Issuu

H E AT PUMP SPECIAL SELFBUILD.IE WINTER 2026

M AGA ZI NE

PROJECTS FROM ACROSS THE ISLAND OF IRELAND

Is it cheaper to buy or build?

Attic conversion Dealing with costs explained cowboy builders

L IIRREEL ALNADNBDE SGT US EI D L LEI N H G EMLA PG AI N Z IG N E YFOO U R SBE LUFI-LB DU I,L DEEXR TS EA N N DD HOO R M E RI EM N P ROOVV AT E R SE AALLL-

Low maintenance, premium, coloured external renders.

Order free samples at k-Rend.co.uk

Choose your colour with conﬁdence

Internorm Windows Quality you can Feel & Trust

Contemporary Triple Glazing Solutions Europe’s leading, award-winning window brand for over 95 years. Innovative, high-performance architectural window and door systems for self-build, renovation and Passivhaus projects. Exceptional thermal performance, outstanding noise reduction and enhanced security. For further information, please visit uk.internorm.com.

Nothing compares to

Windows – Doors

WinteR Sale!

SAVE UP TO

ON SELECTED DECORATIVE STONE FOR GARDENS AND DRIVEWAYS OFFER ENDS 31 JANUARY 2027

Add kerb appeal with character, colour and contrast

Get outdoor space inspiration online, at retail outlets and at our Selfbuild stands

Scan to explore the range or get a quote.

Roadstone.ie

welcome “Sadly, there’s very little government oversight in the construction sector”

uilding or renovating your own home brings a lot of joy and fulfilment. But sadly, there is very little government oversight in the construction sector. In the sense that you’ll be the one financially left out in the cold if anything goes wrong with your builder or with the products you’ve inadvertently used on your project. Case in point is the crumbling concrete blocks scandal, which has a ‘100 per cent’ government redress scheme that’s in fact leaving homeowners out of pocket (see page 16). The other problem is the lack of an independent building control entity, á la Food Safety Authority. At the moment, inspections on self-build sites in Ireland are the remit of local authorities and are few and far between. Northern Ireland has a much more rigorous system whereby local authority inspectors visit every single self-build. The system may not be perfect, (it tends to favour traditional construction), but in terms of consumer protection it’s eons ahead of Ireland. Then of course, we’ve the issue of cowboy builders. The system we have in both jurisdictions has them trading with impunity,

taking advantage of people who can’t afford it and who then have no way of getting their money back (see page 14). Some cowboys even sprout back up, with socalled ‘Phoenix’ companies, to trade under a new name. This is all possible because there is no legislation to protect the homeowner when things go wrong. A decade in the making, the Construction Industry Register of Ireland (CIRI) is meant to be the Irish government’s solution to a builder’s register. And yet it’s being run by the construction industry’s lobby group. CIRI is also only dealing with said large builders, as the register for the trades is proving tricker than they’d imagined. What a surprise. But shaking fists only gets you so far, which is why former builder Jim Ahern is on a mission to get a proper builder’s register up and running (page 88). A register that rewards trades who do a good job, and there are many of those, and brings to account the renegades. Hopefully his grassroots movement takes flight and leads to a change in legislation.

Heat Pump Special Everything you need to know about the renewable heat source, including what your options are, how much they cost and what grants you can get to install them. Plus projects to show you how it's been done.

Letters... If you have a question, want to share some insights, or simply let us know how you’re getting on with your project, we’d love to hear from you for our Letters page. Email us at letters@selfbuild.ie

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE/05

what’s inside

Contents Projects 24 Homebird

Thomas Treacy’s modern take on the traditional farmhouse boasts gorgeous views in Co Fermanagh.

34 Between a rock and a hard spot

Stephen Jones shares his tips and how much it cost him to build his home in Co Monaghan.

44 Back to school

Jill Leavy turned a disused Co Westmeath schoolhouse into her first home, combining the character of the original building with a contemporary extension and an A2 energy rating.

54 Room with a view All articles equally cover the 32 counties; in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

David McNeilly’s bespoke garden room in Co Antrim makes the most of its riverside setting thanks to careful attention to detail.

64 Built on a budget How careful planning and a commitment to sticking to

the drawings helped Janice Dorrans retire early, mortgage free, in Co Derry.

72 Northeast garden design

The Japanese-style landscaping for this Co Galway home tackles shade, solar panels and cleverly hides the wastewater tank.

74 Fruits of their

83 Is it cheaper to buy

or build?

Selfbuild Extend & Renovate does the maths, and the results are more surprising than you might expect.

84 Should you convert your attic?

We look at the pros and cons and how much it will cost.

86 How to get to A0

labour

In part 1 of Katie Moran’s selfbuild diary, she charts how she went about finding the perfect property to renovate in her Co Kilkenny hometown.

Advice 80 Letters

Why building in the back garden is more complicated than it seems, how to choose the perfect render and more.

Ireland’s building energy rating scale has changed; here’s what you need to do to come out top of the class.

88 It’s time to license the trades

Ireland has plans to introduce a builders’ register, but it falls far short of what’s needed to protect homeowners from rogue tradesmen.

90 DIY wardrobe tips How to go about a built-in wardrobe DIY project.

82 Wall insulation

costs

Is pumping the walls with EPS beads or insulating externally a better option?

Cover Story

Homebird

06/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Between a rock and a hard spot

Back to school

Selfbuild Ireland Ltd CONTACT info@selfbuild.ie EDITOR Astrid Madsen astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie DEPUTY EDITOR Heather Campbell heather.campbell@selfbuild.ie

DESIGN Myles McCann myles.mccann@selfbuild.ie Shannon Quinn shannon.quinn@selfbuild.ie Megan Buckley megan.buckley@selfbuild.ie

MARKETING Calum Lennon calum.lennon@selfbuild.ie Rebecca Ferris rebecca.ferris@selfbuild.ie

Heat pump consider before investing special 99 5 things to

92 Overview

What you need to know about heat pumps.

94 Do you really need

a heat pump?

The alternatives and when to consider them.

96 Heat pump types

From air source to geothermal.

98 Who does what

People you’ll need to hire for your heat pump installation.

How to avoid common budget busters.

100 Retrofit and

grants

What to consider when installing a heat pump in your existing home, including what supports are available.

102 Best practice on a historic building

How a large historic building in Co Cork managed to incorporate a heat pump.

106 Heating a passive

house

In part 3 of his self-build diary, Patrick McMullen of Co Tyrone explains how he went about his heat pump installation.

110 Heat pump lessons

Kieran Roche built his home in Co Kilkenny knowing he'd be installing a heat pump; here he shares what he learned.

114 Tech roundup

A curated selection of products on the Irish market.

Erin Mason erin.mason@selfbuild.ie Rachel Caughers rachel.caughers@selfbuild.ie SUBSCRIPTIONS Becca Haslett becca.haslett@selfbuild.ie ADVERTISING SALES Ben Murphy ben.murphy@selfbuild.ie Emma Phillips emma.phillips@selfbuild.ie Joanna McConvey joanna.mcconvey@selfbuild.ie Lisa Killen lisa.killen@selfbuild.ie Maria Toland maria.toland@selfbuild.ie Nicola Delacour-Dunne nicola.delacour@selfbuild.ie ACCOUNTS Karen McLeigh karen.mcleigh@selfbuild.ie Leanne Rodgers leanne.rodgers@selfbuild.ie

Room with a view

Built on a budget

SALES DIRECTOR Mark Duffin mark.duffin@selfbuild.ie MANAGING DIRECTOR Brian Corry brian.corry@selfbuild.ie CHAIRMAN Clive Corry clive.corry@selfbuild.ie DISTRIBUTION EM News Distribution Ltd The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions nor for the accuracy of information reproduced. Where opinions may be given, these are personal and based upon the best information to hand. At all times readers are advised to seek the appropriate professional advice. Copyright: all rights reserved.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /07

Redefine Your Space with NorDan Delivering premium windows & doors across Ireland. Balancing aesthetics, function, and efficiency, our windows & doors are expertly chosen to align with the specific requirements of your project. Our commitment to excellence for over a century ensures that our products are not only built to endure but are designed to inspire. With a proven capacity to deliver on large-scale projects, we are proud to consistently deliver quality and reliability. For more information, visit nordan.ie

Alu-Clad Windows

Alu-Clad Doors

NorDan’s Timber/Alu-Clad Windows combine the classic warmth and beauty of timber on the inside with a tough weather-resistant aluminium cladding on the outside.

Merging timeless elegance and enduring strength, NorDan’s Timber/ Alu-Clad Doors are perfect for those seeking stylish yet practical modern living solutions.

Aluminium Windows

Aluminium Door

The ideal solution for modern homes and commercial properties, offering a huge range of design possibilities, enhanced energy efficiency, and premium performance.

The perfect solution for the contemporary needs of residential and commercial properties that highlight energy efficiency, low maintenance, and versatile design options.

Entrance Doors

Visit our Showrooms Dublin | Cork | Galway | Athlone — 01 460 1111 info@nordan.ie www.nordan.ie

Photo Credit: Celtic Photography

NorDan’s Entrance Doors have been designed with durability and energy efficiency at the core. With contemporary and traditional designs available, there is a perfect match available for your perfect welcome home.

news

UPDATES . ANALYSIS . PRODUCTS

Anne Fitzsimons Help to buy of Bungalow Bliss dies ceiling increased Ireland’s Budget 2027 has increased the maximum Help to Buy refund from €30,000 to €35,000. here wasn’t much new for self-builders in Ireland’s Budget 2027, apart from the changes to the Help to Buy scheme, which is open to qualifying first-time buyers who intend to either build a new house or buy one. Under the existing rules, Help to Buy provides a refund of income tax and DIRT paid in the previous four years, subject to eligibility conditions. For self-builders,

Money was promised to go towards the remediation of homes affected by defects... the current scheme needs the approved valuation of the home to be no more than €500,000 and a qualifying mortgage of at least 70 per cent of the valuation. A number of new and expanded Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) supports are also taking effect alongside Budget 2027, as already announced (see page 11), including the reintroduction of the €600 grant for domestic batteries and the new fossil fuel boiler scrappage scheme.

Infrastructure spend

The budget made allocations of €2.3 billion for Uisce Éireann, including €1.5 billion in capital funding, to improve water and

wastewater capacity and progressing more than 400 projects. For self-builders, that matters because access to water and wastewater services can be one of the key issues in deciding whether a site is suitable to build on. The budget expenditure document points to more funds being allocated for wastewater treatment plant upgrades, resolution of legacy water issues including developer-provided infrastructure and lead pipe remediation, and continued investment in group water schemes, rural wastewater infrastructure, private wells and septic tank grant schemes. Money was also promised to go towards the remediation of homes affected by defects including pyrite, apartment defects and defective concrete blocks.

Derelict property tax

The budget also brought more detail on the planned Derelict Property Tax. Finance Minister Simon Harris has confirmed that the new tax will be set at 7 per cent and included in this year’s Finance Bill. Work on the system is due to begin in January, with preliminary registers of derelict properties expected from September 1, 2027. The aim is to push owners to either bring derelict homes back into use or sell them on. For anyone thinking of buying and renovating a derelict property, though, there are still important details to come – including how the tax will be calculated, what exemptions may apply and how it will sit alongside existing vacant and derelict home supports. One measure that had been under discussion ahead of the Budget was a possible stamp duty exemption for firsttime buyers purchasing secondhand homes but it did not come to pass.

Anne Fitzsimons, wife of the late architect and author Jack Fitzsimons, has died, leaving a lasting legacy in Ireland’s selfbuild history. Anne typed up Bungalow Bliss, the landmark book first published in 1971 that helped generations of Irish families build affordable homes of their own. Written by Jack, an architect and surveyor with Meath County Council, the book offered practical house designs, building costs and advice on planning permission, employing builders and securing finance. Self-published and distributed nationwide, it became a bestseller, with more than 250,000 copies sold. Its accessible designs helped transform rural Ireland, with more than 10,000 bungalows built annually by the end of the 1970s. While the spread of one-off housing attracted criticism over planning, transport and environmental impacts, the book gave many families an affordable route to homeownership.

One-off house starts bounce back One-off house building in Ireland is recovering, with 3,094 single dwelling units recorded in commencement notices between January and August 2026, up 26.7 per cent on the same period last year. The figures, drawn from the Department of Housing’s residential commencement dataset, point to renewed activity among self-builders, following a significant decline in starts during 2025. A total of 22,854 residential units were covered by commencement notices in the first eight months of 2026, with one-off homes accounting for 13.5 per cent of the total. Galway County recorded the highest number of one-off commencements, at 349, followed by Donegal with 339 and Cork County with 331. SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /09

ONE SOLUTION, ONE SUPPLIER We provide an all-encompassing, customized service to ensure your system installation is hassle-free — adding value, not stress. With PIPELIFE, you collaborate with one supplier from conception and layout design through to installation. Whether you’re starting from scratch or planning to retrofit, we’ll find the optimal solution for your individual project requirements, saving you time and money every step of the way.

www.pipelife.ie Our Reputation – Your peace of mind Discover our full service portfolio online www.pipelife.ie

news

Changes to grants in Ireland

€2,000 boiler scrappage grant comes into force on existing heat pump applications as Irish government expands PV grant eligibility criteria to homes built before 2025 and reintroduces the battery grant. omeowners switching from fossil fuel heating to a heat pump can now qualify for a new €2,000 boiler scrappage grant, bringing the maximum combined support for a heat pump installation to €14,500. A separate €600 grant for domestic battery storage has also been introduced, while the eligibility cut-off for existing solar PV and solar thermal grants has been extended from homes built before 2021 to homes built and occupied before 2025. The Irish government announced the new measures would take effect from October 6, 2026, with the boiler scrappage payment available immediately to eligible applicants. The government says the combined measures could save households up to €1,120 a year through existing and new supports.

€2,000 boiler scrappage grant

The new boiler scrappage grant provides €2,000 towards replacing a fossil fuel heating system with a heat pump or other renewable heating system. The payment comes on top of existing heat pump grants, which can currently provide up to €12,500 towards a heat pump installation and associated heating system upgrades, subject to eligibility. This means homeowners could receive up to €14,500 in combined supports when replacing an eligible oil or kerosene heating system with a heat pump. The government had previously proposed introducing the €2,000 payment from January 2027, but the measure has now been brought forward and took effect on October 6, 2026. Importantly, homeowners who already have a heat pump application in progress may also be eligible for the additional €2,000 payment. The precise eligibility conditions are being set out by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), which administers the relevant home energy grants. Homeowners should check the latest application requirements before committing to work.

€600 battery storage grant reintroduced

A separate €600 grant for domestic battery energy storage has also been introduced. Grants for PV battery storage had been scrapped in February 2022, but the Irish government has now brought the support back as part of its wider package of energy measures. The battery grant is intended to help households make better use of electricity generated by their solar PV systems by storing surplus energy for later use. According to government estimates, a battery could deliver energy savings of up to €137 a year. When installed alongside a 4kWp solar PV system, combined household energy savings could reach up to €878 a year.

Solar grant eligibility extended to homes built before 2025

Eligibility for the existing €1,800 solar PV grant and solar thermal grant has also been expanded. Previously, the schemes generally applied to homes built and occupied before 2021. The cut-off has now moved to homes built and occupied before 2025, bringing thousands of newer properties into the schemes. The change means homeowners in more recently built properties can now

apply for support that was previously unavailable to them. The existing solar PV grant remains at up to €1,800, with the Government focusing the latest measures on extending eligibility and increasing support for households considered particularly vulnerable to high energy costs.

Enhanced solar supports for vulnerable households

Under the Warmer Homes Scheme, qualifying lower-income households will be offered fully funded solar PV systems of up to 4kWp together with a 5kWh battery. Similar systems will be fully funded under the Solar PV for the Medically Vulnerable Scheme. Homeowners receiving certain qualifying social welfare payments will also be able to access grants of up to €9,000 towards a 4kWp solar PV system and 5kWh battery. Qualifying payments include Fuel Allowance, Working Family Payment, OneParent Family Payment and Domiciliary Care Allowance, along with certain recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Carer’s Allowance and Disability Allowance. A pilot scheme will also provide grants covering 100 per cent of the median cost of solar PV and battery installations in qualifying Rental Accommodation Scheme tenancies. SPRING26/S LFBUI L D/1 1 SELFBUILD EXTEND & E RENOVATE /11

analysis

Will Ireland’s rural housing shake-up really bring more sites to market? New rural housing rules may bring more sites to market, but experts warn the impact could be slower and more limited than expected. The Irish government’s proposed overhaul of one-off rural housing rules has raised hopes among self-builders that more rural sites could come onto the market. The Draft National Planning Statement is intended to replace the 2005 Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines and introduce a clearer, more consistent national approach to rural and Gaeltacht housing. Ministers say the aim is to end the so-called “Eircode lottery”, where applicants can be treated differently depending on which local authority area they fall within. Under the draft rules, local need, social need, economic need and housing need tests would be simplified in many cases, while fixed frontage and ribbon development caps would be replaced by case by case assessment. Applicants would still have to satisfy normal planning criteria, including site suitability, design, access, wastewater treatment and environmental impact. The question is whether the changes will simply make planning applications clearer, or whether they will actually lead to more rural sites being advertised for sale.

Will there be 20 per cent more sites for sale? Estimates of a possible 20 to 25 per cent increase in rural sites have been suggested in commentary around the proposals, but sources contacted by Selfbuild were cautious about whether such

12/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

He warns that rural applications are often refused not because of local need rules, but because of visual impact and landscape considerations. “If you are applying for planning permission in a highly sensitive area, you basically still haven’t a hope in gaining permission.”

Ribbon development

an uplift is likely, particularly before the final rules are adopted and tested through local planning decisions. Planning consultant Andrew Hersey, based in Co Clare, says he has not seen evidence of a rush of new sites coming to market. Having read the draft guidelines several times, Hersey says the impact will depend on how the rules are applied in practice and how local development plans respond. He is not optimistic. “I’ve been working in planning for 20 odd years. To my mind not a lot has changed at all. In fact, I think it’s getting harder. Potentially, there may initially be more sites coming on to the market because the government has spun a positive development, but when you look into the nitty gritty, nothing’s changed really.”

Consistency across local authorities

Hersey says the positive aspect would be greater consistency if local authorities adopt the

guidelines and update their development plans accordingly. “At the moment, the rules can vary from place to place, which makes the process very frustrating for people. A single national strategy would at least give applicants and planners more certainty. But we won’t really know how well it works until it is put into practice.” Hersey says he has received no enquiries suggesting landowners are preparing to bring more sites to market. “For Clare, things won’t change as far as I can see.” He also says many of the routes for rural applicants, including farmers, rural contractors and people with local connections, already existed in development plans. While the list of qualifying occupations has been extended to include professions such as teachers and gardaí, he says the announcement does not mean a “free-for-all” for rural housing. Asked whether the changes would allow people to build anywhere in the countryside, he says: “That’s not the case at all.”

On ribbon development, Hersey says the draft may make the approach somewhat easier, but questions whether this alone will unlock large numbers of homes. “It’s very unusual that an application would be refused purely on ribbon development grounds,” he says. Cost is another major barrier. Hersey says building a oneoff home now typically costs €600,000 or more, putting it beyond the reach of many potential self-builders. He believes greater emphasis should instead be placed on making rural towns more attractive and affordable. “The Government has talked about serviced sites in towns, but it hasn’t really happened in any meaningful way. That idea needs to be pushed much harder.” The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland has also stopped short of predicting an immediate surge in rural sites for sale. SCSI President Tomás Kelly says greater consistency and transparency in planning rules should provide applicants with increased certainty and may encourage more applications over time.

news

Stormont blocks Mid Ulster rural housing changes Plans to relax rural one-off housing rules in Mid Ulster have been knocked back by the DfI, forcing a rewrite of key parts of the council’s development plan. lans to expand opportunities for rural housing in Mid Ulster have been rejected by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), affecting proposed policies covering farm clusters, infill sites, family care accommodation and homes for Lough Neagh fishers. The changes form part of Mid Ulster Council’s still-unadopted Draft Plan Strategy. A Section 15 Direction issued by DfI on August 27, 2026, tells the council what must be changed before the plan can progress. One of the biggest setbacks concerns a proposed “Dwelling in a Farm Cluster” policy. This would have allowed a house on a farm that was not active or established, or where a house had already been permitted under the existing farm policy within the previous 10 years. The site would have needed to sit within a cluster of at least three substantial farm buildings, with buildings on at least two sides. DfI has ordered the policy to be removed, arguing that dropping the active and established farm requirement conflicts with regional planning policy and could create significant additional development pressure in the countryside. It also warned that the wording could encourage the artificial subdivision of farm units to create further opportunities for housing. A proposed relaxation for smaller rural infill sites has also been rejected. Mid Ulster wanted to allow, in exceptional cases, a single house within a smaller gap between two existing dwellings. DfI argues that this would not constitute infill because the development would create a new row of three houses rather than fill a gap within an established frontage. The council’s proposed policy allowing separate accommodation for family members providing or receiving care has also been blocked. This would have allowed an extension or existing building within a property’s curtilage to be converted into a separate residential unit. DfI describes the proposal as a “kinshipbased” policy and says family connections

Homes taking twice as long to build than a decade ago The Central Bank of Ireland found that from planning to completions one-off houses took roughly four years to complete. That’s more than double the amount of time it took in 2016. For people planning to build their own home, the findings highlight that getting planning permission isn’t the main reason projects get delayed. The Central Bank found that the median time taken to obtain a planning decision for a one-off house is generally around two to three months.

House delivery delays

alone should not determine whether rural housing is permitted. It points to existing options such as extensions and granny annexes. A further proposal allowing commercial eel or scale-fishing licence holders to build within a designated area around Lough Neagh has also been rejected. DfI says there is insufficient evidence that fishers need to live beside the Lough and raises concerns about additional rural homes using non-mains sewerage in an environmentally sensitive catchment. The decisions form part of a wider disagreement over how much housing should be directed into the countryside. Mid Ulster’s 2019 plan proposed 11,000 homes by 2030, with rural communities playing an important role. DfI now wants the council to plan for around 13,600 homes, with approximately 42 per cent in main hubs, 33 per cent in other settlements and just 25 per cent in the countryside. The plan’s lengthy development is also an issue. The Draft Plan Strategy was published in February 2019 and submitted to DfI in May 2021. The Section 15 Direction did not arrive until August 2026. The council has previously warned that the delay risks leaving the evidence base out of date. DfI now says Mid Ulster will need to revisit and update its evidence and may need to take additional procedural steps. The council’s latest update says the timetable for the Local Development Plan is currently “under review”.

For one-off houses, the Central Bank found that the median duration from planning application to completion increased to around 44 to 50 months for homes completed until September 2026. That compares with around 21 to 26 months for homes completing in 2016, depending on the type of residential construction. That’s two and a half times longer. The median construction-to-completion period also increased, from around 13 months to approximately 25 months. The report notes several possible factors behind the increase, including shortages of skilled labour, delays in utility connections such as water, sewage and electricity, financing and construction costs, and other site-level factors. Indeed since 2016, there were more than five times more residential unit commenced than in mid-205 yet over the same period, construction employment increased by just 50 per cent. Unfortunately the data that’s available isn’t able to separate physical construction time from foundational or preparatory site work.

One-off houses are taking longer to break ground

The Central Bank found that, among oneoff houses approved between 2016 and 2021, around 52 per cent had commenced construction within one year. That increased to around 63 per cent within two years, but then rose only marginally over the following two and a half years, reaching about 70 per cent. The time between planning approval and commencement has also increased. For one-off houses, the median approval-tocommencement period increased from around six months in 2017 to around 10 months in 2026. Development contributions must be paid to local authorities before work starts on site, which can cost a few thousand to tens of thousands of euros. Selfbuild has been campaigning to waive the levy for self-builders. SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /13

analysis

Expert tips from Paula Higgins of the HomeOwners Alliance and Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders

Northern Ireland

How to spot rogue builders After losing a £7,200 kitchen deposit, south Belfast homeowner Jackie Farris is urging others to look beyond online reviews when choosing a tradesperson.

Calls for greater protection

Following her experience, Jackie is calling for clearer protections for homeowners appointing builders and tradespeople. “Be very wary of giving a deposit,” she says. “Even if it’s written down, it’s not a guarantee. Don’t just trust online reviews or a charming tradesperson at your door, and be aware that a bank transfer does not give you protection.” “I realised there’s no central register, no real regulations,” she adds. “There 14/ S E LF B U I L D E X T E N D & R E N OVAT E

should be something that checks qualifications, insurance and even what kind of deposits are reasonable – some protection for ordinary people if things go wrong.” Her experience comes as research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and HomeOwners Alliance suggests younger homeowners are increasingly relying on online reviews and comparison platforms when choosing a builder. FMB chief executive Brian Berry says younger homeowners are increasingly hiring builders “the same way they would order a takeaway”. “Online reviews can be faked, comparison sites are not regulated and neither are small building companies, which can make it easier for rogue or cowboy builders to appear more credible than they are,” he says. “It’s important to check your builder Paula Higgins, chief executive of has been properly vetted, so you’re not HomeOwners Alliance, also advises leaving yourself exposed to rogue or homeowners not to rely solely on what cowboy traders,” she says. they see online.

Brett Jordan on unsplash

When Jackie Farris appointed a kitchen fitter in January 2023, the arrangement appeared straightforward. However, a series of delays followed. In July, the fitter told Jackie he was closing the business and promised to refund her deposit. The money was never returned, and the business later became insolvent with no assets. “I gave him a bank transfer for a deposit of £7,200,” says Jackie, 58, from south Belfast. “He had a contract, a Facebook page and local reviews. It all looked above board. I just didn’t realise that was how it would turn out.” Jackie had lost her husband just eight weeks before paying the deposit and believes her recent bereavement may have left her more exposed than usual. The money for the new kitchen had come from the sale of her late husband’s car. “Losing the deposit meant my old kitchen, which was falling to pieces, stayed that way for another two years while I saved up again,” she says. Jackie contacted Trading Standards, Action Fraud, the insolvency practitioner, her bank and the Financial Ombudsman, but she was unable to recover the money. “I tried everything to get my money back and nothing worked,” she says. “Bankruptcy protects him; as a creditor, you feel like the last person on the list.”

Before appointing a builder Online reviews can provide a useful starting point, but they should be considered alongside other checks. The Federation of Master Builders NI says you should ask for references from recent customers and contact them directly where possible. Check the builder’s insurance, relevant qualifications, trading history and membership of any recognised trade body. The scope of the work, total price, payment schedule and expected completion date should be recorded in a written contract. Before paying a deposit, ask what it covers, whether it relates to specific materials and what would happen to the payment if the contractor were unable to complete the work. It’s also worth checking what protection is available through the proposed payment method.

Jim Ahern TradePath co-founder

Ireland

What happens after the money is gone?

What to do if you’ve become a victim of a rogue builder in Ireland.

Current situation

But what happens after a homeowner has already lost the money? That is where the protection is much weaker. If somebody hands over a substantial deposit and the builder disappears, becomes insolvent or has no assets, registration by itself does not give that homeowner their money back. The Act doesn’t establish a general compensation fund that automatically reimburses people in those circumstances. A homeowner may still be left pursuing a civil claim. That can involve legal expense, delay and considerable stress. Even winning a case doesn’t necessarily solve the problem if the person or company responsible has no assets from which the judgment can be recovered. That is particularly difficult to accept when the victim is an older person who may have handed over a significant part of their savings. The sad part of it is that even if you do your due diligence (see right), you have no guarantee that money will be recovered. That is the problem we face today. If the builder has disappeared, is insolvent or has no assets, a homeowner can do everything correctly and still be left carrying a devastating loss. That is why consumer redress has to be part of the next stage of reform.

