Underground new build in Fermanagh

For Paul and Anne Dyer, building in a conservation area meant going underground and partnering up with the Ulster Wildlife Trust to plant their roof.

This underground new build ticks a lot of eco design boxes. In this article, self-builders Paul and Anne chat about:

  • How they built their underground house including retaining wall and precast concrete roof
  • How they added a butterfly friendly green roof
  • How to save money by buying key equipment and by doing work themselves
  • Planning permission challenges of building in a special area of conservation
  • How they worked with Building Control NI to get their plans approved
  • Why their DIY concrete floor didn’t go to plan
  • Taking on a DIY project in their sixties and seventies

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Written by Astrid Madsen

Astrid Madsen is the editor of the SelfBuild magazine. She previously held the same role in an Irish trade publication, before that she worked at the National Standards Authority of Ireland. She graduated with a BA in Urban Studies from Columbia University in New York and holds an MBA from the Instituto de Estudios Bursatiles in Madrid. France of origin, she now lives in Portarlington, County Laois, where she's taken on the task of renovating a listed building! Email astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie

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