Show Notes
Barry McCarron, Chairman of the Passive House Association of Ireland, chats about doing up his family to make it energy efficient, including: Going from a bungalow to an A rated home Cost details and how it compared to building new What is the fabric first approach What are the main types of insulation? Where are each best used? How much insulation is enough: cost optimal amount to install Why is airtightness important? How to install insulation and airtightness correctly The benefits of following a set standard like the passive house standard What the future of house building and retrofitting looks like Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Selfbuild Podcast
At Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2026, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher chats about kitchen and bathroom costs with a special focus on interior design.
At Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2026, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher hosts a talk around the practicalities of building an energy efficient home, with a special focus on: - Plant rooms: optimal sizes and what you need to include in them; optimal layouts and how to make sure systems don’t interfere with one another - Common mistakes: from solar panels and heat pumps to insulation and windows, learn from other projects
The interior design tips and pitfalls to avoid as shared by Stephen Blakely of Blakely Interiors, including how to prevent mistakes and how to make your house flow while keeping practicality in mind. Topics include access, natural and artificial lighting, kitchens, colour and more with real life examples. Excerpts from his presentation at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Ulster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher asks the experts to guide you through your project. The panel consists of Health & Safety advisor Helena Ryan of Cooga Safety Services, financial advisor Rachel Uí Bhaoill of SPREAG, serial self-builder Julie Burke of Dampmaster and Joe McBride of Walk Your Plans. He looks at ways to save on your house build that most people don’t factor in, from your health and safety obligations to learning from the mistakes of serial self-builders.
Martin Markey, CEO with the Hardware Association Ireland, chats about the findings in the HAI's latest survey on on-off housing, The Potential For Rural Family Homes - A Survey Review, including: Housing need or locals only rules being the main reason there aren’t more one-off homes being built in Ireland Potential to double the amount of homes built and the huge demand behind it What will happen if we don't build more one-off homes: emigration a big issue at the moment as is social capital unravelling in rural areas Need for one-off housing as part of a mix of solutions in context of population growth Cost of building not as big a driver of whether or someone will build a house Building regulations and lack of guidance mostly an issue for architects Volume and price increases for builder’s merchant sector Costs coming down the line due to new regulations including ones on timber, steel and Repak