What needs to be done

A statutory compensation mechanism should be put in place for homeowners who suffer defined losses because of rogue or insolvent building contractors. We should also introduce mandatory insurance or warranty arrangements for certain residential building work. Neither of these are proving popular measures among construction companies. But there are models internationally, including in Australia, where licensing sits alongside stronger insurance, enforcement and consumer protection mechanisms. We don’t have to copy another country’s system wholesale, but we should be prepared to examine what works elsewhere and adapt the strongest elements for Ireland. We also need to tackle the problem of phoenix companies. A regulatory system will achieve very little if an operator can leave debts, defective work and dissatisfied customers behind in one company and simply reappear carrying out substantially the same business through another. There also must be meaningful consequences for deliberately operating outside the statutory system. Otherwise, the compliant builder carries the expense and responsibility of meeting the rules while the rogue operator simply ignores them.

Brett Jordan on unsplash

In Ireland, The Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 is potentially very valuable in preventing problems before they happen. Although there are issues with how the builder’s register is to be administered (see article on next page), it can raise standards, create accountability and make it more difficult for people who do not meet the required standard to operate legitimately.

What to do if you suspect you're dealing with a cowboy builder Document the problems – Photograph defective, damaged or unfinished work and keep a clear record of what has happened. Keep all paperwork – Save contracts, quotes, invoices, receipts, messages and payment records. Get an independent assessment – If quality or safety is a concern, ask a chartered engineer or building surveyor to inspect the work. Contact the builder in writing – Explain the issues clearly and give them a reasonable opportunity to respond or put things right. Be cautious with further payments – Check your contract and seek advice before paying more where serious problems remain. Seek legal advice if needed – Especially if the builder will not engage, has disappeared or significant losses are involved. Check your cover – Review home insurance, legal expenses cover, warranties and guarantees that may offer support. Report unregistered work – Where registration is required, suspected unlawful work or advertising should be reported.

S E L F B U I L D E X T E N D & RE N OVAT E / 15 19

opinion

Michael Doherty Former Mica Action Group campaigner

The crisis isn’t over Michael Doherty got to rebuild his crumbling blocks home, but says many affected homeowners are still waiting to move on.

If you are seeing cracks in your home If you are worried cracking may be linked to defective concrete blocks, get a professional assessment. Speak to an appropriately qualified engineer or architect who has experience with defective concrete blocks. Have them look at the pattern and extent of the damage; they will let you know if it appears consistent with the problem and whether you may meet the threshold for the grant scheme. From there, affected homeowners in a designated area can begin the application process through their local authority, with assessment under the scheme involving the Housing Agency and the relevant technical requirements. And go into the process with your eyes open; it can be a long journey. Understand exactly what your grant determination covers. Get proper cost advice and look carefully at the difference between the grant amount and real tender prices. Factor in temporary accommodation, storage, professional fees and the many things that come with dismantling one home and building another. Don’t assume that because the scheme exists everything from that point will be straightforward.

16/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

n December 12, 2025, my wife and I moved into our new home. After everything that had happened, it should have been a moment of nothing but celebration. And in many ways it was. We have a beautiful home and I am extremely grateful that we were in a position to rebuild it and come through the other side. But I was very conscious of the people who hadn’t. For a long time I didn’t even put photographs of the new house on social media. I knew there were people I had campaigned alongside who were still living in mobile homes. I knew there were pensioners wondering whether they would ever see their houses rebuilt. I knew families were still trying to work out where they were going to find the money to make the grant scheme work for them. So while my own defective concrete block journey has reached a much better place, the crisis has not gone away. In fact, the official figures make that very clear. At the end of May 2026, there had been 3,506 applications across the five counties then included in the Government’s published statistics. Of those, 1,289 applicants had commenced works and 527 had completed remediation. Behind every one of those numbers is a household. That is something we should never forget.

Construction inflation has been a major issue. In Donegal, the sheer number of homes requiring work has created its own local market pressure.

A grant is not the same as having your costs covered

My own experience illustrates why the grant scheme doesn’t work. The house I lost was around 4,000 sqft. The house we rebuilt is around 3,000 sqft. We made that choice because of cost. I am delighted with the house we now have, in many respects it’s a better home. It has been built to modern standards, is far

more energy efficient and the layout suits our lives today. But to get there, we put roughly €200,000 of our own money into the project on top of the grant. We were fortunate that we could make that work; a great many people cannot. That is why I have always had difficulty with the idea that simply describing a scheme as ‘100 per cent redress’ makes it so. There is a maximum grant, there are prescribed rates and then there is the price a contractor actually quotes you to carry out the work. If the two don’t meet, somebody has to fund the difference and that somebody is you. Construction inflation has been a major issue. In Donegal, the sheer number of homes requiring work has created its own local market pressure. There is enormous demand for a limited pool of builders and tradespeople. So a homeowner can have an approval on paper and still face the question: where am I going to find the rest of the money? For somebody in work with savings or access to borrowing, that may be possible, but for a pensioner or family already paying a mortgage on a defective property, it may not be. That’s how we’ve ended up with a scheme that exists, only for people to remain trapped.

48+ Years Experience Trusted by 80,000+ Customers Market Leading Products

Build a Cleaner, Healthier Home BEAM Heat Recovery Ventilation (MVHR) Give your low energy, airtight home a constant supply of clean, fresh, filtered air.

BEAM Central Vacuum System Clean smarter with our state-of-the-art retractable hose system built into the walls of your home. Improved Indoor Air Quality Health Benefits for Everyone Quality & Value Assured Full design, sales, installation and service available throughout NI & ROI

NI: T: 028 7963 2424 E: info@beamcentralsystems.com W: beamcentralsystems.com

ROI: T: 01 8330 668 E: info@beamcentralsystems.ie W: beamcentralsystems.ie

Scan the QR code for your FREE quote

news

One-off starts up by a third

One-off housing starts bounced back in Ireland in the first half of 2026, as self-builders continue to overwhelmingly choose traditional block construction. A total of 2,313 one-off homes were started during the first six months of 2026, according to figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. That was 616 more homes than during the same period in 2025, an increase of 36 per cent. The rise follows a sharp fall in activity last year. One-off starts dropped from 6,328 in 2024 to 3,771 in 2025, a fall of around 40 per cent. However, 2024 was not a typical year. Many homeowners and developers brought projects forward to meet the deadlines for the development levy waiver and the Uisce Éireann connection charge refund scheme.

This led to major spikes in April and December 2024, which together accounted for around 40 per cent of all one-off starts that year. Once those deadlines passed, commencements returned to a steadier pattern during 2025.

Donegal records the most one-off starts

In June 2026 alone, work started on 479 one-off homes. That was 17 per cent of all residential units commenced during the month. Donegal recorded the highest number of one-off starts during the first half of the year, at 257. Cork County, which typically boasts the highest number of

one-off starts, followed closely with 251, while Galway County recorded 247. Together, the three counties accounted for almost one-third of all one-off homes started between January and June. Although one-off starts increased, self-builds made up a smaller share of the overall housing market. A total of 15,946 homes of all types were commenced during the first half of 2026. One-off houses accounted for around 14.5 per cent of that total. By comparison, they represented almost 23 per cent of all homes started during 2025. This doesn’t mean selfbuild activity has fallen again. Instead, apartment and scheme

housing starts have grown much faster.

Almost nine in 10 are block-built Of the 2,313 homes started between January and June, 2,041 listed masonry block as their main construction material. That means just over 88 per cent, or almost nine in every 10 one-off homes, were block built. Timber frame was the next most common method, but it remained a long way behind at 101 homes, or just over 4 per cent of the total. ICF was used for 63 homes, while masonry brick accounted for 46.

1 in 6 Help to Buy claims are self-builds

Self-builds made up almost 18 per cent of approved Help to Buy claims in 2025, but Revenue can’t give a success rate. More than one in six successful Help to Buy (HTB) claims in 2025 related to people building their own homes, according to Revenue figures. The HTB scheme is a Government tax refund scheme which was originally designed to help firsttime buyers fund the deposit needed to self-build or buy a new home. To claim your tax refund you must have a mortgage in place and have drawn down the first tranche of your mortgage. First-time buyers (FTB) can now claim a tax rebate of €35,000 towards the price of a self-build house. Revenue’s latest annual 18/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

report shows that 9,575 HTB claims were approved during the year. Of these, 1,703 (or 17.79 per cent) were self-builds, with the remainder relating to new home purchases. However, there is no equivalent breakdown at the application stage, meaning it isn’t known what proportion of self-builders who apply for HTB succeeded in receiving the support. This comes after figures reported by RTÉ showed that 88,532 people had applied for HTB since July 2020, while 48,878 had received support. Nearly 40,000 applications had therefore either been rejected

or hadn’t resulted in a home purchase. But Revenue told Selfbuild that those figures can’t be used to calculate a rejection rate specifically for self-builders. The issue comes down to how the HTB process works. When someone first applies, they don’t have to tell Revenue whether they intend to buy a new home or build one themselves. “Under the Help to Buy scheme, applicants can submit an application and receive approval without indicating whether they intend to purchase a property or undertake a self-build,”

Revenue told Selfbuild. “In many cases, applicants use the application process to establish whether they are eligible for the scheme and, if so, the maximum potential refund available to them.” Revenue only receives confirmation that the applicant is a self-builder when they move on to make a claim. For self-builders, that can happen after the first tranche of the mortgage has been drawn down. The claim must then be verified by the solicitor acting on behalf of the self-builder before it can be approved and paid.

news

BER now adds value to property prices New research from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland suggests a better energy rating results in a higher sale price. A new report from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has looked at how a home’s Building Energy Rating (BER) is linked to its sale price. The research shows buyers do appear to be willing to pay more for homes with better energy ratings. How much more depends on the property, where it is and the rating it achieves. The SEAI report, Building Energy Ratings and Property Sales Prices in Ireland, looked at 49,350 homes sold across Ireland in 2023 and 2024. The researchers used actual sale prices rather than just asking prices and also took account other things that affect a property’s value, including its location, size and age. Nationally, homes tended to sell for an average of 2.7 per cent more for every step up the old 15-point BER scale. That might not sound like a huge amount, but it can add up. On a €400,000 property, 2.7 per cent is €10,800. And the difference was even bigger in rural areas, where homes tended to sell for an average of 4.7 per cent more for every step up the scale. That doesn’t mean spending a few thousand euro to improve your BER by one grade will automatically add €10,800 to your home’s value. The figure is an average across thousands of sales, and every property is different. The report also found that the difference was smaller when looking at asking prices – 2.3 per cent compared with 2.7 per cent for actual sale prices. So, while a better BER might not make a huge difference to the price a house is advertised at, buyers may be willing to pay more for it when it comes to making an offer.

Garden room boom Garden home notifications rise by at least 7 per cent as new rules reached seven-week mark. The number of notifications for new ‘garden homes’ rose by at least 7 per cent in just over two weeks, as Ireland’s new planning exemption reached its seven-week mark. At least 110 Class 3A notifications had been received by local authorities since the new rules came into effect on July 27, based on the latest figures available. The Journal reported on August 30 that 103 notifications had been received across the country during the first month of the scheme. Since then, Cork County Council alone has reported an increase from six notifications to 13. That means the national number has increased by at least 7 per cent, since The Journal published its figures 15 days previously.

The actual increase is likely to be higher as updated figures haven’t been received from every local authority and the Department of Housing doesn’t currently have a running national total. The new regulations allow certain detached homes to be built in back gardens without planning permission. Housing Minister James Browne changed legislation to allow the homes be built without planning permission in its latest bid to combat the housing crisis. However, homeowners still have to notify their local authority before going ahead, with the developments recorded under Class 3A – Detached Auxiliary Dwellings. When The Journal published its figures, South Dublin had received the

highest number of notifications. More recent figures obtained directly by Selfbuild.ie from local authorities show notifications have continued to come in. Cork County has now received 13, more than double the six reported by The Journal at the end of August. Of those 13, the council said nine met the criteria for the exemption and none had been withdrawn. Wicklow has received five notifications, the same number reported by The Journal. Other councils which supplied figures said Kerry had received four notifications, Laois four, Offaly four, Carlow two, Donegal two, Mayo two, Louth one and Sligo one. Roscommon County Council hadn’t received any statutory Class 3A notifications.

However, receiving a notification doesn’t necessarily mean the proposed garden home will ultimately go ahead under the exemption. Carlow said one of its two notifications didn’t meet the requirements, while Kerry said two of its four didn’t meet them. Laois said it had received four notifications, with three valid and one withdrawn following planning advice. Offaly said none of its four notifications had been withdrawn or deemed non-compliant, while Donegal and Sligo also reported no withdrawals. A number of councils didn’t provide updated figures. There is also no current national running total available from the Department of Housing. SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /19

news FTB salary gap widens across Ireland

The bootcamp is back by popular demand

The Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Connacht Show reintroduced our Bootcamp hosted by self-build expert John Corless. Back by popular demand, the Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Bootcamp at the Beam Theatre was a highlight of the Connacht Show this October, offering practical guidance to people planning a new build, renovation or home extension. The return of the Bootcamp reflected the demand among self-builders and renovators for straightforward, accessible advice to help them navigate the process of building or improving their homes. The income needed to buy a typical first home now tops €100k in three counties, with Meath closing in on the six-figure mark, according to research by Chill Insurance, which means a single first-time buyer earning the national median salary can’t borrow enough to buy or build their first home in any county in Ireland. The analysis puts the national median salary at €44,816, while even in Longford – identified as the most affordable county – a single buyer would need an annual income of €48,375 to secure the mortgage required for a median-priced first-time buyer home. “With Irish house prices continuing to increase faster than wages, first-time buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to find a property they can afford, not just in Dublin or major urban centres but right across the country,” Economist Austin Hughes said. “With would-be buyers in Dublin and surrounding counties now needing around twice the typical wage in those areas and approaching that in Cork and Galway, this ‘purchase gap’ is growing and spreading in a worrisome manner.” The affordability gap becomes considerably wider around Dublin and the east of the country. Three counties now require a six-figure salary from a single first-time buyer: Dublin at €108,000, Wicklow at €101,250 and Kildare at €100,238. Last year, Dublin was the only county where the calculated income requirement exceeded €100,000.

Bootcamp theatre

Hosted by John Corless, the Bootcamp addressed the needs of homeowners at different stages of their journey, whether they were starting to plan a new home, considering an extension or preparing to renovate an existing property. For those planning a new build, understanding the process from the outset can help establish a strong foundation for a successful project. For renovators, getting to grips with the scope of the work, the options available and the practical considerations involved can be equally important. The Bootcamp offered visitors the chance to build their knowledge, consider the questions they needed to ask and approach their projects with greater confidence.

Free tickets

As a Selfbuild+ member, you can claim your free tickets and take advantage of the practical advice, industry expertise and inspiration available at the shows. With hundreds of experts on hand to answer your questions, it’s your one-stop shop to get the advice you need and find the products you want. The next show takes place in Ulster on 7–8 November 2026 at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn, followed by Munster in January, Leinster in February and Connacht in October 2027. Visit selfbuild.ie for full details.

20/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

company news

Timber Frame Ireland on DIY SOS

New 45sqm turnkey units from HebHomes Now that you no longer need planning permission to build in your back garden in Ireland, subject to conditions under the new Class 3A planning exemption, HebHomes has launched a 45sqm permanent self-contained structure that ticks all the building regulations boxes. The Airigh 3A Collection brings together especially adapted versions of HebHomes’ popular AGH201, AGH301 and AGH401 designs. Each has been

Timber Frame Ireland played a key role in the DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland project for Hannah Leonard and her family in Bray, Co Wicklow, which aired on October 18th.

Director Declan Bourke was approached by the production team to step in as the new timber frame supplier. After hearing Hannah’s story, the company committed to delivering the project, with just one week to design, engineer, manufacture and prepare the frame for installation. Timber Frame Ireland supplied a closed-panel timber frame extension and roof structure, independently engineered and certified. The walls arrived insulated and airtight, with a service cavity ready for first-fix trades, making the system ideal for the demanding nine-day build. Despite installation delays on build day, the team worked into the evening to get the frame erected and roof covering in place. For Timber Frame Ireland, the project was about more than demonstrating off-site construction. Donating its time, materials and expertise to help Hannah and her family was the real reward. “We’re incredibly proud to have been involved,” said Declan. Hannah’s dad, Kevin Leonard, later sent a heartfelt message: “What an amazing job you all did. We can’t wait to get Hannah home to enjoy her new space. We love it, thank you so much.” Watch back on the RTÉ Player and learn more at timberframeireland.ie

carefully redesigned to fall within the permitted 32sqm to 45sqm floor-area range while retaining the architectural character, generous glazing and carefully planned interiors of the original Airigh homes. With prices starting at €57,300, the units include a kitchen, living space, bedroom and bathroom within a highly insulated, energy-efficient building. The units are built with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS). hebhomes.ie

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /21

Protect Your Home

Choose a licensed security provider Thinking about installing CCTV, an intruder alarm, or hiring another security service? Make sure they are licensed by the Private Security Authority (PSA). PSA licensed contractors include: Alarm installers CCTV installers Locksmiths Access control providers Security guarding companies Supplier and installer of safes Using a licensed provider means they meet legal standards and helps to protect you and your home. Always check the PSA Register before you hire. www.psa-gov.ie

projects IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

NEW BUILDS, RENOVATIONS, EXTENSIONS & GARDENS

NEW BUILD IN CO FERMANAGH

CONVERSION IN CO WESTMEATH

NEW BUILD IN CO MONAGHAN

GARDEN ROOM IN CO ANTRIM

64 NEW BUILD IN CO DERRY / 72 JAPANESE INFLUENCES IN CO GALWAY / 74 SELF-BUILD RENOVATION DIARY IN CO KILKENNY SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE/23

project

Overview House size: 300sqm Bedrooms: 4/5 Plot size: 1.5 acre Heating: Oil and multifuel stove Ventilation: Centralised with heat recovery Build method: Blockwork House value: £550k SAP (EPC): 86 (B)

COST BREAKDOWN Exterior cladding: £20k MHVR: £6.5k

24/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Homebird Words: Heather Campbell Photography: Paul Lindsay

Building on family land in Co Fermanagh gave Thomas Treacy the chance to stay close to home and create a house that suited him and his wife Aine from the ground up.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /25

project or Thomas Treacy, the idea of building at home has always been on his mind. “I’ve always wanted to live close to the family farm,” he says. With few suitable houses coming onto the market locally, and prices high when they did, building from scratch become less of a dream and more of a reality. But planning rules limited the sites that would work, because the land is quite hilly. Luckily, there was a natural platform with an open view across the surrounding landscape, so the location was set.

Design process

The design had to be carefully handled precisely because the house sits in a raised position. Its height, shape and orientation all needed to suit both the site and the planning requirements. Before the build, Thomas and his then fiancée Aine lived separately with family. It allowed them to save money and avoid paying rent while construction was underway. Thomas says living apart wasn’t easy but they stuck it out. At their first design meeting with their architect, they didn’t come with a long list of must-have features or finishes. What they did have was a clear idea of how they wanted the house to feel. “It had to have big open spaces, large windows and clean finishes,” Thomas says.

26/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

“The rural setting was a big part of that.” They wanted the rooms to feel connected to the outside and to make the most of the views, rather than building a house that turned its back to them. Thomas says they were also keen on a modern look. “I’d seen some of our architect’s previous projects and liked the clean, contemporary style. Following our initial meeting, the architect returned with ideas and concept options, and the design was gradually refined over several weeks.” The final plan is made up of two long

sections that meet in a broadly T-shaped arrangement. Outside, black metal cladding runs across parts of the roof and down the walls, set against pale render and stone. It gives the house a strong modern look, but the design isn’t all about making a statement. Behind the bold exterior is a layout that is straightforward and practical.

Practical design decisions Thomas says what he likes the most about the design is the orientation of the kitchen and living room. “Getting that right had

“For us, it was all about big open spaces, large windows and clean finishes. The rural setting was a big part of that.”

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /27

project

the biggest impact,” Thomas says. The main living space was designed to connect naturally to the entrance hall and stairs, without awkward turns or unnecessary corridors. The design process was collaborative, with room sizes/dimensions adjusted on the back of Thomas and Aine’s input. The one tweak was to remove the floating fireplace concept, which was originally going to be between the dining and living rooms and is now located on the gable end instead. Coming in through the back door, there is an all-important utility area for coats, boots and jackets. A separate laundry and plant room is positioned elsewhere, keeping the noisier jobs away from the kitchen and living area. The ground floor also includes a bedroom and bathroom. It works well for guests now but also gives the house more flexibility in the future were their mobility to reduce in later years. Upstairs are the other bedrooms, the family bathroom, the main bedroom ensuite and a flexible room that can be used as an office.

Finishing touches

“Inside, we kept the decoration simple,” says Thomas. Most of the downstairs was painted in the same neutral colour, partly because they didn’t want to make too many decisions before living in the space. 28/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

“The one tweak was to remove the floating fireplace concept, which was originally going to be between the dining and living rooms...” “We didn’t know exactly what we wanted at the start,” adds Thomas. “So, we kept it clean and modern.” That gave them a calm base to work from, and they have been able to add furniture and finishing touches gradually. The pantry is hidden just behind the kitchen, where, instead of spending extra money on rows of cupboard doors, the couple chose open storage. “Nobody really sees it,” Thomas says. A sliding barn-style door closes the pantry off from the rest of the house when needed. The couple didn’t follow one strict interior scheme through every room. Instead, they chose finishes they liked and kept the overall look uncluttered.

Spending where it mattered

Thomas and Aine spent time comparing windows, looking at both double and triple glazing and found that triple glazing would cost only around 10 per cent more. “For us, the upgrade made sense,” says Thomas. The windows open outwards, an important detail because they planned to install electric blinds, which

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /29

project Top Tips Mark out the full footprint of the house and each room on the site before you start building. Walking through the spaces at full size gave us a much better sense of scale and helped us spot any areas that felt too small or awkward. A room can look generous on a drawing, but standing inside its outline on the ground gives you a far clearer idea of how it will actually feel. Get a full, detailed cost breakdown (bill of quantities) done at the very start of the project. Make sure you understand what each element is going to cost and then shop around and get three or four quotes for things like internal doors, skirting and finishes so you’re comparing like for like and not getting any nasty surprises later on.

30/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

wouldn’t have worked as well with windows opening inwards. It was one of many small decisions that had to be thought through early. They had considered putting underfloor heating downstairs and radiators upstairs, but in the end decided to use the same system throughout. It keeps the walls free and works well with both the tiled areas and timber floors. Many modern builds opt for a heat pump, but Thomas says they chose an oil boiler instead because they felt it offered the best balance of installation cost and practicality for their project. “It maybe isn’t the most

environmentally friendly option,” he says, “but in terms of cost efficiency, it suited us.” They also installed a multi-fuel stove and a whole-house mechanical heat recovery ventilation system. Space has been allowed for solar panels or other renewable technology to be added later, possibly when the garage is built.

Working out the black cladding

The black cladding is one of the features that gives the house its character, but it was also one

Q&A with Thomas

of the biggest technical headaches. “The metal doesn’t stop at the roof, and in places it continues down the external walls, giving the house its clean appearance. That meant the build-up had to be carefully worked out around windows, gutters and downpipes,” explains Thomas. “The drainage also needed to remain hidden, so it didn’t interrupt the finished look.” A specialist contractor visited the site, looked over the design and advised the team on how to prepare the structure and fix the sheets. The material came in coils and was shaped on site before being clipped into place. The system has a 30-year guarantee, which gave the couple extra confidence in the finish.

What is your favourite design feature?

The kitchen/living area with the external black cladding. This is definitely my favourite space in the house. The open plan feel, the way it’s wrapped in the black cladding and how it all flows together makes it the heart of the home for us.

What surprised you?

The build

The builder looked after most of the main construction work, while Thomas stayed involved in sourcing and pricing some of the other packages. The build wasn’t held up by major material shortages. Instead, the delays tended to be more ordinary ones, such as waiting for one trade to finish before another could start. Weather also affected some of the outside work and made it harder to get trades back to complete smaller jobs. “You were trying to keep everything moving and get people back,” Thomas says, adding that he keenly felt the pressure of paying for a self-build. “There was a lot of money going out at the same time,” he says. “I’d be lying in bed some nights wondering where it was going to stop.”

The final stages caught them out more than some of the structural work. Internal doors, skirting boards, flooring, bathrooms and joinery can each seem manageable when priced separately, but they quickly add up.

Performance

Thomas and Aine are delighted with how the house works for them. “It’s performing very well,” Thomas says. He checked their oil usage after the first year and found it was low for a house of its size. During winter, the rooms tend to sit at

How much all the internal finishes and outside work added up. Things like tiles, flooring and internal fittings. We were also surprised by some of the systems costs. For example, the mechanical heat recovery ventilation system was quite expensive at about £6,500, and I didn’t feel that was particularly good value at the time. But now that we are living in the house and it is functioning fully, we do see the benefits.

Would you do it again?

It’s a big commitment and there were moments where the costs and decisions felt overwhelming but seeing how the house has turned out – and how well it works for us day to day – makes it worth it. I’m happy enough with the outcome that I’d take on a project like this again.

What would you change or do differently?

We spent months at the beginning on the design, going over the plans in detail, and that’s paid off – there isn’t anything that stands out now that I feel we got wrong or need to move or redo. Even with living in the house and seeing how it works day to day, I’m still happy with the layout, the room sizes, and where everything is, right down to things like switches and doors.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /31

project around 18degC or 19degC, even when the temperature outside drops. The underfloor heating gives a steady background warmth rather than short bursts of heat. The main downside has been summer overheating. On one particularly hot day, the kitchen reached 27.5degC, even with the windows and doors open. The ventilation system helps and can bring the temperature down by a couple of degrees, but the house can still feel warm at night during hot spells. That is one of the few things Thomas mentions when asked about drawbacks. Overall, however, he feels the combination of insulation, triple glazing and heating is working well. When the couple moved in the house was largely complete, although, as Thomas is quick to point out, a self-build rarely feels completely finished. The stone cladding on the chimneys was added after they moved in, and the outside is still taking shape. For now, the driveway is finished in hardcore stone, with lawn kerbing, outdoor lighting and hedge planting next on the list. The garage will follow at a later stage. “We’re trying to make the most of the good weather and get as much done as possible,” he says. For Thomas, though, the remaining jobs don’t take away from what they have achieved. “It couldn’t have turned out much better,” he says.

32/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Timeline Aug 2022 Design process started Jan 2023 Planning application submitted Mar 2023 Planning approved June 2023 Build start May 2024 House weathertight Mar 2025 Kitchen installed

More projec t photograph s available at selfbuild.ie

Apr 2025 Build end and moved in

Project info Find out more about Thomas’ project in Co Fermanagh...

