the improvements; the building energy rating needed to be over a B3 to benefit from the

reduced rate,” says Aoife.

“When we bought the house we were a D1, then made a couple changes over the years, a front and back door, added a pull down ladder to the attic, that kind of thing,” says Aoife. “But it’s the energy upgrade and

PV panels that pushed it up to an A2.” The reconfiguration

“Before buying our home we’d been renting for years,” says Aoife. “Mainly apartments, spice boxes is the best way to describe them. And with two small children, we were keen to create a comfortable family home.”

“We did employ an architect and went to him with a very clear idea of the layout that we wanted, symmetry, glazing. We had that in our head. But we knew we would need to take down walls and we needed structural drawings to work that out for us.”

The upstairs extension at the side of the house also required planning permission. “The architect did the planning process for us as well which was great – no issues on that side,” says Aoife.

For inspiration Aoife went to social media. “I had a lot of ideas in mind over the years, what way I would like the house to look. Space and style wise,” she says. “Since we’ve done the reno I’ve noticed people using suppliers from further afield to reduce costs, particularly from Poland which I wasn’t aware of when we did the build.”

“But to be honest we tried to use local places where we could, even for furnishings and finishes,” she says. “For example, we got all of our appliances from the one place. When we bundled them we got some quite

Kitchen. Aoife recommends starting on your kitchen design as early as you can. She says she had time to design and redesign it, but ended up not straying very far from her original ideas. “We had lots of discussions and went through different iterations, and we came full circle” she says. “In the end I still came back to what I wanted, so I knew that was the best plan. It’s an important space to get right.”

decent discounts – we went in to five or six different places, this is the list of appliances we want, give us your best price and we’ll get back to you.”

Finding a unicorn

“We had our planning permission notice up on the site and one random evening a guy knocks at the door and hands in his card saying ‘I’m working on a house around the back’. At that stage our planning was just in, we thought what a chancer knocking and leaving his card in and put it to one side. Never thought about it, not even when we went to tender.”

The tender process to find a builder was through the architect who gave them a shortlist. “We went to five or six but didn’t go with any of the three bidders, as we didn’t get the right feeling so we put the whole thing on hold for a couple months,” says Aoife.

“When we decided not to go ahead with any of the bidders, we were literally cleaning out a drawer and found the card and got that builder to give us a quote. And he did but he was chock-a-block busy and couldn’t start for six months.”

“He actually held the price for us, at a time of material price increases, which is unheard of. I don’t know where we found him, he’s a unicorn,” says Aoife. “We chatted

Q&A with Aoife

Favourite features?

The bifold doors. The house used to be quite dark and it’s great to have it so bright now. We leave the bifold door open for most of the summer, we’re in and out all the time, it makes everything so much more sociable.

Our architect at the time was trying to convince us to go for a sliding door. It was one of the things we argued about the most. He kept trying to convince us not to get the bifolds, we thought he must have shares in a sliding door company. We’re so delighted we did, it’s the best thing. Last summer it was open every single day and we’ve had no mechanical issues whatsoever.

What would you change?

The only thing would be to put a real set of stairs up to our attic. The pull down steps are awkward to get up and down and it means we can’t use the space as well as we would like. Eventually we probably should shelve the attic properly and make it a more useful space.

Would

you do it again?

Absolutely. But only with the same builder.

“...we knew exactly how much we could spend and stuck to our budget...”

Radiators. Tall radiators downstairs, to save wall space, and standard rads upstairs for the bedrooms. “They heat up so fast and you might have the heat on for 20 minutes and that could be enough to keep warm for the evening,” says Aoife.

EXTENSION & RENOVATION

with the owners of the house around the corner he’d worked on, and it was like it was meant to be.”

“It was a handshake agreement, we had no contract signed and he said he’d keep the price for us, and we assumed that he would,” says Aoife, and he did.

The quote, based on the construction drawings from the architect, covered all structural work (extension upstairs and downstairs, including creating a new corridor through existing rooms upstairs), replacing the internal doors throughout, window installation, insulation, plumbing, and woodwork.

“He told us it would take him 14 weeks but it was 16 weeks because of a delay with the bifold doors arriving, which wasn’t his fault. That represented a three week delay so if that hadn’t happened, he would have finished a week early.”

“The builders who quoted for us at the tender stage said they couldn’t guarantee it would be six months, they said it could be eight or 10, whatever way the chips would fall, depending how they were at the time.”

The build

Mark and Aoife finished up with the architect when they pushed out the build from 2021 to 2022 but still had a structural engineer to sign off on the payments out to the builder.

The entire family did have to move out

during the build. “Every single room was touched to some degree plus the whole back of the house was open for several month for the glazing to go in,” says Aoife.

“Every Friday at lunchtime we’d meet the builder here and any of the trades that were on site and we’d check everything. And you know we might pop over to the house some evening as well if we knew something was getting done, we’d pop in to have a look and make sure it was being done right. We really didn’t need to micromanage. To be honest, we needed to do very little. Nobody believes me,” laughs Aoife.

Although it was a good thing she kept an

eye on things. “I knew the tiler had been in, so I came over to see. We had a shower niche in the wall for shampoo bottles, and I’d said I want it to be exactly one tile wide so no lines down the centre. I came in to find there was a third of a tile at one side and the rest was two thirds of another tile.”

“The tilers were telling me they couldn’t see an issue, and I told them I’m not going to be able to live with it. The builder said we’ll just take the tiles off that wall and restart. Then in the ensuite they’d tiled one of the walls with no shower niche at all. There had been a niche there the other day – what happened was when they put the tanking

up, they’d slabbed over the niche and hadn’t recut the niche out.”

“That was all in the space of 12 hours. And the next morning it was all fixed and done. They were so easy to work with. Other builders could say there’s nothing we can do about it now, it was an oversight, you’ll have to work with it. It was never said this is going to cost you, no. It was a mistake and they fixed it.”

Aoife and Mark got a separate quote for the kitchen, leaving the builder to deal with the manufacturer directly to coordinate the installation.

Insulation and PV panels

“We knew we were going to make some upgrades but we went over and above what we had originally planned,” says Aoife.

“We approached the builder and discussed getting a grant but he wasn’t registered

with the SEAI, the government body that administers the individual grants, which meant we weren’t going to be able to get it.”

So they looked at getting a One Stop Shop grant from the SEAI instead, which is administered by one point of contact and you get the grant through them for a full house renovation upgrade, major works including not just insulation and airtightness but also ventilation and windows.

“In the end we felt like we’d be paying out more. And because there were so few One Stop Shops around the country, it was

Aoife’s top tip

Trust your gut. So many people will give you their opinions when you’re building or renovating and by all means, take them on board. But at the end of the day you’re the one who’s’ going to be living in the house, you’re the one who knows how your family lives. You know how you’re going to need to use the space so listen to what people have to say but don’t them influence you if you’re uncomfortable about the advice.

Stick with your guns on the things that matter to you. For example we didn’t really like the tenders that we received, or the advice we were getting from those builders. We decided to hold off even though we were so eager to get started. The tenders had come in over our budget but saying that, we ended up going to that level anyway. The reason we didn’t go for it is we just didn’t get the right feeling.

EXTENSION & RENOVATION

going to cause delays to our build. It was important to us to get back in as quickly as possible so our builder went ahead and did all the energy efficiency upgrades for us and he got the best prices he could for the materials. It just worked out as the best option for us,” adds Aoife.

“The only grant we got in the end was an individual grant, for our 12 photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof and we hired a specialist company to install those for us, completely separate to the builder.”

Comfort

The windows were a big part of the project, and they knew what they wanted from day one although the large expanses of glass can mean there is some overheating. “On days it’s warm we have the back door open and we have demand controlled ventilation –one mechanised unit in the open area and one in the living room. It’s not a centralised system, they’re single units, but they’re continually refreshing the house.”

So what’s the verdict? “Even before Covid when I was working from home in the colder

months I could have the heating on from 9am to 3pm or 4pm just to stay warm,” says Aoife. “Even the winter gone when we had the hard frost, over those couple weeks, I maybe had the heat on for an hour and that was it. It’s a massive difference. And if I hadn’t been sitting down working I wouldn’t have needed it at all.”

“We’re calculating that we won’t pay an electric bill until January 2024 thanks to a credit owed, the government credits, and excess electricity generation rebates, mixed in with vastly reduced bills thanks to the energy upgrades. If we look back at the coldest period from November to February our gas bills every two months were €180 to €200.”

And they’re already thinking of how to upgrade the boiler in the future. “Our boiler is hydrogen blend ready meaning it will be able to run on gas and hydrogen at an 80/20 ratio once the fuel is available,” says Aoife. “Installing a heat pump and underfloor heating wasn’t in our budget, so I’m happy to know there’s an environmental alternative down the line.”

Aoife is delighted with the end result but can’t help but be swayed by interior design trends. “I’m trying not to think about changing colours or styles, we’re only just in a year at this stage,” she smiles. “I suppose it’s just fun to think of how you would change different things, while trying not to get too carried away with it at the same time.” The possibilities are endless.

Follow Aoife’s renovation journey on Instagram @building_ashgrove

“I suppose it’s just fun to think of how you would change different things, while trying not to get too carried away with it...”

Project info

Find out more about Aoife and Mark’s project in Co Limerick...

Suppliers

Builder

Anthony Griffin, Griffin’s Builders, Limerick, mobile 0876863000

Kitchen

Zanwood Kitchens & Designs, Limerick, tel. 061 397526

Photovoltaics (PV)

12 Longi 350 & 375 watt panels SPV Energy (output 4.2kWh) + EDDI hot water inverter supplied by SPV Energy, Cavan, mobile 0877824799

Insulation

External cavity walls Envirobead, 300mm Knaufwool attic floor insulation supplied by Sheehy Insulation, Kerry, tel. 068 45305

Electrics

Finucane’s Electrical Expert Ltd., Limerick, tel. 061 469467

Plumbing PJ Matthews, Limerick, tel. 061 413722

Flooring

Limerick Tile and Wood Centre, Limerick, tel. 061 294573

Windows

Munster Joinery

Photography

Kirsty Lyons, kirstylyons.ie

NI calling ROI prefix with 00353 and drop the first 0

Spec

Existing house: small amount of insulation in the attic flooring was topped up, EPS boards in cavity walls complemented by EPS beads, internal walls drylined with 50mm insulated plasterboard.

Extension: cavity walls block built pumped with EPS beads, roof has 300mm rockwool insulation for U-value 0.139 W/sqmK.

Windows: triple glazed passive standard, overall U-value 0.7 W/m2K

Heat loss indicator (HLI): 1.925 W/sqmK

Words: Astrid Madsen

Photography: Peter Bruce

Extension modern for living

Overview

House size before: 241sqm

House size after: 265sqm

Plot size: 618sqm

Bedrooms: 5

Heating: gas boiler

Ventilation: natural with extractor fans

Renovation cost: £110k + VAT all in

When you can see your breath indoors, you know it’s time to invest in a home renovation project. For Emma and Jonathan Rhodes, that meant knocking down the old conservatory to replace it with a family friendly open plan extension.

When we bought the house it had a lean-to at the back, a type of conservatory with thin plastic roof. It was so cold, you could see your breath for six months of the year. You just couldn’t heat that room,” says Jonathan.

“Warmth and comfort stopped us from using what was the brightest room in the house, as it was south facing. We knew we needed to knock it down and rebuild an extension that would be nice and warm.”

Above all, Johnathan and Emma wanted to create a comfortable space to live in and entertain their extended family. “We like a simple minimalistic style, not an awful lot of clutter,” he adds, an ethos that guided them throughout the build.

Reconfiguration

“Initially we figured we’d stick on a box on the back of the house, and we got an architectural technician to draw that up for us. But something just wasn’t right with that, we weren’t that happy with it,” says Jonathan. “That’s when we approached an architect.”

“I suppose that was the difference with hiring an architect, Aisling looked at the

entire plan. She immediately identified that the layout wasn’t working. Upon entering the house, you had to take quite a long route to get around to the kitchen, going through a little TV room. It didn’t really make sense.”

“Aisling suggested we move the bathroom to the centre of the house, knock some walls so that when you walk into the house you’re able to see through to the kitchen and access it. As soon as she said it, we knew that’s what we needed.”

Even though the couple wanted a bright home to live in, the darkest part of the semidetached home is in fact what made the most difference to their life. “There’s still no natural light in there but it doesn’t matter as we’re making the best use of what was dead space, converting it into a functional room,” says Emma, speaking of her favourite design feature.

That’s right, it’s the utility room. “We’d never had one in our previous house so it was a bit of a novelty. The roof in that section is higher than in the rest of the house, so that makes it feel more airy and it gives us room to use the pulley rack that hides away.”

“Our laundry area used to be in the kitchen so having somewhere to put

Garden. A work in progress, Jonathan says the hard landscaping was done by the builder and they planned what to plant themselves. What he didn’t expect was how expensive the paving stones would be. “I thought pave that area, that’ll be cheap as chips,” he says. “Then I realised, OK, maybe not.”

Emma and Jonathan ’s tips

Keep your neighbours on side. Especially when you’re living in a semi-detached house, building work is messy, dirty and can cause structural issues.

Move out. We were lucky to be able to move out, to Emma’s parents’ house. Not everyone can do that but it’s the most efficient way to do it – we’re not quite sure we’d have been able to cope with the dust either. If we’d been trying to live in the house at the same time, there’s no doubt in our minds that it would have taken longer. We thank our lucky stars we moved in right before the Covid lockdown.

that stuff away felt luxurious. Believe it or not, having a sink in the utility was a breakthrough moment,” laughs Emma. Ventilation is through a mechanised ceiling vent.

“We didn’t have much choice about

where things went if we wanted it all to fit; we stacked the washer and dryer one on top of the other.”

They also added a shower to the downstairs wc. “I do a lot of running in the surrounding hills so when I come in I need

to have a shower so I don’t bring muck through the whole house,” adds Emma. But to keep the family home neat and tidy in the most commonly used rooms, they knew they would need a lot of storage to keep to as clutter free a lifestyle as they could. “We added quite a bit of shelving and that keeps the space tidy,” says Jonathan.

“I quite like plants so I needed a bright area where I could put my pots, which I got to do on one wall in the living room. The shelving actually turned out to be one of my favourite design features.”

Project management

“We were both working full time, with children, which means we didn’t have any spare time. So Aisling did the project management for us,” says Jonathan. “We had to get planning permission but we were lucky in that it came through really quickly, even Aisling was surprised at the turnaround time.”

“Then we tendered to three or four builders Aisling had worked with in the past. She’d given us a shortlist of contractors she knew were reliable and she could work with. The costings came in above what we were expecting.”

“We met all of them and to be honest it was hard to choose, so we went on price. That builder happened to be working on

Lighting hack. Emma says Aisling’s hack for the shelving in the open plan area was to add LED strip lighting, which lights up at night to lend a hotel like atmosphere.

Aisling’s house at the time too. He was really good. During the build, the building control officer came a few times to check on the work and we had no issues.”

1

“Aisling organised regular site meetings with ourselves and the builder, which took the stress out of it,” adds Jonathan. “She drew up a RIBA contract for us to sign and she was very good at setting out a payment schedule. When things would be done, we would have a look at it. Then for each stage, on her site visits she would sign off and issue the payment certificates. It was very structured. There was none of the ‘when do we pay for this when do we pay for that’ it was all done on completion of the different stages.”

The insulation and heating upgrades were essential to deliver the warmth and cosiness the couple wanted. They also switched to underfloor heating and went from oil to gas. “We did quite a few things at the same time,” says Jonathan. “I won’t say I have no regrets now with the way gas prices are going, but there’s no doubt the new boiler is a lot more efficient.”

“We put in loads of insulation in the new part and you really notice it when you’re going from the old part of the 1920s house to the extension, it’s nice and warm.” At the design stage, there were certain things Aisling thought about that the couple hadn’t considered. “We have an

overhanging canopy at the back to protect us from overheating as we’re south facing,” says Jonathan. “At the time I’m not entirely sure if I believed Aisling that we needed it but it turned out to be absolutely the case, it does get hot and the overhang does take the edge off the intense summer months.”

