Because we’re a bit geeky about things like this, we thought it’d be interesting to compare the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for the house we designed for a site outside Enniskillen, with a sample Building Energy Rating Certificate (BER) of the kind used in the Republic of Ireland. The Energy …
Planning Permission- do I need it?
Now that the long- awaited green shoots have finally started to appear, people are taking an interest in building again. We’ve been run off our feet in the office since before Christmas, and questions about planning permission are coming up time and time again. Here …
How much disruption can you tolerate to extend or renovate your home??
Describe your current home. What do you like about it? What’s missing? What don’t you like? Do you want to change the space you have?
Do you want to build a new home?
Why do you want to build a house …
The other day my son asked me ‘Dad, what do you call the people who own football?’ He meant FIFA of course, and it’s interesting that that’s the way it’s seen nowadays. I put it to him that he owned it, and I owned it, and so did everybody else. …
Thoughts on love, home, and the Tugendhat House
I’ve often thought that the words ‘love’ and ‘home’ are the most powerful in the English language, and in my mind at least, they are almost interchangeable. The story of the Tugendhat House in Brno is a common one in pre- World War …
THE BUILDING CONTROL (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, S.I. 9
Background Information
The Current System – prior to BC(A)R
There is no statutory lodgement and approval system for Building Control Regulations in Ireland, other than a statutory lodgement and approval system for Disability Access and Fire Safety Certificates.
The BC(A)R System – from March …
Bad luck and bad timing (a few days before Christmas) with our electric shower, gave me an opportunity lately to put my ‘make do and mend’ impulses to work. Anybody who knows me will know I am wont to spending Friday evening fixing the brakes or straightening a wheel on …
We pass them every day: every field has an entrance, and most have gate posts. Most rural houses have gate pillars of one sort …
The latest phase of the Rann Mor housing development, the A3 energy- rated Rann Mor Close has now been completed and all the homes are occupied. These …
In the forthcoming articles for Energy Watch we will divide our comments into “New Build” and “Existing” but we hope that existing and prospective house owners will find time to read both sections as there are many ideas and philosophies that apply across the board. The big idea is that …