SUPPLIERS Architect design

Donal McPhillips Architecture

Builder

O’Brien Construction

GROUND FLOOR

Kitchen supplier

Bedroom

Dunlop Kitchen, Maguiresbridge

Window supplier McMullan O’Donnell

Bathroom

Heating supplier/installer

Pantry

Ronan Keown

Kitchen

Dining

Living

Boot Room

Laundry/ Plant

Tilermade, Ballyconnell

Entrance Hall Study

Flooring supplier

Bathroom supplier

KE Plumbing Supplies, Kildress

Staircase

Patio

JP McCullagh Joinery, Gortin

Photography

Paul Lindsay, paullindsayphoto.co.uk

Lounge

Bedroom 2

Linen Room

Bathroom Bedroom 3

FIRST FLOOR

SPEC Walls: 200mm insulation beads in traditional cavity wall construction, external cladding made up of alumnium zinc standing-seam, U-value 0.16W/sqmK. Floor: Standard concrete build up finished with screed, 150mm rigid phenolic insulation board, U-value 0.12W/sqmK.

Ensuite

Walk in Wardrobe

Master Bedroom

Pitched roof: Aluminium standingseam roof covering on timber roof deck with 50mm rigid phenolic insulation above deck and 150 mm rigid phenolic insulation between timber rafters/ trusses, internally lined with 12.5 mm plasterboard and skim finish, U-value 0.11W/sqmK. Flat roof: Warm deck flat roof incorporating a single-ply waterproof membrane over 150 mm rigid phenolic insulation on a timber roof structure, finished internally with plasterboard ceiling lining, U-value 0.11W/sqmK. Windows: Triple glazed, uPVC, black, U-value: 1.4W/sqmK. Airtightness: 2.4 ACH

SELFBUILD EXTEND/S & ERENOVATE /53 /33 AUTUMN24 L FBUI LD/4 5

project

Between a

Words: Heather Campbell Photography: Paul Lindsay

rock and a nice spot

34/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

OVERVIEW

By reusing stone from an old house on their site, Stephen and Tara Jones built a modern rural home in Co Monaghan that remains firmly connected to its past.

House size: 297sqm Plot size: 1 acre Bedrooms: 4 Heating: Air to water heat pump Ventilation: Centralised mechanical with heat recovery Build method: Blockwork BER: A0

COST BREAKDOWN Site cost: €40k Original budget: €340k Total build cost (rounded): €400k Current house value: €678k

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /35

project he starting point for Stephen and Tara’s self-build wasn’t a greenfield site or a blank page, but an old house that had been part of Stephen’s family farmland for decades. In fact, the property sits halfway between Stepen and Tara’s parents’ homes in rural Monaghan. For a young couple planning married life and thinking ahead to children, that mattered. They wanted to stay local, but also wanted to build something that would suit their lifestyle. “My original plan was to build further up the field,” says Stephen. “But then I thought to myself, if I did that, I’d be looking at that old house forever.”

Rebuild vs renovate

The house was old enough that renovation grants could have been explored, but Stephen and Tara didn't think adapting the existing building could give them what they wanted. Instead, they decided to start again, although that didn’t mean wiping the site clean. Instead, they salvaged the field stone used as part of its original construction and reused it as part of the front elevation on the new house. “The fact that it was from the old house keeps a link with the site’s past,” says Stephen. Stephen first approached the owner with an offer before the price eventually doubled to around 40k. There was also some additional family land involved,

36/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

transferred from Stephen’s father, which helped the project come together. As with many rural self-builds, the site wasn’t simply bought and built on. There were title and deed issues to work through before the project could properly move forward. In the meantime, Stephen and Tara bought a house in town, renovated it and lived there while the self-build took shape. That experience also gave Stephen another layer of practical construction knowledge before taking on his own build.

Design stage

The couple wanted professional design input and they chose their architectural designer because he was a family friend

Walls

Floors

Roofs

RENOVATE /INSULATE Renovation and Insulation upgrades go hand in hand.

XT/PR_UF (ROOFS)

RAFTERLOC

At Unilin Insulation, we’re dedicated to working alongside our industry partners, helping to bring the energy efficiency of older homes up to standard. Our range of high-performance retrofit insulation provides solutions for every area - walls, floors and roofs. For warmer, more energy-efficient homes.

XT/WALK-R

XT/TL-MF

FR/ALU

For more information visit unilininsulation.ie/betterhomes Or contact our technical team on 046 906 6050.

WARM-R SD E GREY EWB XT/PR_UF (FLOORS)

project

on Tara’s side, which helped create a collaborative team process. “Our architectural designer was very supportive,” says Stephen, “and I’d recommend spending the time to find the right one for you. We felt comfortable ringing him any time and he always got back to us quickly with his advice.” “We initially had a go at designing our own plans at the start, seeing what we could do ourselves,” says Stephen. “Then, our architectural designer came up with the final idea and put in all the things that we wanted. We explained how we wanted to live and he gave us that.” The brief was straightforward: a family house with open-plan living, three bedrooms upstairs, an additional bedroom downstairs and flexibility for the years ahead. At the time of the writing the couple had a 15-month-old child and another baby due within weeks, so the layout had to work for a young and growing family. One design point was especially important to them; they didn’t want the front door to open straight into a living space, as was the case in Stephen’s family home. Instead, they wanted a hallway that worked as a proper route through the house. “One thing we wanted was a hallway that runs from the front door right through to the back door,” says Stephen. “You’re not walking into any room. You’re

38/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

just going from hallway to hallway.” It’s a practical decision that shapes how the house works. For a busy family home, that separation between circulation and living space was worth building into the design from the outset.

Q&A with Stephen

The planning battle

Stephen and Tara originally wanted a large apex window on one of the gables, but the planning department in Monaghan County Council was concerned about how it would sit within the landscape and whether it would be keeping in with the local character. “There were no other houses in the area with windows like that,” says Stephen. “And you could see it from the road.” The couple tried different window arrangements and went back and forth with planning more than once. Stephen describes it as a process of making the case, revising the design and trying again. “I fought a good battle with planning,” he says. The overall mass of the house also had to be reconsidered, which meant taking some length off the front and reworking the living area. Although frustrating at the time, Stephen feels the changes

What is your favourite design feature?

ultimately worked out well. The three tall windows that replaced the apex glazing now give the elevation a more measured rhythm, while still bringing light into the house. It is one of those compromises that can feel like a setback during planning, but later becomes a favourite part of the design. That said, it was the paperwork that took even longer than securing planning permission. “The biggest delays for us weren’t planning related, they were caused by title issues, deeds, solicitor work and land transfers. It took months to sort out,” says Stephen.

“There’s no point getting somebody because they’re going to be cheaper and then it’s going to be a bad job.”

The living area with the vaulted ceiling and large windows. The way that the living area is slightly separated from the kitchen gives you that feeling of privacy but then you’re still connected.

What surprised you?

How everything is a process and each step needs to be done in order. There were times where I had to wait on some trades, on materials such as the floor slabs. Don’t panic if it happens; the important thing is to minimise the gaps by planning ahead.

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

Take a deep breath and take your time. Don’t rush into making decisions. And be honest about your own experience. Being an electrician, I understood sequencing, knew trades, understood materials and knew what good work looked like, which gave me a big advantage. Don’t underestimate how demanding it is to build your own home. You'll need to organise materials, people, troubleshoot every day and constantly be making decisions. A contractor adds to the cost but removes much of this stress.

Would you do it again?

I’d have no problem doing it again, and I’d use the same people.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /39

project

Timeline October 2020 Site purchased January 2021 Design process started December 2021 Planning application submitted May 2022 Planning approved December 2023 Broke ground February 2024 Build start October 2024 House weathertight September 2025 Kitchen installed, build end and moved in

40/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Managing the build

Stephen project managed the build himself. His background as an electrician gave him confidence, not just in understanding the sequence of work, but in knowing what needed to happen next and which trades had to be lined up. He subcontracted the main trades, bringing in a builder, plumber, plasterers and others, while doing the electrical work himself and taking on some concrete work too. The approach was based less on chasing the cheapest quote and more on getting people he trusted. “If I know somebody’s good, I’ll go with them,” says Stephen. “Or if I have a recommendation from a friend, I’d

go with them. I would always work the schedule around people I knew would do a good job rather than go for the most cost effective quote.” That applied across the team. The plumber was someone Stephen knew from previous work, the carpenter is a neighbour and the builder had already worked on houses for people Stephen trusted. “There’s no point getting somebody because they’re going to be cheaper and then it’s going to be a bad job,” he says. The house is a traditional block build, with a 150mm cavity and 75mm insulated board externally. Stephen spent time looking into insulation options before

Top Tips had to be at the right stage before final measurements could be taken. Space heating is by an air to water heat pump with underfloor heating throughout. Upstairs, concrete slabs and screed allowed the underfloor heating to continue across both levels. One change made during construction was the removal of a planned chimney. Although an open fire was originally considered, it would have been largely decorative by that point. When the roofer raised concerns about the long-term risk of leaks, Stephen decided it wasn’t worth it.

Costs and surprises

settling on bead insulation in the cavity. “I didn’t know whether to go with pumped insulation or beads,” he says. “But we ended up going with the beads. We’d heard a lot of horror stories about the foam.” Not surprisingly, Stephen chose to stay local not just for the trades but for materials too. “I sourced everything I could locally and that meant faster deliveries, easier communication, quick problem solving and support when something unexpected happened,” he says. “I didn’t shop around for every item, instead I built on relationships with the local suppliers and relied on them to get me the best price.” He also advises not to obsess over every small price difference. “Rather than chasing the cheapest supplier every time, prioritise availability, reliability and convenience. Losing days to wait for a cheaper material wasn’t worth it for me.” The glazing is triple glazed throughout, with anthracite grey uPVC frames. The dark frames sit well against the render and reclaimed stone, while the large windows help the house feel bright without relying on overly complicated design. A roof window above the main stairs also brings light into the central circulation space. It took a little longer to organise its installation because the roof

The build took roughly a year and nine months from digging to moving in. But the biggest challenge wasn’t time, it was cashflow. “Money management it was probably the biggest challenge,” he says. The first thing he did was rely on savings. “I wanted to get started quickly so funded the early stages with savings before drawing down on the first tranche of the mortgage.” The couple had a mortgage facility of €340,000 and used around €306,000 of that, with the remaining costs covered through savings. Stephen estimates the final cost at approximately €400,000, give or take, admitting that final figures might change as the last accounts come in. Mortgage drawdowns also brought their own frustrations. On a couple of occasions, paperwork issues delayed money being released, which meant waiting longer than expected for funds to come through. Groundworks were another area that

Keep your design as simple as possible to save money. A simple rectangular or square shape is the cheapest to build. We chose a more complex J-shaped layout, and we’re glad we did, but it did add to the cost. A rectangular house would have been a lot cheaper. Stay one step ahead of the trades. Be organised, know what is coming next, and use good people. If one trade finishes and the next isn't organised, you’ll end up in a situation where the job has to stop and you’re paying people to wait around. To ensure this happens you’ll need to order materials early and keep everyone informed of the timelines. Keep the site tidy. Don’t allow rubbish to accumulate and tidy on a regular basis so everything is in its place. It will keep the project running smoothly – it not only removes tripping hazards and makes everything easy to find quickly, it makes it more straightforward for everyone working there. Consider buying equipment instead of hiring it. I bought all of the scaffolding I needed. Instead of renting it for months, which would have cost more than buying it, I invested in it in one go. I plan to sell it and recover most of the purchase price. For long projects, buying equipment can sometimes work out cheaper than hiring.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /41

project cost more than anticipated. Levels had to be dealt with carefully, with the council requiring the site to be brought down to road level. There was more digging and moving of material than expected, especially to the rear of the house. Structural steel was also more extensive than Stephen had planned for. The open plan layout required steels around the stairs, the kitchen side and the living area gables. It was manageable, but still one of the items that reminded him how quickly unseen elements can affect cost.

Heart of the home

The heart of the home is the kitchen, dining and living area. It’s open plan, but not one large undivided box. The living area sits slightly apart within the wider space, allowing a bit of separation while still feeling connected. Someone can be cooking in the kitchen while another person is in the living area, without everyone feeling on top of each other. The layout also allows movement around both sides, which helps the space work day to day.

Tara was closely involved in with decisions regarding the kitchen, including the choice of two eye-level ovens and a large walk-in pantry. Storage was a priority, and the pantry allows much of the practical clutter to be kept out of sight. The island is deliberately kept clear, with no hob or sink. Stephen and Tara wanted a clean, usable surface rather than filling it with services. Flooring in the kitchen, living, dining and back hall is tiled throughout. Upstairs, the bedrooms have click laminate flooring, while the bathrooms are finished in a contemporary style with tiled walls and floors. Now that the family is in, the house is doing what Stephen and Tara wanted it to do. It gives them space, comfort and a layout that suits everyday routines. It also keeps them close to both families, which was one of the main reasons for building there in the first place. The old house may be gone, but part of it remains in the new one, built into the façade and visible every day. More projec t photograph s available at selfbuild.ie

42/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Project info Find out more about Stephen and Tara’s project in Co Monaghan...

SUPPLIERS Architectural design

CMD Architects (Owen Cunningham)

Builder’s merchant

Topline Frazers, Kingscourt

Groundworks and digger Mark Wedlock

Roofer

Robert Boylan

GROUND FLOOR

Blocks and concrete BD Floods Oldcastle

Stonemason Plant

Paul Reilly

Utility

Carpenter Playroom

Stephen Clarke

Back Hall

Windows

McMullan and O’Donnell, Co Tyrone

Boot Room

Heating

Strancor Heating & Plumbing, Monaghan

WC Entrance Hall

Kitchen

Dining

Ventilation, cavity insulation and airtightness Analee Energy, Ballyhaise

Bedroom

Flooring

Study

Irwin Tiles & Hardwood Floors, Castleblaney

Living

Kitchen

LA Kitchens, Glasslough

Bathrooms

Deluxe Bathrooms and Tiling Solutions, Dundalk

FIRST FLOOR

SPEC Walls: Cavity wall with 100mm block; 150mm cavity pumped with insulation beads, U-value 0.16W/sqmK.

Floors: 75mm sand/cement screed over 150mm PIR insulation, DPM/ radon barrier, 150mm C30 RC slab with A252 mesh, 50mm sand blinding and 300mm compacted hardcore, U-value 0.12W/sqmK.

Bathroom

Landing

Bedroom

E Walk in Wardrobe

Paul Lindsay, paullindsayphoto.co.uk

Ensuite Master Bedroom

Photography

Bedroom

Roof: Truss roof with slates/tiles over roofing felt/breather membrane; 400mm fibreglass insulation in two 200mm layers at ceiling level, U-value 0.13 W/sqmK. Vaulted areas show 100mm PIR between rafters plus 72.5mm insulated plasterboard, U-value 0.11W/sqmK. Windows and doors: Triple glazed, uPVC, frame colour anthracite, U-value 0.25W/sqmK; front door 1.2W/sqmK and French doors 1.1W/sqmK.

SELFBUILD EXTEND/S & ERENOVATE /43 AUTUMN24 L FBUI LD/4 5

project

Back to school

44/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Jill Leavy turned a disused Co Westmeath schoolhouse into her first home, combining the character of the original building with a contemporary extension and an A2 energy rating. Words: Heather Campbell Photography: Damien Kelly

COST BREAKDOWN Site cost / purchase cost: €180k Total build cost (rounded): €380k including €70k vacant property grant, €16,250 SEAI energy upgrade support and €30,000 from the Help to Buy scheme

Overview House size before: 140sqm House size after: 240sqm Bedrooms: 3 Plot size: 1 acre BER: A2 Heating system: Air to water heat pump; supplemental wood pellet stove Ventilation: Centralised mechanical with heat recovery Build method: Blockwork

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /45

project

hen Jill first began looking for a home of her own, she expected the search to lead somewhere within commuting distance of Dublin. Instead, it brought her to a disused rural school in Westmeath – a building with commercial zoning, solid mass concrete walls, oversized windows and, as she immediately saw it, so much potential. “I probably was a bit naive,” she says of taking it on. “But I also thought: ‘if I’m going to do this, I might as well do it properly’.” And that she did. Over the course of roughly a year, Jill managed a direct labour renovation and extension while continuing to work full time in Dublin. With her dad Vincent closely involved on site, and specialist input from an architect, engineer and individual trades, she converted the former school into an A2-rated home, added a new extension and upgraded the original fabric to modern standards.

Buying the old school

The decision to buy the school came after months of increasingly frustrating house hunting. Jill had been viewing properties around Dublin with her father Vincent and younger brother, a civil engineer. Many of the houses within budget needed substantial work, without offering much in return. “They were all the houses within my 46/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

budget, which as you can imagine, were not very attractive,” she says. “They were like, ‘Jill, you can’t buy this’.” At the same time, she was beginning to question the lifestyle she was working so hard to maintain. The moment crystallised one evening on the bus home. “I was thinking, ‘what am I doing? I’m rushing about so I can go to yoga in a shopping centre’. It just felt wrong.” After missing out on a new build house in Enfield, Vincent mentioned that the old school on the road near Jill’s family home was for sale. He had once been a pupil there and had already had his eye on the property himself, for business use. When Jill went to see it, she saw how it could be turned into a home instead. “It had these really high ceilings and huge windows,” she says. “I just saw so much potential in it.” But buying it was not simple. Because the school was commercially zoned, Jill couldn’t initially obtain a standard residential mortgage. “I didn’t manage to get planning

permission within the first six months, so I ended up taking a loan from my parents to complete the purchase.” Once planning came through, she drew down her mortgage and repaid them.

A blank page

The design began almost as unexpectedly as the purchase. Jill met her architect by chance at a wedding while she was still bidding on the school. “I was a plus one, didn’t know anybody, and I ended up sitting beside him at dinner,” she says. She later contacted him about the project. “I think he was shocked I actually went ahead.” Rather than arriving with a fixed layout, she gave him what she describes as a blank page. Several options were explored, including working only within the original footprint, building a smaller extension and introducing a mezzanine into the tall schoolroom. However, the existing windows made the upper level difficult to integrate, and postponing the extension would only add

HebHomes

Architect Designed Kit Homes Start your journey at www.hebhomes.com

BUILD YOUR WAY A home like no other. Every home tells a story, what’s yours?

weberhaus.co.uk

project disruption and cost, so Jill decided to complete it all at once. Her brief was mostly practical: guest accommodation, a dedicated place to work from home and a layout that didn’t revolve around a television. “I don’t have a TV,” she says. “I didn’t want the whole space organised around one.” “The feel was always more important to me than having a particular number of bedrooms or bathrooms. I felt I could make things work as long as there was enough light and enough room.” There was, however, one more personal request. “I said I would love to have alpacas in the garden, so the architect put a window at the top of the stairs specifically for me to look out at them. I haven’t got the alpacas yet but looking out the window still makes me smile.”

Old meets new

A glazed link connects the original schoolhouse to the new block built extension, keeping the old roofline intact and making the distinction between old and new clear. “I wanted that transition,” Jill says. “I also didn’t want to mess with the original roof, because it was sound. The glass link meant we didn’t have to tie a new roof into it.” The schoolhouse itself is built from 13-inch-thick mass concrete. Two large

48/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Q&A with Jill What is your favourite design feature?

The original schoolroom, now one open plan living, dining and kitchen space. It retains the scale, height, fireplaces and memory of the school, but works as a modern everyday room. The glazed link is also a favourite because it clearly separates old and new while preserving the view through to the bedroom hall.

Biggest splurge?

openings, each around three metres square, were cut through the existing walls: one for a large kitchen slider and another to connect with the glazed link. An engineer had assessed the concrete as sound, although there was no guarantee how it would behave once cutting began. “He said, ‘It looks good, but when you go to cut it, it could be crumbly’,” she recalls. A specialist contractor formed the openings and steel reinforcement was installed. Thankfully, the concrete held together cleanly. With no cavity in the solid walls, Jill chose external insulation, avoiding the loss of internal floor area. The original concrete fascia and soffit limited the insulation thickness to around 100mm. An additional band of high-density insulation was introduced internally at the top of the walls to avoid a cold bridge

as Jill didn’t want to remove the concrete fascia and soffit and couldn’t externally insulate it.

Savings made

The original suspended timber floor was beyond salvaging, with rot evident once it was lifted. The joists and sleeper walls were removed, the ground levelled and a new sub-floor (slab) poured through the old and new parts of the building, allowing underfloor heating to run throughout the ground floor. Another slab was then poured over the underfloor heating pipes, which became the finished floor. Jill had considered micro cement, tiles and polished concrete, but the costs were huge. Her dad suggested simply using the concrete itself. “He kept saying, ‘You just want

The light switches! And my couch... But the biggest unexpected cost was the slabbing, as in the plasterboard on the internal walls, as I didn’t realise this was needed on top of installing the stud walls.

What would you change or do differently?

I would lock down more of the technical junction details earlier – particularly floor levels and window installation plans as this took some figuring out because my windows in the extension are all floor to ceiling windows.

What surprised you?

How much project management sits between a drawing and a finished detail. Even with extensive research, almost every stage required a decision, coordination between trades or a practical adjustment on site.

Would you do it again?

Yes. It was demanding and all consuming, but the result is a unique home with a real connection to my family and the local community. I would do it again with the benefit of the technical and sequencing lessons from this project. Follow Jill on Instagram @oldschool.newhome

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /49

project Top Tips Take the time to prepare. That means doing the research and getting organised before the build starts. It also means knowing how you will protect the features that give the building its character, while at the same time being pragmatic about what must change to make it fit your budget or vision. Price around, even when you’re under pressure. And when you get a quote, be prepared to push back. You can haggle a bit. Know where you want to spend your money. That means being flexible yet knowing what you won’t compromise on.

concrete. It’s creamy in colour before you polish it.’ I didn’t believe him at first, I thought it would be too grey.” The floor was professionally screeded, expansion joints cut the following day by Jill’s brother and dad, and the surface protected under cardboard for the rest of the build. Later it was cleaned and sealed with a matte finish, giving Jill the soft, continuous concrete look she wanted without the cost of mechanical polishing. All hands were on deck with Jill, her dad and her mom carrying out the work. Jill also made savings by tackling much of the airtightness herself. Rather than outsourcing the work, she attended a specialist training course and then carried out much of the installation herself, with support from the supplier’s technical representative. She taped window and door junctions, installed membranes at ceiling level and worked through difficult details around the full-height glazing. The precision suited her. “You’re measuring, drawing lines, carefully getting the tape into corners. I joked that it’s like lining a

50/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

brownie tin with parchment paper.” Her work paid off when the final airtightness test met the standard required for the home’s A2 rating.

Aesthetic choices

For the extension, timber cladding had been considered, but concerns about maintenance, cost and pests led Jill towards a rendered finish instead. The final colour came about somewhat experimentally, with red brick dye added to the mix. When Jill saw the plaster at a textured stage before its intended final finish, she stopped the process. “I was

like, ‘That’s perfect. Leave it like that.’ The plasterer was horrified.” The initially strong red softened as it cured into the warm pink tone that now gives the extension much of its character. In the kitchen, Jill went with a restrained, Japandi-influenced look, plywood carcasses and no overhead units. She chose a specialist Northern Irish maker whose work already reflected the aesthetic she had in mind. But not every choice felt as certain. Window colours, for example, caused a moment of panic when the frames first arrived. “They looked too cream. I thought I’d ruined everything.” But once the floors, furniture and paint colours were in, the mismatch that had once seemed enormous became almost invisible. “Those panics are so huge in the moment and then just… disappear.”

Managing the build

With no main contractor, Jill and Vincent had to coordinate the build themselves, hiring individual trades and managing the programme directly.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /51

project More projec t photograph s available at selfbuild.ie

Timeline June 2023 Sale agreed November 2023 Planning application submitted January 2024 Sale went through April 2024 Planning approved October 2024 Build start Mid-2025 House weathertight December 2025 Kitchen installed January 2026 Moved in

52/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Jill opted out of the building control requirement to appoint an assigned certifier and says the process was straightforward. “I had to make a profile on the online Building Control Management System (BCMS) and followed the instructions and uploaded what was needed.” Same goes for the health and safety requirements. “I assigned myself to all project supervisor roles. I had to have a site office and in there you could find all of the health and safety documents. I got all the necessary signs up around the site. I did go crazy with the laminator at the start of the build!” Vincent, meanwhile, was on hand to help with site access, deliveries, groundworks and storage. “I couldn’t have done it without him,” says Jill. “We were a team.” Her professional tax accounting background also shaped the way she handled money and paperwork. She sought fixed quotes rather than open-ended day rates, priced around and kept a detailed spreadsheet tracking invoices, payments and mortgage drawdowns. Materials and sanitaryware were often bought in advance and stored on Vincent’s farm, which meant she could buy when prices were favourable and store things until they were needed. Grants were also crucial to making the numbers work. Jill combined the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, Help to Buy and Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) community energy supports, estimating the total external support at around €115,000. Her advice is to approach grants as rigorously as any other part of the build: read

the requirements early, understand exactly what documentation is needed and collect compliant invoices and certificates before trades leave site. “Trades give you receipts in every possible way,” she says. “WhatsApp photos, bits of paper, emails from a secretary. You have to have somewhere that everything lives.” Her advice for those considering a direct labour build rests on three key elements: keep a live cost tracker and decision log; stay ahead of the programme and make sure you hire a reliable local team.

Living the dream

The school’s past is still visible in its scale, windows and outdoor spaces, but the building now feels far removed from its former use. “It just feels like home,” says Jill. An air to water heat pump supplies the underfloor heating, while a wood pellet stove gives her the quicker, more direct heat she wanted on winter evenings. And she’s been using it a lot. “I had so many people advising me against the stove, they thought I’d never use it, but between January when I moved in and April, I really loved having the stove. It also makes the place feel more cosy,” says Jill. “I have it linked to an app so I can control it remotely. There were a few times I’ve gotten caught in the rain while out walking on the canal and I’d flick it on from my phone so it would be nice and toasty when I got home.” The old basketball court remains outside, and the former football pitch has become the driveway. Future landscaping, and perhaps the alpacas, will come later…

Project info Find out more about Jill’s project in Co Westmeath...

SUPPLIERS Architect

Alex Stupar, ANA Architects

BEFORE Lobby

Structural engineer

Lobby

Gordon Mitchell Consulting Engineers, Mullingar

Photography

Damien Kelly, damienkellyphotography.com

School

SPEC

Boiler

Canteen

Lobby

GROUND FLOOR AFTER

Porch

FIRST FLOOR AFTER

Utility

Kitchen Living

Office / Snug

Dining

Glass Link

Bathroom

Bedroom Master Bedroom Shower room Bedroom

Existing school walls: Original 13in mass-concrete walls upgraded externally with 100mm EPS boards – the grey graphite-enhanced expanded polystyrene insulation (EPS), to improve thermal performance compared with standard white EPS. Overall, 193sqm of external wall insulation (EWI) and insulation conductivity of 0.022W/mK. Extension walls: 18mm external sand/cement render, 100mm outer block leaf, 150mm partial-fill cavity insulation, 100mm inner block leaf, 10mm sealing render / airtight layer, plasterboard and skim, U-value 0.15W/sqmK. Floor: 100mm concrete screed over 140mm PIR insulation, on 150mm reinforced concrete slab, membrane, sand blinding and compacted stone fill, U-value 0.15W/sqmK. Pitched roof: Blue/black slate on battens and breather membrane, timber rafters/trusses with 100mm PIR insulation board tightly fitted between rafters, 50mm ventilation gap, airtight membrane, plasterboard and skim, U-value 0.16 W/sqmK. Flat roof areas: Warm roof construction with approximately 150mm PIR insulation above treated timber joists. Windows and doors: Aluclad timber/aluminium triple-glazed units, average whole-window U-value 0.78W/sqmK and glazing Ug values of 0.53-0.55W/sqmK. Large aluminium sliding doors triple glazed. External colour RAL 7032 Pebble Grey; internal RAL 9001 Cream. Some feature fixed units are RAL 7032 internally (glass link windows). Original-style timber entrance door: external RAL 7033 Cement Grey, internal RAL 9001 Cream. Sliding doors: RAL 7032. Airtightness: 2.3 m3/(h.sqm) at 50Pa.