“I’m a sun worshipper so it’s perfect for me, it’s definitely never too hot,” adds Emma. “I love that we added windows to the eastern elevation too, which means better quality of light throughout the day, as it now comes from two angles instead of just the one.”

But the windows did cost plenty, and caused some delays. “Because it had to come up from one supplier in the south and it needed a special crane to get it fitted in,” says Jonathan. “That led to delays. That added to the expense too, as did going for two panel doors are opposed to three or four. But we’re really glad we spent on those elements.”

Bathrooms and kitchen

The new downstairs toilet and utility room were included in the budget through a PC sum, meaning they set a notional budget for those items. Unlike most self-builders, they stuck to that allocation. “We went around to suppliers our builder recommended and we chose what we wanted form there, tiles and so forth. We chose what we liked within the

confines of our budget,” says Jonathan. They found their lighting supplier through recommendations and knew what they wanted for the floor coverings – “very forgiving” sandy grey wood effect tiles for the open plan area which are easy to clean and work well with underfloor heating. And unusual as it may be, Emma and Jonathan were disciplined. Apart from the windows, the only add on to the budget overall was damp-proofing one of the rooms downstairs in which they’d added a wood effect gas burner.

For the kitchen they shopped around and got inspiration from different suppliers.

Q&A with Emma and Jonathan

What was your biggest splurge?

The windows were hugely expensive when you compare them to our finished kitchen for example. And we wouldn’t of gotten large windows if it hadn’t been for Aisling’s guidance but we’re so glad we did. The flush glazing brings so much light in, going up and over.

Aisling was right in saying you’re better off pushing your budget on glazing because at the end of the day the kitchen might only last a few years but the bones of it is what really makes the room. I’d say whatever window you think you can afford, try and get as much glass as you can.

What surprised you?

We’d done our two upstairs bathrooms a few years before, and we had a lovely big family bathroom. When we did the back of the house, the building work shook the house and with the vibrations, everything moved. As a result, there was quite a lot of tile breakage up in the beautiful new bathroom.

The builder was slightly cursing us, why do people always do this, they do their bathroom before they do the extension, it always causes problems. But he fixed it all – retiling, tidying up the upstairs, the plumbing was affected too. We didn’t pay anything additional for that.

What would you change?

We moved the gas boiler to the garage. The flue for it is sticking out of the side of the garage and you can see if from the window. If it were on the other side of the garage, we wouldn’t see it.

“There was space on the plans for a decent sized island with stools around,” says Jonathan. “There was an area for a big dining table so that was all worked out beforehand. Then we went to the kitchen companies with those plans. We did the naughty thing of getting ideas from the more expensive manufacturers.”

“All the kitchen places were selling that kitchen island living concept with the hob on the island,” adds Emma. “We quickly realised we couldn’t have that because we couldn’t vent it, as it was in the centre of the room and we didn’t have the ducting in place for it. So the idea of island cooking got

What single piece of advice would you give a renovator?

You need a builder and an architect that you get on well with on a personal level. That’s really really important. No matter what happens it will be a stressful time and you need people you can sit down with and say “how are we going to get around this, what are we going to do?”.

So go ahead and meet the builder. There are always problems and snags, you have to expect that, factor that into your timeframe. Things will go wrong but if you have a supportive team you’ll find a way to fix it.

quashed by ventilation.”

“We’re pleased that’s the way it worked out in hindsight, having the sink at the island. And this might sound really silly but I love that we stuck to our guns for how to configure it. Aisling and the kitchen company felt we should have a neat line of chairs on the island because it’s aesthetically pleasing.”

“But I didn’t want us to eat beside one another and not see each other so I had this idea of sitting around the corner at right angles, two and two. It’s much more conducive to family conversation.”

“It does work,” says Jonathan, “when it’s just the four of us we always eat at the island, it’s only when we have people over that we use the big dining table.”

Practical as ever, Jonathan and Emma made sure there would be nothing on the countertops. “We have a hot water tap so no need for a kettle and we put in a toaster drawer. It pulls out when it’s in use and is hidden away when not.” They also have two ovens for entertaining, including a warming oven.

But it’s the pull-out bins that Jonathan likes the most. In particular, doing away with the compost caddy. “I love having compartmentalised bins: recycling, food waste, all hidden away in a drawer.” Despite all of this, their kitchen came in under £10k all in. “Aisling couldn’t’ believe that, but we went with a keenly priced basic kitchen. We wanted it to be simple.”

The verdict? “From an insulation point of view it’s hard to know how much we’re saving with recent price increases, but in terms of daily living it’s fantastic,” says Jonathan. “Before this one of us might have been making dinner in the cold kitchen, with someone watching tv in another room. We can now all do that together, which is brilliant.”

“And it means we’ve become a hub of entertainment for our family. We comfortably had 18 for Christmas dinner, in there all in one room. We do have very big family group, and it’s the perfect entertaining space.”

Project info

Find out more about Emma and Jonathan’s project in Co Down...

Spec

Extension walls: Dense plaster and skim finish to internal block walls over 100mm dense concrete block over 150mm cavity injected with blown fullfill Ecobead insulation, installed strictly in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions by approved contractor over 100mm dense concrete block over smooth cement render, U-value 0.2W/ sqmK.

Flat roof: Proprietary uPVC fully adhered single-ply membrane and zinc standing seam, 150mm phenolic board, proprietary VCL, with vapour resistance level at least equal to the Trocal, to be taped and jointed as per manufacturer’s detail and specification, immediately above the supporting structure, 18mm exterior grade plywood deck, on treated softwood firrings to achieve 1:40 fall, C16 timber joists @ 400mm centres, 12.5mm plasterboard, U-value: 0.15W/ sqmK.

New floors: 100mm 35N poured screed with A-193 mesh and underfloor heating, to BS 8204 Part 1 2003, 500 gauge vapour barrier, 150mm phenolic board rigid insulation, 150mm ground bearing concrete floor slab, Continuous 1200 gauge polyethylene Type A DPM radon barrier as defined by BS EN13967:2004 laid in accordance with BS 8215:1991 lapped and sealed to DPC in perimeter walls, 50mm blinding layer of sand, min.225mm thick wellcompacted hardcore sub-base.

Windows: black aluminium framed, argon filled low-e, double glazing with a max. U value of 1.6kW/sqmK.

More photographs available at selfbuild.ie

House size: 14.4 sqm

Bedrooms: 1

Heating: air to air heat pump

Ventilation: heat recovery

ventilation single unit

Construction: timber frame

What makes a

homehouse

APaul Lawford took the leap and built his own house on wheels to live in. Here he makes the case for more people hopping on board the tiny house movement.

In 2019 I was ready to buy a house in Dublin. Unfortunately for me, Dublin didn’t seem as willing as I was. Short supply of adequate housing did not motivate me to invest 200k+ on a lemon. Not even a little. Nearly four years later and, sadly but all too unsurprisingly, the situation nationally hasn’t changed a whole lot. For me however, it has.

Path to tiny house

The national housing emergency in tandem with the global climate crisis forced me to change the way I looked at housing. What really makes a house a home? Its scale? A concrete foundation? A mortgage? None of

these things constitute a home. A home is a place you can live and grow in, contentedly and comfortably.

When I looked deeper at my options I wasn’t impressed. There’s the environmental impact of construction, a mortgage is hard to get and even if you do, you’re straddled with debt for years. A shocking number of my peers were also stumped by this, and I thought there must be a better way, there must be another option.

For me, that option presented itself in the form of the humble tiny house.

How tiny is tiny?

Tiny house is a loose term for - you guessed it - really small homes. There is no set

definition of how small tiny is but think in the region of around 100sqft to 450sqft or roughly 10sqm to 40sqm.

The average apartment and house size in Ireland are 78.58sqm and 154.6sqm respectively. Averaging occupancy at 2.77 people for both, that’s 28.37sqm per person in an apartment and 55.81sqm per person in a house.

Per occupant, a tiny house averaging 12sqm is then 40 per cent smaller than the average apartment and almost 70 per cent smaller than the average house.

Tiny houses, by their very nature, are far more environmentally friendly, quicker and cost effective to build than conventional housing. And what that really looks like is: • 40 to 70 per cent less invested energy in

materials

• 40 to 70 per cent less material costs

• 40 to 70 per cent less labour costs

• 40 to 70 per cent less ongoing lighting and heating costs

• Far quicker speed of construction

The build

Building my tiny house on wheels in Co Laois took 300 hours of skilled help, 150 hours of invaluable unskilled help from friends, and about 1,000 hours of my own amateur labour.

My tiny house is (externally) 6 metres long, 2.4 metres wide and just under 4 metres tall from the bottom of the wheels to the point of the apex roof.

It’s a timber framed construction built on top of a hot dipped galvanised purpose manufactured chassis, which I imported from Germany.

I used ‘smart framing’ (also known as advanced framing) for the timber studs, which is to use 3x2 with 24 inch spacing instead of more conventional 4x2/6x2 with 16 inch spacing. The scale of the construction allows for this safely. I clad the framing internally with 6mm CE2 ply and externally with 9mm CE2 ply. This gives the house its shear strength and is my internally finished wall.

A high performing thermal envelope was absolutely essential to me, as a building that can’t keep efficiently warm is simply not sustainable. I made it airtight and created a continuous insulation barrier on the external wall, floor and roof.

The floor and ceiling, which are made from 4x2 framing, have 100mm of stone wool insulation. The 3x2 studs have 70mm

of high spec mineral wool insulation.

As most heat is lost through the stud framing, I wanted to create an effective thermal break. I glued 25mm PIR foam to the 9mm CE2 ply on the external wall, creating a type of Structurally Insulated Panel (SIP).

I cut every overlap of the PIR at a 45 degree angle on the table saw to avoid any pieces butting up or bending out (that

would create a risk of heat leakage). Given that the PIR sheets are largely waterproof on their foil facing side, I taped over where they join with a waterproof tape to add an arguably unnecessary but low investment extra rain barrier.

I used a weatherproof membrane, for breathable waterproofing, followed by trapezoidal steel sheeting on the roof and three sides. The steel sheeting had lived a previous life as a cattle shed, and seeing how the landscape of Ireland is decorated with these monuments to agriculture, I wanted the house to reflect its environment somewhat. There’s really no material that’s more sustainable than one that’s reclaimed. The majority of the front of the house is clad in Siberian larch which I purchased from

Suppliers

Chassis

Manufactured by Al-Ko Kober

Siberian Larch

QEH (Quality European Hardwoods) in Cork

Insulation

Rockwool and Isotherm

Membrane

Tyvek by Dupont

Windows and doors

Second hand from adverts.ie and donedeal.ie

Solar system

Second hand mostly from ebay.ie

“There’s really no material that’s more sustainable than one that’s reclaimed...”

Paul in his tiny house

a great supplier in Cork. Garry delivered it pretty much the next day after payment, it was beautiful to work with, and has weathered nicely.

I designed an angle into the front facade as a visual metaphor. There is always another angle to a problem, another solution. The sun casts a shadow from nearby buildings, creating a second angle that I find really pleasing.

The windows and doors were all reclaimed and second hand, I got some real bargains online. The windows have been brilliant; the door has been a disaster. It opens in which was never my intention, but a friend picked it up and when it arrived, I just had to roll with it.

It’s been leaky, draughty and a real pain. I should really fix or replace it and it’s on the list. My search for a second hand, open out door in Ireland has so far proved fruitless in nearly two years. So the search continues.

Energy

Now living in Co Tipperary, I have no empirical data on energy efficiency but it’s the warmest house I’ve ever lived in. Designed to face south, with windows on the east, south and west, the layout maximises solar heat gain by tracking the movement of the sun.

My heating system is a 9000BTU air to air heat pump, which was cost effective and works incredibly well. As the name indicates, the heat pump heats up the air directly so there are no wet components. My energy is offgrid. I have a nine panel

solar array, a 300Ah lead acid battery (weighing a whopping 300kg) and an incredible Swiss 3.5kW inverter. The hot water for the shower is powered by propane and from April until about November I cook on induction when we’re in the free energy season.

A back up petrol generator charges the house about once a week during the darker months from November to mid-March.

Setbacks

Taking on the design and build wasn’t all plain sailing, but nor was it impossible. My amateurism certainly slowed things

down and where I chose to build, in a rural location, created a huge time suck of gathering materials as most of them weren’t available locally.

I also came across issues using Sitka spruce, which was poor quality. My heat recovery ventilation system is suboptimal and I have ongoing moisture management issues but the house is so small, opening the windows for purge ventilation does the job for the moment.

The case for tiny living

If I, a person with no real construction experience, could be the main labourer and

project manager and complete an entire home in about four months, imagine what could be achieved by an industry of skilled professionals who really know what they’re doing.

The reality is that tiny houses are (surprise!) tiny. It’s a lifestyle choice that involves fewer material possessions and a more tailor made, person-centric design aesthetic. From my own experience, the switch has been easier and more liberating than I initially imagined.

One of main lessons I’ve learned is that anything more than what’s needed is a waste. A version of Parkinson’s law dictates that the more space you have, the more superfluous things you will find to fill it. Storage gets crammed with clutter and things that, if we really had to choose, we could live without.

I have no illusions that tiny living would not suit everyone, but for those that it could, it is a viable and accessible alternative to traditional housing that certainly merits exploring.

For more about Paul’s tiny house go to smallchange.ie

Living the BIG life in a TINY home

We catch up with Michael Rauch who, with his partner Alex Connolly, built a tiny house on wheels three years ago. He shares how they got on since then.

How is the house working out for you?

The house is working so well for us and our needs. We have lived in it now for three years and we are still enjoying tiny house living.

Since we spoke last we have moved the house to a lovely new location (on the same property) and installed a deck so in the summer it doubles our living area. The move went pretty smoothly albeit quite stressful. It travelled a very short distance and across a field. We built out solar panels on collapsible stands making them easy to transport separately.

In the winter our little stove works well for us. It heats the space in no time at all and can almost get too warm in our mezzanine floor. Three to four logs has the house roasting. We have recently added a small heater with a control panel in the last for weeks. It means if we don’t have time to light the fire we can get quick heat and control it more easily.

For the water supply for the house, we intended to harvest rainwater and had set up a multi stage filtration system and water storage system. However when we moved the house to the new location, it was the beginning of lockdown and it hadn’t rained for weeks. So we decided that it was more hassle than it was worth, and we didn’t want to start rationing showers in dry spells. So

we ran a long mains water pipe to the new location.

What are your long term plans?

For us the tiny house isn’t a forever home, it’s a space that fits our current situation and lifestyle perfectly. If we plan to have kids in the future for example our context would change and the tiny house would no longer be suitable.

I think, however, we will always carry the teachings for living in a small self-sufficient space. It’s made me question whether I would ever want to rely on large energy companies in the future, and how much space we really need if and when we upsize. There is a definite peace of mind and security being our own energy supplier, and it means you are directly in control of the spending.

We have dreams of building an offgrid log house style home in the future, but never straying far from small living. We see so many badly designed large houses these days, and people always tell us they only ever use a few of the rooms and they cost so much to run. We reckon everyone could benefit from living in a tiny, purpose built space for part of their life.

To read up on how Michael built his tiny house step by step, go to selfbuild.ie

PROS

Financial freedom The low build cost of the house meant we were able to fund it as we went, so as soon as it was finished it was paid off. We essentially have no bills or ongoing expenses apart from a bottle of gas every month or two, and logs for winter. We’ve started up a small regenerative farming business, and this meant sacrificing a normal wage for a few years. This is something we could never have entertained if we were renting or paying off a mortgage. The build cost of the house has already paid for itself by now if you compare it to what we would have spent renting over this period.

Easy to run. We are very lucky that the costs of running our little house are pretty minimal. Our solar setup has worked really well for us. Although you do have to be conscious of the weather. For example on a slightly duller day we try not to run appliances with large demands, or we start up our small generator to top up the batteries. This is only a handful of days a year though.

Everything has a purpose. You can’t fill a small space with items that have no use. It’s important to keep it clutter free.

CONS

Ventilation. When we cook or shower we are always conscious of moisture build up due to it being such a small space. We tend to air out the house fairly regularly. One option would be to install a basic heat recovery ventilation system to always refresh the air while retaining heat.

