Unfinished Symphony
Back in 2004, gaining planning permission to build a new home in a rural setting in NI was quite different to today. Then, the only real chance of success was…
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Problems With Wood
The main problem with wood is that it is natural. We have all become so accustomed to man made products designed to perform exactly as we wish and always in…
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Home on the Range
A stove is quite simply an enclosed heated space. The forerunner to the stove was a fire covered by an iron plate surrounded on three sides by bricks and mortar.…
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Extensions Pitfalls
House extensions remain the most popular building projects in Ireland. Rod Maharg explains why… They can: Allow loads of light and fresh air into a dark and shadowy house Bring…
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Inside Out but not Upside Down!
One, often repeated, piece of advice all aspiring self-builders and home improvers will be very familiar with is to ‘do your research’. Paul and Lindy Browne are a couple who…
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Home Grown Plot
When you’ve put down roots and raised a family it’s very hard to leave after 40 years, especially if you built the house yourself. But life moves on, the house…
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Straw bale sandwich
When Mike Harris and Jo Lewis decided to renovate a traditional three-room cottage in County Leitrim, they knew it would be a challenge, especially considering that Mike had no prior…
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Eco-build on a shoestring
Xavier Dubuisson dispels the myth that ecological building is an expensive endeavour out of the reach of the average self-builder. He reviews a number of notable Irish projects where committed…
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Typical extension designs
Architect Rod Maharg looks at the most common extension designs If you are thinking of extending your home, the possibilities, in theory, are endless. The location (front, side, or rear)…
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External wall coverings
The external skin of a building must have four essential characteristics: durability, resistance to moisture penetration, uniform weathering and an attractive appearance. It may also be required to provide weight…
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Once in a lifetime
When Ciarán and Linda McManus got engaged, they decided to build their own house, pledging that they would include everything they ever dreamt of putting in a home so that…
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A sense of place
When Belfast man Hugh McNally and his wife Elaine became custodians of a plot of land with a difference, the decision to relocate to County Antrim countryside made itself… [agg_tabs theme=”dark”]…
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