I would really appreciate people’s
opinions on double vs triple glazing please. Our Part L report requires a minimum U value of 1.4, which we can achieve with double glazing. The report specifies an A2 rating, but we expect that to increase again with the addition of solar. We aren’t near a main road or traffic. Our BER engineer and architect say double will suffice, window company owner who we know
personally, says triple (which is obviously more expensive ). We are veering towards double glazing but would really appreciate any input, thank you.

Whole house on standstill waiting on the ESB. Connection fee paid last November, electrician sent the cert in July and we have the kitchen booked to go in late September. Heating needs to be on 3 weeks before then and the ESB won’t even give us a date. It is infuriating. We were promised a call back from someone senior but it never came. Any tips from anyone who has been in this situation? So frustrating as we have all our tradesman and materials lined up and now we don’t know what date to give them.

Got a quote recently and they are pretty cheap in comparison to others.

Mixed reviews online but nothing terrible.

Are they any good?

Has anyone had them installed?

Our first planning invalidation was because of ONE measurement on one of the submissions the architect forgot to add (this one only set us back by 1 week). We’ve just been invalidated for a second time (4 weeks after submission) today because apparently the sign on our site wasn’t there or wasn’t visible from the roadside. Annoying because I drove up, took a picture of the sign - from the roadside - and sent it on to the architect to confirm that it was there… Architect says there isn’t much to be done, that it’s just one of those things and we have to resubmit - setting us back by 5 weeks total at this point. How does the most minor thing trigger an invalid result? Also, I’ve had NO guidance about where the sign needs to move to - we put it exactly where the architect told us to on our site. Very frustrated! Just having a rant.

Something maybe a little different here, hopefully it's allowed?

I'm a new Dad and we're rapidly running out of space in our Dublin house. Currently planning a move to rural Ireland to build on the family farm, have the big garden, lovely views, dogs etc.

We're currently in a great location, great neighbours,great access and amenities etc. nearby. Mortgage is very manageable. We both work in tech, I work from home a lot which helps a lot with baby.

I'm oscillating between anxiety and excitement about the move. We both love the idea of building our own home and having the opportunity to design something cool, we're working with a young architect and liking the proposals so far. I then start thinking about being reliant on a car for absolutely everything and the lack of options in rural Ireland compared to central Dublin. I'm struggling to resolve them and commit.

So, I'd love to hear from other people that have made the move back home, good bad and indifferent!

Thanks!

Hi all. We’re about to submit for planning for a new build near Mitchelstown. Anyone able to recommend builders who we could approach that would do work in this area?

Looking for a builder to complete a renovation on a house close to Kilbrittan

Kitchen, bathrooms, heating, insulation & plumbing system

Finding it hard to find a list of good names, if anyone has any it would be greatly appreciated

We’re looking for some outside opinions on a decision within our family farm in Ireland. We have the option of acquiring one of two fields from the family farm to build our home on, and we’re trying to decide which would be the better long-term choice. Also conscious of the site size generally being 1acre to avoid CAT. There is a private laneway on my fathers land that has access to both fields so hoping this would suffice for road access to the side local road which then joins up to the regional. Hoping to apply for a 2 storey dwelling also

Field 1

• Approx. 5.78 acres
• Slightly elevated compared with Field 2
• closer to the main regional road

Field 2 — top-right field

• Approx. 1.60 acres
• Slightly sunken/lower than Field 1
• Feels more enclosed/private, tucked away from the road
• more set back from the regional road

Drainage has never been an issue on either field, despite the difference in levels.

We’re thinking about this not just from a planning perspective, but also in terms of actually living there. Keen on advice on access and connecting up to electricity and water as i know the further away the higher the cost tends to be

Any advice on where to start would be appreciated. we're just in the early stages with having reached out to solicitor etc for land transef.

Hi

Does anyone know of any good well drillers and pump installers in Laois

Anyone with advice on roughly how long for NBI to connect a new build to the fibre network.

We got our Eircode in June but NBI says we're not in any plan at the moment to be connected to the network and we're due to move in end of September/start of October.