Entertaining can be difficult. Our living area isn’t really set up to seat a larger group, but you can make it work. If this was a priority you could design in a bigger space for this. It’s not as much of an issue in the summer as we just have people over for a BBQ on the deck.

If

in an area with capacity issues, without an Impact Assessment, we must recommend your application is rejected until you engage with us. This is to protect the environment.

Awards season

Check out the projects that got the accolades this year in NI, with a special focus on building and renovating homes to a high standard with the Federation of Master Builders Awards.

Celebrating building excellence in NI is the biennial Federation of Master Builder (FMB) Awards. The accolades this year went to a range of different house styles, from historical to modern.

The prestigious House Builder Award went to MRPX Construction for a Des Ewing designed home showcasing workmanship from the brickwork to the sandstone portico, window surrounds and the detailed joinery.

The large renovation project, meanwhile, went to Gareth Roddy for the renovation of a derelict ancestral home that had been damaged by fire. GM Construction came in highly commended for a loft conversion and three extensions.

The medium renovation project went to NMC NI Contracts who renovated and extended a 1930s carriage house. The Studio Vericat design transformed the space into a habitable self contained living area.

Last but not least James Wylie bagged the small renovation award for a complete kitchen transformation.

Highly commended large renovationGM Construction

Large renovation winner - Gareth Roddy

Medium renovation winner - NMC NI Contracts ltd

Small renovation winner - James Wylie

Highly commended large renovationGM Construction

House Builder Award - MRPX Construction

Discover Next Generation AGA Range Cooking At The AGA Shop Stove & Fire Centre, Belfast and Conlig

Highly controllable and remarkably efficient, today’s AGA Cast Iron Range Cookers, bring warmth, comfort and great-tasting food to your home… whilst using less energy than ever before. And with a wide range of models, sizes and colours to choose from, there’s an AGA to suit almost any home.

To discover the AGA difference for yourself, why not call into The AGA Shop Stove & Fire Centre in Belfast or Conlig today? A warm welcome always awaits, and we’re open weekdays from 9am to 5pm and 10am to 2pm Saturdays, with free car parking on site. Alternatively, visit us online at www.agabelfast.com

AWARDS

RSUA Awards

The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) has awarded the Liam McCormick Prize for Northern Ireland’s Building of the Year to Hill House, a five bedroom family home which overlooks the Lagan Valley, on the outskirts of Belfast. The house designed by McGonigle McGrath also won a Royal Institute of British Architects National Award.

Studio idir won the RSUA Small Project Award for its Ballyhackamore House Extension in East Belfast. Aisling Shannon Rusk was both client and architect on this project.

Hill House

Hill House by McGonigle McGrath

Ballyhackamore house extension by Studio idir

Photo by Elyse Kennedy

Hill House photos by Aidan McGrath

Covid casualty

Shauna and Finbar O’Harte had their sights set on building themselves a family home to live in with their two daughters, aged five and two. Unfortunately, Covid threw a spanner in the works.

Shauna and Finbar O’Harte with their children

What is it?

It’s a new build design we spent a lot of time on and that we’re very proud of. It’s on family land in the countryside, up a long lane with a lovely elevated panoramic southern view.

What are the next steps?

We were always going to have difficulty getting a self-build mortgage because we’re building in the north yet both work in the south. Ulster Bank had given us verbal approval in early 2020 based on our income and based on that approval, we went ahead with planning.

When the time came to get the mortgage, Ulster Bank informed us it had since withdrawn services from the selfbuild mortgage side of things. Then the other banks refused us because the site is surrounded by “family land” thereby decreasing the saleability of the house if we defaulted.

We’re now in the process of buying a house and have gone sale agreed on a typical 1970s era 100sqm bungalow, which we will renovate for the time being.

Architect: HBK Architects in Co Tyrone, hbkarchitects.com

Hillside gardenwith stunning views

Anne Byrne annebyrnegardendesign.com

As a garden designer based in the west of Ireland, I’ve worked on homes in some beautiful locations – lush green countryside, native woodlands, and a spectacular coast – this region has it all. Even so, the location for this project really takes the cake.

Nestled into a hill in the Burren in Co Clare – a world famous Unesco Global Geopark – this home has a panoramic view over one of its most attractive lakes, with the grey limestone Burren hills rising beyond and a wealth of native flora and fauna making their home around its edges.

Busy parents to a young family, my clients needed a garden design that would allow them to enjoy the panoramic view, be sensitive to the surroundings and be suitable for outdoor family living. The hillside location means winds from the lake can sometimes be brisk, and such is the beauty of the surroundings they wanted to create more than one seating area outdoors, so that different parts of the garden could be enjoyed depending on the weather and direction of the sun.

Although carefully designed to suit its location, this home has been created for a contemporary blend of family living and working, and the intention is to make the garden very much part of the living space in the warmer months.

Front and side gardens

To the front, the existing grey sandstone paved area, raised level with the interior floor, is linked to the lawn beyond with planted borders wrapped around in raised beds, finished in the local limestone used for the house façade.

A windswept Anne Byrne designs a garden for a young family whose self-built home is nestled in the beautifully wild Burren.

A blend of contemporary, easy maintenance planting with softer, loose planting featuring seasonal colour ensures a smart look for the front of the property throughout the year, with elements of interest appearing at different times throughout the seasons. As well as softening and complementing the front of the house, the planting will frame the view of the lake from the open plan living area inside.

Steps lead to a second paved area for evening sun, to the side of the house in a more sheltered corner, with raised planted beds visible through the generously sized side windows. Glass

TIPS

Soften the look of the house with a variety of plants. Combining different styles of planting can help your home sit well in its surroundings – making sure the plants selected are suitable for your location, soil type and conditions.

How will the house be used in the future? As time passes and families grow, your outdoor as well as indoor needs may change, so it makes sense to consider future plans when briefing your garden designer so that your garden plans can be flexible.

The best hedging for rural areas. Native green beech, Fagus sylvatica, is a super hedging choice, especially in rural areas, just be careful not to confuse it with copper beech, which actually has dark purple leaves.

panels can be added to these in the future if extra wind shelter is required, and the paving and planting can be extended easily to cater for a possible future extension at this end of the house.

A hedge of native green beech, Fagus sylvatica, encloses the garden while helping to link it visually with the landscape beyond – striking even in winter, in spring and summer the landscape is truly magical and in autumn, the gold and bronze tints of the beech will reflect the blazing colour of the native hedgerows below.

Back garden

An informal bench with planting sits in a corner of the site, from which you can hear, in the words of poet W.B. Yeats – who owned a home nearby –“lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore”. The rear of the house is sheltered and sunny in the mornings, so an enclosed breakfast area with colourful planting allows the family and visitors to gather after summer morning swims in the lake.

Elsewhere, there’s room for a children’s play area, some native trees and hedging and a wildflower meadow on a slope, all of which will encourage beneficial wildlife, helping to keep the garden naturally healthy, and providing room for the family to live, play and grow in this very precious part of our island.

Planting echoes the wild Burren flowers

Honeysuckle native hedging

Wild Burren geranium

Beech hedging in autumn

The Avrame

house

Jonathan Byrne of Co Longford chose

Avrame

lan Rowan of TuffHouse Eco

ABuild got a call one day from a prospective client, who’d gotten his contact details from a happy customer.

“Jonathan came to me recommended from word of mouth,” says Alan. “He was looking to build an eco house and asked me what his options were.”

“Considering what he was after I suggested he look into the Avrame kits. I was familiar with the company for the quality of its product, service and delivery times.”

Alan says timber in Ireland is grown too quickly to use in house building, which is why kits are usually imported from the Baltic region, where the cold growing conditions make the wood stronger.

“Avrame’s sustainability credentials are excellent in that the timber comes from sustainably managed forests in Estonia; it’s also kiln dried and treated for structural use,” says Alan.

The kit

Most Avrame kits are A-frames that see the roof double up as the walls, but the

Overview

Plot size: 1.5 acres

House size: 102sqm

Bedrooms: 3

Project cost, excluding site

cost: €250k

Heating and hot water: heat pump for hot water, electric radiators for heating

Ventilation: natural

BER: A1

an

timber frame kit because it gave him cost certainty and a turnkey finish.

company also offers a Classic series with traditional apex roof above walls.

Jonathan opted for the Trio 100. It’s an A-frame three-bedroom, one-bathroom 102sqm house which he chose to build with mezzanine area instead of full second storey. Total height is 8.7m.

“Once the contract was signed, Avrame provided all of the structural calculations and Jonathan hired a local engineer, from Cunningham Design & Planning, to transpose them to Irish building regulations and submit the project for planning permission,” says Alan.

“Longford County Council approved the application very quickly. The engineer then uploaded the construction drawings and all necessary paperwork onto the building control management system. The engineer took charge of the health and safety requirements for the design stage, and I took on the role of project supervisor construction stage.”

Assembly

Working from Dublin at the time, Jonathan hired Alan to project manage the build from start to finish. The first step was to clear the site and get the foundations in, three 11mx400mm wide concrete pillars. Then came the floor base

and timber frame assembly.

“In total, it took us 15 days to put in the foundations, assemble and erect the structure, and felt and batten the roof,” says Alan. Avrame supplied the standing seam roof cladding, which Alan installed, while Alan sourced the timber cladding in Ireland.

Alan says that while assembling the kit yourself might be tempting, it is not a DIY job. He says it would be a very slow process for a novice. “I’d advise getting a local company that has experience in timber frame construction to erect any kit,” he says. “All of the structural calculations are based on the correct installation, including fixings.”

Completing the building envelope are the triple glazed, passive house standard windows and doors supplied by Avrame. But as they were manufactured off the plans, instead of based on the actual openings measured on site, Alan had to make adjustments to make them fit.

Spray foam insulation went on next, which Alan organised. There’s 250mm in the floor and 200mm in the walls/ roof. “Even thought spray foam is great for airtightness we also added a vapour barrier on the inside,” says Alan.

The house is so well insulated and

airtight that all it takes to heat it are two highly efficient electric radiators.

Finishing the house

Alan sourced the materials for all internal work which included plasterboarding, skimming, kitchen, bathroom, floor finishes, first and second fix. “From the first day we arrived on site to handing over the keys it took six months, which is half the time of a traditional build,” says Alan. Jonathan came to site once a week and Alan gave him updates remotely.

To make sure the build would come in on budget, Alan gave Jonathan a choice of finishes from suppliers he works with, which Jonathan chose from a catalogue.

Which meant the only additional costs were in relation to finishing the outside, costing €15k. “We added a driveway, a deck. I had told Jonathan to allow 10 per cent for extras and that’s what he used it on. We didn’t run overbudget on the house itself.” A dream turnkey finish.

For more about Avrame timber frame kits, go to avrame.com

GROUND FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

Mezzanine

the

lowdown

Keith says: Everything we hear from modular companies is about speed of construction. And saving time, saves money. But if you take that on a oneoff house, how does a quicker builder actually end up saving money?

Some preliminary costs or bank finance costs but in the main it just means the mortgage gets drawn down more quickly than in a traditional build.

Where the true cost savings should come from is in reduction of waste, through standardisation of panel sizing and layout and obviously repetition of the same template. How that works with planning permission for different sites in different parts of Ireland is a whole other challenge.

As I stand here now, I also don’t see how it impacts in the cost of finishes or fitouts, so it really just comes down to the structure but yet the groundworks, services, landscaping, driveways, pavings, boundaries and the likes are still all required.

Would it save 10 per cent, I currently doubt it to be honest, but I always do like being proved wrong. Any comparison we have done to date has shown no difference whatsoever when apples are compared with apples.

I can see developers saving money as they can save on the cost of finance in a development which has multiple units, but on a one-off I just don’t see a saving.

OPINION . ADVICE . INSIGHT . KNOWLEDGE

Q: Will a modular build, whereby my house is mostly built off site and craned into place, save me money?

Keith Kelliher is a quantity surveyor based in Co Dublin

ASK KEITH

ASK ANDREW

Andrew says:

You are right to be concerned because running a building site is nothing like anything you’ll have ever done before. Be gentle on yourself and listen to what the old hands on the site say and you’ll get along fine, given you’re used to managing in other settings.

This said, a building site isn’t like an office or most other work environments, because it’s effectively a kind of one-off outdoor factory with a group of temporary workers who may not be used to working together. This, and the fact that building work is potentially dangerous, brings challenges with it.

The sorts of things you’ll need to be aware of and to keep on top of include:

� Poor timekeeping.

� Workers ignoring Health and Safety issues.

� People (workers and visitors) flaunting your Site Rules.

� Poor quality workmanship.

� Poor level of output.

� Drinking alcohol or taking drugs on the site.

� Rudeness, discourtesy, or

thoughtlessness (especially to visitors or neighbours).

� Theft.

� Poor attitude.

Always be courteous

If you are unhappy with someone’s behaviour, be careful and courteous about how you approach them. It could be that, with your inexperience, you’ve somehow misread the situation. You don’t want an argument on your hands if the individual feels judged or picked on. Keep things calm and, if possible, have an older, more experienced, worker on hand while you sort out the matter.

Seek out information

Ask the worker for their views before escalating things. Always see if they can suggest ways of overcoming your concerns. A good worker can often do this, especially if the work (especially the poor work) of others is an issue that’s preventing them from doing their job properly. This happens surprisingly often.

Last resort

For those who cannot or will not change, you may have to give them a formal warning letter and then be prepared to fire them if they still don’t behave in the way that you want and they have undertaken to do. If in any doubt where you stand in employment law on this, take legal advice.

Be clear

Setting out from the start the standards you expect will help your workforce understand what’s required of them and, as always in tricky situations, it pays to listen as much as you talk, so people feel heard and understood.

ABOUT ANDREW

Andrew Stanway is a self-build project manager who previously worked as a psychotherapist for 15 years dealing largely with relationship matters. He is the author of Managing Your Build, published by Stobart Davies.

Q: I’m about to embark on my first self-build and am worried about how I’m going to manage running the job from a discipline point of view. I’m used to managing people at work but this is a whole new world to me.

The case to go the whole hog

Barry McCarron argues it’s

for your house to be nearly passive, he says you need to go the whole hog to reap the benefits. And nowadays, building

Istarted my journey with the Passive House standard, as defined by the Passive House Institute in Germany, eight years ago in 2015. In this time, the most common question I’ve been asked by selfbuilders is: why not just build a nearly passive house? My answer is: why would you go near passive when you can achieve the higher standard with just a little bit more money and effort, and reap way more benefits.

If you think about it, you can reduce your heat load by a third if you go from nearly zero energy building (nZEB), which is the current regs compliant standard in ROI, to full passive house. In NI, despite a recent improvement, the regulations are significantly behind the rest of Europe, and the rest of the UK, with respect to thermal performance. So the savings you could make there are even higher.

Performance gap

Many studies show a performance gap between energy ratings and actual energy use. Meaning your house may look really good on paper, with a top of the class energy rating in the A band, but in reality it is performing well below that.

A recent study by Irish academic Shane Colclough found that many A2 homes were in effect, based on monitoring data, a B1 and in one case a C1.

Yes, the building regulations in

Ireland are progressive in that they are nZEB. Thermally, the metrics are almost at passive house standard numbers. But metrics mean nothing if they are not put into practice.

The primary issue here is quality control, of both design and construction. At design stage, the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) can be used as a design tool for use from the very beginning, at the concept stage where aspects like form factor, surface area to volume ratio, and how many windows to put in, are all taken into account.

During the construction phase, the Passive House quality assurance framework ensures there’s an independent third party in the form of the certifier who will require evidence of good execution on site.

There are other ways to keep on top of quality control for the build, but the point is that you need to pay close attention to both design and construction to minimise the likelihood of performance gaps.

Heat pumps underperforming

I hear of people in the self-build community quoting incredibly high energy costs for operating their heat pumps. There may be other reasons, including what the settings are on the heat pump, but one reason could be that the building envelope of the home is not as energy efficient as it claims to be, or was designed to be.

A heat pump works well running on low temperatures which means the

house needs to be able to retain heat for it to work efficiently. You need a well insulated and airtight envelope for it to heat your home at a low cost.

A good analogy is to think of the other heat pump we all have in our homes… our fridge. It’s made the same way as your heat pump only it’s in reverse thus providing cooling rather than heating.

