Resident construction expert John Corless chats about flash points to consider when building your home, including:

•	Managing heat loss, U-values and airtightness
•	Ventilation
•	Insulation
•	Space and water heating including thoughts on PV
•	Intermediate floors
•	Roofs 
•	Contracts
•	List of other considerations: security, waste, health and safety, equipment hire, etc.

Michael Doherty of the Mica Action Group rounds up the talk with a chat about the ROI government’s remediation scheme to rebuild homes that were built with defective concrete blocks. 

Michael talks about the skewed grant amounts, based on 2007 costings of house rebuilding costs by the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland (SCSI), plus eligibility for Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland grants.

He also discusses planning exemptions, retention amounts for contractors and what building methods mica affected homeowners are considering.

Ep52 - What to consider when self-building plus thoughts about the mica grant scheme

Connecting your sewage to the mains is not always an option when you're building in the countryside. You might need to install an onsite wastewater treatment system instead, which is a mini sewage treatment plant. In ROI, if an onsite system is not feasible you will more than likely be denied planning permission. 
Cathal Keane of Graf Environmental gives us a crash course and highlights what you need to know, including:
- Who needs an onsite wastewater treatment system.
- What’s a typical setup? Brief overview of primary, secondary and tertiary treatment.
- What are the requirements in NI and ROI and how they differ. Main Building Regulations requirements to be aware of.
- The process of choosing an onsite wastewater treatment system in NI and ROI.
- Maintenance and keeping the system working at its best to protect environmental and human health.

Ep53 - Onsite wastewater treatment in Ireland

Tony Dunne, Managing Director at MBC Project, chats about the ins and outs of buying windows in Ireland today, including:
- Main types of windows available in Ireland: timber, uPVC, aluminium, alu-clad
- Average cost of windows on a self-build today
- Double vs triple glazed, options for quadruple glazing
- What specifications to look out for when choosing windows, certs/standards
- How the process unfolds from choosing the right windows for your project to installation and maintenance
- Material price increases and how it affects window costs
- Window upgrades in renovations 
- Watchpoints for both new builds and energy upgrades, from choosing windows for the right exposure (wind loading, coastal, etc.) to protecting your windows on site

Ep54 - Buying windows in Ireland

Susan Andrews of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland chats about how to get a grant for your home energy upgrade, including:

- The three types of grants available in ROI and how each of them work
- One Stop Shop (OSS) vs individual grants: the extras you get with OSS
- Cost of home energy upgrades for detached houses in Ireland
- How you can get up to half the cost of the works funded through the grants
- What the application process looks like and what timescales to expect for each
- Whether you can reapply if you've availed of a grant before
- Benefits of living in a more energy efficient home

Ep55 - How to apply for your home energy grant in Ireland

SelfBuild Ireland specialises in helping people either build or improve their home via our exhibitions, magazines and online resources. Selfbuild is designed to cut through the noise and deliver what matters, whether that be innovative new ideas, services, new products, projects or the basics in building a dream home. Let Selfbuild be your guide.

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