SELFBUILD EXTEND/S & ERENOVATE /53 AUTUMN24 L FBUI LD/4 5

project

Overview House size: 5,000 sqft Garden room size: 530sqft Plot size: ¼ acre Heating system: Electric underfloor heating and gas fired stove Ventilation: Natural Build method: Brick (cavity walls)

54/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Words: Heather Campbell Photography: Steven Hanna

Room with a view

Built in the back garden, David McNeilly’s bespoke garden room in Co Antrim makes the most of its riverside setting thanks to careful attention to detail.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /55

project hen David and his family bought their detached home around 15 years ago, the river running behind their property was barely part of the picture. Hidden by hedging, they had little connection to it. Priority was given to the house itself, with a first phase consisting of a major renovation. As the family needs evolved, and the move to working from home during Covid increased the pressure on the house again, a second extension added new bedroom space, a utility and an office/cinema. So by the time plans for the garden room took shape, the property had already been through two major phases of work. These previous experiences, combined with his background in construction, gave David the impetus to take on his dream garden project and manage it himself.

A site-led design

David had always wanted to live beside water; in fact the attraction of this property was the chance to hear and eventually see the river from his home. And while he wanted the new building to connect the existing dwelling more closely with the garden and river, he also had a clear idea of how it should work day to day. “I knew exactly what I wanted,” says David, “so when I spoke to the architect, I was quite clear about the dimensions and the layout.” The original quick concept put in front of him was a modern zinc roof design, which quickly evolved into what David had in mind, a brick-built structure. “Once we sat down and exchanged the design brief, our architect Elaine was excellent and got it exactly, delivering what I wanted. She also had input into the garden and the wall we built to hide neighbouring properties,” he says. The result was a design with a strong connection with the existing house. “I wanted a balcony looking up and down the river, while still keeping as much green space as possible,” adds David. Inside, the plan is open with an enclosed wc tucked to one side. A bespoke timber and marble bar forms one of the main features, alongside the large TV area complete with pool table. Joinery includes shelving, TV cabinetry and large antique-oak-style wall panels with integrated lighting, with further panelling used in the wc. Large areas of glazing allow the garden room to switch between enclosed and open air living. 56/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Bifold doors across the front can open almost the entire elevation towards the garden, while a sliding side door leads onto the balcony overlooking the water. The windows and doors are double glazed. The balcony has a laminated tinted glass balustrade, with the tint sandwiched between two sheets of glass. From outside, when the space is not backlit, the glazing gives a good degree of privacy and from the inside, the river view remains clear. Porcelain tiles made to resemble timber boards give the impression of decking while creating a durable, level surface around the building. David also wanted the garden room to be built to residential specifications, and there were no corners to be cut. “The architect gave me clear, professional drawings. For me, that’s essential. I’ve got a background in construction and I project managed the build myself, but it’s always good to have very clear drawings, down to the millimetre, when

Timeline December 2023 Planning permission applied February 2024 Planning Permission granted July 2024 Build start May 2025 Build end, landscaping done

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /57

project you’re working with a builder.” “I would highly recommend our builder, he really was excellent. We started off with a clear plan and he delivered. Honestly, our build was flawless.” “What I would advise people to do is take their time finding the right builder, and have a clear set of construction drawings to refer to at all times. From experience in construction, when you leave builders to make their own decisions, they can take shortcuts and you don’t get what you had in your head.” Because the plot is not particularly large, there was a careful balance between adding more built space and leaving enough garden around it. “There was a bit of a tightrope walk to ensure that we didn’t lose too much outside,” says David. That concern helped shape the lowprofile architecture. Flat roof forms had already been used elsewhere on the house, and here they reduced the visual impact of the garden room. David also wanted the new building to sit comfortably within a cul-de-sac where several neighbouring houses have traditional stone finishes. His residence also features brick, stone-effect finishes and white

58/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

render, which the red-brick garden room complements. To create texture and shadow, selected bricks even project from the external garden room wall.

Riverside challenges

The only real planning issue they came across came from a little known agency. “We didn’t have a problem with the council’s planning department, it was with the Rivers Agency. We’d designed a wall running from the new garden room back to

the house, and because we live right on the river, they got involved.” “To be honest, it felt like a very generic, belt and braces response. I don’t think they were really looking at the detail of what we were proposing – as soon as they’re engaged, they just seem to send out a standard pack. We found ourselves jumping through a few hoops.” “In the end, we just took a practical view. The wall was about six foot high, so it actually sat within permitted development.

“We didn’t have a problem with the council’s planning department, it was with the Rivers Agency.”

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /59

project

But it wasn’t strictly necessary for the success of the project, so we decided to take the wall off the planning application altogether.” “That completely sidestepped the issue. The garden room itself and the rest 60/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

of the build went through fine – it was only that wall that caused any friction.” The foundations was another challenge, because what looks like a relatively simple one-storey building actually sits on complicated ground.

The site had been raised in the past with backfill over what David describes as floodplain ground, and the riverbank itself had been built up using large boulders. The family learned the implications during an earlier extension, when conventional excavation struggled to find suitable bearing ground. “They were digging and digging and digging, and it cost me an absolute fortune in concrete for the foundations,” he recalls. That experience meant David approached the later phases differently. For the garden room, a compact minipiling system was used, with small steel piles driven into the ground using a mini piling rig. The attraction was both practical and financial as the system required relatively little excavation and could operate in a constrained area. “It’s very compact. You can get it through a doorway, essentially.” Above the piles, the builder completed the ring beams and main masonry structure. The flat roof includes an anthracitegrey roof lantern. Rather than commissioning a bespoke window, David chose a pre-built unit that suited the proportions of the space, costing in the region of £3,000 to £4,000.

Q&A with David What’s your favourite feature? It’s the brickwork for me.

What surprised you?

If anything, I was surprised by how straightforward it was this time around. We had the right partners on board – the architect was excellent, the builder was excellent – and that really made the delivery as smooth as possible, especially with me working from home and able to project manage it day to day. I have to say I wouldn’t change a thing, be it with the finishes or the way we approached the project.

Top tip?

Managing the project

“The builder managed most of the building work via his contractors, with my oversight apart from the piling and the home automation, including the networking, lighting and security systems, which I coordinated,” says David who’d project managed his previous extensions too. David works in construction associated with pharmaceutical facilities, with experience of mechanical and electrical engineering, process engineering, programmes, contracts and cost management. Even so, he says there is a difference between managing commercial work and spending your own money on your own house. There are similarities though, which involve attention to detail. And working from home allowed David to keep a close eye on progress. He brought in specialist contractors directly, including the lighting control and networking teams. The building is connected with Cat6 cabling for internet access, and the lighting ties into the smart home system used throughout the house. The heating strategy is deliberately uncomplicated. Electric underfloor heating beneath the floor and there is a gas fire supplied by an underground LPG

tank. A small independent undersink boiler provides hot water to the bar and wc. In practice, David says the underfloor heating is rarely used, simply because it’s so warm. He puts that partly down to the insulation, but also to the rooflight and the way the masonry absorbs heat during the day to then release it back into the building during the night. In the depths of winter, he may switch the gas fire on for an hour to take the chill out of the room, but otherwise he says the ambient temperature is usually enough. The underground LPG tank did bring one small post-completion issue. Some lowlevel external spotlights were installed within three metres of the filling point and David was advised that some of the fittings would have to be removed because of the required separation from an ignition source.

If you’re going to invest in a garden room that’s built to full residential standards and finished to a high level, make sure it’s a long-term decision. You could just pour a raft and drop in a premade garden room, but it wouldn’t have the same visual impact or quality inside, and it will eventually degrade and need replacing. What we’ve done will be there forever, so you have to go into it knowing it’s a serious investment and not something to be taken lightly, because the costs of the build and the fitout can quickly run away from you.

Would you do it again?

Only if a really unique site came up. This house is in a pretty special spot by the river and that was always the dream for me. Unless another plot with that same kind of riverside setting appeared – and they don’t come up very often – I’m happy to stay put and enjoy what we’ve built here.

The bigger picture

The garden was treated as part of the same project rather than an afterthought. David had an idea based around interlocking circles, using planted areas and hard landscaping to organise the remaining space. Mature Portuguese laurel and holm oak were introduced to create screening and SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /61

project height without relying on an excessively tall solid wall. Low-level uplighters pick out the trees and textured brickwork, while lights built into the pillars throw light into the garden and towards the river. At night, the projecting brickwork casts shadows across the walls. The riverside boundary also includes decorative panels within the brick wall, one of which doubles as a gate providing access down towards the water. The intention was to preserve privacy from neighbouring properties without cutting the garden off from the river. Flood risk was another practical consideration. David raised the garden level by around two feet during the works. That decision was tested during a serious flood when nearby riverside properties were affected, while his own garden remained clear of the water. Even though David admits the expenditure on the garden room may not be reflected pound-for-pound in the value of the property, he says that was

62/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

never the point. “We’ll never move from here,” he says. “The investment was more of a lifestyle choice.” The garden room is now enjoyed by the whole family and is particularly well used by its younger members. For David, the justification for building to this standard is longevity. A prefabricated garden room would have been quicker and cheaper, but it would not have delivered the same appearance, fit-out or permanence. After several rounds of renovation and extension, the family may finally be finished. David jokes that the neighbours, after years of construction in the cul-desac, probably deserve the break. What’s clear is that adding this standalone brick garden room with bifold doors opening to the garden and a sliding glazed door leading to a balcony overlooking the river, was an investment in architecture.

More projec t photograph s available at selfbuild.ie

Project info Find out more about David’s garden room in Co Antrim...

SUPPLIERS N

g in in ta Re

l al

Bar

Bi-Fold door

Pool Room

ng on

Piling Hamilton Bogie

to p

Security and networking Crawford Systems Ltd

W.C

Paved Courtard Bike Store

Garden Room

Pergola

T.V

Media Room

riv

Existing House

Smart home system Lutron Builder David Leaghy of Prestige Building Contracts, Ballyclare, tel. 02893038030

i ad le

Garden Barrel Stove

Architect Slemish Design Studio Architects, Broughshane, tel. 028 2586 2461

Cabinetry and bar Rooms on the Ormeau Road Belfast Tiling and sanitaryware Soaks Belfast Windows and Doors Rea Timber Craft Photography Steven Hanna, stevenhanna.co.uk Calling from Ireland, replace 028 with 048

SPEC Walls: 100mm clay brick outer leaf, 150mm pumped cavity insulation, 100mm medium density blockwork inner leaf, U-value of 0.21W/sqmK Roof: Warm roof with 150mm PIR board, U-value of 0.14 W/sqmK

Floor: Floor slab with 150mm PIR insulation, U-value of 0.13 W/sqmK Windows and doors: Bespoke timber double glazed windows and bifold doors

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /63

Q&A.

Built on a budget Words: Heather Campbell Photography: Paul Davis Photography

Careful planning and a commitment to sticking to the drawings helped Janice Dorrans retire early, mortgage free, in Co Derry.

64/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

“Financially, the house has changed my life. I was able to build mortgage free.” How did the decision to build come about?

I had lived in Portrush for 27 years and reached a point where I wanted a new project and a fresh start. My son had gone to university in England and it looked as though he was going to stay there, while my parents, who were in their late 80s, were living with me in an annex. I knew that wherever I went, they would be coming with me. I sold my house and moved with mum and dad into rented accommodation while I looked for a site. My main financial aim was to use the equity I had built up over the years to build a new home and end up without a mortgage. I eventually found a site and fell in love with it.

Overview House size: 130sqm Bedrooms: 3 Plot size: 1 acre Site cost: Approx. £50k Total build cost (rounded): Approx. £150k Heating system: Oil fired boiler Ventilation: Centralised mechanical with heat recovery Build method: Blockwork

What guided your design decisions?

The house had to work for the three of us now, but also function as a normal threebedroom home in the future. I wanted mum and dad to have their own private area, while accessibility was a priority because of their limited mobility, along with giving them a comfortable living space with good views. I also wanted the design to be very simple. I knew that complicated floor plans and roof shapes would add cost, so I wanted something as close to a rectangle as possible, but still contemporary. I don’t believe you necessarily need a huge house; you need a well-designed house where the

space is actually useful.

What are your thoughts about hiring an architect?

I initially found the idea of approaching an architect daunting, assuming it might be beyond my budget, but I found an architectural practice that focused on contemporary, eco conscious homes so I reached out to them before even buying the site and found them very approachable. When I found this plot of land, my architect Richie checked the site, outline planning permission and access to services before I bought it. I went to them with a notebook full of ideas and photographs. Their fee for the design, planning application and associated work was around £9k. At the time that felt like a lot of money to me, but looking back I consider it some of the best money I spent. The second design they presented was essentially perfect for us.

Tell us about the metal roof, and any other unusual material choices.

I was very definite that I wanted a metal roof. One of my main priorities for the whole house was for it to be low maintenance. Having dealt with roof maintenance in my previous home, I didn’t want to be worrying about slates coming off in storms or expensive repairs in years to come. SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /65

Q&A.

Top tip To anyone building their own house, get a good architect and nail down your plans before handing over to a builder. Get a fixed price and be available to communicate with tradesmen during process.

I also felt a metal roof would suit a contemporary rural house. Zinc was considered, but it was far too expensive for my budget. From memory, zinc could have been around £40k, whereas the metal roof was somewhere around £6k. The builder sourced a good quality black, plastic coated metal sheeting, which has an agricultural character that I think suits the setting beautifully. I would 100 per cent choose it again. People sometimes ask about rain noise. You can hear the rain a little, even with the insulation, but I actually love the sound and it’s never intrusive.

What was it like getting planning permission from your local authority? Planning was actually very straightforward. I put that largely down to having a good architect who understood from the outset what the planners would and wouldn’t accept. 66/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

The previous approval was for a narrower frontage, so Richie presented our design as a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Irish cottage. We had no major planning difficulties.

Water was already available through the site, so that simply had to be connected by the water authority.

Any tips for the construction stage?

I wanted plenty of natural light and I particularly wanted a large picture window so that we could enjoy the countryside views, but I was also quite disciplined about the amount of glazing. My previous house had a lot of glass and could become uncomfortably hot, so here I wanted plenty of light without going overboard.

My biggest advice is to make your design decisions before construction starts and then stick to them. I was very conscious that changing things during a build is where additional costs start to creep in. I made sure I was completely happy with the architect’s drawings before giving them to the builder, and I didn’t start saying, “Could we move this?” or “Could we add that?” once work was underway. I also chose my builder very carefully. Three different people, who didn’t know each other, independently recommended Chris, who we went with. I trusted those recommendations. He priced the job at £115k for the house, services, septic tank and the agreed level of finish, and that is exactly what I paid him.

Tell us about the windows.

Timeline End of 2019 Site bought May 2020 Planning permission applied Oct 2020 Planning permission granted Nov 2020 Build start July 2021 Build end and moved in

Was it difficult to connect to utilities?

No, not particularly, although I had considered the services before I bought the site because I knew they could become a major expense. I organised that side of things myself and obtained the quotations. Electricity cost around £6k to bring in.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /67

Q&A. Janice’s favourite feature are the picture windows in the living room.

grey. The cabinetry itself was around £2,500, and I spent roughly another £1k on the granite worktop, with appliances purchased separately. It’s simple, it works brilliantly and I love it.

What floor covering did you choose?

What were the biggest challenges during the build?

Strangely enough, there really weren’t any major construction problems. The biggest challenge was simply that we were building during Covid. Shops were closed, it was difficult to go out and physically look at products, and there were all the general uncertainties of that period. I got around it by being organised and ordering a lot of things online in advance. The other personal challenge was the living situation. Mum and dad were in rented accommodation and I was living in a little caravan on the site beside the old cottage. 68/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

How did you go about designing the kitchen?

I didn’t want to spend £20k on a kitchen. My thinking was that if I want a completely different look in 10 years, I would be able to change the doors without feeling that I’m throwing away an enormous investment. The kitchen is contemporary but deliberately simple for that reason. I found the kitchen supplier through recommendations from other people. I had looked at some of the bigger retailers, but this independent supplier was very competitive and lovely to deal with. There is a wall of tall white units containing things such as the larder, fridge and oven, which I wanted to visually disappear into the wall. The other units are

Accessibility was important, so all of the floors are on one level. I was always thinking ahead to the possibility that mum or dad might eventually need a wheelchair. I chose a herringbone laminate rather than solid timber. Solid wood would have been beautiful, but it would also have cost considerably more. I laid the flooring myself through the kitchen, hall and other areas. I probably underestimated quite how big a job that would be. The floor area was complicated and it took me a week to do as I’d never laid laminate before. It was hard work, and I was mostly helped by videos I found online. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but then again I did manage to do it and saved £1,000 on labour.

What about the landscaping?

I was determined that the landscaping wouldn’t become one of those jobs that was left unfinished for years after the house was built.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /69

Q&A. More projec photograph t s and the supplie r list available at selfbuild.ie

The main thing was, I wanted it to feel very natural. Chris formed the curved areas around the rear patio, and I paved the patio myself. He levelled the ground with the digger while I followed with the rake, then I sowed the grass seed so the lawn was already appearing by the time the house was finished. At the front I chose blue granite gravel rather than tarmac because I thought it looked softer in the rural setting. Since then I’ve added planters and kept a mixture of longer and shorter grass. It is deliberately simple and easy to maintain.

How does it feel to live there now?

It feels like the new start I had hoped for. Moving from Portrush into the countryside was a big change and initially I wondered whether I might feel too isolated, but it has turned out to be an amazing place to live. The neighbours have been incredibly friendly and I feel very much part of the community. Most importantly, mum and dad settled in beautifully. Their little living room looks out over the garden and towards the old cottage and they can watch all the comings and goings. I had worried enormously about how moving would affect them at their age, but they embraced it. Financially, the house has also changed my life. Because I was able to build mortgage free and the house is efficient and inexpensive to run, I was in a position to retire from my work as a paramedic at 50. I don’t think I could 70/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

have made that decision if I had stayed in my previous large, expensive house.

Would you do it again?

Absolutely. I loved being involved in the whole process and would happily do it again, although probably not now while mum and dad are in their 90s. Building your own house doesn’t

automatically have to mean stress, spiralling costs and running out of money. I completed the project without going to the bank and still had money left. Because the project was well thought out, there were no surprises. I was prepared to muck in where I could, and I think that helped. You hear so many frightening stories, but with good planning, sensible decisions and the right people around you, you can do it.

Project info Find out more about Janice’s project in Co Derry...

SUPPLIERS Architect 2020 Architects, Ballymoney Builder Chris Lewis of CML Building, Ballymoney Bathroom and appliances B&Q Kitchen In-House Kitchens, Coleraine Flooring Innovation Flooring, Ballymoney

SPEC Walls: Block cavity walls with 200mm EPS insulation fully pumped cavity, rendered U-value 0.16W/sqmK, Siberian larch timber cladding U-value 0.15W/ sqmK. Internal walls forming vaulted spaces faced with 100mm PIR.

E N

Floor: 100mm sand/cement screed,

100mm insulation board over 150mm cast in-situ floor slab

Cold roof: Coated corrugated metal roof finish, ventilated loft space, 150mm mineral wool between joists, 250mm over laid perpendicular, U-value of 0.1W/sqmK.

Warm roof: Coated corrugated metal roof finish, 100mm insulation board between rafters, 30mm insulated board below, U-value 0.18W/sqmK Flat roof: Single ply membrane, 120mm PIR insulation on plywood deck, U-value 0.16W/sqmK Windows: Double glazed uPVC, RAL7016, U-value 1.4W/sqmK Bathroom Dining Bedroom

Ensuite Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Lounge

Dressing

Living room / Bedroom

Utility

Storage

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /71

advice

Anne Byrne annebyrnegardendesign.com

Northeast

garden design

The Japanese-style landscaping for this Co Galway home tackles shade, solar panels and a wastewater tank. When planning a garden, it’s easy to get carried away by lovely images you come across on social media and to forget that many of these exist in a completely different landscape and climate to those we have here in Ireland. Gardens have to be designed around humans, and must fit in with their lifestyle. But they also have to be practical and make the best of whatever space is available.

Northeast garden solutions

This garden design is an interesting example of how a sloping, northeast facing site with a prominent group of solar panels can be turned into an interesting garden that reflects the owners’ interests and reminds them of their travels. In order to maximise the sunlight, the main patio needed to be moved away from the house so that it would not be completely shaded in the afternoon and evening. Care is always needed with this – the patio space needs to be inviting but so does the journey to get to it, or it can end up never being used. The solution here is to locate a small seating area right beside the glass garden doors, and to link it to the main patio further down with a path and several wide, shallow steps, making sure there is plenty to see and appreciate along the way.

Japanese influences to hide the solar panels

The owners had travelled extensively and were particularly keen to incorporate some of the elements they had appreciated in the Japanese gardens they had visited. They particularly enjoyed the sense of calm and of being grounded, with abundant greenery creating an atmosphere of serenity and lushness. A large group of solar panels at the end of the garden needed to be concealed from view, while still allowing the sun to reach them, so a group of Prunus ‘Shogetsu’ was strategically placed to break up the view. Like many flowering cherries, this Japanese 72/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

variety will offer not only springtime blossom, but good autumn colour as well. Water is brought into the garden in two areas: a wide shallow corten steel bowl at ground level, fringed by plants, which will be very beneficial for wildlife, and a smaller bamboo fountain with a traditional Japanese Tetsu Bachi bowl to provide gently flowing water.

of planting and lawn, to the main patio, which uses the side wall of the shed to offer a hint of enclosure. A path of stepping stones winds through the cherry blossom trees, surrounded by interesting mixed planting: Green Hakonechloa macra, a deciduous grass with a lovely fan-like shape, Anemone japonica, Astrantia and ferns. Seasonal blooms and structure come from Cornus kousa and Magnolia stellata, with hellebores for winter colour and spring bulbs to entice early pollinating insects. Acer palmatum, the plant most commonly associated with Japanese gardens, can be a challenge in the windy west of Ireland, but once it’s given some shelter it should be happy and its beautifully shaped and coloured leaves are always a valuable addition. Many varieties can grow happily in a large container for years, allowing them to be placed wherever needed for maximum effect.

Hiding the wastewater treatment plant

It often happens that the wastewater treatment tank is in a prominent location, and in this garden it’s visible from the glass doors. Corten screens with lush planting have been deployed to conceal it. These can be sourced ready made or customised with symbols, images or patterns to suit a particular garden. The small seating area beside the glass doors will catch sun in the mornings, and from there a wide path descends, past areas

Plan Key

A A. Native hawthorn hedge

B. Corten steel panels to conceal tank

C. Curved path and steps D. Morning seating area E. Bank of solar panels

H B

F. Group of flowering cherry trees

C I

G. Stepping stone path H. Main patio / raised bed / bamboo water spout and bowl I. Lawn

ANNE’s TIPS Garden step proportions. Proportions for outdoor steps are very different to indoor ones. Garden steps should be as wide as possible and as low or shallow as possible, for both safety and comfort. Garden path dimensions. Here the main path is essentially a thoroughfare between two key areas in the garden, so it needs to be wide enough for two people to walk together comfortably. A winding stepping stone path can be much smaller – it’s intended for exploring and appreciating the nearby plants, rather than getting from A to B. Green can be gorgeous. A truly considered garden scheme will make the most of every aspect of the plants. Shape, structure, leaf form, movement and texture will all be used to create a tactile, interesting space throughout the year.

House with northeast garden at the back

Bamboo water spout

Hawthorn is a hero plant. I’m always happy to include Crataegus monogyna in a garden – as well as being tough and hardy and willing to grow almost anywhere, it’s one of our most beautiful native plants with glossy leaves, crimson haws in autumn and branches full of blossom in spring. In this garden it runs along the left boundary, offering screening and huge benefits to native wildlife.

Stepping stone path with green plant shapes

Acer Palmatum 'Nicholsonii'

Flowering Cherry Prunus 'Shogetsu'

Anemone japonica

Hakonechloa Macra All Gold

Orange geum 'Totally Tangerine' SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /73

Part 1

Diary Projects.

Fruits of their labour In part 1 of Katie Moran’s self-build diary, she charts how she and her husband Jake went about finding the perfect property to renovate in her Co Kilkenny hometown.

n 2022, we made the decision to sell our bungalow that we had just bought in 2020. It was about 15 minutes from the village where I grew up. We had renovated the house and were very happy there, but we felt we needed more space. The children were going to school and creche in the village, and I had always wanted to eventually move back even closer to home.

The hunt begins

After selling, we moved into a rental house in Kilkenny city while we began looking for either a site or an older property that we could make our own. We spent over a 74/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

year asking local farmers and landowners if they would consider selling us a site. Unfortunately, nothing came from it and after a while our dream of building a home locally started to feel like it might not happen. Then one day I spotted and old property for sale online. I immediately recognised the house. Years ago, the land around it had been used for growing fruit and lots of women from the village would come here to pick raspberries and strawberries. My nanny had often spoken about the fond memories she had working there, so there was something familiar, even nostalgic, about the property for me. Initially we weren't sure if we wanted to take on such a big project. It was very

Follow Katie’s journey on Instagram @old_orchard_ ballyreddin

different from buying a site and starting with a blank canvas. But once we’d viewed it, our minds quickly changed. We both fell in love with it. The location was exactly what we wanted and although the house needed a huge amount of work we could see the potential in it.

Planning the renovation

We always knew that Jake would be doing and managing a lot of the work himself so we decided the best option would be to put a mobile home on site for the duration of the build. So we included permission for a temporary mobile home in our planning application. We were eager to get going straight away, early in 2025, and had our architect work on our plans based on the very clear ideas of what we wanted from the house. At our first meeting, we told him our main goals were four bedrooms, a large open plan kitchen, living and dining space, a pantry and a corner window seat in the living area. We worked hard to create a good flow between the old and new parts of the house, while still allowing the original section to retain its charm. The first draft gave us almost everything we wanted and, after a few small tweaks, we felt we had exactly the right layout. Initially, we had planned a flat roof extension, as Jake’s dad had priced both options and the flat roof was coming in cheaper. However, Kilkenny County Council came back looking for changes and our architect advised that a pitched roof would be more in keeping with the original farmhouse. At the time it felt like another change to deal with but looking back we are very happy with that decision and I think it suits the house much better. Around the same time we started looking into the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. We realised the house qualified for the full €70k grant. This was a huge help to us and made taking on such a large renovation feel a little more achievable. We found Kilkenny County Council extremely easy to deal with for the grant and found the whole process so stress free, I’d recommend looking into the grant if you’re in a similar situation as we were.