Now if we look at the envelope of a fridge; it is a continuously insulated box (no thermal bridging) with an airtight seal at the door. We all know that we would not leave the fridge door open. If we did our food would go sour but more relevant here is that the little heat pump at the back of the fridge would go mad trying to refrigerate the entire kitchen.

Doesn’t passive house cost more to build?

Today, the cost of building to a Passive House standard has come down a lot due to the methodology becoming more widely adopted and passive house products more widely available.

Analysis shows that the extra costs associated with building to the Passive House standard in the UK has reduced over the years and, back in 2018, best practice costs were around 8 per cent higher than comparable non-Passive House projects.

However, removing the costs associated with quality assurance (to eliminate the performance gap,

Barry McCarron Chairperson of

the Passive House Association Ireland, phai.ie

not enough

a low energy home doesn’t cost more than being regulations compliant.

this should be done regardless) and considering further development of skills, expertise, and supply chain maturity, indicates that extra costs could come down to around 4 per cent or less.

In ROI it’s pretty much cost neutral, albeit a bit more expensive, to go passive house considering the small differential in the building regulation requirements. This is likely to reduce to nominal levels if adopted at scale.

Quality control

It’s important to point out that passive house certification costs are comparable to those of any other build, as self-builders need to pay for someone to oversee the build. In my experience, even a motivated client needs an external assessor to drive a continuous focus on thermal quality.

Without a certifier, initial enthusiasm to make sure the structure is kept airtight tends to fade as the project progresses, and often, thermal continuity and overall quality also suffer as time wears on. A certifier brings focus, which means that standards are less likely to slip.

Certification looks like an extra cost for a plaque on the wall, but…. It is an essential part of challenging our business as usual mentality. It ensures the golden thread of intent and quality exist throughout the process. Certification costs are marginal compared to the assured benefits.

In both jurisdictions there is good reason for pursuing the passive house standard. In ROI quality control is done through self certification rather than a building control body. (Even if

you have an Assigned Certifier, at the end of the day you’re the one directly paying for their services.)

And in NI the regulations are a long way off achieving high thermal quality. Which means it will cost more to go passive house, making it less attractive. Instead of insulating and ventilating their homes to a high standard, many instead opt for adding photovoltaic panels to boost the energy rating.

The bottom line is, there are way too many examples of buildings that do not perform. We are all now at the junction of a climate imperative, an energy crisis coupled with a cost of living crisis. It’s time to build homes that keep us warm without it costing a fortune. In my view, the Passive House standard is a surefire way to get there.

What is passive house?

Passivhaus, literally passive house in English, refers to buildings created to rigorous energy efficient design standards so that they maintain an almost constant temperature.

Passive House buildings are so well built, insulated and ventilated that they retain heat from the sun and the activities of their occupants, requiring very little additional heating or cooling.

The actual construction methods of passive house buildings are not prescribed and will vary but they will all have the same five principles, including: super insulation, mitigation of thermal bridging, triple glazing with insulated frames, airtightness and finally mechanical heat recovery ventilation.

In the context of other factors which result in higher build costs (high-quality, high-performance building products, design form, ground conditions etc), this becomes a minor uplift for a far superior product in terms of running costs, carbon emissions, and additional co-benefits such as comfort and health.

“

“In NI, despite a recent improvement, the regulations are significantly behind the rest of Europe, and the rest of the UK, with respect to thermal performance. So the savings you could make there are even higher...”

Build checklist

In Part 2 of our series detailing how to go about your build schedule, we look at what you need to have organised before you begin planning out your programme, and what information you need to gather before you put pen to paper.

By now, all of the information that you will need to create a working programme should have been covered during the design and preconstruction phases. But here’s a checklist of what needs to be in place before you start:

Ownership. At this stage, we’re assuming you’ve already asked your designer and solicitor to check and verify ownership regarding the positions of boundaries and any other features or restrictions which relate to the development of your site. Finances. The project finances have been set up and confirmed with the lender and are ready to draw down in stages when required. You will also have taken early advice from a qualified and experienced construction insurance broker and have arranged for all the insurances which the self-builder requires. H&S. You will also be responsible for health and safety. It is a complex subject and a responsibility not to be taken lightly. So unless you have studied it thoroughly, your designer or a H&S consultant may be needed to take care of that for you. Their contribution will have an important part to play when the programme is being written and throughout the life of the construction project. Before you start, the health and safety plan should be sorted out.

Inspection schedule. A suitably qualified person will be needed for carrying out routine inspections to certify the work for your lender to release staged

Les O’Donnell Chartered architectural technologist and structural engineer, landmarkdesigns.org.uk

payments. This responsibility may be undertaken by your designer but check first that they have the qualifications, experience and insurances demanded by your mortgage provider.

Some staged inspections may be carried out concurrently, depending on the progress of the works. Although some certifiers will undertake to carry out inspections on an ad-hoc basis, albeit with maybe a couple of days notice beforehand, you should be able to make use of your programme to let them know in good time when the stages are due for completion.

What information you will need

Following the tender process, all suppliers, builders, subcontractors and tradespeople should have been identified and confirmed with you and you know who the team leaders are. Check everyone’s insurance details. Get all that done before the contracts are signed.

Check that you know who should be doing what and at which stages of the build they will be needed. Rather than diving in to create your own ideal schedule with dates that suit only yourself, get chatting to your builders and subcontractorsto find out when they can definitely be on site. Ensure that if they are carrying out work

elsewhere around the same time (as they almost certainly will be), they are contractually obligated to allocate sufficient labour and resources to get your work done in the time allowed. If they cannot and you still want only them to do the work, expect to have to revise and update your programme as you go along.

At this stage, it is vital to find out which subcontractors and tradespeople will require support from others. The concrete contractor may employ a separate team of reinforcement installers to carry out reinforcement placement, so concreting cannot start until that has been done.

The reinforcement installers in turn will want to have the rebar schedule from the Structural Engineer in good time before they start. When the concrete contractor arrives on site, they will expect ready-mix concrete to be arriving in the correct quantities first thing that morning and may need additional equipment to be in place to get it quickly into the right locations on site.

Remember too, that builders should not be stacking blocks or otherwise commencing work on the sub-structure until the concrete foundations have properly cured, so

take advice from your designer or the concrete manufacturer on how much time is needed for curing the particular mix that you purchased, for the weather conditions at the time.

Any of the trades may rely on scaffolding being in position after the walls have reached waist level and may need it to remain in place for much of the duration of the project.

Plumbers and electricians usually expect holes in walls and floors for their pipes and cables to be made by the builder. The ventilation installers may need routes for their ducts and various inlets and outlets.

The joiner will want to be satisfied that the moisture content and humidity levels are stable before fitting timber floorboards and other joinery, so time will be required in the programme for this to happen. I described in the Selfbuild Floor Construction Guide (Spring 2023) about how floor screeds take a surprisingly long time to dry, so make sure that drying time is accounted for.

The window fitters cannot and should not install windows until the correct insulation and damp-proofing measures are fitted correctly all around the aperture, at lintels, sills and jambs.

And the plumber and electrician will need a finalised kitchen design before their first fix activities. These are a few examples; the list of dependencies is extensive.

shopping

Photographs, videos and brochures often don’t compare with what you see in real life situations. Arrange for materials samples of products that you haven’t seen before. Think about slates or tiles, premixed renders following application, timber cladding, composite panels, windows and doors, bricks, paving, floor tiles, and any other big money items.

This should be all covered at the design stage before the tender documents have been issued. We have all seen house building shows on TV where the clients have to select materials as their house is being constructed. In reality, you don’t generally get to see that this has a tendency to result in delays in sourcing, pricing and ordering with a resultant disruption to the building programme.

“ “Check that you know who should be doing what and at which stages of the build they will be needed. Rather than diving in to create your own ideal schedule with dates that suit only yourself, chat to your builders and subcontractors to find out when they can definitely be on site...”

DIY French drains

How to build the simplest drainage system around.

Harrison Gardner TV presenter and author of Build Your Own published by Gill Books

At its most basic it’s made by digging a downward sloping ditch, filling it with coarse draining rock. The slope was traditionally dug in the direction you wanted the water to travel and the drainage rock would allow the groundwater to move through it easily, and travel along the bottom of the drain.

The ditch was dug to the same depth as the building’s foundations so that any water that could be tempted to travel up through the foundations would instead take an easier path, travelling sideways into the drainage system and away from the structure.

Over the years a few simple innovations have improved the effectiveness and longevity of this drain type. Depending on your soil

Water is essentially lazy. While capable of capillary action, it will always choose to travel the path of least resistance. The key to ensuring water does not travel upward through your structure is to provide it with a more convenient path to take.

Damp proof coursing is currently used in brick and cement block buildings and damp proof membranes beneath our floors are the current methods for resisting rising moisture from the earth into our homes.

Rather than relying solely on such plastic and lead barriers beneath our structures, it is wise to use some low tech methods that work in harmony with the physics of water, rather than simply trying to block its path.

Creating an underground drainage system known as a French or footing drain allows us to work with nature and the natural path of water. These drains can be essential in maintaining dry foundations and therefore, dry walls and homes.

Photo by Shantanu Starick

content you may choose to line the bottom of your drain with a plastic membrane, to encourage good water flow from the building.

This is not necessary if your soil has even a moderate amount of clay content as the clay will provide a smooth surface for the water to travel along. Just ensure you are precise with the installation of membranes within your drainage system as you do not want to block the path of water. It is important to always consider where your water is coming from, and where you want it to go.

Another useful addition to our modern French drain is perforated drainage pipe. Holes in the sidewall of the pipe allow the water in and it can then flow quickly and easily away from our structure, as opposed to having to navigate around the gravel the whole way along the drain.

Using correct size of drainage rock will ensure good percolation. If your gravel is too fine the water will have a hard time getting through it, and small gravel particles can block the holes in your drainage pipe. If the gravel is too large, soil and debris can get between the rocks and block the path of the water.

It is advisable to protect the top of your gravel with weed matting or cloth, which will allow water to go through it while preventing soil and grass roots from blocking your drainage system.

Adapted from Build Your Own: Use what you have to create what you need by Harrison Gardner. Harrison also co-founded Our Common Knowledge, a non-profit social enterprise based in North Clare, ourcommonknowledge.org

Each new build or renovation project is unique, it’s your opportunity to make your home just the way you’ve always wanted.

At Village Blinds and Shutters, we’re the experts in bringing new build windows to life, with innovative options like smart, motorised blinds, powered by Somfy, and sleek, concealed blind systems from Blindspace to offer an even more seamless finish.

Every blind and shutter is individually created by us, just for you.

Insulating Concrete Formwork (ICF)

Andrew Stanway Author of Managing Your Build published by Stobart Davies

Cost

It is hard to talk about costs because whilst ICF may just about compare with traditional concrete block construction it is almost certainly up to 10 per cent more expensive than a timber home. An ICF building is also heavy and its foundations have to take this into account. This costs more.

Also note that it makes less financial sense the higher you go. Not only does a mass concrete building start to become extremely heavy with more storeys but it is also more difficult to control the accuracy of the build and to prop things safely.

Not as fast as claimed

Whilst at first it might seem you’d put up the expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks like Lego and then fill the cavity with concrete, things are not that simple. Foundations have to be accurately built and before any concrete can be poured the whole ICF structure has to be supported by braces (props) that are mechanically fitted to the finished concrete floor inside the building. These fixings to the finished floor indoors can mean not being able to have a polished concrete finish later.

In certain cases it’s also necessary to prop the outside walls, even if only in places. All this takes time. In fact, it can take longer to prop, plumb and level the structure than to install the blocks. And you get only one chance to get all this right.

When it comes to pouring the concrete, things have to be taken gently and methodically. You’ll need to pour in layers of no more than 1200mm per hour and not exceed a total height in any one pour of more than 3m, vibrating all the time with a poker and taking care not to damage the EPS blocks.

Then the finished pour has to be left

for at least two or three days to cure. None of this can be rushed.

Most ICF builds off a standard strip foundation will need two pours just to get to first floor level on a two storey house because you’ll have to get the level up to finished floor before the second pour to fill the actual wall itself. This takes more time…and money.

Now a very popular modern building method in Ireland, ICF nevertheless has downsides which are worth considering before embarking on using the system. Here are the top five drawbacks.

Photo by Jason Piper

the positioning of the plastic spacers inside the blocks. Dealing with seams and corners can be a challenge. If ever you compromise the integrity of a block as you build, you’ll need to ensure it is still structurally sound.

Environmental credentials

An ICF building is, in effect, mass reinforced concrete. And even the best widely available concrete today isn’t eco friendly. EPS blocks are environmentally friendly neither in their production nor in their transport and they are not biodegradable. The strength of ICF also depends on the use of rebar, itself not the planet’s best friend as, unlike with much construction steel that can be easily repurposed and recycled, rebar can be hard to remove from mass concrete.

Difficult to remodel

ICF is not a method that lends itself to remodelling later, whereas a timber structure is. And if foundation problems occur it is difficult to remedy them with an ICF building on top.

Requires meticulous attention to detail

Any building method that requires skilled labour at once increases costs as relatively few contractors can manage such a project. This is not a task for a ‘jobbing builder’ and the good professionals know this and charge accordingly. The whole process also calls for experienced design and supervision at every level to ensure that the meticulous detail required is not only specified but also adhered to.

The EPS blocks, though easy to store and carry around the site, are also prone to damage. Each block must be inspected for distortion in storage or transport and even for poor manufacture. They may need trimming on site prior to installation. All this is vital to get right or, as the concrete is poured, leaks and distortions will occur.

Furthermore, as concrete is the main material great care must be taken with its quality, specification, slump and placement. Installing the rebar can often be more difficult than anticipated, sometimes because of

Photo by Jason Piper

Internal doors

With so many options of internal doors now available, Victoria Hunter explores the different types so you can choose the right

Internal doors can cost as little or as much as you can imagine, with styles and materials, and assembly options, to suit all budgets. Don’t forget to add the cost of the ironmongery to the door itself; higher end handles and hinges can cost a lot, as can architraves and skirting boards to finish off the look.

Panel doors

Beyond the traditional door style of yore, you can now find every configuration imaginable, from pocket doors to barn doors. When choosing, think of the function you want it to fulfil. For instance, you may need a way to partition your open plan areas, to separate a toy room from the main living area, or the dining space from the tv room.

A classic style featuring a series of panels within a frame. They are available in a range of designs, including two panel, four panel, and six panel options. Panel doors can be made from various materials, most commonly wood or MDF. They are often used in traditional and period style homes.

Flush doors

A sleek and contemporary style that features a flat surface without any visible panels. A popular door choice for modern homes for its minimalistic, seamless look. Easier to maintain than panel doors (less places for dust to gather).

French doors

A popular choice for dividing up larger rooms, this classic double door style is often partially glazed.

Glass doors

Glass doors are popular in modern homes and can be clear, frosted, tinted or textured. They can help make a space feel brighter and more inviting due to the natural light that they provide, especially for ensuite bathrooms with the use of frosted or tinted glass. Glass doors can also make a room feel more spacious as they can create a visual connection between different areas of the home.

Slimline doors

Pioneered by Englishman Francis Henry Crittall, slimline doors were originally steel framed. Today you can find them in timber or metal; the distinguishing feature is the slimeline look of the glass against a multitude of black frames. As with glass doors it provides separation but allows light in. On the higher end of the cost scale, slimline doors are usually custom made. On trend for the past couple of years, the aesthetic is contemporary.

ones for your home.

deuren.co.uk

Tiffany Rea

INSPIRATION

Pocket doors

Pocket doors save space and lend a modern look. They come in a kit whereby the door slides into a pocket or cavity in the wall, rather than sliding along a track mounted on the wall like traditional sliding doors. When closed, a pocket door is completely hidden within the wall, creating a seamless transition between rooms. They can be a great choice of door for creating an open plan layout, or for smaller rooms with limited space.

Swinging doors

Swinging doors do as they say, in that they can swing open either side on hinges. They are usually made from wood or metal and are a classic choice for homes with traditional or rustic styles. They can be used as room dividers.