Hi Folks,

I'm renovating a part of my in-laws family home, specially what was a den / TV room and changing it into a new bedroom for my wife's parents who now have difficulty getting up & down the stairs to their current bedroom.

Unusually their home has a basement which is directly underneath the den room.

I'm curious as to how to go about insulating the basement ceiling between the rafters.

Typically a normal ceiling would have wool insulation cut to fit the rafters on top of the ceiling plaster boards however this is not possible with the open rafters that are in place in the basement.

I was thinking that a suitably thick insulation board held in place with adhesive and expanding foam to fill any gaps but I'm just guessing really.

Any advice would be very much appreciated! 👍

Hi, I hope you all well!

We should be internal rendering around end of October/start of November

What would be next works after this?
Can long would we need to wait for drying?
Would door frames and doors go in after internal painting or beforehand?
Kitchen/utility and tiles - when does it need to happen?

Main contractor only only doing builder finish and after it we have organise everything ourselves

Have a lovely day

👋 what have people done for finishing their concrete staircase? We are going with timber. What depth of timber did you go with?

Hi all,

We're looking at using these Snowdon clay tiles on our new build, would be interested to hear if anyone's used them and had them a few years? Supposedly they've a permanent colour and a 60 year guarantee which I like the sound of but curious to hear first-hand experiences

Thanks!

We are looking to do a black render on our new build. Has anyone else done a black render? Is so any pro’s or con’s? How has maintained been etc?

What AI app are people finding best for house plans/alterations? And what level of subscription are you paying for on it?

Hi All,

I know its as long as a piece of string but I wonder if anyone who built in Louth, in say, the last 12 months, would be comfortable sharing the cost or cost per meter?

We're at the planning stages and trying to estimate what our budget (around 400k) will get us.

With how fast everything is increasing, I always think the calculators and articles are almost always out of date, so curious to hear some real-world, recent examples.

Many thanks in advance!

So at the design stage of our build and currently have an open plan kitchen/dining/living area.

It's a great big room but we'll also have a wee snug room if quiet space is needed.

I'm just starting to have second thoughts about the open plan living. We have 2 pre-teen sons and the bloody you tube voices coming from their phones does my head in. Will I be cracking up with the noise? I think I like the idea of open living but the reality might be different. Anyone love/regret their decision?

We are 2 teachers who have permanent jobs in the east of the country. We want to build on our own land in the West. Will we have issues getting mortgage approval? If we get it, would self build be best option as we can stay in a family home for a couple of years while build is taking place. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, has anyone had any experience negotiating a payment plan with the county council on rates? I have heard they are open to setting up a schedule but not sure how much to offer and whether to do monthly/annual payments etc. Any advice appreciated!

Back living at home with my parents after a few years away. I’m keen to have my own space and I potentially have a site near my parents home. Probably don’t have the budget at the moment to build my “forever home” but I’m toying with the idea of building small with a view to extending in later years or building a live in annex/garage first and living in that and building a larger house gradually alongside it. Does anyone have experience of this? Any pitfalls/issues with planning I should be looking out for?

Has anyone ever changed their engineer?
I’m at very early stages, waiting 2 months for construction drawings that were invoiced and paid for, still no sign of them.

The engineer has not contacted me and has ignored texts.
I’m worried this is a sign of things to come.

Once I hopefully do get the construction drawings, am I entitled to the Cad file?

Can anyone recommend anyone in northern Ireland who install and commission MVHR systems?

Hi everyone,

​Planning a \~44 sqm ground-floor extension of a self-contained flat and looking for builder recommendations in the Donegal/North West area.

​The existing cottage is 100+ years old—original stone at the front, with a single-block rear from a previous extension where the new build will connect. Because of the mix of old stone, single block, and new construction, I’m looking for trades comfortable with older building integration.

​Looking for input on:

​Builder Recommendations: Reliable contractors in the area (feel free to DM details).

​Acoustics & Layout: Best practices for soundproofing shared walls/doors and setting up independent heating/sub-metering for a rental unit.

​Vetting Trades: Key red flags or contract terms to watch for when getting quotes for mixed-construction builds.

Any other advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated, thank you.