Project management

On the administrative side, we had the architect look after all of the statutory requirements, from planning permission to building control and health and safety. After that, we were extremely lucky with the practical side to things. Jake owns a plumbing and heating business, so he was

able to coordinate the project and organise different trades. We were very lucky that Jake was able to do so much of the work himself otherwise we definitely would not have been able to complete the build to the same standard. His dad is also in the building trade and did a huge amount of work on the house as well as bringing years of knowledge and experience, particularly when it came to dealing with the original part of the property, which saved us a huge amount of time and money throughout the project. As with most renovations, once work started, we discovered things we could never have fully known beforehand. In parts of the old house there were little or no foundations along with various structural issues that needed to be dealt with but thankfully there was always a solution and

the door could be stressful at times. Jake was spending time either working for his business or working on the house in the evenings. Then in the middle of the renovation, in September 2025, I started studying interior design and life became even busier. There were times when I wondered had we taken on too much; there were even moments when I questioned whether we had made the right decision. If it had just been the two of us it probably would have been manageable, but with three children it was difficult to stay organised and there were definitely days when I would have to walk out of the mobile home just to remind myself what the end goal was. And breathe.

having tradesmen around us that we knew and trusted made a huge difference.

Living on site

We were very fortunate that so much of the work was being carried out by Jake, friends and family. But living on site was another big advantage, simply because we could walk through the house every evening and make decisions as things progressed. Being close to everything meant being able to make decisions quickly as the build moved along. That said, I am not going to pretend living in a mobile home was easy. In fact, it was probably one of the hardest parts of the whole experience for me. The winter was extremely wet and having three children aged 11, six and four at the time in such a small space while there was a building site outside

GROUND FLOOR BEFORE

FIRST FLOOR BEFORE Dining

Kitchen

Office

Sitting Room

Bathroom Hall

Back Hall

Bedroom 4

Living Room

Hall Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3

Entrance

GROUND FLOOR AFTER

FIRST FLOOR AFTER Master Bedroom

Living WC Utility

Hall

Dining

Walk in Bathroom Wardrobe

Pantry Hall Sitting Room

Linen Room

Kitchen

Ensuite

Bedroom 3

Office Entrance

Ensuite

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /75

Keith Scully, Grant’s Training Manager and models from the QR Hot Water Cylinder Range

PLANNING YOUR SELFBUILD: GETTING HEATING AND HOT WATER RIGHT WITH GRANT Choosing a heating system for your new home means considering both everyday comfort and long-term performance. Keith Scully from Grant explains why heating, hot water and smart controls should be considered together from the early stages of your new build journey.

What should self-builders look for when choosing a heating system? Firstly, start with a high-quality system that is correctly sized and specified for your home, supported by a trusted manufacturer with local technical support available. It’s important to consider how the complete system will work together, including the heat pump, hot water cylinder, heat emitters and controls. Each component contributes to performance, so choosing them as part of a coordinated design helps support efficient and reliable heating and hot water.

It’s also worth thinking about your heating system early in the project, rather than leaving decisions until construction is well under way. This gives you the opportunity to make sure the system is designed around your home from the outset. Think about ease of use too. Your heating system should provide the comfort you need, with controls that are straightforward to understand and manage.

Why is correct sizing and system design so important? Incorrect design can lead to poor performance and higher running costs. Getting the specification right from the outset is therefore essential. For a self-build, the heating system should be designed around the property’s calculated heat loss and the households anticipated hot water demand. These are related but separate considerations: heating

your rooms and providing enough hot water both need attention. Early assessment allows the system designer to select appropriately sized technologies and ensure the components work effectively together.

Why does the hot water cylinder matter when installing a heat pump? The cylinder is much more than a storage tank. It must transfer heat effectively from the heat pump into the stored water and retain that heat until it is needed. Many traditional cylinders were designed around higher-temperature heat sources, such as oil or gas boilers. Heat pumps generally operate at lower flow temperatures, so the cylinder needs to be designed to transfer heat effectively under these different operating conditions. This is one of the reasons Grant developed its Quick Recovery (QR) cylinder range.

CHO CHOO CHO OO SE O SE SE NNEXT EXT EXT CHO SE NN EXT GGE EN EE ERERAT ERAT RAT IO AT IO N IO NNN CO CO CO MMM FO M FO FO RT RT RT GG EN NN IO CO FO RT

Watch Watch Watch the the Aerona the Aerona Aerona R290 R290 R290 Watch the Aerona R290 heat heat pump heat pump pump launch launch launch video video video heat pump launch video

W W W I ITITITH THHHTTTH THHH EEEENE NE NE W W WGR GR GR ANT ANT ANT W NE W GR ANT AE AE AE RRRO RO O N N N AAAAR290 R290 R2 90HHHH EEEAT EAT ATPUMP PUMP PUMP AE O N R290 AT PUMP

When When When it itcomes itcomes comes totodesigning designing designing your your your When itcomes toto designing your dream dream dream home, home, home, choosing choosing choosing the the right the right right dream home, choosing the right Grant Aerona Smart Controller heating heating heating solution solution solution isisparamount. isparamount. paramount. With With With heating solution isparamount. With sustainability, sustainability, sustainability, efficiency efficiency efficiency and and and comfort comfort comfort sustainability, efficiency and comfort main main main priorities priorities priorities forfor self-builders, for self-builders, self-builders, main priorities for self-builders, For self-builders, cylinder selection the the new the new new Grant Grant Grant Aerona Aerona Aerona R290 R290 R290 airair toair tototo the new Grant Aerona R290 air should therefore form part of the heating water, water, water, airair source air source source heat heat heat pump pump pump isisset isset to set tototo water, air source heat pump isset design from the beginning. bebe abe astandout astandout standout choice choice choice forfor new for new new builds builds builds be astandout choice for new builds this this this year. year. year. this year.

This This This controller controller controller also also allows also allows allows installers installers installers totototo This controller also allows installers offer offer offer diagnostic diagnostic diagnostic support support support remotely remotely remotely which which which offer diagnostic support remotely which provides provides provides additional additional additional peace peace peace ofof mind. ofmind. mind. provides additional peace ofmind.

ByBy installing By installing installing aa new anew Grant new Grant Grant Aerona Aerona Aerona R290 R290 R290 By installing anew Grant Aerona R290 heat heat heat pump, pump, pump, homeowners homeowners homeowners can can not can not only not only only heat pump, homeowners can not only ensure ensure ensure their their their home home home meets meets meets all all required required all required ensure their home meets all required What are the benefits of compliance compliance compliance under under under building building building regulations regulations regulations compliance under building regulations choosing an integrated heating butbut also but also ensure also ensure ensure that that their that their their home home home heating heating heating is isisis but also ensure that their home heating Grant Grant Grant Aerona Aerona Aerona R290 R290 R290 12kW 12kW 12kW Grant Aerona R290 12kW prepared prepared prepared forfor the for the future”, the future”, future”, added added added Barry. Barry. Barry. prepared for the future”, added Barry. airsystem? air source airsource source heat heat pump heat pump pump airsource heat pump Designed Designed Designed in in Ireland, inIreland, Ireland, specifically specifically specifically forfor the for the the Designed inIreland, specifically for the What does ‘Quick Recovery’ An integrated approach ensures the heat Irish Irish Irish and and UK and UK climate, UK climate, climate, the the Grant the Grant Grant Aerona Aerona Aerona Irish and UK climate, the Grant Aerona Barry Barry Barry continues, continues, continues, “At “At Grant “At Grant Grant we we understand we understand understand Barry continues, “At Grant we understand We We caught We caught caught up up with with Barry with Barry Barry Gorman, Gorman, Gorman, National National that We caught upup with Barry Gorman, National pump, cylinder, heat emitters and controls R290 R290 heat heat heat pump pump pump has has already has already already been been been R290 heat pump has already been that no that no two no two homes two homes homes are are the are the same, the same, same, and and the and the the R290 that no two homes are the same, and the mean for everyday hotNational water Renewable Renewable Renewable Sales Sales Sales Manager Manager Manager atat Grant atGrant Grant toto find tofind find Aerona Renewable Sales Manager atGrant tofind are specified tocaters work together, supporting recognised recognised recognised forfor its for its Outstanding itsOutstanding Outstanding Innovation Innovation Innovation recognised for itsOutstanding Innovation Aerona Aerona R290 R290 R290 caters caters caters toto this this tothis reality. this reality. reality. With With With Aerona R290 to reality. With use? out out more out more more about about about this this next this next generation next generation generation heat heat heat out more about this next generation heat aata recent atarecent arecent recent industry industry industry awards awards awards ceremony. ceremony. ceremony. efficiency and straightforward operation. industry awards ceremony. five five single five single single phase phase phase models models models offering offering offering heating heating heating atat five single phase models offering heating pump. pump. pump. pump. More More than than than just just ajust a heating aheating heating solution, solution, solution, the the the More than just aheating solution, the outputs outputs outputs ranging ranging from from from 4kW 4kW 4kW toto 16kW, to16kW, 16kW, there’s there’s there’s More Asranging Grant’s Quick Recovery cylinder outputs ranging from 4kW to16kW, there’s Recovery is the time it takes a cylinder to Grant Grant Aerona Aerona Aerona R290 R290 R290 is is aisa forward-thinking isaforward-thinking aforward-thinking forward-thinking Grant Aerona R290 aa solution asolution solution toto fitto fit to the fitthe specific the specific specific heating heating and and hot and hot hot Grant asolution fitthe specific heating and hot range was developed inheating parallel with the reheat its stored water after hotawater “The “The “The Grant Grant Grant Aerona Aerona Aerona R290 R290 R290 represents represents represents a a a has water “The Grant Aerona R290 represents investment investment in in sustainability, insustainability, sustainability, efficiency, efficiency, efficiency, investment insustainability, efficiency, water water demands demands demands ofheat of any ofany new any new build. new build. build. Whether Whether Whether investment water demands ofany new build. Whether Aerona R290 pump, this allowed been used. major major major step step forward step forward forward in in highly inhighly highly efficient, efficient, efficient, major step forward inhighly efficient, and and comfort, and comfort, comfort, whether whether whether you’re you’re you’re focused focused focused ononon on and comfort, whether you’re focused you’re you’re you’re building building building a a compact compact a compact starter starter starter home home home you’re building a compact starter home the engineering teams to coordinate environmentally environmentally environmentally friendly friendly friendly home home home heating heating heating For homeowners, faster recovery environmentally friendly home heating reducing reducing your your your carbon carbon carbon footprint, footprint, footprint, cutting cutting cutting reducing your carbon footprint, cutting oror aora spacious oraspacious atransfer, spacious family family family residence, residence, residence, our our team our team team reducing spacious family residence, our team heat recovery performance and technology. technology. technology. The The heat The heat heat pump pump pump uses uses uses R290 R290 R290 technology. The heat pump uses R290 helps replenish the supply after periods energy energy energy costs, costs, costs, oror ensuring orensuring ensuring compliance compliance compliance with with with energy costs, orensuring compliance with ofof technical oftechnical technical specialists specialists specialists can can help can help help ensure ensure ensure oftechnical specialists can help ensure controls. Grant Aerona R290 4kW air source heat pump refrigerant, refrigerant, a natural, a anatural, anatural, natural, energy energy energy efficient efficient efficient refrigerant, energy efficient future future future standards. standards. standards. ofrefrigerant, demand, such as when several family you future standards. you have you have have a a correctly correctly a correctly sized sized sized and and specified and specified specified you have a correctly sized and specified For self-builders, the benefit is one alternative alternative alternative which which which has has ahas a asuccession. remarkably aremarkably remarkably low low low alternative which has low heat heat heat pump. pump. pump. The The Aerona The Aerona Aerona R290 R290 can can also can also also heat pump. The Aerona R290 can also members shower inremarkably Cylinder complete heating andR290 hot water solution Global Global Global Warming Warming Warming Potential Potential Potential (GWP) (GWP) (GWP) ofof just just ofjust just Global Warming Potential (GWP) bebe carefully be carefully carefully combined combined combined with with other with other other Grant Grant Grant be carefully combined with other Grant capacity remains important, butofhow designed around the requirements of the 3,3, compared 3,compared compared toto traditional totraditional traditional refrigerants refrigerants refrigerants 3,compared totraditional refrigerants technologies technologies technologies including including including hot hot water hot water water storage, storage, storage, technologies including hot water storage, quickly the water reheats also affects home and the people living in it. such such such asas R32, asR32, R32, which which which is is being isbeing being phased phased phased out out out such asR32, which isbeing phased out underfloor underfloor underfloor heating heating heating and and /and or / or / aluminium oraluminium aluminium underfloor heating and /aluminium or START START START YOUR YOUR YOUR JOURNEY JOURNEY JOURNEY START YOUR JOURNEY everyday comfort. ofof use ofuse inuse in heat inheat heat pumps. pumps. pumps. For For eco-conscious For eco-conscious eco-conscious ofuse inheat pumps. For eco-conscious radiators radiators radiators and and smart and smart smart heating heating heating controls controls controls totototo radiators and smart heating controls Grant developed its Quick Recovery Take Take Take advantage advantage advantage ofof Grant’s ofGrant’s Grant’s free free home free home home Take advantage ofGrant’s free home What is the next step for selfself-builders, self-builders, self-builders, this this aligns this aligns aligns perfectly perfectly perfectly with with the with the the self-builders, this aligns perfectly with the deliver deliver deliver aa fully afully tailored fully tailored tailored integrated integrated integrated heating heating heating deliver afully tailored integrated heating Take advantage of Grant’s free home cylinder range specifically for heat pump heating heating heating design design design service service service by by sending by sending sending heating design service by sending goal goal of goal of reducing ofreducing reducing environmental environmental environmental impact impact impact while while while solution goal ofreducing environmental impact while builder ready to design their solution solution toto suit tosuit both suit both both you you and you and your and your your homes homes homes solution tosuit both you and your homes heating design service by sending applications and to complement the house house house plans plans plans and and choice and choice choice ofof heat ofheat heat embracing embracing embracing renewable renewable renewable energy energy energy solutions. solutions. solutions. house plans and choice ofheat embracing renewable energy solutions. requirements. requirements. requirements. This This This process process process is is done isdone done asas part part part requirements. This process isdone asas part heating system? house plans and contact information to Aerona R290 heat pump. The cylinder emitters emitters emitters (underfloor (underfloor (underfloor and/or and/or and/or radiators) radiators) radiators) totototo emitters (underfloor and/or radiators) ofof our ofour free our free home free home home heating heating heating design design design service. service. service. ofour free home heating design service. heatpump@grant.ie (ROI) / Boasting Boasting Boasting ansupports an A+++ an A+++ A+++ energy energy energy rating rating rating atat 35°C at35°C 35°Cat Boasting an A+++ energy rating at35°C heatpump@grant.ie heatpump@grant.ie heatpump@grant.ie / / / design effective heat transfer heatpump@grant.ie / heatpump@grantni.com (NI) For those embarking on a new build water water water flow flow temperature, flow temperature, temperature, the the Aerona the Aerona Aerona water flow temperature, the Aerona heatpump@grantni.com heatpump@grantni.com heatpump@grantni.com heatpump@grantni.com the lower flow temperatures associated AsAs well As well as well as high as high high efficiency efficiency efficiency the Aerona the Aerona Aerona R290 R290 R290 As well as high efficiency the Aerona R290 journey, Grant offers athe free of charge R290 R290 R290 delivers delivers delivers exceptional exceptional exceptional performance performance performance R290 delivers exceptional performance is is aesthetically isaesthetically aesthetically pleasing pleasing pleasing with with modern, with modern, modern, with heat pump operation, helping to isaesthetically pleasing with modern, Heating Design & Specification Service. and and energy and energy energy efficiency, efficiency, efficiency, with Seasonal with Seasonal Seasonal and energy efficiency, with Seasonal sleek, sleek, sleek, powder-coated powder-coated powder-coated black black black casing. casing. casing. AllAllAll All sleek, powder-coated black casing. provide reliable hotwith water for the home. Using your house plans and project Coefficient Coefficient Coefficient ofof Performance ofPerformance Performance (SCOP) (SCOP) (SCOP) values values values units Coefficient ofPerformance (SCOP) values units units within within within range range range are are approved are approved approved byby Quiet by Quiet Quiet units within range are approved by Quiet For For further For further further information information information visit visit visit For further information visit For us at Grant, it was important information, Grant’s technical team ofof up ofto up to 5.02. to5.02. 5.02. This This This ensures ensures ensures maximum maximum maximum heat heat heat Mark ofup up to5.02. This ensures maximum heat Mark Mark due due to due to their totheir their impressive impressive impressive ultra-low ultra-low ultra-low Mark due totheir impressive ultra-low that the heat pump and the cylinder www.grant.ie www.grant.ie www.grant.ie / /grantni.com /grantni.com grantni.com can assess the heating requirements www.grant.ie /grantni.com output output output forfor minimal for minimal minimal energy energy energy input, input, input, which which which is isisis output for minimal energy input, which noise noise noise levels, levels, levels, and and for and for convenience for convenience convenience they they they can can can noise levels, and for convenience they can were considered as part of the same of the property and design and specify vital vital for vital for meeting for meeting meeting today’s today’s today’s stringent stringent stringent energy energy energy also vital for meeting today’s stringent energy also be also be managed be managed managed and and monitored and monitored monitored remotely remotely remotely also be managed and monitored remotely overall system, rather than individual an appropriate heating solution for your standards standards standards under under under building building building regulations. regulations. regulations. standards under building regulations. using using using the the Aerona the Aerona Aerona Smart Smart Smart Controller. Controller. Controller. using the Aerona Smart Controller.

technologies.

home.

DO IT YOURSELF, WITH CONFIDENCE. THE BEAUTY OF LIME PAINT, AT HOME.

From preparation and application to the final finish, our easy-to-follow DIY video tutorials and how-to guide take you through every stage, with expert advice and personalised guidance whenever you need it. We provide: Premium tools & Mercadier lime paint DIY video tutorials & how-to guide Expert advice & project support Delivery throughout Ireland

MaisonAnnaB.com

advice

OPINION . ADVICE . INSIGHT . KNOWLEDGE

SHOULD YOU CONVERT YOUR ATTIC?

HOW TO GET TO A0 Building Energ The rating for Address

Validity 1 BER number Building type Build year Assessor Assessor No. Assessor Company Assessor Company No.

y Rating (BER)

the building

Day Month 00000000

Year – Day

≤75 ≤150

XXXXXXX XXXXXXX 000000

≤225

PRO

≤275

NA V IS IO

≤325 ≤375 >375

Units=kWh/(m 2 .y) * & ZEB 2 Criteria

Data

Annual Primary Energy 4 Use per floor area: 00 kWh/(m 2 Total use: 0,000 .y) kWh/y

Global Warmin g Potential 8 XXXXX

IRELAND'S BUILDERS' REGISTER

≤42*

0000 XXXXXXX 000000

Renewable Energy 6 00% of total used Produced on site: 0,000 kWh

is:

Month Year

XXXXXXX

Scan the QR code 3 additional informat for ion about your BER and planning your home energy upgrade or visit www.se ai.ie/ber

Building Energy

Certificate

detailed below

XX XXXXXX X XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXX X XXXXXXX X

Annual Final Energy 5 Use per floor area: 00 kWh/(m 2 Total use: 0,000 .y) kWh/y Building Energy Demand 7 00 kWh/(m 2 .y) Operational Greenhouse Gas 9 00 kgCO eq/(m 2 2 .y)

DIY WARDROBE TIPS

80 LETTERS - RENDERS, BUILDING IN THE BACK GARDEN AND MORE / 82 WALL INSULATION COSTS / 83 IS IT CHEAPER TO BUY OR BUILD? SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /79

letters

Photo by Bilal Mansuri on Unsplash

Mistakes to avoid with renders Ignoring long-term maintenance is a frequent error. Cheaper render may cut costs during the build phase but often demands more cleaning and upkeep over the life of the property, and mixing products from different manufacturers can affect system performance and warranties. This is best avoided by weighing the whole-life cost and maintenance required, and by choosing a fully tested system from a single manufacturer. Choosing on appearance alone is another common mistake. Modern render should look good, but it also needs to deliver long-term protection against the weather and other environmental conditions for lasting performance. Some products incorporating silicone technology provide enhanced water repellency in these conditions. Speaking 80/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

to the right technical experts during the build helps keep performance benefits in view alongside aesthetics. Poor colour selection rounds out the list, and it is vital that self-builders view physical samples before choosing, since colours can look different in brochures or on screens than in real life. Collecting samples from the manufacturer beforehand and comparing them in different lighting environments helps to obtain a better understanding of what the render finish will truly look like once your project is complete.

Jason Nicholson K Rend Product Manager

Photo by Bilal Mansuri on Unsplash

I want a smooth external render finish on my new build. What are the most common mistakes people make when specifying render, and how can they be avoided?

letters New rules for building in back garden With the new planning exemptions in Ireland, I’m looking to add a 45sqm pod in the back garden. What are my options and what do I need to check to ensure the pod I get is building regulations compliant? Is there anything else to be aware of? The question refers to the change in legislation under Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 340 of 2026 where the construction or erection of a detached house in the rear garden of a principal house is now considered exempt from planning permission in Ireland. A few key parts of the SI are that the structure is not temporary and is connected to the services of the principal house (the existing septic tank therefore needs enough capacity to take the increase in occupants). There are maximum height, minimum separation from boundaries, and

restrictions concerning windows. The area should be between 32sqm and 45sqm (the maximum limit can be affected by existing structures previously constructed), the private open space cannot be reduced to less than 25sqm and it can’t be used for short term letting. The planning authority must be notified at least 14 days before the development commences. The exemption is from planning permission and does not extend to compliance with the Building Regulations where the new structure will need to comply with the Building Regulations in the same manner as any

new dwelling as set out in the 12 techincal guidance documents, from A to M. The government department has published an excellent ‘Information Note’ on the application of the Building Regulations for ‘Auxiliary Dwellings’ and it also explains that the normal Building Control process is required, including submission of a Commencement Notice with Additional Information and includes the nomination of a Design Certifier, Assigned Certifier, a competent builder and a Certificate of Compliance on Completion. You cannot ‘opt-out’ from this as an Auxiliary

Dwelling is not a single dwelling or extension. The planning exemption is also time limited to development commenced and completed by 31 December 2030. Hiring an Assigned Certifier could add a few thousand to the final bill; also note that not all architects offer this service.

Mark Stephens MRIAI

Hollowcore slab construction details I’m currently looking at various house designs and ideas for my own self-built house. Would you have access to typical details where the first floor hollowcore slab sits onto the external cavity wall that you could share with me? There is an everexpanding number of possible solutions to suit the design objectives of different structural solutions in conjunction with each slab manufacturer’s requirements, local building practices and building regulations. Therefore, a detail which works in one area might not be suitable in another and for that reason I would caution against using generic details. It would be best to check with your designer who can select the best option for you from

their own library of suitable details. Apart from the usual objectives of achieving structural stability, fire safety and acoustics, etc., designers will also examine features such as the wall structure, cavity wall insulation, internal finishes, the details of the hollowcore slabs, acceptable air permeability rates, condensation risk analysis, target U-values and so on. All solutions should preserve and maintain the integrity of the thermal and airtightness envelopes.

There are too many slab manufacturers to list here, but an online search will yield technical information with examples of their working details. You should look for methods of how the slabs are to be sealed to prevent air movement between the external wall cavity and the hollowcores of the slabs and around the ends of the slabs and between the slabs. Check also how a uniform U-value will be achieved across the ends of the slabs where they sit on the walls. Interfaces between external

walls and beams supporting the slabs will also need to be considered. For preliminary guidance, you could refer to Figures 26 and 27 of the Passivhaus Trust publication ‘Demystifying Air-Tightness’ Good Practice Guide (June 2020). In fact, if you have time, the entire guide makes for interesting reading. Les O’Donnell, structural engineer and architectural technologist

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /81

Image from stock.adobe.com / Viktoria

ask the expert

Ask Keith...

Keith Kelliher Quantity surveyor, adjudicator.ie

I'm thinking of a Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant, how much can I expect to pay for cavity wall insulation? How does that compare with external wall insulation?

I must outline from the outset that what follows only relates to upgrades to existing homes and not to new homes. It is often not understood that SEAI grants do not apply to new homes. In fact, the SEAI grants only apply to homes that were occupied before 31st December 2010 when it comes to insulation. The three ways of seeking a grant to insulate your walls are to pump your cavity with insulation, internally dryline your home or external insulate the property. In my opinion there is no doubt that external insulation will provide you with the best, but most expensive outcome. There are generally three different types of external insulation. EPS (Expanded PolyStyrene), mineral wool or phenolic foam. Depending on the standard and type of plastering that you finish the external face with, the cost can vary from €100 to €250 per sqm. That makes the cost of external insulation range greatly depending on your house size and finish. Replicating a brick or stone finish will for example add

82/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

significantly to the end cost, and it is not unusual to see costs ranging from €8,000 to €30,000 for external insulation depending on the selections made, with a maximum SEAI grant of €8,000 available for a detached property. External insulation creates no internal damage, it eliminates thermal bridging, has no impact on internal space and leaves the property with a new external finish. The same cannot be said for the drylining process, which will take up about 10cm off each internal wall. Drylining costs can range from €30 to €75 per sqm depending on thickness of insulation and makeup but it is the impact on other areas that generally drives the cost up. These include remedial costs, including damage and repairs to each room for the likes of ceilings (where covings exist), window boards, skirting boards and often internally the house requires complete redecoration. Even floor finishes often require repair and radiators may need to be relocated or adjusted. Whilst it should still work out cheaper than the external insulation, the

property will be smaller, it does not remove all thermal bridging and there is no visible external difference after the works. It is generally recommended that this form of insulation upgrade only occurs where a house is undergoing a major renovation so many of the costs would be required with or without the insulation work. The alternative to this approach is to pump the cavity with beaded insulation, therefore avoiding all of the internal damage. Pumping an existing cavity, assuming a cavity exists, is by far the most economical approach to upgrading insulation. Costs run at €10 to €15 per sqm which will result in an overall cost of €1,500-€3,000 depending on the house size. With a grant available of up to €1,800, it can

work out as a very cost-efficient method of insulating your home. The cavity is externally pumped with an insulating bead, mineral fibre, foam or granules and when completed it provides an insulated barrier within a cavity that contained no insulation. Outside of filling in the holes formed to install the insulation, there is little or no other damage caused from the work which can be carried out quickly and with little disruption. The bottom line is, the selection process for insulation should not just be guided by grants. It should be reviewed and investigated for the best option suited to the house in question and it is very important that all associated costs are understood depending on the system.

“Pumping a cavity wall is cheaper, but cost shouldn’t be the only consideration when upgrading insulation.”

advice

Heather Campbell Deputy editor

Is it cheaper to build or buy? We do the maths to find out it’s still cheaper to build your own A-rated home than it is to buy it. Considering how expensive labour and materials are today as compared to a decade ago, it’s worth looking into whether it’s cheaper to buy or build your home in Ireland today. And as it turns out, in every scenario, building your own home remains a better financial decision than buying an A-rated home on the open market. However, in some places once the cost of land is included, the gap between building and buying narrows.

How much does it cost to buy an A-rated home on the open market?

A search of daft.ie sold-property records for 2025 returned 131 A-rated detached house sales. Of that figure, we screened out properties that weren’t clearly described as detached, along with sales that could be identified as development new builds. That left 114 homes which give a reasonable picture of the secondhand market. A finished A-rated detached home in the 150-199sqm bracket was selling for just under €670,000 at the median* with significant regional differences. In Dublin the median cost was €875,000 whereas Leinster excluding Dublin the median cost was €505,000. That’s a gap of around €370,000.

How much does it cost to build a 175sqm home?