Bifold doors

Bifold doors are most often used internally for wardrobes but can be used to separate zones as a design feature.

Dutch doors

Dutch doors, also known as stable or half doors, are divided horizontally. They are typically made from wood and are popular in county style homes, especially as external doors but they can equally be used internally. Dutch doors provide a unique look and feel while also offering ventilation as well as a pet and child friendly design.

Barn doors

Barn doors are a rustic and trendy style of door that slide along a track mounted on the wall. They’re a popular choice for adding a farmhouse look to your home. They can be used as a room divider or to conceal an unsightly area.

Louvered doors

Louvered doors feature horizontal slats or vents that allow for air circulation while maintaining privacy. They are usually made from wood (pine) and are popular choices for areas of the home where ventilation is important, such as closets, laundry rooms, and utility rooms.

Mechanical

with Heat Recovery Systems

For ease of installation and to maximise energy conservation, our range of Brink MVHR units is self-balanced as standard.

By balancing air-pressure outside and inside the home, the risk of exporting heat on cold, winter evenings and importing it on warm, summer nights through the fabric of the building is avoided. So, you can expect are a more comfortable living environment, with fewer drafts, together with enhanced levels of energy efficiency all year long.

Surprising as it may seem, not all MVHR systems feature inbuilt self-balancing as standard. Self-balancing technology is just one of many features which differentiates Brink. When installed alongside our clever, click-together Air Distribution System, Brink MVHR units combine unsurpassed ease of installation, with remarkable levels of efficiency and incredible levels of airtightness.

Meet the experts

Selfbuild Live Belfast is taking the Titanic Exhibition Centre by storm this October 13th to 15th with experts on hand to answer all your building and home improving questions.

Selfbuild Live Belfast is the ultimate showcase for people who are building, extending, improving or simply decorating their home. Benefit from the advice of hundreds of local exhibitors, including the opportunity to discuss your own project with experts in a 1-2-1 setting.

The Theatre Talks and interactive stands are there to further inspire and engage, revealing the many options and solutions available to self-builders today.

Sb+ Experience

New this year is the Selfbuild+ Experience, an area within the show that will allow you to experience everything a Selfbuild+ membership has to offer.

That includes the house plans library, the Selfbuild Journey, podcasts, videos, inspiration galleries, and of course, Selfbuild magazine.

The Sb+ Experience will also feature live panel discussions with experts in home building and renovating. On each of the show days the panellists will cover the three main types of house projects: building a new home, extensions and renovations, and home energy upgrades.

To discuss your own project, on all three days, the Selfbuild+ Experience will bring together builders and other experts in home building and home improving, so you can have a chat and get the information you need. Just don’t forget to bring your plans.

For more information go to live.selfbuild.ie

Pre-finished, pre-hung, internal door kits! External doors, panelling, skirting, flooring, feature walls, we have it all!

We look after the whole process, from measuring your doors, all the way to installation. Maintenance free products, massive range of colours and models.

www.pmdoors.ie

We are a design led architectural practice providing architectural services from inception to completion for residential clients.

We offer traditional and contemporary bespoke design solutions for new build, extension and refurbishment projects. All services can be tailored to suit client requirements and budget. Contact us to discuss your ideas.

www.fletcherarchitects.co.uk

Northern Ireland’s largest plumbing, bathrooms, and renewables company. With 15 trade counters and 13 bathroom showrooms across NI, we offer high-quality goods and exceptional customer service. Established almost 45 years ago in a market yard, County Armagh, we’ve grown to become a trusted brand. Our tailored approach ensures customer satisfaction while our expert team designs and delivers bespoke heating systems and bathrooms. Whether you’re a trade professional or a self-builder, Bassetts is your one-stop shop. Experience our commitment to excellence and personalised service for renewable heating and bathroom projects.

www.bassettsonline.com

Daniel George Kitchens is brought to you by Inspired Furniture, a trusted name in the kitchen manufacturing industry for over 15 years.

From exquisite kitchens to utility rooms, boot rooms, media walls, and walk-in wardrobes, our expert designers create spaces that exude quality.

Visit

www.danielgeorgekitchens.com

With over 25 years experience, ProAir is Ireland's only manufacturer and industry leading specialist of Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems.

Our professional team provide an end-to-end service to ensure your home will be healthy, comfortable and energy efficient.

Improved Indoor Air Quality

Commissioning and Certification

Compliance with Building Regulations (Part F)

Warranty, Service and Support

• CE and EPD certified alpha hemihydrate underfloor heating screed

• Onsite production by fully automated mobile screed factory

• Produced and installed by one company - no third parties

• Industry leading, Südanit 280 Alpha

Timber frame construction

A step by step guide to understanding what timber frame is and what to watch out for on site at each stage of the process.

Guide

In the world of self-building, timber frame often refers to the method of building walls from wood. At its most basic, lengths of timber and sheathing are assembled to make structural wall panels. In Ireland, the term timber frame most commonly refers to factory made timber frame panels or kits, often sometimes pre insulated, that are then craned into place on site.

In theory, as long as it complies with the relevant standards and regulations, there are no limits to the design possibilities of creating a timber frame home. Even curved walls are possible with some clever detailing. The main limitation is span but, thanks to the addition of steel or engineered timber, can easily be dealt with. This relates to large open plan spaces and clear spans of floors, roofs and walls.

Further limitations set by the various regulations affecting the design and construction of timber frame residential buildings apply to such things as the height of each storey and overall height of the building, fire safety, workmanship, selection of materials, etc.

For the design stage, you would just need to verify whether timber frame construction is in fact the best solution, and indeed the most cost effective, for the house that you want. In general, timber frame construction costs are equivalent to bricks and mortar for a near zero energy building

specification.

But don’t despair if your original design was intended for a traditional bricks and mortar construction, as it can be adjusted to suit a timber frame structure. If you have already obtained full planning permission, the type of structure shouldn’t matter as long as the external appearance remains as approved.

About the Selfbuild Timber Frame Guide’s Author

Les O’Donnell is a Chartered Architectural Technologist and structural engineer with over 30 years’ experience designing and supervising the construction of new builds. His practice, Landmark Designs, is based in Co Tyrone. All of the information contained in the guide is for information purposes only; professional guidance must be sought for your own specific project.

Building your walls out of timber is, in most cases, environmentally friendly, provides flexibility in design, and quick to put up on site. Structural engineer and chartered architectural technologist Les O’Donnell has the details.

Les O’Donnell landmarkdesigns.org.uk

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / TIMBER FRAME BASICS

Timber frame 101

What is timber frame construction? What are the structural limitations? And how eco friendly is it?

Houses built using prefabricated timber frames will typically consist of a system of timber frame wall panels within the external walls. The frames carry the loads from the roof and upper floors and everything is supported on the foundations.

Similar to any other type of dwelling, the foundations will typically be of concrete and designed to suit the site conditions. A complete prefabricated solution will incorporate the roof trusses or roof panels, upper floors and internal and external wall panels in one package which is transported from the factory and assembled on site.

Prior to the delivery and assembly stage, the foundations will have been constructed along with any base walls or footings required. After the timber frame structure has been erected,

work then begins on the external leafs of the external cavity walls and the roof covering is fixed according to the design.

It is important to remember that although prefabricated timber frame panels are factory produced, suggesting a degree of automation, most manufacturers still manufacture their panels by hand. They use automated equipment in the form of different types of powered saws and nail guns but only a few have installed fully automated panelmanufacturing machinery.

Armed with the knowledge of the correct panel materials to use and how they should be put together, it is feasible that panels could be manufactured on a DIY basis. Such an approach would require that the panels be designed and then certified by a structural engineer, but if you had sufficient time and a suitable shed available, it is certainly achievable.

Structural considerations

The maximum permitted height of timber frame residential buildings has received a lot of attention over the past few years, but self-build homes of up to two storeys, with each storey having a typical floor to ceiling height of 2.4 metres, remain covered by standard building regulations.

Across the world, the limits which timber frame construction can attain are continually being stretched. At the time of writing, at 25 storeys and 86.6 metres high, the Ascent MKE Building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the world’s tallest mass timber building. It was built using a framework of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and Glulam, with a concrete base, elevator and stair

“

“Across the world, the limits which timber frame construction can attain are continually being stretched.”

shafts.

As with all ‘tallest’ buildings, it will be surpassed by one planned for construction in Toronto at 90 metres high and then by a 100 metre tall residential building in Switzerland which is planned to complete in 2026.

In reality, if a complex design means that external walls require multiple studs at relatively close intervals, then it can quite easily reach a point where a conventional timber frame is not the answer.

The building should use efficient framing techniques that minimise the total mass of timber to be used, so in some cases a hybrid solution that uses steel or engineered timber beams and columns along with the ordinary timber frames to achieve larger open spaces, can be the most efficient option.

One effect of using too much timber in external wall panels is that their perceived thermal insulation advantages can be diminished due to a high timber to void ratio.

Environmental credentials

Which leads us to a persistent myth concerning the selling of prefabricated timber frame kits. Almost all of the timber frame manufacturers tend to cite the thermal insulation superiority of their timber frame walls over those built using traditional blockwork or brick methods.

This is misleading, as houses are all designed to the same energy efficiency standard so any properly designed and constructed thermal elements of the external structural envelope (i.e. walls, roofs and floors) will achieve the same levels of performance.

Also often quoted is the speed of construction, however any time saved on site should be compared to the time required to produce the frames in the factory and any order lead times which may apply.

The weather is frequently mentioned too, where construction of the timber frames can continue in the factory regardless of weather conditions; but when they get to site, just as for traditional builds, they should not be stacked, stored, erected or otherwise left standing incorrectly or unprotected in adverse weather conditions.

That said, timber frame construction does have the environmental upper hand over traditional bricks and mortar. A study commissioned by the Committee On Climate Change (CCC) in February 2019 concluded that a timber framed house had lower embodied carbon and also stored more sequestered carbon in the structural elements compared with a functionally equivalent masonry house.

It also should have lower levels of embodied energy, i.e. the energy required for the manufacture of the building components or materials, delivery to site and building.

Timber still has a way to go to become as truly sustainable as we would like it to be. According to an All Island study by Irish advisory body COFORD, over the entire island of Ireland the supply of timber falls short of the demand of the construction industry in volume terms. That includes sawmilled products and wood based panels.

And because timber grown in Ireland tends to be fast growing, many timber frame manufacturers import from slower growing regions, which yield stronger timber.

Life Cycle Assessment

Important factors in any Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of timber would include the transport methods and distances between the forest, the sawmill, the timber merchant’s yard, the timber frame manufacturer’s factory and your site. Other important factors would include:

l The timber source, whether it is locally grown or imported.

l It should come from certified sustainable forestry resources.

l Timber plank production, treating and drying.

l Timber based sheet manufacturing processes. Use of reclaimed wood products.

l Are the timber products made in a low carbon manufacturing facility?

l Will the structure be assembled using removable fasteners to allow for potential reuse of the members?

Framing materials

The component parts of a timber frame house.

As with all structural timber, whether the timber is coming to you via a builders’ merchants or a timber frame manufacturer, the timber producer’s stamps on every item of timber should match the documentary certification. This also applies to any preservatives and processes used.

CLS timber

Canadian Lumber Standard (CLS) timber is mostly produced from trees such as fir, pine or spruce. The Canadian part of the name simply means that the standard for producing the timber originated in Canada, but the timber itself comes from not only Canada but Scandinavia, Europe, China and the US. What makes it distinct is that it is regularised by planing during production to achieve better dimensional accuracy and consistency of size and strength than ordinary sawn timber. A piece of CLS can be easily recognised by its characteristic four rounded corners which make it easier and safer to

handle in the factory and on site.

The regularisation of dimensions is ideal for timber frame structures, due to the fact that design strengths and stiffnesses are more accurately defined. Additionally, this dimensional consistency helps to produce timber frame products that are the same width throughout and each frame in a project will be produced to the same accuracy as the next.

As with any other type of structural timber, it is graded for strength and stiffness and we typically use grades such as C16 and C24.

Sheathing

This is usually plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) and is fixed to those wall panels which may be subjected to lateral loads such as wind loads. When fixed to the frame in accordance with the standards, it provides resistance to racking forces.

All external wall panels will be provided with sheathing and so also will those internal wall panels which have been designed to provide lateral support to the external walls. Likewise, the sheathing used on prefabricated floor or roof cassettes allows them to act as diaphragms to counteract lateral forces on the building.

Engineered timber

Engineered timber or mass timber is a composite material which is manufactured using a combination of heat and/or pressure with glued-together particles, laminates or strands of processed timber, usually softwood. The resulting products are more consistent in terms of strength and density and can be made with less variable and larger section sizes than are readily available from ordinary forestry timber.

The use of a wide range of source material minimises waste by, for example, using logs which would otherwise be unsuitable for sawn timber. They are also produced with relatively low moisture content, reducing the risk of material deformation and faults developing during the drying process.

Structural engineers can maximise the use of engineered timber to create large open spaces in buildings whilst still ensuring structural stability, with transportation and handling of long and large section engineered timber members being the only real constraints on their use.

The two most commonly used types of engineered timber that we would use in timber frame structures are glulam (glued laminated timber) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL). Although each comes in a range of strength grades, LVL is typically stronger and cheaper than glulam.

Another form of engineered timber which you might find is cross laminated timber (CLT). Producers in the UK and Ireland are scarce, so most CLT is still imported from Europe and should be manufactured in accordance with BS ISO 16696-1:2019.

To optimise transport costs then, it would be useful to design your house so that the total amount of CLT could be transported in preferably one full lorry load. It comes in the form of solid panels which have been created by pressing oddnumbered layers of solid timber boards with each layer laid at 90 degrees to the one next to it, with a structural adhesive between the layers.

There are a number of advantages of using the product. These include dimensional stability, strength, stiffness,

fire resistance, aesthetics and acoustics. The panels can be precision cut with computer numerically controlled (CNC) routers to give very accurate openings and can be made in sizes up to 3.5m wide by 20m long.

The dimensional accuracy of the product means that glazing can be ordered directly from the drawings and joints are easy to make airtight, making them ideal for Passivhaus designs. Manufacturers can supply the panels in three visual grades (non-visual, industrial visual and high-grade visual), with the latter option offering the opportunity for impressively beautiful interior timber surfaces.

Modified wood

Technically speaking, modified wood includes any wood which has been treated chemically, biologically or physically, to make it last longer or perform better, so you could say that most of the wood in a timber frame dwelling is modified.

One of the main environmental credentials of modified wood is that with its very long service life, it locks in sequestered carbon for many more years than its unmodified relatives. It also has, in most cases, been developed to use softwoods or locally produced fast growing hardwoods for high durability applications, hence it is seen as an eco friendly alternative to tropical hardwoods from South America, Africa and Asia.

With ordinary preservative treatment at the simpler end of the scale, there are different levels of wood modification processes. Do take care to find out from the manufacturers’ technical literature, precisely which types of fasteners, adhesives and fixings can be used with each product.

Accoya is natural wood that has been treated using a process called acetylisation, which requires heat and the addition of acetic anhydride to alter the chemical composition of the raw wood to make it into a nontoxic, very durable and stable timber product. It is best suited for external cladding, decking or other external joinery.

Kebony is a similar modified wood which uses furfuryl alcohol together with a process involving vacuum, pressure and heat to modify the cell structure of the wood. The result is, like Accoya, a durable and stable timber suitable for long term external use.

The ancient Japanese technique known as Shou Sugi Ban (also known as Yakisugi), of preserving Sugi cedar wood by charring the surface with a hot flame, can likewise be used on Accoya and Kebony to offer an alternative distinctive appearance to those products.

Thermowood, as the name suggests, relies on a treatment process using high heat with

low oxygen and then cooling to create chemical and structural changes within the wood. A number of manufacturers in other countries use different processes and trade names to create their products in a similar manner.

The Oil Heat Treatment (OHT) uses oil, the Plato process uses hydrothermolysis, dry curing and conditioning, whilst the Reti process uses nitrogen and Les Bois Perdure uses steam. The main disadvantage of thermally modified wood is that the heat process tends to reduce its strength, however this is generally not a critical factor in most exterior cladding applications.

