Monthly Journal September Update
Welcome to the Selfbuild monthly newsletter,
In this edition:
- News - Supports for self-builders amount to €100k.
- Projects - Co Laois home built on a budget & From shop to home.
- Advice - Passive house: how low should you go?
- Focus - Windows & Doors.
- Podcast - Passive house retrofit in Co Monaghan.
First up some big changes are likely to come in NI, as the Department of Finance opened up a public consultation about the energy regs – it looks like new homes will have to be built more along the lines of what’s being done in ROI and England, which will mean more cost upfront.
In ROI there’s good news in the financing realm for those building a new house. If you can’t get enough of a mortgage to build your home, there’s help available. The First Home Scheme (FHS) is now open to self-builders; it’ll take a share in your home and give you the money to help you bridge the gap between the mortgage and what you need to borrow to build your home.
While Minister Darragh O’Brien claims this means that self-builders are now getting €100,000 in supports, the FHS is still just a loan. A great value one, but it’s not cash in hand.
On the plus side, the Help to Buy scheme is actual money back. It’s a tax back cash payment, which goes towards putting down a deposit on your self-build mortgage. Max you can get with that is €30k, if you’ve paid taxes to that amount over the past four years.
Then there’s the development levy holiday which can save you €10k+ in the fees the local authorities charge for infrastructure when building new (each local authority charges a different amount), plus €6k+ in water and wastewater connection fees. For sure, Fifty grand is nothing to sneeze at... Give or take the couple of grand you’ll be spending on the new concrete tax that was just rolled out this month.
The timing of the FHS announcement isn’t that surprising considering we’re entering budget season in ROI. The big reveal is expected in October and with a budget surplus to reach a record €65 billion over the next four years, it’s hard not to expect some form of supports to come of it.
But word on the street is that not a whole lot will change for self-builders, (although looks like households might get some money towards energy bills again this winter), and that the Help to Buy scheme will be extended to 2026 (as it stands, it’s meant to expire December 2024) despite an assessment stating more than half of self-builders who availed of the support didn’t need it to proceed with their project.
On the planning front, Minister O’Brien confirmed he’d passed on the locals only portfolio to his deputy, Minister of State Kieran O’Donnell who seems to be in no hurry to publish the consultation document.
As it stands, many local authorities make it a requirement that you have a connection to the land you’ll be building on. New sustainable rural housing guidelines from the department could change that. Apparently the revised guidelines are with the Attorney General to check it complies with EU law. Only when that’s done are the draft guidelines going to be published.
The good news is the planning bill should be pushed through and turned into law fairly soon, and that in turn could trigger the publication of the proposed new guidelines.
Project: Co Laois home built on a budget
How quantity surveyor James Corrigan built his Co Laois home on a budget. Read Story
Some stories you might have missed
Project: From shop to home
How Gráinne and Padraig Haughney bought an old shop in Kilkenny to convert into a light filled family home. Read story
Focus On: Windows & Doors
This month we focus on Windows & Doors - find out more about how windows and doors can make or break the look of your house - and that of your budget. We look at design, specification and cost components as well as what to expect from the process of buying, installing and maintaining them.
Podcast: Ep65 - Passive house retrofit in Co Monaghan
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
Instagram Live
Dermot Rasdale, from DJ Build Estimations will be speaking live on Instagram with our Editor, Astrid Madsen about build costs in Ireland this Thursday 28th at 5pm. They will be discussing how much it costs to build a house in Ireland today.
Tune into our Instagram Live this Thursday at 5pm.