Selfbuild’s 2025 figures put a typical midrange provincial rural self-build at around €2,300 per sqm, before site purchase and professional fees. However, the final cost of a build can move quickly depending on design, specification, ground conditions, access, services and who is available to do the work. Professional fees, surveys, planning costs,

Buy comparable A-rated home

Build 175sqm excluding land

Difference

Dublin

€875,000

€483k-€504k

€371k-€392k

Leinster overall

€665,000

€483k-€504k

€161k-€182k

Leinster excl. Dublin

€505,000

€483k-€504k

€1k-€22k

Munster

€676,250

€463k-€483k

€193k-€213k

utilities, external works and contingency all need to be allowed for too. So to get closer to a real project total, you need to add around 15 to 20 per cent to that build figure, to get to an estimated project cost, excluding land.

Doing the maths: building new versus buying

At national level, the difference between buying and building prices is quite striking. A comparable A-rated detached home in the 150-199 sqm bracket sold for a median of €668,750. Our estimated build cost for a 175 sqm home, excluding land, comes in at roughly €430,000 to €505,000 depending on region. That’s a decent gap, but it doesn’t exist everywhere. Dublin is the most obvious standout. Even with higher build costs, there’s a lot of room between the cost of building a house and the price of buying one. Munster also shows a big gap. Outside Dublin in Leinster, though, there’s almost nothing in it. The median purchase price of €505,000 sits very close to the upper end of the estimated build cost – and that’s before the site is bought. For a lot of self-builders, this is where the whole calculation changes. If the site is already in the family, or you bought it years ago, the build numbers can look very attractive.

What you actually get for the money

There is a distinction to make in that not all A-rated homes on the market are new builds so in many cases, we are comparing secondhand A-rated homes to newly built A-rated homes. A useful comparison would be to see how new builds on the market compare to building your own home, but the sample size is too small to make that comparison statistically relevant. A new house can be designed around the site and around the way you want to live. You can choose the layout, orientation, level of insulation, heating system, amount of storage and where to spend your budget – that’s hard to put a price on. It also means you’re starting with a brand new home, rather than paying a premium for somebody else’s design choices and then possibly spending more to change them.

* The median selling price was €677,500. The average was higher, but that was pulled up by a relatively small number of expensive sales, especially in Dublin. For homes between 150 sqm and 199 sqm, Leinster and Munster looked fairly similar overall: the median cost was €665,000 in Leinster and €676,250 in Munster.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /83

advice

Attic conversion conversation Architect Micah Jones chats through the feasibility of your attic conversion project.

An attic space may appear to be big when it’s sitting as one large open space, but the usable floor area may in fact be very limited. That’s because anything that’s less than 1.2m high is realistically only suitable for storage and in most configurations, the space available diminishes down at the eaves. Therefore establishing viability early in the process is the most important thing to do. If the property is suitable, 84/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

you can achieve a lot. But if the fundamentals are not there, it will cost a lot for something small and pokey.

Roof type

The shape of the roof will have a huge impact on the amount of usable space; for example a hipped roof (where all sides of the roof are pitched into a central point) will provide much less space than a gabled roof (where at least one or two walls rise vertically to meet the ridge).

Gables also provide an opportunity for windows without the need to add dormers. The roof structure can also have a big impact on suitability; if the roof was built using timber trusses (prefabricated single unit with rafters and a series of supporting members crisscrossing the roof space) then much more structural intervention will be required than if it was constructed with purlins and a cut roof. Purlins

support the rafters from wall to wall and rafters are laid on top with little or no structural members crisscrossing the space. The overall height to the ridge is another key factor, and this needs to be a minimum of around 2.2m to ensure there is enough height to land the stairs and have doors. If the minimum headroom is not achieved, then you will not be able to comply with building control regulations and thus you will be unable

Micah Jones Architect and passive house designer, micahtjones.com

How much will it cost?

to call the space a bedroom should you wish to sell the house later. Remember the floor upgrades will usually bring the floor up and the insulation will drop the ceiling. The combined effect of this can reduce your headroom by around 100150mm and this should be factored in from the start. The next thing to consider is where the access staircase will go, as it will take up a considerable amount of space on both levels and can compromise the existing spaces. Often the staircase has to be positioned for headroom reasons and does not result in the most economical use of space.

Do I need statutory approval?

If you need dormers to make the space work, know that they are often contentious due to overlooking issues so generally require planning permission. This also applies to windows in the gables, as they too can raise issues of

overlooking over neighbours’ private amenity. If the only addition is some roof lights onto the roof and an internal fitout, then the project may fall under permitted development, but this should always be checked with your local authority. These rules do not apply to conservation areas for example. In Northern Ireland, as with all major building work, loft conversions will require building control to sign off on, to check compliance with building regulations. You apply in the same way as you would for a new build. In Ireland you are legally obliged to abide to the building regulations’ technical guidance documents and in the case of structural changes or where adding habitable rooms, you must notify building control and apply for a commencement notice. If the property being converted is a bungalow, the building regulation requirements are much simpler. However, if you’re

adding another level to a two storey house then there are some significant fire requirements in both jurisdictions which involve upgrades to existing doors on the stairs at all levels and upgrades to the loft floor. Stair access will need to meet the minimum requirements, such as 800mm clear width and have a minimum of 2m headroom. This can dictate the position of the stairs and make the conversion unviable because the spaces left are not useful. You may have to sacrifice one small bedroom on the lower floor to gain additional bedrooms of better scale in the attic, but if the gain is not significant then the venture is questionable. All habitable spaces on the first floor or above will require emergency escape windows, and these have specific sizes and height above floor level to be achieved. Emergency escape may also be achieved with roof lights, but there is no flexibility around this as proper escape must be achieved. As for health and safety, the same requirements as any large building project apply namely having a project supervisor for both the design and construction stages appointed, with reports sent to the authorities, HSA in Ireland and HSENI in Northern Ireland.

Like most items of work to an existing structure, this is difficult to answer. Factors such as overall floor areas, where and how complex the staircase is, is there a bathroom, are there dormers and how many, structural changes, fire upgrades, gable windows or roof lights will all have a huge impact on the costs. However the key factor is that just because you’re working with existing space does not make it cheap. From experience, basic conversions usually start around £60k+VAT. In Ireland, online quotes show similar costs with rates ranging from €1,200 per sqm of usable floor space for a basic rooflight conversion to €3,500 per sqm for a dormer conversion, with Dublin rates adding 10 to 15 per cent extra. The only way to know how much it will cost is to do a feasibility study of your own attic space and get builders to quote for it.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE/85

advice

How to get to A0 Irish new builds can now be awarded a BER of A0; here’s how to achieve the coveted rating.

Image from stock.adobe.com / Marcin Rogozinski

“Striving to achieve the A0 rating should be a goal for anyone building new.”

Changes to the European Union’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive has seen the introduction of a revised Building Energy Rating (BER) scale for Irish homeowners in May 2026. The new BER scale no longer has subcategories. B1, B2, B3 and so forth were replaced with a simpler A, B, C, D system, similar to the energy performance certificate in Northern Ireland. The new scale in Ireland also introduced this new category of A0 for the most energy efficient buildings. I would argue striving to achieve the A0 rating should be a goal for anyone building new, to have a home that is almost self-sustaining in its daily activities and running. 86/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

A big part of achieving an A0 rating involves holding on to the heat in the first place with a considered insulation and airtightness strategy alongside installing photovoltaics (PV) capable of powering the air to water heat pump for heating. Self-builders have been going down this route for years; the difference now is that it’s enshrined in a rating. And there’s good reason for that. Buildings are the single largest energy consumer in Europe. Approximately 40 per cent of energy consumed in the EU is used in buildings. We all have a part to play in helping reduce this and small steps can go a long way. Building a zero energy home ultimately brings us a stop closer to a greener and more

sustainable world. It is envisioned that we will achieve a zero emission and fully decarbonised building stock by 2050. With proper advice and planning, this is not outside the realms of possibility. Individually, you will be rewarded with energy independence and security along with lower energy bills. So how do you achieve this elusive A0 rating? There are six criteria that must be met.

Primary energy use less than 42kWh per sqm per year The primary energy of a building consists of both delivered energy, as in

what would normally appear on your energy bills (electricity imported from the grid, the amount of oil or gas burned in the boiler or the amount of solid fuel used), and energy losses (ventilation heat loses from fans or flues and fabric heat losses such as those through windows and doors and walls/roofs). The new BER updates take into account the condition of the draught seals around your windows, doors and attic hatches. You’d be amazed at how much heat is lost through a badly sealed window. Additional losses in heating, storage and distribution systems are taken into account here also. For example, not having the hot water cylinder or the pipes insulated. Leaving a copper hot water cylinder exposed for the drying of clothes is costing you

Building Energy Rating (BER) Certificate The rating for the building detailed below is:

Address

XX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX

Validity

Day Month Year – Day Month Year

BER number

00000000

Building type

XXXXXXX

Build year

0000

Assessor

XXXXXXX

Assessor No.

000000

Assessor Company

XXXXXXX XXXXXXX

Assessor Company No.

000000

PRO

≤42* ≤75 ≤150 ≤225 ≤275 ≤325

IO VIS

NAL

≤375 >375 Units=kWh/(m2.y) * & ZEB2 Criteria

Scan the QR code3 for additional information about your BER and planning your home energy upgrade or visit www.seai.ie/ber

Building Energy Data Annual Primary Energy4 Use per floor area: 00 kWh/(m2.y) Total use: 0,000 kWh/y

Annual Final Energy5 Use per floor area: 00 kWh/(m2.y) Total use: 0,000 kWh/y

Renewable Energy6 00% of total used Produced on site: 0,000 kWh

Building Energy Demand7 00 kWh/(m2.y)

Global Warming Potential8 XXXXX

Operational Greenhouse Gas9 00 kgCO2eq/(m2.y)

Ciarán Hegarty Energy assessor and technical advisor chegartyenergy.ie

a lot of money each year. Put a lagging jacket on it or invest in a factory insulated one to avoid the storage losses. Simply put, the more insulated your home is, the less heat energy is escaping and the more staying within the home.

Carbon emissions less than 5kg CO2/sqm/yr

If we take a home with a solid fuel stove that is burning peat briquettes, the emissions from this fuel type are 0.377kg CO2/kWh. This relates to the amount of carbon dioxide released from each kWh of fuel burned. An example of carbon dioxide emissions from a 130sqm 2001 detached concrete built house with a regular oil boiler and multi fuel stove is 38.33kg CO2/sqm/yr. Compare this to a newly built home with a similar floor area with an air to water heat pump and an electric decorative fire is 6.72kg CO2/sqm/yr. Still, this does not achieve the required criteria for the A0 rating.

On-site renewables requirement

Following on from the examples above, it leads us nicely onto the next criterion for A0 which is that energy demand must met by carbonfree sources, which requires on-site renewables. Neither home had any means of meeting the energy demand by carbon-free sources such as PV panels. If I were to add 12x 455W panels to the south side of the newer home, the CO2 emissions would be drastically

reduced to 1.33kg CO2/sqm per year. Well below the threshold for A0. The older house in the example above with the same PV panel array would reduce the CO2 emission to 33.57kg CO2/sqm/yr. A reduction of sorts but the method of heating the home is the real issue when it comes to the emissions of this home.

No on-site fossil fuels

Burning fossils fuels is not permitted by any means. No oil, gas or solid fuel stoves. Including gas hobs, oil boilers and solid fuel stoves. If you want to achieve the A0 rating, you will need to forego the image of cosy stove on a winters evening that I know so many of my clients like to include in their design. I understand the appeal but realistically a well designed, well insulated and airtight home will be overly warm with the addition of a solid fuel stove. You can still install stoves into a new build but it can only be used as a secondary heating system. Some of the decorative electric fires are extremely realistic and give the same effect, although I’ll admit they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Able to respond to external signals

Simply put, do any of your appliances such as the heating system have the ability to adjust itself based on outside parameters? Most heat pumps installed have this ability and can monitor outside air temperature and then adjust

flow temperature accordingly. It allows the appliance to work more efficiently and reduce the energy used. PV panels also have this ability and will qualify for this criterion if you have them installed. This allows energy to be used by the home or exported to the grid depending on the energy use in the home. Therefore, if you have either a heat pump or PV panels or both installed, you can tick this off the list.

Fully NZEB compliant

Near zero energy buildings (NZEB) have been a requirement for new builds since 2020. It means combining a high energy performance and very low energy needs, covered largely by onsite and nearby renewable energy sources. This is achieved through highly efficient design, low energy demand and renewable energy sources. Current building regulations will get you there. As of January 2028 all new builds will have to be zero energy buildings (ZEB) meaning they will have no on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels and a very high energy performance. In NZEB buildings, the very small amount of energy still required for zero-emission buildings is covered by energy from on-site and nearby renewable energy sources, including from renewable energy communities and efficient district heating and cooling.

Healthier homes Buildings that boast a better energy performance are not only warmer, they create healthier living conditions. This is because house designs do not only consider heat, they consider the house as a whole. Fabric first refers to good insulation and airtightness to ensure the heat stays in. After that the house needs a ventilation strategy and in low energy buildings, this usually takes the form of a centralised mechanical system, usually with heat recovery. In older buildings ventilation was uncontrolled and happened through gaps in the building fabric and via chimney flues. These conditions can lead to more moisture problems.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE/87

opinion

It’s time to license the trades

Finally getting CIRI off the ground is an important step forward but registration alone will not protect homeowners from rogue builders, says Jim Ahern. Through my work in the construction industry, I have seen firsthand what happens when building work goes badly wrong. Roofs that have not been completed correctly, work that requires significant remediation and homeowners who find themselves having to pay twice simply to get a job finished properly. Most troubling are the cases involving older or vulnerable people who have handed over substantial sums of money to somebody they believed was a legitimate builder, only for poor work to be carried out and the person responsible to walk away. If a family has been left with an unsafe or unfinished home or if a builder has disappeared with thousands of euro, we should be able to offer the victims something more than the possibility of an expensive court case against somebody who may have nothing left to recover. Something else is troubling. There are so many skilled workers in our construction industry who are not formally recognised as such, including tilers, roofers, groundworkers and many other skilled occupations. We need to modernise the way we categorise and recognise workers across the construction sector so that the system reflects the industry as it actually operates today. And we need to recognise the people who do their work well. 88/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

It is those cases that prompted me to look more closely at how we regulate builders in Ireland and what more could be done to protect the public. As co-founder of TradePath, I am currently undertaking a small project examining how the new statutory framework for builders will operate in practice. As part of that work, I have drawn up a proposal setting out some of the additional measures I believe Ireland should consider.

Ireland's statutory register is expected to become mandatory for builders from 2027

Registratio n

alone

won’t prote homeowne ct rs

What’s the story with CIRI?

There has already been important progress. The Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 put the Construction Industry Register Ireland, or CIRI, on a statutory footing (it was first proposed in legislation in 2017) and created the framework for the regulation and registration of providers of building works. That is a welcome development. The system is intended to introduce minimum competence standards, professional obligations and a complaints and disciplinary process. Ultimately, carrying out or advertising building work for which registration is legally required without being registered will be an offence. The statutory register is expected to become mandatory

for builders from 2027 as the new system is implemented. That represents a major change from the previous voluntary approach. The principle behind it is the right one. When somebody hires a builder to work on their home, they should be able to have confidence that the person arriving at their door is competent, properly insured, operating legitimately and accountable for the work they carry out. The vast majority of builders and tradespeople want exactly that. Legitimate contractors pay their taxes, carry insurance, invest in training and equipment and stand over their work. They should not have to compete with somebody who avoids those

costs and responsibilities and can therefore offer a price that a compliant contractor cannot match. So my concern is not with builders who are willing to operate within the rules. The real challenge is what we do about the people who deliberately choose to operate outside them. A registration system is only as effective as the enforcement surrounding it. If somebody can ignore the requirement to register, continue taking money from the public and then disappear when a problem arises, we have not solved the problem for the homeowner. That is why I believe we need to look beyond registration alone.

Jim Ahern TradePath co-founder

Who regulates the regulator? “Somebody taking tens of thousands of euro from a family should be operating a business capable of standing over the obligations it is taking on.” A licence has to mean something

Whether we call it registration or licensing, we need more guarantees for homeowners than CIRI is proposing. At its most basic, for residential work, warranties (or other financial protections) should come as standard for the homeowner. And where a contractor takes deposits or responsibility for substantial projects, there should be guarantees as to their basic financial capacity. Somebody taking tens of thousands of euro from a family should be operating a business capable of standing over the obligations it is taking on. Licensing or registration should also be graded where appropriate. A person carrying out relatively modest residential work is not necessarily operating at the same level as a contractor responsible for a major development. Different categories should reflect the type, complexity and scale of work somebody is qualified and experienced to undertake. And registration cannot be a once-off exercise.

Contractors should have an ongoing obligation to maintain insurance, comply with regulations and keep their professional knowledge up to date. CIRI does intend to make this a requirement but who will police that it’s done? Construction is constantly changing, with new materials, building techniques and regulatory requirements. Continuing professional development should form part of a genuinely professional system.

Protect the good builders too

Stronger regulation shouldn’t be presented as an attack on the construction industry. It’s the opposite; it protects the builders and tradespeople who do things properly. A reputable contractor who maintains insurance, pays tax, invests in skills and stands over their work should not be placed on the same footing in the eyes of the public as somebody with no recognised competence, no insurance and no intention of taking responsibility when things go wrong. A properly enforced statutory system can help consumers tell the difference.

Redress should be part of the solution

The 2022 legislation gives us an opportunity to make a significant improvement in standards and accountability in Irish construction and we should build on it. That means ensuring the registration system has strong and visibly independent oversight. It means enforcing the rules against people who operate outside the system. It means examining insurance and warranty requirements. It means dealing with phoenix operators. And it means considering some form of compensation or practical redress for homeowners who suffer serious financial loss. Because the real test of a regulatory system is not how it deals with the people who are willing to follow the rules. It is how effectively it deals with those who deliberately ignore them. And the real test of consumer protection comes when the worst has already happened.

CIRI began as a voluntary industry initiative developed and operated by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). Under the new statutory framework, the CIF has been appointed as the registration body responsible for administering CIRI. There are practical reasons for that. The CIF has substantial industry knowledge, infrastructure and experience. But it is also a lobby group. As a representative organisation for the construction industry, there’s a conflict of interest. That doesn’t mean the CIF cannot administer the system effectively, nor am I suggesting otherwise. But the statutory register has an important public protection and regulatory function. The CIF’s core job is to represent its members, which are construction companies. A homeowner needs to know that the organisation responsible for deciding who may enter the system, setting or applying standards and dealing with complaints is operating with sufficient independence and transparency. That is why I believe the long-term regulatory system should have very clear independent oversight. If a builder’s licence or registration is going to become a mark the public is expected to trust, consumers must be confident that protecting the public is at the centre of the system. I do not think the CIF is in a position to deliver that.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE/89

ask the expert

Ask Martin...

Martin Glynn Founder, The DIY Academy

I plan to build a fitted wardrobe for my child’s bedroom in a small space with awkward dimensions. What’s the best way for me to tackle this on a DIY basis? It’s too expensive to get someone else to do it.

This is a brilliant project for DIY, especially since awkward dimensions are actually where custom-built solutions shine. Before you build from scratch, consider flat pack furniture. It’s great for awkward spaces and may be easy to convert into fitted furniture for your spall space. If you can’t get what you want from a readymade option, start by measuring meticulously – twice. Rooms without right angles need precise measurements; also the smaller the room the lower your margin of error can be. Then plan the layout. Sketch it out, consider door swing and accessibility for a child. Bear in mind that you will need to include some form of ventilation, as fitted wardrobes in small rooms can trap moisture. A small gap at the top or bottom of the doors will suffice. Make provisions to secure everything properly to the walls, depending on the age of the child, and avoid sharp edges.

90/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Consider finger traps on doors. Start with a basic frame. Most furniture you buy is fitted with MDF and you too can build a simple frame-based system using MDF, then add doors, shelves, and fittings. Before you start, know that wall anchors matter in plasterboard so use proper fixings for hanging weight. Also, doors need proper hinges and alignment; this can get tricky so precise measurements and a spirit level are important. Above all, budget more time than you think, especially if the room dimensions are genuinely awkward. The cost reality for the materials is likely to be €450 to €700 depending on the wardrobe size. Note that DIY material prices fluctuate (MDF, fittings, hinges, paint) so get it priced up once you’ve the layout finalised.

It’s absolutely doable and the sense of achievement for both you and your child will be priceless.

You’ll need the following tools: • Impact driver • Circular saw or jigsaw (for cutting MDF) • Level and measuring tape • Clamps (helpful for holding pieces while assembling) •Sandpaper and primer/paint Tip: You can hire specialist tools if you don’t own them which can be cheaper than buying.

heat pump 92

special

OVERVIEW

WHO DOES WHAT

104

CO TYRONE PROJECT

108

CO KILKENNY PROJECT

94 DO YOU REALLY NEED A HEAT PUMP? / 96 HEAT PUMP TYPES 99 5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING 100 RETROFIT AND GRANTS / 102 BEST PRACTICE ON A HISTORIC BUILDING / 114 TECH ROUNDUP SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /91

heat pump special

Heat pump overview What they are and what you need to know about them.

Because it can deliver substantially more heat energy than the electrical energy it consumes, heat pumps are much more efficient than fossil fuels.

For anyone building a new home or undertaking a major renovation in Ireland, the heating system is no longer a decision that can be made in isolation. How you heat your home will depend on the building fabric, as in how well insulated and airtight the house is – from the floors, walls, windows and doors to the roof. The amount of glazing you include in your design, and which way your house is facing (orientation in a north/south alignment isn’t always optimal, for example), will also have a huge impact on how good your

92/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

home will be at retaining heat in winter, and keeping the house cool in summer.

Performance

A heat pump does not create heat by burning fuel, instead it moves heat from one place to another. Using a small bit of energy it transfers heat from the air, ground or water to another carrier, water or air, to heat your home and in many cases, to heat your domestic hot water (DHW) too. Because it can deliver substantially more heat energy than the electrical energy it

consumes, heat pumps are much more efficient than fossil fuels. The coefficient of performance, or COP, measures exactly how much energy you get out of one unit of electricity. A COP of three to four is now standard, as in you will get three to four times more energy (heat) from the unit of energy inputted (electricity). To achieve the stated COP rating, the building and heating system need to be designed so that the pump can operate efficiently at relatively low water temperatures. The size of the heat pump is therefore important – not too big, not too small. Oversizing can reduce efficiency and increase cycling, while undersizing can leave the system struggling to meet demand during colder periods. Both trigger high electricity bills and are likely to lead to a shorter lifespan. Note that pipe sizing is also important, in that it has to be ample and tailored to the system. The bottom line is, get your floorplans to your heat pump supplier as soon as they’re finalised to ensure the heating system is designed correctly, is building regulations compliant and efficient.

Heat loss calculation

The starting point should be the heat loss calculation, to establish how much heat each room needs at the design outdoor temperature. That determines the size of the heat pump and the output required from each room’s heat emitter. A lower heat demand means a smaller heat pump (in kW), smaller distribution

requirements and generally better operating efficiency. The heat pump’s hot water system also needs to be designed around the household. A large family, multiple bathrooms or frequent use of high flow showers will create a very different demand from that of a couple living in a smaller home. The size of the hot water cylinder, the system’s recovery time and the way the controls are programmed should all reflect the household’s planned use. In other words, each house will have a unique heat loss profile and your aim will be to find the heat pump that can deliver comfort (room temperatures you’re happy with) at the lowest practical running temperature. It’s considered best practice to keep bedrooms at 18degC and your living areas at no more than 21degC but you may have different requirements and those need to be factored in when designing the heat pump. Do go as low as you’re comfortable with; the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) estimates that reducing flow temperature by 1degC can increase efficiency by roughly 3 per cent.

Why low temperature heating matters

The biggest conceptual change for people accustomed to oil or gas boilers is the temperature of the water circulating through the heating system. A conventional boiler can produce very hot water, often around 60degc, and heat

More about renewables, heating and ventilation

relatively small radiators quickly. A heat pump is most efficient when it can operate with lower flow temperatures, often around 35degC. This means the heat emitters (radiators, underfloor heating) need a large surface area to deliver the required heat for the room. That is why underfloor heating is such a natural partner for a heat pump. The entire floor becomes a large heat emitter, allowing useful heat output at relatively low water temperatures. Large or especially designed radiators can also work well. Standard steel radiators need to be substantially larger than what you would get with a boiler due to the lower water temperatures. If you want more compact radiators for the same output, the more expensive aluminium radiators are a good option.

How many zones?

Heating controls will help the heat pump deliver heat where it needs to be. However, excessive zoning can lead to more complicated design and components, reduce water flow, cause short cycling and make the system work harder than necessary, particularly if several small zones close at once. A simpler arrangement is to separate areas with genuinely different heating patterns, such as living spaces and bedrooms, combined with room by room adjustment. The best arrangement will depend on the size of the house, heat emitters, occupancy patterns and the specific heat pump but one thermostat upstairs and one downstairs is often ideal. There is not much point in setting one room to be cooler than another, simply because heat will move to colder spaces. So the system will work at its best when

you aim to achieve the same temperature throughout.

Make room for the equipment

For an air source heat pump you will need to make room for the equipment outdoors, and consider its location carefully. It’s best practice to locate the air source unit close to the house (to keep the pipe run as short as possible) and away from windows and neighbouring properties (to prevent noise pollution and for aesthetic reasons). Do not be tempted to box in the unit with a solid enclosure; restricted airflow reduces performance and can cause problems during defrost cycles. Indeed, the outdoor unit will need adequate airflow (exact distances will be specified by the manufacturer) but the rule of thumb is the distance between the back of the unit to the external wall is 300mm, sides 300-500mm, and in front at least a metre. The outdoor unit should also preferably be located on a southern facing aspect; while east or west is still OK, north is not ideal as you’ll get a significant outdoor temperature difference in the shade. Air source heat pumps drip a condensate that has to be drained away. If you do not have a system to clear the water and it pools, it will freeze in winter and create a tripping hazard. Note that the unit is also often installed on a raised concrete plinth to protect it. The even bulkier indoor equipment needs similar forethought. The cylinder, buffer components where required, pumps, controls and pipework need a sensible location. Which is often referred to as the plant room. Electrical supply and isolators, heating manifolds

and pipework for underfloor heating also tend to go in this dedicated space. Trying to squeeze the plant into an unsuitable cupboard after the house is finished is a recipe for compromises. Like all equipment, you will need access for repairs and maintenance so make sure everything is accessible. In a self-build, plant rooms are often 4sqm or more to include all equipment including ventilation units and possibly a smart home system. Some equipment does not like heat, which can be generated by some components, so get all the suppliers to double check the layout.

How much will it cost?

The heat pump itself is only one part of the investment, and in a new build you need to factor the complete heating and hot water system. Retrofit projects may also require insulation upgrades, new radiators, electrical work or a replacement hot water cylinder. All in, ballpark costs hover around £14k to £16k for a typical three-bedroom house in Northern Ireland, and €15k to €18k in Ireland, with a contingency for retrofits of £2k/€3k. There are no grants in Northern Ireland at the moment (the boiler upgrade scheme was axed) but there are plans to introduce a new scheme. SEAI grants in Ireland can shave off up to €12,500 to the cost. Actual quotes will vary substantially so do shop around, with comparisons made on the heat loss calculations.