Tricoya is a modified wood panel product which has been developed as a much more durable alternative to medium density fibreboard (MDF) and with a 50 year warranty for use in above ground applications, it can be used for many external purposes such as cladding, doors, fascias and facades.

Shou Sugi Ban, or charred timber, finish

Timber frame jargon buster

Timber frame wall: A wall built of timber framing members, bracing and/or wall sheathing. The solid timber members are usually Canadian Lumber Standard (CLS).

Wall panel: A section that forms part of a complete timber frame wall.

Spandrel panel: Wall panel for a gable.

Racking resistance: Ability of an internal partition wall or external wall panel to resist horizontal wind forces in the plane of the panel. If you imagine a rectangular panel being pushed or forced at one of the top corners in a direction along the length of the panel, in effect trying to deform it into a parallelogram shape, that is known as a racking force.

Stud: Vertical member in a framed partition or wall.

Cripple stud: Vertical member that supports a lintel in a framed partition or wall.

Wall lining: A manufactured sheet product used to line a wall or partition.

Wall sheathing: A manufactured timber sheet product used as bracing.

Sole plate or floor plate: Horizontal timber member under the bottom of a wall panel.

Top plate or header: Horizontal timber member along the top of a wall panel.

Noggings (or sometimes ‘noggins’): Pieces of timber fixed horizontally between studs or joists to add strength or stiffness. Also useful for providing fixing locations between sheet materials.

Bracing: Adds structural strength with timber elements. These can be added to internal or external wall panels where additional racking resistance is required. It is formed using CLS struts diagonally between the end studs of a panel, so that the end stud and bracing together resemble a capital ‘K’.

In the world of prefabricated timber frame design and construction, there are a few terms you need to know.

Images by Kudos

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / PRESERVATIVES AND TREATMENT

Protecting timber

The ecologically balanced first step approach to timber preservative is that if it doesn’t need it, don’t use it. Nevertheless, treatment of timber allows the use of more perishable timber species and those parts of a tree (sapwood) which are more prone to decay. This allows the forestry industry to minimise waste and maximise its resources and reduce pressure on the more durable and higher value species. Modern chemical treatments are much more environmentally friendly than in the past, when aggressive toxic chemical mixtures such as copper, chromium and arsenic salts

make sure that the particular type used was suitable for your wood. Other safe alternatives to CCA now include ammoniacal copper quartenary (ACQ), copper azole and copper citrate.

Any wood used in a timber frame dwelling which is likely to come into contact with moisture, wood damaging insects, the weather or external climate conditions, must be treated to combat the likelihood of rot, mould or decay.

Therefore, all timber members in the external walls and in the ventilated and drained cavities of timber frame houses should be treated with suitable preservatives and processes. This should include sole or floor plate timbers of internal walls and any timber in contact with the damp proof courses (DPCs) or damp proof membranes (DPMs). Any timbers which have been cut or trimmed on site must have their ends carefully treated with preservative. The treatment process is as important as the preservatives used and the best type of process nowadays uses a system of impregnating the timber under a combination of vacuum and pressure, in a large treatment vessel.

or Chromate Copper Arsenate (CCA), pentachlorophenol (PCP) or creosote were in common use. Nowadays, boron based compounds such as borate oxide (SBX) are well known, non toxic preservatives, but you need to

Correctly referred to as Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI) although it can be known by various names, the process involves placing a stack of timber in the tank, pumping all the air out, introducing the preservative under vacuum conditions and then applying hydraulic pressure to force the preservative into the timber cells

The process of preserving and treating timber for it to resist decay and moisture ingress.

Image by Kudos

which had been evacuated of air under the vacuum process.

There can be much confusion around the names of the treatment processes, where different names often mean different things to different people, so look at exactly what type of process the timber producer is using and whether it meets the specifications of the timber that you need.

On site, know your products. I once found a joiner treating the cut ends of solid timber with a liquid from a container of a well-known brand of timber

Guide

What about fire resistance?

Thirty to sixty minute fire resistance is what’s required for most buildings. With timber frame this is achieved with a combination of internal lining material, usually plasterboard as gypsum is fire resistant, the structure itself (under certain fire conditions, mass timber tends to char which provides a degree of fire resistance), insulation, and fire stops within voids and cavities adjacent to the timber frame construction.

The building regulations therefore cover not only the fire resistance of structural components, but also include provisions to restrict the spread of flame over the internal wall and ceiling linings and, in some locations, to limit the contribution they will make to the growth of the fire. Fire resistance and spread of flame restriction for external walls and roofs are also included in the regulations.

the preservatives suitable for these and the treatment process required to apply them to the timber.

Use Class 1 includes internal, permanently dry wood such as floor boards and other internal joinery. This need only be treated against insect attack.

would include fence rails and boards not in contact with soil or decking timbers not in contact with the ground. All Class 3 timber needs to be treated against fungal growth.

preservative that turned out to be heating oil.

For dry timber products, at the time of erection, the moisture content of solid timber members should not exceed 18 per cent and it should not exceed 12 per cent in wood based panels for internal use.

Use Classes of timber

The designer who specifies timber and its treatment for specific uses must have a working knowledge of the timber Use Classes according to EC5,

Use Class 2 includes internal timber with occasional risk of wetting, such as tiling battens, frame timbers in timber frame houses, timber in pitched roofs with high condensation risk, timbers in flat roofs, ground floor joists, sole plates on DPCs or DPMs and timber joists in upper floors built into external walls. These all need to be treated against both insect and fungal attack.

Use Class 3 covers external timber above ground which is exposed to frequent wetting and is split into two subclasses, 3C for coated timber and 3U for uncoated timber. 3C timbers would normally include external joinery such as soffits, fascias and barge boards, cladding, valley gutter timbers and external load bearing timbers. 3U timbers

Use Class 4 covers wood in contact with ground or fresh water, or permanently exposed to wetting and/or providing exterior structural support. In a domestic environment, such timber would include the likes of fence and decking posts, ground level joists, substructures and gravel boards. All Class 3 and 4 timber needs to be treated against fungal growth and insect attack.

Use Class 5 covers timber in a marine environment which is permanently exposed to wetting by salt water and needs to be treated against marine borers and fungal decay.

Low Pressure VPI is typically used for timbers which have been specified for Use Classes 1 to 3C, where the water based treatment provides an envelope of protection around the timber. High Pressure VPI provides higher levels of protection for Use Classes 3U and 4 timber.

Image by Kudos

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / OPEN VS CLOSED PANEL

Designing your panels

When designing the timber frame structure, it is really useful to consider which dimensions to use for the structural grid or layout in order to minimise cutting processes and waste. Since most board products such as sheathing, lining and flooring are supplied in sheets 2400mm long and 1200mm or 600mm wide, the most obvious structural grid dimensions are 400mm or 600mm.

Next, consider the type of structure. The most common method of designing and constructing a domestic timber

frame building which you should encounter is the platform frame system, in which each storey is erected so that the previous floor becomes the platform for the next. The ground floor is usually of solid concrete, upon which the ground floor storey is constructed.

An open panel platform system describes a sheathed timber frame of studs, plates and lintels; covered with a breather membrane and complete with openings for windows and doors. Internal linings, insulation, vapour control layer (VCL), services and

With timber frame, you have two basic options. Closed panel or open panel. Here’s what you need to know to decide which one is for you.

Image by Kudos, buildingkudos.com

claddings are all added on site. A closed panel system is a development of the open panel, in that the wall panels are delivered complete with insulation, VCL and internal linings. The windows and doors can

be prefitted and service ducts, cables and pipes can also be included.

Floor and roof panels known as cassettes can also be prefabricated in the factory, in both open and closed panel construction.

The advantages and disadvantages of each option can be summarised as follows:

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Less expensive to produce

Faster to fabricate in the factory

OPEN PANELS

Easier to adjust on site

Less expensive to repair if they get damaged in transport or on site

Easier to dry our if they get wet during construction works

Requires less work on site

Quality control of fittings, openings, airtightness and insulation is easier to manage in a factory than on site

CLOSED PANELS

Less likely to be tampered with by follow-on trades

Doesn’t save as much time on site

Less quality control over the fitting of insulation and membranes on site

Requires more work on site

Can suffer abuse from other trades, eg. notching of timber members

More scope for errors around openings

Requires a detailed design by the manufacturer

Less scope for adjustment on site

More complex to repair if they get damaged in transport or on site

More expensive to produce

More difficult to dry out if they get wet internally during construction works

Timber frame and brick external cavity wall

Knauf Insulation

Kingspan Insulation

Timber frame with external timber cladding

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / OPEN VS CLOSED PANEL

The volumetric system of producing factory prefabricated frames involves manufacturing frames, boxes or pods which can form one or more rooms. They require the use of a crane for positioning on site and the system is best suited to repetitive units such as those used in care homes, student accommodation, hostels or hotels. They are normally supplied with at least the insulation, internal linings and service ducts but can also be supplied with services, windows, doors and cladding already fitted.

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are produced using a rigid foam insulation core to which a layer of OSB or plywood or similar is bonded on each side. They tend to be lighter than normal timber frame panels and partly because there is less solid timber bridging between the outer layers, U-values can be kept low throughout the product. Apart from the ground floor, SIPs can form the entire thermal envelope of a dwelling and just require the addition of external weather resistant cladding which can be anything from traditional bricks, blocks and slates, to contemporary composite wall panels and metal roof cladding. The walls and floors are erected using the platform frame configuration with the window and door openings being cut out during the manufacturing process. They can also be supplied with integrated services or service ducts or voids. They are sensitive to moisture so good attention to detail is needed during the building and finishing processes. Given their apparent advantages however, there still appears to be some lack of confidence in the product, from builders, consumers and some insurers.

External walls

For most people, one of the most important decisions to make will be the choice of construction method for the external walls. The internal leaf of an external cavity wall is the one which usually supports most of the loading on and within the building, and this is the part of the wall that we naturally think of when considering timber frame external wall design. So what should a modern timber frame external wall consist of? The essential elements, from inside to outside, are:

� The internal lining, usually plasterboard, which can be finished with a gypsum plaster skim if you so wish. The lining can be plywood where for example, kitchen cupboards are to be fixed to the walls. It can also be a composite fire-resistant sheeting material where fire safety is of prime importance.

� A services void, usually a 35mm cavity for routing concealed cables and small diameter pipes; or 50mm if waste pipes are to be included. Larger widths or diameters of ducts or pipes are best housed separately.

� An inner layer of rigid board type insulation, along with the VCL on the ‘warm’ side of the insulation. This layer of insulation is intended to reduce heat loss through the solid timber parts of the frame. Check with the insulation manufacturers technical details, as some recommend that this layer of insulation is fixed outside the sheathing next to the cavity. The VCL prevents interstitial condensation within the wall structure and helps to minimise air leakage through the building envelope.

� The structural timber frame, with its voids filled with flexible

insulation batts or slabs (but not insulation quilt). Most manufacturers now make this frame 140mm deep to incorporate the required depth of insulation fill, sometimes increasing it up to 170 or 225mm deep for even better performance. Beyond that depth, the frame is usually split into an inner and outer stud frame, or the studs can be made using ‘I’ joists, so called because they look like a capital letter ‘I’ at the ends, being formed of a run of small-section solid timber glued along the top and bottom of a plywood ‘web’. These joists offer a much smaller solid-to-void ratio which offers an improved thermal performance compared to solid timber members.

� An external facing on the timber frame, of a vapour permeable membrane (VPM) or ‘breather membrane’ over the layer of timber sheathing, usually oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood. The VPM provides weather protection during construction works and afterwards provides a barrier against moisture penetrating the frame from the wall cavity while allowing the wall to breathe, i.e. it allows water vapour to escape from the inside out. The sheathing adds strength and rigidity to the wall panel.

� The air cavity, usually 50mm in width and drained at the bottom.

� The external wall leaf, usually brickwork or blockwork; although it can also be for example, timber, metal or composite cladding on a subframe or battens and counterbattens. The two wall leafs, internal and external, are typically tied together using wall ties and the face of the external leaf should be ventilated to provide an airflow through the air cavity. Ultimately, it is the job of the external leaf to withstand the

long-term effects of weather.

Expansion or contraction joints need to be used where differential movement would cause problems. Junctions between walls, roofs, foundations and glazing all need to be properly detailed. Joints in all membranes should be as few as possible and properly sealed, with special care taken around penetrations for services.

Proper attention must also be paid to the provision of fires stops in cavities at each storey floor level. The fire stops prevent cavities which are constructed of combustible materials, from acting as flues for the passage of flames or smoke in the event of a fire. Likewise, any ducts or pipes which pass through upper floors need to be properly fire-stopped and any party wall between semi-detached or terraced properties needs to be fire-stopped at the roof.

An external wall as described above, with inner lining, services void, inner insulation, timber wall panel, air cavity and external brickwork; would typically have an overall thickness of 400450mm.

Internal walls

In a timber frame dwelling, the internal walls are commonly referred to as partitions or stud partitions. Partitions which are not required to carry roofs or floors can be simply lined with plasterboard.

These plasterboarded partitions can also be designed to resist racking loads but it is more common to use sheathing for all load bearing partitions in a similar way to the external wall panels. Either type will generally use 90 x 38mm CLS framing and may be acoustically insulated, depending on their location.

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / CHOOSING A SUPPLIER

Choosing a supplier

It can be only too easy to lose important architectural features and dimensions when drawings are sent out to manufacturers and suppliers who sometimes alter things to suit their products or methods.

So find out whether they design their frames to precisely match every aspect of the architectural drawings. One manufacturer repeatedly sent me out their drawings for checking which showed tiny chimneys that were completely out of proportion to the building and didn’t look anything like the ones

approved manufacturer to the relevant standards. The main standards covering the design and manufacture of timber frame structures in the UK and Ireland are EN 1995-1-1 and EN 1995-1-2 otherwise known as Eurocode 5 (EC5) and each National Annexe (NA) to EC5.

This set of standards in turn, references around 50 other standards which deal with subjects such as timber quality, metal fasteners, adhesives, jointing techniques, durability, preservatives, vibration, testing methods and so on.

30 different standards, yet if the manufacturer mentions only the one concerning joints made with metal fasteners (EN 26891 since you ask), you would like to know what might have been omitted.

The building regulations affecting structures are Part D in NI and Part A in ROI, however a number of the other Parts covering subjects such as site preparation, materials and workmanship, acoustics and fire safety will come into play as well.

Assure scheme who have engaged Silver or Gold level structural designers and engineers should not require additional certification.

It is also very reassuring if the company has received certification from an approved certification body that it has achieved an ISO 9001 quality management standard.

on my drawings.

When asked why this was so, they finally admitted that their software only allowed for one size of chimney and they couldn’t alter the dimensions. If anything, it demonstrated the need for manufacturers to send out their drawings to the designer for checking. Unfortunately some don’t bother to do this.

Prefabricated timber frames should be manufactured by an

The other relevant and important standards for domestic timber structures are BS 5268 (UK) and IS 440:2009+A1:2014 (Ireland). If a manufacturer or supplier refers to standards other than those mentioned above, take time to check what they actually cover.

For instance, a simple prefabricated roof truss and its component parts may be required to comply with around

Timber frame structural elements such as wall, floor and roof panels or roof trusses should be produced by a reputable manufacturer who is a member of a recognised trade body such as the Structural Timber Association (STA) in the UK or the Irish Timber Frame Manufactures Association (ITFMA).

A timber frame superstructure which has been manufactured and installed by Gold level

The installers may not necessarily belong to the same company as the manufacturers, so they need to be checked out as well. Apart from obtaining independent references, documentary evidence of quality assurance and membership of trade bodies, you can easily check what any company’s real attitude to quality is like by visiting any sites that they have recently been working on. It would also help to check who is responsible for the transportation of the products to the site and their handling on site.

What to check for before you appoint your timber frame manufacturer and installer for your project.

“The main standard covering the design and manufacture of timber frame structures in the UK and Ireland is Eurocode 5.”

What to check for on site

What

Moisture is the enemy of all timber frame construction, where leaks and trapped moisture can cause timber to rot and decay. The process of decay in timber needs three things; food (the timber itself), water and sufficient oxygen.

So whilst timber that is permanently wet and starved of oxygen, such as the famous timber piles in Venice, the Mary Rose, or our own bog oak; can survive intact for hundreds of years, timber that gets exposed to a combination of air and water will suffer.

Watchpoints

Not only are timber panels at risk during the delivery and handling phases, but after erection they

can suffer from excess wetting. One of the greatest problems is that they get wet and are then covered over before they have time to dry out. Insulation will generally retain moisture for longer so select insulation that dries quickly and that doesn’t slump when wet.

Some design features are best avoided if they present a risk of trapping water. These could include flat roofs, parapet walls, balconies, level valleys between roofs, canopies on external walls and the like.

Differential movement can also allow ingress of moisture through areas such as cracked render, gaps around windows and doors and so on. The main problem with leaks is that they tend to remain unnoticed until damage has already occurred.

Leaks during a building’s lifetime can also arise from plumbing, sanitaryware and heating systems, so regular maintenance of these fixtures is perhaps even more important in a timber frame home than traditionally built ones. Provided that the potential issues are taken care of at the design phase, then human error will be responsible for most problems during and after construction.

The old rule “if a thing can go wrong, it will go wrong” is too often confirmed by hard experience and it can be applied especially to the erection of prefabricated timber framed structures on site.

One golden rule to keep in mind is that everyone on site at any time for whatever reason, is responsible for correcting errors and no one should ever be allowed to claim “that wasn’t my job”.

If they cannot correct the error themselves, then they have a responsibility to report it to someone who can and will take

to be aware of when the timber frame kit arrives on site.

the correct course of action. I have sometimes seen wellmade timber frame panels left out in very poor conditions such as standing in deep puddles of dirty water, or covered in snow, or stacked misshapenly at odd angles, or with badly torn breather membranes.

Anyone, from the truck driver, the telehandler operator, individual tradespeople, to the site foreman; should have intervened in these situations but failed to do so. Always remember that work completed by one trade should be left to an appropriate level of finish and in the correct state for other trades.

connection required on the project, including those for structural connections, framing, wall ties, VPM, sheathing and VCL; and should show:

l The number and spacing of fixings, including nailing patterns and edge distances.

l The size and type of fixing, including material and corrosion protection.

l The method of fixing, for example, skew nailing.

Where wall design relies on plasterboard to take racking forces, the design should clearly show those walls include the type and spacing of fixings required.

The design (and later the

Moisture Management Checklist

Solutions for the control of moisture should include:

l Consider an open panel type of timber frame structure and get it inspected frequently by the certifier during construction.

l Keep the bottom surfaces of sole plates for all external wall panels at least 150mm above the external ground level. This should include areas where the external ground rises towards entrance doors to comply with the access regulations.

l Do not fix the sole plates of internal walls in positions where they will be left sitting in a potential water channel, e.g. where a floor screed and DPM is laid up along each side of the bottom of a wall panel.

l Get the roof on and the building shell weathertight as soon as possible.

Information required by building control

Building control will require that you submit information in relation to your design. In NI they will carry out inspections during the build. Designs and specifications must be clearly understandable and include:

l A full set of working drawings including drawings produced by the timber frame manufacturer.

l The materials specification.

l The position and materials for cavity barriers in accordance with the building regulations.

l Manufacturers’ written recommendations relating to proprietary items.

The fixing schedule must accompany details of every

installation) of the timber frame structure should be checked and certified by a structural engineer and/or an NHBC registered timber frame certifier, who should not be the designer of the timber frame nor be from the same practice or company.

The certifier should complete and sign a certificate confirming assessment of structural adequacy for each specific project and give a copy to the builder and to building control.

l Consider putting up a temporary roof if the building is to be left exposed for prolonged periods in bad weather. The cost might be less expensive than the cost of remedial work.

l Build the timber frame during dry weather. I know, that’s easier said than done, but if at all possible, try to make it happen.

l Allow all wet timber including wood based panel products, to dry out properly before covering them.

l Monitor the moisture content of all timber, wood based panel products and the insulation. The moisture content should be stable at less than 20 per cent before closing up any timber frame panels. Remember that water runs down, so timber at the bottoms of panels will probably be wetter than the timber above. Also, wood based panel products can retain moisture for longer than solid timber.

l Use temporary membranes to keep out water ingress where possible and to protect sensitive materials during construction works. These might include wood based panel products such as OSB and plywood, all membranes, plasterboard, insulation, etc.

l Don’t allow trades to nail through or otherwise make holes in the VCL or VPM.

l Ensure that differential movement measures are built in accordance with the detailed drawings.

“Building control will require that you submit information in relation to your design.”

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / STICK BUILD METHOD

DIY timber frame

Stick build describes a method of creating structures that are built up on site from individual pieces of timber. The main architectural objective is to create a home that uses timber in ways that are not readily perceived as being factory produced.

In reality, you can build the whole structural frame in sections in a factory or shed to make sure that all the connection joints fit properly, then reassemble it on site. This is not necessarily the time consuming task that it might first appear to be, as it allows the opportunity to make adjustments which would be difficult to achieve on site.

It also borrows from the factory controlled offsite construction benefits of prefabricated timber frame manufacture. One well known example of how large timber

structural frames can be erected in a day can be seen by checking online for examples of Amish barn raising.

The stick build approach is a bit of a misnomer nowadays in that the term ‘stick’ no longer refers to what we would normally think of as sticks, but can be any size of timber element from small diameter roundwood poles to large section engineered timber beams.

The main idea of the stick build method is that you start with a structural frame or skeleton, which can be filled, encased or left exposed according to the design objectives. In a similar way to the prefabricated type of timber frame structure, the external wall panels will need to be well insulated and would have an exterior facing of brick,

What the timber frame stick build method is and what you need to know about it.

Pegged mortice and tenon joint

blockwork, stone or cladding. The method also lends itself well to the use of interesting roof trusses which can be as simple or as complex as they need to be.

This type of timber frame is often the basis for what many refer to as an eco build, that is where the walls are lined with a renewable insulation product such as straw bale. With shuttering, timber frame is also the structural base for hemp-lime or rammed earth construction. Steel frame is an alternative but is more expensive and harder to work with than timber.

The standard building regulations in use in the UK and Ireland do not specifically include dwellings built by stick build methods, but neither do they rule them out. The European and national standards for timber structures, where they apply to solid timber, only cover regular rectangular or circular section members or poles and not irregular shaped members.

Whether you choose to use standardised strength graded timber or engineered timber from a timber merchant or roundwood from a local woodland, this method of building does not have industrial certification or quality assurance so it is vital that it is designed and certified by a structural engineer. It may also be a good idea to sound out the opinion of your mortgage lenders before embarking on the project.

Oak frame example

The general stick build method is still used in oak framed building, where the construction is based around a structural skeleton of oak framing using tried and tested jointing techniques. Traditionally built by skilled craftsmen using mainly hand tools, the stick build methods can

be adapted for more modern methods of construction. Usually for reasons of economy, prefabricated factory produced timber frame homes tend to follow a restrictive standards based set of methods and processes, whereas a stick built home can have more flexibility in its approach to design.

One such approach would be to take the example of traditional oak framed structures and follow a layout such as the aisled frame. This layout consisted of a series of frames which were formed to create bays which supported the roof, but the rafters were extended down onto external walls set outside the main frames. Such a structure would remove most of the roof loads from the external walls and the external timber wall panels.

Another solution would be to adopt the ‘post and beam’ structure which consists of horizontal beams carried across two or more uprights. Each set of posts and beams are then repeated in bays along the length of the building and as these frames carry the roof, open plan spaces are easy to create. Either of these frame types will require timber bracing to provide racking resistance.

Importantly, you do not have to build this type of design in oak but can use more economical or readily available alternatives. In all such timber that has been sawn into squared planks, beams or columns, the most often used joint is the pegged mortice and tenon joint, whereby a hole for a peg is drilled across the midpoint of the tenon where it slots into the mortice.

The peg is tapered so that when it is driven into the joint it locks in. Usually the hole for

the peg in the tenon is offset slightly from the hole through the mortice so that when the peg is hammered in, it pulls the shoulders of the tenon tightly into the mortice joint.

The Segal method

For the more adventurous and environmentally friendly selfbuilders, perhaps the best known building method which would fall under the title of stick build is that attributed to Walter Segal, a Berlin-born architect who moved to England in the 1930s.

He has been quoted in many construction related publications but his innovative rethinking of standard building processes is well worth remembering. The methodology for making large savings in build costs that he developed in the 1960s can be summarised as follows:

� Base the building structure on a bolt jointed timber post and beam framework.

� Make everything as simple as possible.

� Accommodate tolerances and thermal movement without complex construction details.

� The structure should be buildable by someone with basic carpentry skills, although installation of services would be completed by a plumber and electrician.

� Only basic hand tools should be required.

� Make maximum use of materials in their standard sizes to reduce waste and cutting, through use of a design based on a simple grid.

� Support the posts on simple concrete pad foundations, the holes for which can be excavated by hand and the concrete mixed on site. (Segal’s original house used paving slabs as pad foundations.)

� Raise the ground floor so that oversite concrete is not required.

� Avoid the use of wet trades such as bricklaying and plastering.

� Make it easy to insulate to a high standard.

� Make the building easy to adapt and extend if necessary.

� Can be constructed up to three storeys if required.

� Passivhaus or zero carbon levels of energy usage must be

Oak framing is a type of stick frame construction which consists of a structural skeleton of oak framing put together using tried and tested jointing techniques.

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / STICK BUILD METHOD

achievable.

Even with such a simple approach, it is still possible to achieve a wide variety of configurations including the use of one or two storeys, double height rooms, split levels, courtyards, flat or pitched roofs and so on.

The use of simple dry joints fixed with bolts or screws makes it easy for almost anyone to assemble such a structure with minimal assistance. A structural engineer will be required at the design stage and as with any other dwelling, the relevant approvals must be obtained before works commence.

Roundwood structures

This is a much older building method than that of the squared off timber method. The usual procedure for building a roundwood structure is to create the structural framework using poles or logs and then build the wall panels between or around the timbers.

The wall panels can be

similar in composition to those of any other timber frame structure but apart from their own lateral resistance to wind, don’t need to carry any other loads.

The usual timeframe for constructing a roundwood framed structure is governed by the right time to fell the timber (autumn), cutting the joints in the winter, then erection of the frame in the spring so that it can be made weathertight by summertime and ready for finishing out in the autumn.

The overriding principle is that the timber comes directly from the forest to your site. Benefits of using roundwood as opposed to sawn timber planks would include:

� It looks natural, is aesthetically pleasing, and reminds us of where timber comes from.

� A circular section pole is stronger than any plank cut from it.

� It allows the use of coppiced trees and smaller diameter trees.

� It reduces the energy and financial costs of intensive

industrial processing and unnecessary transportation. Roundwood generally describes timber that is cut from the tree without further processing, such as sawing into planks or squaring it off, although debarking it will increase its longevity and this should be done as soon as possible after felling. Some timber frame companies will debark logs and poles using high pressure water, which leaves a smooth timber finish. DIY debarking is usually done using simple tools, but care needs to be exercised to ensure that only the bark and no timber underneath it, is removed.

After debarking, get rid of any stringy material which has been left and scrub off the sap residue using a natural watered vinegar solution. Then stack the poles or logs to dry, off the ground and separated from each other, in a position where air can circulate freely through the stack. Some forestry professionals suggest that the cut ends of the timber be sealed with natural wax to dry the timber more evenly throughout its length and to prevent cracking at the ends. The best place to store the timber would be under a roofed, open sided shelter and not under a tarpaulin or in an enclosed shed.

Timber used for construction purposes within a building is regarded as dry when its

moisture content is kept below 20 per cent, but to dry timber naturally down to this level could take a long time. The length of time needed will depend on factors such as the timber species, its age, density and dimensions, the time of year it was harvested and the ambient air humidity.

One rule of thumb is that it takes about a year per 25mm for solid timber to dry, so a 200mm diameter roundwood log would take about four years to dry all the way through. The faster alternative is to transport the timber to a timber producer’s premises to get it kiln dried, although this extra transportation and high energy processing somewhat dilutes the environmental value of using the timber in the first place.

This means that a decision needs to be made as to whether to use green timber. Being used in its ‘wet’ state, green timber will likely develop some splits and cracks known as ‘checks’ arising from uneven shrinkage as time progresses. As long as these checks do not continue all the way through the timber, it should remain structurally sound and the appearance remains naturally rustic.

Building using green oak is a well developed building method and there is no reason why other species of trees cannot be used in the same way. After all, many timber structures remain in perfect condition today after being built at a time when there were no timber drying kilns in existence.

The main thing to consider when using green timber is that it will continue to shrink after it has been erected, so joints and other components need to be formed with this in mind. Timber shrinkage will occur mostly across its width or depth and is

Simple concrete pad foundations as per the Segal method.

negligible along its length.

Joints for roundwood frames are similar to those used in oak type framing in that they are usually formed using a pegged mortice and tenon joint, but do not tend to use the offset pegging method of tightening the joint.

The timber pegs are handmade and can be circular and slightly tapered or octagonal so that the edges lock it into the joint. Wedges can also be used to tighten up the joint. Remove sapwood from any joints that are likely to be exposed to moisture.

If you are considering a DIY roundwood home build and haven’t attempted anything like it before, start with a small garden project to see how you get on. Every child, including the grownup ones, loves a treehouse.

Maybe also get yourself onto a green woodworking course. Seek advice from a designer, especially if you are taking on something which might need planning or building control approval. You could find power tools for most of the jobs, but they tend to remove the natural look that is so characteristic of roundwood structures. The greenest and most natural way to build with roundwood is to use hand tools such as these:

� Mallets of different sizes.

� Wedges of different sizes for splitting timber.

� A set of good quality wood chisels, straight and curved.

� A hand auger and a few suitable sized bits for drilling holes.

� A decent handsaw and a bow saw.

� An adze for bigger hewn work and a spokeshave for finer finishing work.

� A froe. It looks a bit like a sturdy knife but with the handle

set at right angles to the blade.

� A side axe which has the blade bevelled only on one side.

To make your own pegs for the timber joints, a shave horse and draw knife are not difficult to set up yourself and speeds up peg making. A dowel plate is useful too, which in its simplest form is a piece of steel with a number of different diameter holes through which you bash roughly rounded pegs to improve their shape.

If you don’t have the time to follow the complete DIY route, you could get a specialist joinery company to make up the timber members and all the joints, then assemble it on site yourself with some assistance if need be. Some joinery firms will take the conceptual design from your designer and combine this with 3D CAD models to let you see what can be built and also to help them in the manufacturing process. They will use machines to cut, joint and plane the timber, but should leave it looking as natural as possible.

Follow the Segal method for the siteworks and use stainless steel dowels and plates to keep

Guide

the timber separate from the concrete foundation pads. For wall panels, since they are not load bearing, you can make them yourself in a shed. An easy option would be to make panels up using durable cladding on the outside of a simple stud frame, with an economical internal lining.

If the structure is to be habitable, the wall panels need to be adequately insulated with moisture control layers and ventilated cavities. The insulation can be fitted as you go along or you could get it injected or sprayed into the hollow panels.

A log house in Co Monaghan assembled on site log by log

A DIY stick build in Co Meath

We are suppliers of Quality Stone & Brick Cladding (for both natural & manufactured). With an extensive range to choose from you will be sure to find the look to compliment your home.

To view our range and request a free quotation please go to our website www.fernhillstone.com

Phone: +353 47 88015

info@fernhillstone.com

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / FOUNDATIONS

Foundations

Foundations for timber frame buildings should be designed to suit the site conditions and the loads that they are intended to support. Any of the usual concrete foundation options might be used, such as standard strips, piles and beams, pads or rafts.

The next most important objective will be how best to connect and support the timber frame structure on the foundations.

Where wall panels are expected to resist lateral and/ or vertical uplift loads, the sole plates must be adequately anchored to the substructure. There are many suitable anchorplate type products on the market for this purpose and they

Utmost care must be taken to keep the radon barrier and/or damp proof membrane (DPM) intact with no punctures. Sole plates for even non-load-bearing internal stud partition walls will also be fixed down to keep them in position.

Strip foundations are the most straightforward but only if ground conditions are accepted as ‘normal’ by your designer, the building control inspector (NI) and the structural engineer. The other foundation types will need to be designed by the structural engineer.