The electricity connection In the case of a new build, your electrical demand is calculated when you apply for your connection. This will flag whether your heat pump requires a larger or three-phase connection. In the case of a retrofit, the existing connection should be checked because the heat pump can add a significant electrical load to a supply that may already be serving electric showers, immersion heaters, cooking and electric vehicle charging. However, it is not automatically necessary to upgrade the connection. ESB Networks says a standard 12 kVA single-phase supply will be sufficient for many domestic heat pumps. If the calculated maximum demand exceeds the existing capacity, an upgrade to the Maximum Import Capacity, and potentially the consumer unit or local network, may be required.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /93

heat pump special

Do you really need a heat pump?

What the alternatives are and when you should consider them. Heat pumps have become the default answer to the question of how a new Irish house should be heated. And there are good reasons for that. It ticks the renewable box, a building regulations requirement in Ireland, and their adoption is in line with the goal of creating low carbon buildings. They also work particularly well with an insulated building envelope and are a mature technology. But that doesn’t mean a heat pump is a sound investment for every home. There are some cases where a heat pump may not be suitable due to space, noise, access, planning or architectural constraints in the case of an outdoor unit. Those cases aside, the bottom line is that your aim is to find the least complicated, lowest cost and most futureproof way of providing the amount of heat your specific building needs. So design the house first, calculate its actual energy demand, then choose the simplest heating system that meets that demand and makes sense over its lifetime. For some houses, that will still be an air source heat pump – a €5k saving at the construction stage is likely to be a poor decision if it creates substantially higher annual running costs for the next 20 years. For others, particularly exceptionally energy efficient homes, the answer could look quite different. A highly

94/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

insulated, airtight house with carefully controlled ventilation, good solar orientation and appropriate glazing, will have a surprisingly small space heating requirement. And that is the most likely scenario to find yourself in, debating whether any kind of central heating system is even necessary. Of crucial importance is to ensure the house is in fact built as designed, i.e. that there is no performance gap. The nightmare scenario is a house designed to require very little space heating yet doesn’t deliver due to poor workmanship or other issues on site. And as a result, has no provisions for central heating but actually requires it. There is the added issue of occupant behaviour. Research shows homeowners are likely to crank up the heat in energy efficient homes, which may lead to a requirement for central heating even if the house was built as designed. The house will still need a way of dealing with very cold weather, so you will need to investigate spot heating, and you will of course still require domestic hot water (see box). Where the spot heating will be required will be worked out at the design stage.

Electrical heating

An air to air heat pump can provide spot heating in a more efficient way than electric panel heaters, infrared panels or

A highly insulated, airtight house with carefully controlled ventilation, good solar orientation and appropriate glazing, will have a surprisingly small space heating requirement. electric underfloor systems, all of which convert electricity into heat at the point of use. Electric fireplaces that give off heat are also a popular alternative. The problem is operating cost as your energy input is electricity, which is expensive. That’s why electric underfloor heating systems tend to only really be installed in bathrooms, as the space is usually small and it’s an area that needs to be heated sporadically. Direct electric heating therefore only makes sense where heat demand is exceptionally low, where installation simplicity has a high value, or where the heating requirement is concentrated in occasional use. Electric boilers exist too but are very inefficient; they have the benefit of being replaceable with a heat pump later down the line. That is not necessarily the cheapest lifetime strategy, however, because installing equipment twice is rarely economical. No matter how cheap the initial setup is.

Gas combined with solar

Due to the renewables requirement in the building regulations in Ireland, the tried and tested technology that is gas must be combined with solar panels, usually photovoltaic (PV) to generate electricity. A condensing boiler is familiar to installers and homeowners, and it can deliver high water temperatures without requiring large radiators or extensive changes in heating philosophy. For a new build, however, the question is no longer simply whether a gas boiler works. The building design is expected to meet increasingly stringent energy and emissions requirements, and Ireland’s policy direction is away from fossil fuel heating. The new A0 building energy rating, for instance, is not achievable with fossil fuel appliances. There is also a futureproofing issue, as you may only be able to retrofit a heat pump in 20 years’ time which could mean expensive upgrades.

Read up on how it takes 40 cows to heat the house in winter

Gas may therefore best belong in a discussion of alternatives for existing homes, where a heat pump is too costly or complicated to retrofit.

Other options

Biomass boilers can provide a renewable heating solution whereby wood pellets or chips provide heat through a wet central heating system. Wood boilers that burn logs are also on the market. These can be attractive in rural locations where there is a shed large enough for both the boiler and the storage space

for the fuel. Easy access for deliveries is also important, and the system does need maintenance too. District heating is potentially the most interesting alternative to all of these because it challenges the assumption that every house needs its own heat generator. Instead, heat is produced centrally and distributed through a network to multiple buildings – much like water and electricity. Ireland’s Climate Action Plan specifically envisages a significant expansion of

district heating. For an individual, it depends on infrastructure being available or being developed as part of a larger scheme. As a long-term strategy it does make sense to avail of the waste heat created by data centres to heat our homes. But if we bring it back to a micro level, a self-builder in Cork has taken this idea and now uses waste heat from milking his cows to heat his family home on the farm, using a bespoke heat pump system. The full project profile is on selfbuild.ie (scan the QR code above).

Solar thermal panels can provide hot water using energy from the sun and can make a significant contribution to domestic hot water demand. But due to Ireland’s relatively modest solar resource, they should not be relied on for hot water year round. And so solar thermal will need to be complemented by another energy source for hot water; this is likely to be an immersion backup (electricity). Similarly, an electric hot water cylinder can avail of excess electricity generated by your solar photovoltaic (PV) array during the summer months. Combining solar thermal with PV isn’t ideal because during the winter, both systems will be at their lowest efficiency and you’ll still need to rely on the immersion. A small heat pump could instead provide all of the hot water or act as a supplement to solar thermal panels. There’s also the solar heat pump alternative known as a thermodynamic system, which is a heat pump that extract heat from solar panels.

Photo by Ginger Hendee on Unsplash

Hot water

Adding a stove Combining a heat pump with a stove: yay or nay? For those who like a blast of heat, and the look of a fire, know that a heat pump can be combined with spot heating such as a wood burning stove. The heat pump should generally provide the home’s baseline heating, maintaining a steady temperature efficiently, while the stove is used selectively to create warmth in occupied areas or during particularly cold periods. A key watchpoint is overheating. A stove can quickly raise the temperature in one room, causing the heat pump’s thermostat to reduce or stop heating even though other parts of the house remain cold. Thermostat location and zoning therefore matter. Ideally, the heating controls should prevent one local heat source from distorting the temperature measurement for the whole house. The building’s heat demand should also be considered. The stove should not be used as an excuse to undersize the heat pump unless it is genuinely intended to provide reliable supplementary heating. Remember that a stove requires an appropriate flue and, in an airtight home, a dedicated external air supply. Mechanical ventilation systems must be designed so they do not interfere with safe stove operation.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /95

heat pump special

Heat pump types

Heat pumps are now an established heating option for new build and energy efficient homes. Here are the different types with indicative costs.

Unlike a conventional boiler, which creates heat by burning fuel, a heat pump uses electricity to move heat from a low temperature source into the home. Depending on the system, that heat can be taken from the outside air, the ground or a body of water. The heat is transferred through a refrigerant via a compressor. Air source systems are now the most common choice because they are comparatively straightforward and inexpensive to install, and the technology has improved significantly over the years. Ground and water source systems are still more efficient than air source, but the additional excavation, pipework or drilling can make them substantially more expensive.

Air to water

In an air to water heat pump, an outdoor unit extracts heat from the air and transfers it into water, which is then used for space heating and domestic hot water. The heat can be delivered through underfloor heating or appropriately sized (large) radiators. There are two principal configurations: monobloc and split. A monobloc keeps the main refrigeration components outside, while a split system divides the equipment between an outdoor and indoor unit. Split systems can have advantages where outdoor space is limited, although installation requirements are different. Indicative costs are roughly €8,500 to €18k for Ireland, depending on the size of the 96/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

COMPRESSOR The compressor squeezes the refrigerant gas, increasing its pressure and temperature.

Low pressure cool gas

High pressure hot gas 3

EVAPORATOR Refrigerant absorbs heat from the outside air and evaporates from liquid to gas.

THE REFRIGERANT CYCLE The refrigerant absorbs heat at low temperature, is compressed to raise its temperature, releases heat into the home, then expands and cools before repeating the cycle.

HEATING SYSTEM Heat is transferred to radiators, underfloor heating, and hot water.

OUTSIDE AIR Even cool outside air contains useful energy. Low pressure cool liquid

High pressure warm liquid EXPANSION VALVE The refrigerant passes through the valve, dropping in pressure and temperature, ready to repeat the cycle.

REFRIGERANT - THE WORKING FLUID

CONDENSER The hot refrigerant releases heat to the home’s heating system and condenses back into liquid.

REVERSIBLE FOR COOLING Some systems can reverse the cycle to remove heat from your home and provide cooling in summer.

A special refrigerant evaporates at

How a heat pump taking in one 1kWh of lowworks, temperature to absorb heat and condenses at higher temperature to electricity to produce to 4kWh of heat. release 3 heat.

property, heat pump capacity, hot water cylinder, controls and complexity of installation. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent is around £10k to £15k.

Air to air

Air to air heat pumps aren’t as common in Ireland but quite popular abroad, in mainland Europe and the USA. They take heat from outside air and distribute it directly into rooms through indoor fan units rather than heating water. They are particularly attractive for smaller, highly insulated properties, extensions and spaces where conventional wet central heating is not

required. These do not provide domestic hot water, so a separate solution is needed for showers, baths and taps. Their ability to provide cooling in summer can nevertheless be a significant advantage. Indicative costs are relatively low depending on whether the system consists of a single indoor unit, a multisplit arrangement or a more comprehensive whole-house installation. Current market information puts the equipment itself at roughly €600+ for a single split system to around €1,800 for a four-unit multi-split,

with installation adding approximately €1,300 to €5,400. In Northern Ireland, the corresponding range is approximately £1,600 to £6,000 installed.

Ground source

A ground source heat pump (GSHP) extracts heat from the ground through a buried collector system. Horizontal collectors require a large area, typically half an acre, to dig trenches, while vertical systems use boreholes where space is restricted. What makes ground source systems so effective is they

More about air to water heat pumps

work from a fairly stable heat source. They can therefore deliver excellent seasonal efficiency, and some systems can also provide very efficient summer cooling. The costs, however, tend to be high. In Ireland, current indicative figures are €20k+ installed, comprising approximately €12,500 to €23,500 for the heat-pump equipment and €8,500 to €14k for installation and groundworks. Northern Ireland costs are typically quoted at around £13k to £30k installed, depending particularly on whether the system uses horizontal collectors or expensive boreholes. As an example of the potential cost of drilling, a Northern Ireland self-build project reported a figure of approximately £22k for two boreholes.

Water source

A water source heat pump works on the same principle as ground source but takes its heat from a suitable water source such as a lake, river or, in some circumstances, the sea. Water provides a relatively stable heat source without the need for a conventional ground collector. However, suitable sites are uncommon, and the system requires careful design and

consideration of the water environment. For domestic projects, it’s difficult to pin down an average as the cost will be very site dependent. Indicative costs hover around €20k to €35k+ in Ireland, with a broadly comparable £15k to £30k+ allowance in Northern Ireland.

Exhaust air

An exhaust air heat pump recovers heat from stale, extracted air from within the building, typically as part of a mechanical ventilation system. The recovered energy can contribute to space heating so it’s considered a two-inone system: both ventilation and space heating. You will however need to install a separate system for domestic hot water. This approach is suited to very well insulated, airtight homes with controlled mechanical ventilation. The house size also generally needs to be less than 150sqm. A typical allowance would be approximately €10k to €18k in Ireland and £8k to £15k in Northern Ireland, depending on the specification.

Hot water cylinders

A heat pump generally provides both space heating and domestic hot water. The hot water is heated in a

What’s inside the box?

cylinder, rather than being supplied instantaneously in the way a combi boiler does. The heat pump will heat domestic hot water at a lower rate and temperature than a gas or oil boiler. The cylinder therefore needs to have a suitable heat exchanger, usually a larger coil, to transfer heat efficiently from the heat pump into the stored hot water. Heat pump specific cylinders also normally have an immersion heater, which can provide additional heating and allow periodic high temperature cycles for hygiene control. A twin-coil cylinder contains two separate coils, useful if there are two heat sources. For example, the heat pump can use one coil while solar thermal uses the other. It can also be appropriate where a boiler is being retained as a secondary heat source. The disadvantage is that twin-coil cylinders tend to be larger and more expensive. There are also high temperature cylinders, which may be used with heat pumps capable of producing higher flow temperatures. However, the important consideration is still the cylinder’s heat transfer performance and compatibility with the particular heat pump, rather than simply its maximum temperature rating.

The refrigerant is the working fluid that carries heat around the system. R32 is the most common today as it’s efficient and widely available, but it has a higher global warming potential than newer alternatives such as R290 (propane). R290 offers excellent efficiency and very low global warming potential, although it is flammable and requires appropriate safety measures. Carbon dioxide (R744) has an extremely low climate impact and performs well for hot water production but operates at high pressures and can be more complex, which means it’s mostly used for large installations – not domestic properties. Older refrigerants such as R410A are being phased out because of their relatively high global warming potential.

QUOTATIONS

Comparing like with like A lower quotation does not always represent better value. When comparing installers, check whether each quote includes the same scope of work, based on a heat loss calculation – not on the size of the property. Next, check exactly what is included in the quotation. A comprehensive quote should identify the heat pump manufacturer and model, output capacity, hot water cylinder, buffer tank if required, controls, pumps and other system components. If underfloor heating is being installed, check whether the quote includes the complete floor heating system, insulation and associated controls. Installation costs can also vary because of the complexity of the job. Ask whether the quotation includes all pipework, foundations or brackets for the outdoor unit, condensate drainage, drilling or excavation where applicable, and electrical work. Proper commissioning, warranties and after sales support are important. A well designed system can perform poorly if it has not been correctly set up. A slightly more expensive quotation from an experienced installer may provide considerably better value if it includes proper system design, commissioning and ongoing support. Ideally, obtain at least three detailed quotations and give each installer the same information about the property. Ask them to specify the expected seasonal efficiency, design flow temperature and estimated annual electricity consumption. This makes it much easier to compare not just the purchase price, but the likely long-term performance and running cost of each system.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /97

heat pump special

Who does what?

A step by step guide to a heat pump installation. As with any part of your building project, ask who is responsible for each stage before work starts.

Designer

The project should begin with a competent heat pump designer, usually the installer with support from the manufacturer or the product supplier, carrying out a room by room heat loss calculation. This determines the heating requirement of each space and informs the sizing of the heat pump, hot water system, radiators and/or underfloor heating. For those availing of a grant in Ireland, the installer must meet specific SEAI competency requirements covering the design, sizing and installation of the complete system. In Northern Ireland, homeowners should look for a contractor with appropriate heat pump training and, where relevant, Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certification. MCS-certified contractors are assessed on their ability to design, install and commission renewable heating systems.

Heat pump installer

Responsible for the wet heating side of the system, including pipework, radiators, underfloor heating connections, hot water cylinders, circulation pumps and controls. On a retrofit, they may also remove the existing boiler and upgrade radiators. Double check this is included. Also note that split systems require refrigerant pipework to be installed and commissioned. In Ireland, an appropriately qualified F-Gas engineer is

98/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

required for this work. Your installer should have someone on their books who is qualified, but this could come at an extra cost if you don’t double check. Monobloc systems don’t need this as they come with a sealed refrigerant circuit. The same principle applies in Northern Ireland, where personnel handling refrigerants must be appropriately qualified under the relevant F-Gas requirements.

Electrician

A heat pump requires a correctly designed electrical supply, appropriate protection, isolation and connection to the controls and associated equipment. In Ireland, domestic electrical work must be carried out by a registered electrical contractor (RECI) under the Safe Electric scheme. The grant process will have them supervise and sign off the electrical installation, and the homeowner should receive the relevant electrical completion certificate. In Northern Ireland there is no statutory register for individual electricians. Competence and registration are managed instead through the likes of approved industry certification bodies, such as the NICEIC register. Your installer is likely to organise the electrical work as part of the package but do double check that is the case when you get your quote.

Heat emitter installer

If you’re going with underfloor heating, it’s likely you will get the underfloor heating and/or radiators from your heat pump installer.

If not, you can get a separate contractor who will design and install the pipework, manifolds and controls alongside the heat emitters. The underflooring heating or radiator system should be coordinated with the heat pump designer so that flow temperatures, pipe spacing and room heat requirements all work together.

Person responsible for commissioning

Finally, the completed system must be commissioned. This is normally carried out by the heat pump installer or another suitably competent commissioning engineer. Commissioning involves checking flow rates, pressures, controls and operating temperatures, as well as confirming that the heat pump and heat emitters are performing as designed. The installer should walk you through the system at this point, along with supplying documentation, in what’s known as the handover. For installations that benefited from an SEAI grant in Ireland, commissioning documentation, electrical certification and, where relevant, F-Gas sign-off form part of the required project records. In Northern Ireland, an MCS-certified installation will also be fully commissioned and documented before certification is issued.

Dos & don’ts ✓ Get acquainted with the

system. So as to adjust the controls or troubleshoot the system is running at optimal levels. You should be walked through it at the end of the commissioning stage but if you don’t, ask to be shown how to work the system before the technician leaves. mess with the X Don’t controls. Once these have

been set to the desired temperatures, it’s best to leave them be. The heat pump responds to the building’s heat demand in the long term and operates for longer periods at lower output. Don’t turn off the heat

X pump. In winter, the

biggest running cost trap is to turn on the heat pump when you’re cold, run it hard, then turn it off. In summer, sensors outside and temperature controls inside will tell the heat pump not to generate space heating. Heat pumps may also need to run occasional functions that protect components or maintain the system. Note that power cuts don’t affect heat pumps as they are designed to deal with them when they happen.

Budgeting tips

The top five areas that will help keep a lid on the installation cost. Sizing

If an installer tells you that you need say, a 10kW heat pump because your house is 200sqm without showing you a proper heat loss calculation, it’s a red flag. The heat pump should be selected from the calculated heat loss of the building, not simply from floor area or the capacity of the oil boiler it replaces. An old oil boiler might be 25kW even though the house’s actual design heat loss is nowhere near that. Oversizing can also be expensive in a less obvious way. You’re paying for a larger compressor and associated equipment, and a badly oversized system may have more cycling and poorer seasonal performance. The cheapest heat pump is not necessarily the cheapest system; the correctly sized one usually is. That goes for the hot water cylinder too. You don’t need the largest or most expensive cylinder available. Size it according to household demand and the heat pump’s recovery characteristics. A four person household doesn’t necessarily need an enormous cylinder simply because the installer has one in stock. Bigger isn’t always better.

Replacing radiators

In a retrofit, some existing radiators may indeed be too small. But that does not mean every radiator automatically

needs replacing. Ask the installer for the heat loss calculation of each room and the output of the existing radiator at the proposed design flow temperature. If your sitting room needs 1.8kW and the existing radiator can provide 1.9kW at the proposed operating temperature, there is no engineering reason to replace it merely because you are switching to a heat pump. Replacing six or eight radiators can easily add several thousand pounds/ euros to a project. Some of that expenditure may be necessary; some can be avoided through proper calculation.

Adding buffer tanks and hydraulic components

This is an area where you should request a clear explanation rather than simply accepting the specification. Anything that sounds like jargon should be explained. Buffer tanks, low loss headers, additional pumps and hydraulic separation can have legitimate purposes in some installations, particularly complicated systems with multiple circuits or zones. But they shouldn’t simply appear on every quote because ‘that’s how we normally install them’. Ask what problem does this component solve in your particular system. If the answer is vague, get a second opinion. Every extra pump, valve, tank and controller has both a capital

Electrical upgrades

cost and, potentially, an ongoing electrical and maintenance cost.

Complicated controls

A heat pump needs good controls, but you don’t necessarily need a complicated collection of thermostats, smart home hardware and proprietary accessories. Two zones is often enough. That said, weather compensation can be particularly valuable because it allows the system to adjust its flow temperature according to outdoor conditions.

Some installations genuinely require electrical upgrades but get the installer to establish this before signing the contract. You don’t want a thousand euros or pounds for an ‘electrical upgrade’ appearing as an unexplained provisional cost sum. Ask whether the existing consumer unit, supply capacity, isolation equipment and cabling are actually adequate, and precisely what would need changing.

The hard sell As with all big purchases these days, you’ve to be wary of scams – and of feeling under pressure to buy more than you need. The phrase ‘make your house heat pump ready’ has its merits in that a heat pump works best in an energy efficient home. But don’t feel pressured to do all the work in your house at once, as it may not always be necessary. It may also cost more if you do it through the same supplier. So while insulation and airtightness are important, and should be the first thing to invest in, don’t automatically accept a package where the installer bundles expensive insulation, windows, radiators and other improvements into the heat pump quote. Get those elements priced independently and where possible get independent advice. You can then determine which work actually improves the heat pump design and which is simply convenient for the contractor to sell.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /99

heat pump special

Adding a heat pump to your existing home Retrofitting a heat pump into an existing home can be very different from installing one in a new build. Here are some common scenarios. A heat pump cannot replace your boiler without first establishing what the house actually needs. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) says homes built from 2007 onwards are more likely to have insulation levels suitable for a heat pump, while older properties may need improvements before installation. A technical assessment will establish whether the house is suitable and what work is required. So the first question should be how much heat the house loses. A proper room by room heat loss calculation will determine the heating demand and help establish the correct heat pump size. Improving the building fabric can reduce the required heat output and improve comfort. Common measures include attic insulation, wall insulation, floor insulation, draughtproofing and better windows and doors. However, a heat pump retrofit does not necessarily require a house to undergo every possible energy upgrade before installation. The important issue is that the system is properly designed for the building in its existing or planned condition. A common mistake is to assume that a larger heat pump will compensate for a poorly insulated house. Oversizing can

100/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

increase the upfront cost and may cause the system to cycle on and off more frequently, reducing efficiency. The aim is to match the heat pump to the actual design heat loss.

Costed scenarios

In a modern, well-insulated home, existing radiators may be suitable if they can deliver enough heat at lower flow temperatures. For an air to water heat pump, a hot water cylinder that’s compatible, and updated controls, budget roughly 10-16k. An older home with average insulation is likely to require targeted energy upgrades in the attic, wall or floor to reduce heat demand. Some radiators may need to be upsized, although replacing every radiator may not be necessary and you may need a new hot water cylinder; budget around 14-20k. Older, poorly insulated homes will require building fabric improvements in the first instance and some radiators may need upsizing, and a centralised ventilation system installed. A comprehensive retrofit can cost 20-30k+. In a real case study published by the SEAI, for a One Stop Shop energy upgrade including new windows and external door, full heat pump system, new radiators as well as roof and wall insulation, the cost was €84k

minus €20k grant from SEAI to go from a building energy rating of G to A3 in Glasnevin, Dublin (SEAI National Residential Retrofit Plan 2026). Research by AIB shows that a ‘basic retrofit’ that just includes energy efficiency measures (replacing windows and upgrading attic and wall insulation) costs €5k to €15k and a ‘deep retrofit’ (including the energy upgrade plus heating system upgrades, solar panels with smart home energy system) costs €30k to €100k (AIB Homes Retrofit Report, December 2024) . If the house is well insulated and you’re looking to replace the oil or gas boiler, the existing wet heating system will be a good starting point, but radiators, pipework and the hot water cylinder must still be assessed; budget roughly 12k-18k. A home with no central heating will need hot water. Budget for a fully retrofitted air to water system with pipework and cylinder at 20k+.

Heat emitters

Conventional radiators designed around a high temperature boiler may not have enough output at heat pump temperatures. But as each house is unique, your existing radiators may be reused. If they cannot be reused the answer is not automatically

to increase the heat pump temperature, although some heat pump models do come as ‘high temperature’, running at flow temperatures similar to fossil fuel boilers. The downside to a high temperature heat pump is the COP tends to be lower, meaning higher electricity consumption. Let’s say the house requires 15,000 kWh of heat per year, and if a low temperature heat pump achieves an average seasonal COP of 3.5, electricity consumption would be approximately 15,000 ÷ 3.5 = 4,286 kWh/year. If a high-temperature system in the same house averages 2.7, consumption becomes 15,000 ÷ 2.7 = 5,556 kWh/year. Which is approximately 1,270 kWh/year more electricity, or about 30 per cent higher consumption. At an electricity price of €0.30/kWh, that would represent roughly €381 extra per year. Again, each house profile needs to do its own calculations as the actual performance will depend on outdoor temperature, flow temperature, emitter sizing, controls and the specific heat pump. The SEAI is in fact currently running a high temperature heat pump pilot specifically targeting older Irish homes with higher heat loss, so this is becoming an increasingly relevant retrofit

The SEAI is currently running a high temperature heat pump pilot specifically targeting older Irish homes...

option. Increasing radiator size is one alternative or you could look at improving insulation or use radiators specifically designed for lower temperature operation. So the mindset is to think in temperatures, not radiator size.

Can you keep your hot water cylinder? A standard indirect cylinder can sometimes be used in a heat pump retrofit, where the existing cylinder is being retained. However, many older cylinders have relatively

small coils designed for high temperature boilers. A small coil can restrict the heat transfer from a heat pump and result in slow hot water recovery or poor system performance. The existing cylinder should therefore be checked against the heat pump manufacturer’s requirements rather than assumed to be suitable.

What about grants?

In Ireland, SEAI grants of up to €12,500 towards an eligible heat pump system are now

Importantly, homeowners must obtain SEAI grant approval before starting the works, and know that a post-works BER assessment is also required. Northern Ireland has historically had a much less straightforward support landscape and there are no grants currently available for heat pumps.

available (see below). There are grants available for both individual upgrades and a wider whole house retrofit, under the One Stop Shop scheme, which include not just the heat pump but upgrades on insulation, which are available through individual upgrade grants, and on the likes of ventilation. The SEAI has recently introduced standalone grants for windows and for up to two external doors. A €200 technical assessment grant is also available where an assessment is required.

HEAT PUMP GRANTS IN IRELAND Heat pump grants are available from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) as standalone grants or as part of a One Stop Shop grant. Here’s how they work as standalone grants. HEAT PUMP SYSTEM GRANT

MAXIMUM TOTAL SUPPORT

CENTRAL HEATING UPGRADE GRANT

HEAT PUMP SYSTEM GRANT

RENEWABLE HEAT BONUS

HEAT LOSS INDICATOR REQUIREMENT

ELIGIBILITY For existing homes built before 2021

Up to

€6,500

Up to

towards the cost of your heat pump system

ALSO AVAILABLE

HEAT LOSS INDICATOR REQUIREMENT

€2,000

Up to

towards essential upgrades to your central heating system

€4,000

for eligible replacement of fossil fuel or other qualifying systems

Up to

€0-€2,000 additional support based on your home’s heat loss indicator

Must replace a fossil fuel or other

Up to

€14,500

towards your heat pump installation

qualifying heating system

Work must be completed by an SEAI registered contractor

Additional grants are available for home energy upgrades including insulation, ventilation and airtightness. To qualify for this additional grant, your home must have a valid Heat Loss Indicator (HLI) assessment. The grant amount depends on your home’s HLI rating:

BETTER THAN C1

Up to

€2,000

€1,500

€1,000

D1 OR D2

Up to

€500

E1 OR LOWER

€0

Grants are subject to terms and conditions and may change. Correct as of September 2026.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /101

heat pump special

Installing a heat pump in a period home

Built in the 1820s, Carrig House is a period home that underwent a major renovation. Here we look at the heat pump installation. In a period property, you’ll want to attain modern levels of comfort without compromising on the architectural features. That’s where the restoration of Carrig House in Cork provides a useful example of how an air to water heat pump can be combined with underfloor heating as part of a large scale renovation. The early 19th Century villa, with a floor area of 280sqm, had been badly damaged by fire in 2002 but thankfully, many of its original architectural features remained – including the trefoil windows and corbelled chimney stacks.

Heat pump

As is typical of a house built during this period, the ceilings are particularly high at about 3.5metres on the ground and first floors. When sizing the heat pump, the ceiling height impacts on both the fabric heat loss calculation and the air infiltration heat loss, so this was accounted for in the detailed heat loss calculations. The window area of this property along with the fact there is a third floor also impacted on the total heat load, which is what led to the decision to go with two heat pump units. And because underfloor heating was installed throughout, the design flow temperature of the heat pump could be set lower than if the property were heated by radiators. The solution was for one air 102/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

to water heat pump to supply heating only and another to supply both heating and domestic hot water (DHW) so when the heat pump is in hot water production, there is still one heat pump dedicated to space heating. When the DHW demand is satisfied, then both heat pumps supply heating at the same time to meet the household needs. Choosing monobloc instead of a split system was best suited for this situation, according to the heat pump supplier, as a split heat pump with an integrated cylinder would have limited the installation to a 220l cylinder. That was too small for the size of the house. The monobloc setup allowed a 300l or if required, 500l cylinder for the DHW requirements. The two monobloc units are fitted just outside the plant room at the back of the house, so the heat loss was kept to a minimum. With this particular make and model, the supplier was also able to offer a 10 year parts and labour warranty, whereas the split type had a five to seven year warranty. When comparing quotes, check how long the warranty is valid for and if it covers both parts and labour.

Underfloor heating

There were two reasons for choosing underfloor heating. Air to water heat pumps operate at lower flow temperatures than conventional fossil fuel boilers,

HEAT PUMP DETAILS

Spec Heat pump units 2 x 14kW Midea air to water monobloc units. Each sized 1385mmx945mmx453mm; SCOP at 35degC: 4.5 and SCOP at 50degC: 3.6; weight 145kg; refrigerant R32; noise 35 dB(A) sound pressure level at 3 metres.

which makes large area, low temperature emitters such as underfloor heating particularly well suited to the technology. As Carrig House was undergoing a major renovation, it was also the perfect opportunity to install underfloor heating. The aim was to retain the villa’s original appeal, which was built at a time when no radiators were present. Underfloor heating works by circulating warm water through a series of pipes beneath the finished floor. The positioning and length of these circuits matter because they determine how evenly heat is distributed. The Carrig House installation used multilayer lay-flat pipe. According to the installation team, the pipe was easier to uncoil and manoeuvre, helping them complete the installation quickly. Once the floors were dug up, insulated and slabbed, the pipework was installed by the builder’s plumber across the three storeys, with the complete 280sqm installation taking just two days. That speed was helped by having the detailed line drawings from the heat pump supplier available to the installers. On a renovation, where several trades are working simultaneously, having the heating layout

Hot water cylinder 300l with buffer vessel

clearly documented helps prevent delays and avoid having to make decisions on the spot.

Supplier

Heating controls

A large period property is unlikely to need the same temperature in every room at the same time. Bedrooms, living spaces, circulation areas and rooms with different levels of solar gain can all have different heating requirements. That’s why the Carrig House system incorporates smart controls, allowing individual heating zones to have their own temperature settings and heating periods. Downstairs the kitchen and living areas are zoned separately; upstairs the hallway and bedrooms were also zoned separately.

How much did the components cost?

For the design and supply of two 14kW monobloc heat pumps, buffer vessel, 300l cylinder and ancillary components, the estimated cost to the homeowner was approximately €9,616 + VAT. This included site visits to meet with the mechanical and electrical contractors to ensure smooth installation of the system. Standalone grants for heat pumps weren’t available when this project got underway, but these are available now

Heat pump and underfloor heating design, training and commissioning by Pipelife, pipelife.ie

through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

Installation and commissioning

When undertaking a project of this size, you have to consider the heating system early in the renovation. Floor construction, insulation, pipe layouts and finished floor levels all need to be coordinated. During the installation of both underfloor heating and the air to water heat pumps, the heat pump supplier was always on hand to talk to installers, electricians and builders and answer any queries they had. Builders, plumbers, electricians and other trades on site all need to understand how the system is being installed and controlled, which is why detailed drawings were supplied to the trades by the heat pump supplier. The plumber also received training at the supplier’s renewables training centre. With the restoration complete in 2023, the heat pump supplier came back to

Timeline Dec 2021 Heat pump and underfloor heating installation 2023 System commissioning

the property to commission the heating system, ensuring that everything was installed correctly and set up to run optimally for the new homeowner’s needs. Commissioning should not be treated as an afterthought. Once the building is finished, the system needs to be checked, balanced and configured so that it operates correctly. The homeowner should also be shown how to use the controls and how the different zones and heating periods work. In this case, the homeowner was given a demonstration of how the system operates and how to make the most of the features available.

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /103

heat pump special

Heating a passive house

In part 3 of Patrick McMullen’s self-build diary, he explains his heating choices and how he went about the installation. With the house weathertight, and the metal ceilings and first fix electrics and plumbing done, we reached the stage where the decisions started to feel less abstract. Up to now it had mostly been about getting the building envelope right. Walls, insulation, minimising thermal bridges, ventilation and airtightness. This next phase was about how the house would actually feel to live in: how it’s heated, what’s underfoot, making sure the systems work as intended and coordinating trades on site.

different trades on a real building site rather than a spreadsheet. Ireland’s climate isn’t always forgiving either and a proper wet heating system gave us something we valued: warm floors rather than simply warm air. It also gave us the ability to zone the house and respond room by room to solar gains. So, even with a building fabric designed to perform well above minimum standards, choosing to install central heating rather than having no heating system was an easy decision for us.

Decision to go with central heating

Boiler vs heat pump

The first question we asked ourselves was whether we needed central heating at all. The Passivhaus standard allows a house to be heated entirely through the supply air provided by mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, using a small heating coil to warm the incoming fresh air rather than installing underfloor pipework. People often add spot heating in the likes of bathrooms as well. That approach, however, only works if the building’s peak heat load is below 10 W/sqm, which leaves very little margin if the building doesn’t perform on site exactly as it does on paper. The passive house modelling assumes a high level of workmanship and airtightness that can be genuinely difficult to guarantee 100 per cent once you’re relying on dozens of

104/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

In our rural location, there is no access to mains gas so realistically the choice for our new build was between an oil or LPG boiler with radiators or an air source heat pump with underfloor heating. I think the decision between the two is quite straightforward: oil boilers are much more forgiving of an imperfect building, while a heat pump complements a house designed with a fabric first approach. Had we built to minimum NI building control standards, with little regard for passive house principles, we would almost certainly have gone with an oil boiler. Oil is without doubt the cheapest way to heat a house with average insulation. One of the big advantages of the heat pump, which was of high importance to us, was that it is more environmentally

friendly, with much lower carbon emissions. We could also pair the heat pump with our existing photovoltaic (PV) array, which reduces running costs and emissions further over time.

The heat pump

Because a heat pump is essentially moving existing heat, rather than creating it, it can deliver more energy as heat than it consumes as electricity. That efficiency is described as its Coefficient of Performance, or COP, and a well sized heat pump in a well insulated house will comfortably deliver a COP of 3 or more, meaning three units of heat for every one unit of electricity. Heat pumps work best delivering a gentle, steady heat at a much lower flow temperature than a traditional oil boiler, around 35 to 45degC rather than the 60 to 80degC a boiler and radiators are designed around. That’s only comfortable to live with if the building itself isn’t losing heat quickly, which is exactly why all the work we did on airtightness and insulation matters so much. We went with a 12kW heat pump and a 300-litre cylinder, feeding underfloor heating on both the ground and first floor. It’s slightly oversized for our actual heat loss, but the unit has a variable control

feature so it modulates down rather than just switching on and off at full output, which is much better for both comfort and the lifespan of the compressor. A friend who’d already installed the same system in his new build was a big influence on that decision, and I’d recommend anyone doing this talk to people who are living with the system day to day, not just the installer’s brochure.

Heating zones

Having now lived with the heating system and seen how it actually gets used, one change we’d make is reducing the number of heating zones we installed. Our general thoughts were bedrooms cooler, living areas warmer, unused rooms off altogether so went with a heating zone in every room (12 total). This concept does make sense with an oil boiler system but much less so with a heat pump to the point where we found over zoning was less efficient. Heat pumps are at their most efficient running for long periods at a low, steady output, gently topping up the heat the house is losing rather than blasting rooms up to temperature and switching off. Because we split our system into lots of small zones originally, we ended up with

the heat pump constantly cycling on and off to satisfy whichever zone is calling for heat, which is exactly the kind of short cycling that hurts both efficiency and the heat pumps lifespan. To overcome this problem, we have now set all upstairs thermostats to the same temperature (19degC) and all downstairs to 21degC. If I were doing this again, I’d be even more cautious about being talked into extra zones by an installer who’s used to designing traditional systems. It’s worth specifically asking how a proposed zoning strategy affects cycling before you commit to it. On top of the loss of efficiency, every extra zone also meant

HEAT PUMP DETAILS

Spec Warmflow Zeno 12kW air source heat pump 290l Warmflow cylinder

Supplier Miller Wholesale

Cost (excluding underfloor heating and VAT) £5,650

Timeline March 2024 Heat pump design April 2024 First fix January 2025 Second fix February 2025 Commissioning

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /105

heat pump special what a heat pump wants to keep its COP high. Liquid screed could also be laid thinner, dried faster, and, as it’s poured as one continuous liquid, there are none of the day joints or edges that sand and cement would have across a large open-plan floor like ours. Given how much we’d already leaned into keeping flow temperatures low – the tile, the zoning changes, the whole fabric-first approach – going with liquid screed was the obvious choice for us, even at a slightly higher upfront cost than sand and cement.

Underfloor heating and choosing our floor finishes

Floor insulation laid in two layers prior to underfloor heating installation (above and right)

another manifold actuator, another thermostat, another point of failure, and more cost (and potential upkeep) which we could have avoided. Having two distinct zones now, upstairs and downstairs gives us enough control to account for the fact that the ground floor gets more solar gain during the day, without asking the heat pump to constantly chase lots of small, competing demands. There’s also a passive house argument against heavy zoning that’s specific to a build like ours. Because the fabric is so well insulated and airtight, heat doesn’t stay confined to the room it’s delivered to. It moves through the house far more evenly than in a leaky, poorly insulated home, so the whole building tends to sit at a fairly stable temperature anyway.

Screed finishes

With the floor well insulated and

106/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

the underfloor heating pipe laid, the next decision was what to lay on top of it. We essentially had two choices: traditional sand and cement screed, laid and levelled by hand, or a liquid screed (anhydrite screed), which is pumped in as a self-levelling liquid and sets around the pipework in place. As sand and cement is handcompacted, however carefully it’s done, there’s a real risk of small air pockets forming around and beneath the pipe runs. As air is a poor conductor of heat, any gap acts as an insulator exactly where you don’t want it, forcing the flow temperature up to compensate. Liquid screed, because it’s poured and self-levels, flows fully around the pipe with full contact and no voids, and it also has a notably higher thermal conductivity than sand and cement. That means the heat gets from the pipe to the tile more evenly and at a lower flow temperature, which is exactly

What we hadn’t fully appreciated until we researched the topic was just how much the actual floor covering affects underfloor heating performance. Every material has a tog rating, (essentially how much it resists heat passing through it), and the lower the tog, the more efficiently the heat gets from the pipes into the room rather than being trapped in the floor build-up. This is why we chose large

Liquid screed (anhydrite screed)

format porcelain tile for the entire ground floor. Tile has a very low tog rating and excellent thermal conductivity, so it releases the underfloor heating’s warmth into the room quickly and evenly, and it also holds a bit of that heat afterwards, which suits a house that’s already good at holding a stable temperature. It’s a similar principle to the thermal mass concept; the tile becomes part of the overall system rather than just a surface sitting on top of it. Upstairs we didn’t want the same hard feel underfoot, particularly in bedrooms, so we

Read up on Patrick’s self-build diary

went with a laminate wooden floor with underfloor heating compatible, low tog underlay. We chose this over tile because in a passive house, heat naturally rises from the ground floor (21degC) and the MVHR system continuously circulates and mixes air between floors, meaning the upstairs underfloor heating (set at 19degC) would rarely need to be on. The building fabric’s high insulation and airtightness mean passive heat gain from below is often enough to keep the first floor at its setpoint. With tile’s high thermal mass and conductivity, if the UFH stayed off for long periods the floor would sit at ambient temperature and feel cold underfoot, since the tile doesn’t retain warmth without active heating. Laminate, being a poorer conductor, doesn’t have that same ‘cold to touch’ effect even when the underfloor heating isn’t running, making it a more comfortable, practical choice for the upstairs spaces.

Commissioning and balancing

kitchen at the correct rate. You can have a well-sized heat pump and a correctly specified MVHR unit and still end up with some rooms too warm, others too cold, and ventilation that doesn’t match what was designed, simply because neither system was ever balanced to the actual building. We made sure both were properly commissioned before we moved in, and it’s made a noticeable difference to how even the temperature and air quality feel from room to room.

Coordinating the trades

It’s easy to underestimate just how much choreography this stage needed. Our metal ceilings, first fix plumbing and first fix electrical work all had to happen in a tight sequence, and the heat pump, MVHR and underfloor heating manifolds all needed their locations agreed before any of that could be finalised. Where we’d taken the time to get full construction drawings

to the kitchen designer, MVHR designer, plumber and electrician early on, as mentioned in part one, it paid off here. There were very few surprises, and the trades were largely able to work around each other without treading on each other’s work. With all trades complete and no longer requiring access to our first floor ceiling we could then complete any remedial airtightness that had been compromised during installations and insulate the attic. As mentioned previously, we went with 50mm PIR board on the underside of the ceiling with 200mm rockwool above giving a U-value of 0.14 W/sqmK. The joist themselves if left uncovered act as a thermal bridge which is why we went with 50mm PIR board as that breaks the thermal bridge and the rockwool can then do the bulk of the work of keeping

the heat loss to a minimum through the roof. The final detail which we haven’t completed yet is to batten out the attic and add a further 100mm of rockwool on top at 90 degrees to the existing insulation to completely cover the joists and remove cold bridges which will leave a finalU-value of 0.11W/sqmK.

Getting the heat pump and the MVHR system installed was only half the job as both needed to be properly commissioned and balanced afterwards to achieve maximum efficiency. On the underfloor heating side, this means measuring and adjusting the flow rate through each loop at the manifold so that every room gets the right amount of heat for its size and heat loss, rather than the water simply taking the path of least resistance and leaving rooms further from the manifold underheated. The MVHR needs the same attention on the ventilation side, with the supply and extract rates at each valve balanced against the design figures so fresh air is delivered evenly around the house and stale air is pulled out of the wet rooms and

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /107

heat pump special

Heat pump lessons

Kieran and Joanne Roche’s Co Kilkenny new build combines a highly insulated envelope, underfloor heating, solar PV and an air to water heat pump. Here’s how they went about it. Kieran had always wanted to build his own house, and when he got the chance he made sure it would be as energy efficient as possible. “That was one area that I was never going to skimp on,” he says, adding that he and Joanne spent over a year developing the design while living in Switzerland. Kieran, who has an engineering background and works in the construction sector, used design software to model the house before they returned home. Orientation was especially important, with much of the glazing facing south and west, particularly around the kitchen and living area. “I’m a big believer in following the way the sun rises and sets,” he says. “I wanted to get the most out of the solar gain. It’s basically free heating.”

Heating system design

When it came to space heating and hot water, Kieran knew he wanted to go with an air to water heat pump, but he didn’t know much about the technology. “I made it my business to know the things I didn’t really know about,” he says of his approach. The heat pump was designed around the house’s low energy requirement. “I wanted someone who would take the time to work through the calculations rather than simply provide a price,” Kieran says. “I got other quotes, and even though the supplier I 108/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

went with was more expensive, I felt I was in better hands.” That attention to detail mattered because Kieran was managing the build himself on a direct labour basis and wanted to understand how each part of the system would fit together. The installer visited the house, went through the proposed setup with him and advised on the most suitable arrangement for the building. Kieran had originally planned to install underfloor heating

downstairs and radiators upstairs, but the installer recommended using underfloor heating on both levels. “He said if you had the same system upstairs and downstairs, the whole house would run much more smoothly and much more efficiently. I trusted his judgment.” Kieran also liked the fact that the installer specialised in heat pumps and underfloor heating only. “He didn’t have his hands in a whole load of different

pockets,” he says. “When someone is doing this every single day, you know they know what they’re at.” Kieran was initially slightly unsure about the Italian brand for the heat pump because he was more familiar with other makes. What reassured him was the installer’s experience with the system and the remote monitoring available. He was shown other installations and how the heat pumps operated. “He could log in on his phone and see how everything was working,” Kieran says. “That gave me peace of mind.”

Overview House size: 2,890sq ft Plot size: 1 acre Bedrooms: 4 Heating system: Air to water heat pump Ventilation: Centralised mechanical with heat recovery Build method: Concrete blockwork

Installing the system

Because Kieran was managing the build himself, communication between the different trades was important. The heating contractor installed the underfloor heating and heat pump, working in parallel with Kieran’s plumber and electrician to connect the system into the rest of the house. Being local helped too. Kieran says the installer was around 20 or 30 minutes away and could call to site when decisions or problems arose. At one point, Kieran realised he wouldn’t have the floors ready for the underfloor heating on the agreed date. “I kept him in the loop and said I didn’t think I’d be ready,” he says. “We were able to push it out three or four weeks. Once I kept him informed, it was fine.” Kieran also prepared some of the work himself, including the concrete base for the outdoor heat pump unit and a drain to take away water from the unit. “The installer drew it out for me and showed me exactly where he wanted everything,” he says. “In preparation for the underfloor heating, myself and Joanne cut and laid all the insulation for the floor upstairs

and downstairs before the heat pump supplier laid the underfloor heating pipes.”

Commissioning and backup power

When it came to space heating and hot water, Kieran knew he wanted to go with an air to water heat pump, but he didn’t know much about the technology.

Before the permanent electricity connection was in place, Kieran ran into delays with the grid connection. To allow the underfloor heating to be brought up to temperature and help dry out the house, they hired a large industrial generator to power the property. That experience led to another practical decision. On the advice of the electrician, a dedicated generator connection and changeover switch were installed so that the house could be powered from a generator during a prolonged outage. “Because the house is fully electric, it gives you peace of mind,” Kieran says. “If we had a power cut for two or three SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /109

heat pump special

days, I could hire a generator, plug it in and get the house back up and running.” Commissioning itself was relatively straightforward. There was one small leak from an underfloor heating fitting upstairs, but it was identified quickly and repaired. The more significant problem came during the first winter. When outdoor temperatures dropped to around zero degrees or below, the heat pump began shutting down. “We would notice the house starting to get cold, and when we logged in on the phone we could see there was an error,” Kieran says. “We would reset it, but it started happening more and more as we got into the colder weather.” The installer monitored the system remotely and contacted 110/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

the manufacturer. At one stage, according to Kieran, the manufacturer was prepared to fly over to investigate further because similar units were operating in much colder conditions elsewhere. The problem, however, turned out not to be the heat pump itself. Kieran had only installed around half of the attic insulation that had originally been specified. “I had all the insulation there, I just hadn’t got around to putting the second layer down,” he says. The attic had been designed for around 300mm of insulation, but only around 150mm was in place at the time. Once the second layer was installed, the problem stopped.

Controls and cooling

The heating is divided into a number of zones, with around 12 thermostats throughout the house, although Kieran estimates that there are closer to eight actual heating zones. Individual room temperatures can be adjusted separately, which has proved useful since the arrival of their baby.

“We can change every room to what we want,” he says. “They’re very easy to navigate.” The heat pump also has the ability to provide cooling through the underfloor system. Kieran says they’re not currently using that function and that their existing thermostats would need to be changed before they could do so. He was also advised that cooling through the floor should be used as a steady operating mode throughout the summer rather than switching it on and off as you would an air conditioning unit.

Running costs

The house has a 20-panel photovoltaic (PV) system, which works alongside the heat pump to reduce grid electricity use. Kieran reports very low net electricity bills, including one bill of around €8 and later billing periods where the account was in credit. “Our bills are basically zero,” he says. He’s hoping the energy performance of the house will help reduce his mortgage costs. At the time of the interview,

TOP TIPS Don’t cut back on insulation. If you’re trying to save money, save it somewhere you can change later. You can replace a kitchen or finishes, but you can’t easily go back and add insulation to your floors or walls. Our walls have approximately 160mm full-fill PIR insulation, while the attic has around 300mm mineral wool. For me, that was one area I wasn’t prepared to skimp on. Choose your installer carefully. I’d put as much thought into choosing the installer as choosing the heat pump. Look at the whole system together. Don’t think of the heat pump on its own. The insulation, underfloor heating and heat pump all have to work together. the home had not yet received its building energy rating, but he was planning to arrange the assessment ahead of refinancing. “Our mortgage rate is up this year, and we’re hoping to go for the green rate next year,” he says. He expects the house to achieve an A rating.

Comfort levels

The mechanical ventilation system has also become part of how Kieran judges the comfort of the house as a whole. He says one of the biggest benefits is the constant supply of fresh air without relying on windows being left open. “I only changed the filters in it last night, and when you see the dust that comes out of the two filters, it’s amazing,” he says. For Kieran, the difference is most noticeable in bedrooms and around the windows. “You don’t get that stale smell after someone has been sleeping in a room because you’ve got that

constant flow of air around the house,” he says. “And you don’t get condensation on the inside of the windows.” While mechanical ventilation added to the upfront cost of the build, Kieran felt it was worth including from the start rather than facing the expense and disruption of retrofitting it later. He points to a relative who is now considering adding ventilation only a few years after completing a new home. Although the south and west facing glazing performs well in winter, Kieran says it has created the opposite problem in summer. The large glazed kitchen and living area became difficult to keep cool during hot weather. “We were up over 30degC and we couldn’t get it below that,” he says. The heat has also affected the laminate flooring, which has started lifting in places. Kieran now plans to install an aluminium pergola with louvres SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /111

heat pump special outside the glazing to provide more shading. What he does have now is a swing hanging from the balcony. “Joanne and I both loved that porch-swing idea from when we were living in Switzerland, and I really enjoy sitting there with a coffee in the morning sun,” he says. “It turned out to be really useful in summer too because it stays shaded in the evening, and if we open the door there and the sliding door across the kitchen, you get a lovely flow of

air through the house. Joanne, myself and our little one all spend a lot of time sitting there.” The verdict on the heat pump? Despite the initial cold weather issue, he says the heating system has performed well once the full insulation specification was completed. For Kieran and Joanne, the result is a house they were closely involved in designing and building – their long-term family home. “It is our forever home,” he says.

project supplier

Heat Pump & Biomass Engineers 24 Years Experience in Renewable Heating Building or Retrofitting your own home? Get the heating right from day one. Based in Co. Tipperary, we design, install and maintain air source and ground source heat pump systems across Ireland, with biomass solutions also available. Remote monitoring as standard We track your system’s performance remotely, fine-tuning it so you get maximum efficiency and lower running costs, year after year. Full heating system design & installation Servicing, maintenance & troubleshooting SEAI registered for the heat pump grant

087 424 373 - info@orencoenergy.ie - www.orencoenergy.ie

112/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

HEAT PUMP DETAILS

Spec Dining

Pantry

Kitchen

Living

Manufacturer: GSI Model: MEVO 112 STV Air to water heat pump Heating capacity: 12.8kW Cooling capacity: 16.2kW Seasonal efficiency (SCOP): Up to 5.58 Heat emitters: Underfloor heating

Utility

Supplier

Plant

Entrance

Windows, doors, balcony glass and stairs glass Joe Roche Windows & Doors

Sitting room

UFH and heat pump Orenco Energy Electrical including solar panels Saunders Electrical and Solar

GROUND FLOOR W

Kitchen Newhaven Kitchens

S N E

Costs

Heat pump: €15,500 Underfloor heating system: €10,000 Controls: €4,600 (approx.)

En-suite

Walk-in wardrobe

Bedroom Bathroom

Bedroom

Study

Timeline Sept 2024 Build start

Landing En-suite Balcony

Bedroom

Open space

Void

May 2025 Underfloor heating installed Aug 2025 Heat pump installed

Bedroom Sep 2025 Heat pump commissioned

FIRST FLOOR

Nov 2025 Build end and moved in

SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE /113

heat pump special

Tech Roundup

A curated selection of the heat pump products available on the Irish market today. Grant Aerona R290 air source heat pump Grant’s most innovative heat pump, the award-winning Aerona R290 has been designed in Ireland specifically for the Irish climate. Innovative and aesthetically pleasing, the Grant Aerona R290 heat pump ranges from 4kW to 16kW. Built upon three core pillars – design, performance and peace of mind, the A+++ energy rated Aerona R290 provides an even more environmentally friendly, low carbon heating solution, as it uses natural refrigerant R290, which has an incredibly low Global Warming Potential of 3. Grant’s most innovating heat pump

MEVO air to water heat pump supplied by Orenco Energy MEVO is GSI’s range of reversible air-to-water monobloc heat pumps with full-inverter technology. Designed and manufactured in Italy, with control logic developed in-house, MEVO uses the natural refrigerant R290 to deliver high performance, low noise, and reduced energy consumption, even on hightemperature systems. A comprehensive data logging system allows for system optimisation and remote adjustment of parameters to ensure the best results. Being a reversible heat pump as standard means the unit is ready made for cooling applications. The MEVO can provide heating or cooling

Midea Monobloc Heat Pump supplied by Pipelife Discover easy comfort with Pipelife: high‑performance systems that deliver comfort while supporting a more sustainable future. One of Pipelife’s hero products is the Midea heat pump, which is offering the industry’s first 10-year warranty. The Midea is a complete integrated heating system which can replace, or work in synergy with a traditional oil or gas boiler. The Midea M-Thermal range has been engineered to be as quiet as 35db(A) at 3m which is incredibly quiet. The unit is extremely efficient as it operates at 503 per cent efficiency at a 35-degree flow temperature. Full 10-year warranty on the Midea

114/SELFBUILD EXTEND & RENOVATE

Need Design Inspiration?

HOUSE PLANS LIBRARY Discover what's inside... 150+ Irish architectural house plans Full project profiles for every home Browse and download on any device

START YOUR PLANS TODAY!

Included free with Selfbuild+ SCAN TO EXPLORE OR VISIT SELFBUILD.IE

SAVE THE DATE ULSTER

7-8 NOVEMBER 2026 EIKON EXHIBITION CENTRE, LISBURN

HITTING ALL 4 REGIONS OF IRELAND WITH THE ULTIMATE HOME BUILDING & RENOVATING EVENT!

CONNACHT

2-3 OCTOBER 2027 CONNACHT GAA AIR DOME

MUNSTER

LEINSTER 6-7 FEBRUARY 2027 NATIONAL SHOW CENTRE, DUBLIN

9-10 JANUARY 2027 UL SPORTS ARENA, LIMERICK

FOR FREE TICKETS & MORE INFO VISIT LIVE.SELFBUILD.IE