Strip foundations will have blockwork walls or footings built up on them, upon which the timber frame wall sole plates are affixed. The correct specification

to the fact that there are no footings and much less excavation work is required.

By providing an accurate, level and solid base right from the start, contractors tend to find them very easy to work with. There is a choice of raft foundation solutions available, from casting your own raft on site, to using insulated formwork provided by some of the insulation manufacturers.

of the cavity wall, the external cladding would need to be lightweight construction such as timber or composite cladding, carried on the face of the timber frame wall panels. It would also usually mean that the ground floors will need to be of a suspended timber construction.

should either be stainless steel or galvanised steel, according to the exposure class and ground conditions.

Obviously, fix them in accordance with the structural engineer’s recommendations and the manufacturer’s written instructions. The sole plates can alternatively be shot-fixed into the base masonry or concrete. If it is masonry, the solid concrete blocks must be correctly specified and positioned to receive the fixings.

for concrete blocks used below damp proof course (DPC) or DPM level will have been specified by your designer and will typically have a minimum crushing strength of 7.3N/sqmm and be manufactured to comply with BS EN771. The width of any footing or substructure wall should be at least equal to the width of any wall it supports.

Raft foundations are a faster and more economical solution than the usual strip foundation and subfloor construction, due

Some insulated formwork solutions can provide a base which is suitable for Passivhaus construction. The preconstruction soil investigations will inform your structural engineer as to whether a raft foundation will be suitable and if so, it will be designed with full calculations, reinforcement placement drawings and rebar schedules.

Pile foundations with the correct top fixing procedures can directly support a timber ring beam to support the timber frame walls, thus avoiding the need for the reinforced concrete beam usually required for block or brick walls.

This system would mean that as there is no structural base

If that doesn’t suit your house design, then, although it uses a lot more concrete you could revert to the more usual solution of precast concrete floor planks supported on the ring beams which are in turn cast onto the pile heads.

Pad foundations, as we have seen with the Segal method, can be simple with a very low environmental impact as long as the structure is kept as lightweight as possible.

Owing to the very low weight of the structure, your structural engineer will advise on suitable means of preventing wind uplift. Larger reinforced or mass concrete pads would be needed where columns or posts are supporting heavy loads or where soil conditions are not so good, or both.

How they’re built for timber frame.

“...care must be taken to keep the radon barrier and/or DPM intact with no punctures...”

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / OPENINGS

Windows and doors

Forming openings in timber frame construction.

Window and door openings in prefabricated timber frame panels will be formed in the factory to the dimension given on the drawings. Each opening will typically have a CLS cripple stud fitted to each side to support the timber lintel over and the sill piece underneath. Fitting the windows and doors and their frames into the openings then present challenges of making sure that they prevent (a) the ingress of moisture, (b)

the passage of uncontrolled air and (c) cold bridging of the thermal insulation.

Ideally, the window or doorframe should be fitted in line with the cavity wall insulation and fixed securely to the frame around it. Any cold bridging needs to be dealt with by adding strips of rigid insulation where necessary.

Then all the edges of the frame must be sealed with an approved flexible sealant before applying air sealant tape around the frame and its surrounding timber frame members. This makes it sound easier than it actually is, but the fact remains that airtightness tests often reveal leaks around openings which haven’t been sealed with the utmost care.

Added to these challenges is the need to incorporate movement joints to take care of differential shrinkage between the timber frame, the external cladding and the windows and doorframes; and you soon see why this part of the build requires time, care, knowledge and skill.

Any site operatives carrying out these jobs should therefore have received proper training and be suitably experienced. Some contractors won’t like to have their most skilled and experienced people being tied up for long periods on a job which in the past took only minutes and was left to the window suppliers.

You should also check whether the window manufacturer employs trained window installers and if their warranty covers the carrying out of remedial work in the event that inspections or airtightness tests indicate any problems. It is best to keep alert to the possible pitfalls on this part of the job and find out how to do it yourself if need be. There are various short courses available which address the issues of airtightness, cold

bridging, moisture risk and so on; and some training providers will even train you up on site.

In areas of severe or very severe exposure to driving rain, that is throughout NI and in most of ROI, masonry should form a rebate at the reveals of openings to avoid a straight through joint where the frame abuts the masonry. Damp proof courses (DPCs), preformed cavity trays and cavity drainage weepholes should be installed over all openings in external walls.

Differential movement

As the timber frame structure dries out, it will shrink and the overall height will reduce. The extent of the differential movement increases with the height of the building, and will be found to occur between the timber frame and other parts of the construction.

This movement should be expected to occur in both prefabricated and stick built timber frame structures and will be more pronounced where green timber has been used. Common areas which require particular attention include:

� At openings in the wall panels.

� Interfaces between the timber frame and other types of construction.

� At each floor level.

� Where the roof meets the walls, i.e. at eaves and verges.

� Where materials with different rates of expansion or shrinkage are positioned together.

Movement joints must safely accommodate the anticipated amount of shrinkage or expansion, be weatherproof and durable and be protected by a cover strip where the movement gap is expected to be more than 35mm.

There are tables available in the timber frame standards

which offer general information on the expected gap sizes due to movement, although these cannot cover all eventualities, so exact gap calculations can be carried out based on guidance within EC5.

Where to incorporate movement joints

In the case of wall openings in walls with a timber frame inner leaf and an outer leaf of brickwork or blockwork, gaps need to be considered due to both upward expansion of the brickwork and downward movement of the timber frame.

A movement gap above a window will therefore increase after movement occurs and the gap under the sill will compress. To allow for this movement, sills should be built with a gap between them and the masonry; and outer lintels need to be built in mind with a gap that will expand.

Where outer lintels are attached to the inner timber frame leaf, they must be fitted to allow for movement between the lintel and the timber.

For external walls with lightweight cladding on the face of the inner timber frame wall panels, there should be no differential movement at window heads and sills.

Where a roof supported on a timber frame wall abuts a masonry wall, accommodation for movement should be incorporated behind the flashing so as to retain a minimum of 75mm of upper flashing cover over the roof flashing upstand. This situation can apply to sloping or flat roofs abutting a masonry wall or parapet.

At doorways, where a suspended timber ground floor meets the outer concrete or masonry structure, a wedge

shaped timber or composite transition piece should be left between them until the floor settles down. The transition piece can be removed when the timber parts of the structure have ceased to shrink and the inner and outer levels are about equal.

At eaves and verges, the roof which is carried on the inner timber frame structure will tend to move down towards the external brickwork or blockwork outer walls. For this reason, suitable gaps are left under the soffits so that they do not become deflected under the movement. These gaps should be filled with a compressible infestation-proof mesh.

Any services such as pipes, ducts or vents passing through an inner timber frame and outer brickwork wall must also be fitted to anticipate the relative movement between the wall leafs. This should be addressed

in a similar way to the window openings, with a gap under the service opening which should decrease and a gap over which should increase.

At suspended timber floor levels where the external wall is of lightweight cladding on an inner timber frame, horizontal gaps should be provided in the external sheathing of the inner wall panels at the head of the lower frame and the bottom of the upper frame.

A horizontal gap must also be provided between the upper and lower cladding sheets and if they are fixed on vertical battens on the face of the inner wall, the batten must also be broken with a similar gap. Where the timber floor is constructed using solid timber joists, these gaps should be 15mm and in the case of I-joists, the gaps can be reduced to 10mm.

Image by Kudos

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / ROOFING

Roofing

Prefabricated roof trusses, also known as trussed rafters, are the most common solution for the roofs of timber frame buildings. Many timber frame manufacturers will supply them as part of the timber frame kit. The trussed rafters can be made in a number of forms to suit the roof loads, the clear span between supports and the shape of any rooms to be included in or partially in the roof space. They will usually be designed to span across the external walls, allowing the use of non-loadbearing internal walls. The timber members are jointed using toothed steel plate connectors which are pressed into the timber by machine and the timber used is usually strength grade TR26. Various truss configurations are possible, including attic trusses which will provide space for attic rooms, scissors trusses which give sloping ceilings and raised collar trusses which offer a flat ceiling at a higher level than the walls.

A cut roof construction would be fairly unusual in a timber frame building but may be used if the conditions demand it. This is the traditional way of building a roof using rafters, ridge boards, collar ties, hangers, ceiling joists and binders. The rafters cannot always achieve the roof spans required in larger modern homes so they need to be supported, usually at mid-span, by heavier timbers known as purlins. The purlins in turn, may not economically achieve the spans required of them, so steel beams are often used in their place. Box beams (see below) are another option.

Ceiling joists prevent the roof loads from spreading the tops of the walls outwards, but only if they are fixed across the wall plates at the heads of the walls. If they are raised up to be fixed to the pairs of rafters, the rafter will then need to be stiff enough so as not to deflect under load.

Hipped roofs are roofs which slope up from all the external walls so that there are no gable walls. They will require hip rafters where the diminishing rafters, known as ‘jack rafters’ meet at the external corners. Hip rafters will be heavier and deeper than the ordinary rafters to allow for the angle of cut of the jack rafters.

Valley rafters are used at sloping valleys where two roofs meet and will be sized to take the increased loads and angled cuts of the rafters meeting them.

The box beam was a once popular solution for long span beams and today could be considered as a low cost alternative to engineered timber and steel. Box beams are made in the workshop or factory

There are many components to a roof structure, and different methods to build it. Here are the elements related to roofing that you need to be aware of if you are building with timber frame.

using plywood panels fixed to each side of a framework of softwood structural timber members.

They were typically used in areas such as roof spaces or lined walls where appearance was not so important. Strong, lightweight and easy to make, they can also be insulated, but they must never be allowed to get damp or wet, unless the timber has been suitably treated for at least Use Class 2 situations and the plywood has been properly specified to comply with the requirements of EN 314 as being suitable for exterior use or in a similar environment.

Note that many suppliers sell plywood described as WBP (Weather and Boij24 l Proof) which in the past was the quality standard for exterior rated ply, but which nowadays refers to a number of different standards and doesn’t guarantee that it’s exterior gra de.

Spandrel panels are used in cold roof voids to create separation between dwellings or to form the inner leaf of gable walls. They form part of the timber frame package so need to be designed and certified as fit for purpose. Since they form part of the structure above the insulation layer, they will usually only have sheathing and a breather membrane on their outer face next to the cavity and will have no insulation or inner lining fitted. In addition to the usual requirements of structural stability, they may form part of a wall between dwellings so also need to comply with the regulations for fire safety and acoustic transfer.

Structural Insulated Panels or SIPs, as seen earlier, are capable of clear spans up to

Guide

about 4.80 metres (depending on the manufacturer).

That means they can be used as roof panels which in some cases don’t need traditional rafters or roof trusses, but simply sit on ridge beams and purlins where necessary.

They do need to be kept as dry as possible during construction and should be made weathertight as soon as possible. The usual buildup for a SIPs type roof is slates, tiles or metal roof cladding on a breathable roofing membrane, on sheathing board, on vertical battens giving a 50mm clear airspace between them.

The battens are fixed over a bottom layer of breathable roofing membrane which provides additional protection to the SIPs layer. Note that due to the difficulty in applying an effective air and vapour control layer (AVCL) to the warm side of a SIPs panel to prevent water vapour entering the panel, and the risk of trapping moisture in the panels during the construction period, SIPs panels are not regarded as suitable for warm flat roof construction.

Prefabricated roof trusses, also known as trussed rafters, are the most common solution for the roofs of timber frame buildings

MBC Timber Frame, mbctimberframe.co.uk

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / CO DOWN PROJECT

Eco at heart

Overview

Plot size: 1 acre

House size: 310sqm

Bedrooms: 5

Heating and hot water: geothermal heat pump with PV

Ventilation: centralised mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

Build method: timber frame

EPC (SAP): A (97)

Why did you choose timber frame as the method of construction?

I have worked in the low energy housing sector as a renewable energy engineer for the last 16 years. I’ve seen a lot of selfbuilds in that time and the best performing houses in terms of comfort and low running costs were those built with timber frame.

I’m delighted we went down that route. The design process was straightforward – because our site already had outline

Ryan Daly chats about why he chose timber frame above other methods of construction.

Guide

planning permission, we just had to do a reserved matters application which took six months to come through. We had our architect John design our house and we were delighted with him and his team in what they came up for us.

We gave them a two page brief on things that we wanted and this ensured they came up with the design we wanted straight off. We just went back with a few minor tweaks. After this the timber frame company took the drawings and came up with their own structural and timber frame drawings.

There were no amendments needed to the plans. Our house has four different levels on the ground floor but overall I think it was easier to build the house in timber frame than what it would have been in block.

How did you choose which company to go for?

We’ve worked with the timber frame supplier we chose for a number of years now, and I was fortunate to see the various stages of their builds. I got to witness their approach first hand and I was super impressed. When you walk in and see the level of insulation, the airtightness membrane and tapes, plus the thermal bridging detailing, it made so much sense to choose this route.

The positive feedback from their previous customers plus the fact that I realised while the same approach to airtightness and thermal bridging can be taken in masonry builds, a lot of the success of this comes down to a contractor who has knowledge in applying these measures, which is often sadly lacking. Also there are a lot more straight lines and even surfaces in timber frame houses which always helps with installation.

What did the timber frame company provide?

The timber frame kit, associated steel frame to support the timber structure, and the windows. They also provided a complete airtight solution through the tapes and membranes that they use and this element for us is the key to ensuring we have a low energy house.

We liked the idea of getting the window and timber frame package all from the one company as I realised after doing some research on windows that the preparation work was as important as the actual window install.

The timber frame company was excellent in providing the

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / CO DOWN PROJECT

technical details prior to the window installation and worked with us on site to ensure this was all 100 per cent before they came to install them. Even though we went direct labour, we found the timber frame team very obliging and we got great advice from them on other matters of our build, which we really appreciated.

What was it like on site, from delivery of the kit to putting it up?

It was great to see it coming on a lorry one day and being erected the next. The kit arriving had to be one of the most exciting parts of doing our selfbuild. It all came together rather quickly. We waited six weeks to get the roofing contractor to come which was in January 2021. A lot of moisture had got into the timber at that stage but the timber frame company reassured us that with their system, it was able to make its way out with their intelligent airtightness membrane, which was reassuring.

Any hiccups on site and how were they dealt with?

When the timber frame company was on site installing the windows on the first day my phone rang at 10am and I thought oh here we go!

I was waiting for them to say the openings for the windows were incorrect or they had mishandled a window and smashed it. In fact, one of the installers had to move a bit of scaffolding to get a window in and accidentally dropped a length of it close to our garage roof and smashed the glass on one of our solar panels.

Our timber frame supplier kindly offered to compensate us

to supply and fit a new panel. It felt like we were in safe hands; I was very relaxed about things. When doing a self-build not everything is going to go right; it is a case of trying to make as few mistakes as possible and having the right people there to ensure that.

How much did the timber frame cost?

Just under £100K and our steelwork was around £30k. Our

running cost for the first year in the house for all our heating, hot water and cooling was just £132.

What heating and cooling system did you get?

Timber frame houses perform exceptionally well in the winter but there is a concern about overheating in the summer as they are so well insulated and airtight. We got around this by

installing a ground source heat pump (GSHP) which can provide passive (free) and active cooling in the summer.

This was one of the best things we did. Our cooling system ran for the hot summer months of 2022. It means our house is a comfortable temperature all year round and as the GSHP is powered by our solar photovoltaic (PV) system, it costs pennies to run it.

TIMBER FRAME GUIDE / CO DOWN PROJECT

Architect: BGA Architects, bga-ni.com

Timber frame company: Kudos, buildingkudos.com

SAP calculation: Elmhurst Energy

Clean Indoor Air & Energy Savings

Improve the indoor air quality of your home with BEAM. Our systems are designed to bring fresh, filtered air into your home and keep that clean feeling.

BEAM Central Vacuum Systems - Clinically proven to provide measurable relief for asthma and allergy sufferers

Beam Mechanical Ventilation Systems - Constant clean, fresh indoor air with proven health benefits.

Designed to last a Housetime

Tel: +44 (0)28 7963 2424

Web: beamcentralsystems.com