The Selfbuild Podcast

Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher asks the experts to guide you through your project. The panel consists of Health & Safety advisor Helena Ryan of Cooga Safety Services, financial advisor Rachel Uí Bhaoill of SPREAG, serial self-builder Julie Burke of Dampmaster and Joe McBride of Walk Your Plans. He looks at ways to save on your house build that most people don’t factor in, from your health an...

Martin Markey, CEO with the Hardware Association Ireland, chats about the findings in the HAI's latest survey on on-off housing, The Potential For Rural Family Homes - A Survey Review, including: Housing need or locals only rules being the main reason there aren’t more one-off homes being built in Ireland Potential to double the amount of homes built and the huge demand behind it What will happen...

In this 2026 build cost overview for Ireland, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher looks at labour and material costs, and where they’re heading. Including: ·      Labour costs: what the going rates are for trades ·      Material costs: where they are and where they’re heading ·      Direct labour vs hiring main...

Chairperson of BÁNÚ Donncha Ó hÉallaithe chats about one-off housing in the Gaeltacht, including: Why young people in the Gaeltacht aren't able to build on their own land The loss of the Irish language due to young people not being able to afford to live locally Reasons for planning permission refusals, from housing need to a lack of wastewater infrastructure Solutions to the housing problem in th...

Quantity surveyor (QS) Keith Kelliher chats about what a cost plan is and how a quantity surveyor can save you money: ·      What is a cost plan and when do you need one, how much does it cost ·      How a QS helps with the tender process ·      What is a bill of quantities with examples, how much does it cos...

Keith Kelliher chats through the cost components of your driveway, gates and other groundwork you may forget about, including: Comparing different driveway finishes and how much they cost, from chippings to resin Mix and match options, practical considerations Kerbing options, what to consider Paving and patio considerations Drainage options Gates: what to consider and costings Lighting considerat...

Where are material costs heading into 2026? Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher takes stock of the overall material cost picture at the end of 2025: ·      Reasons for higher costs in Ireland than rest of the world ·      Are prices still increasing and where are they heading? ·      Steel, concrete, timber, ins...

Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher’s step by step guide to extending or building a new home in Ireland today including percentage share for each element of building your house with top tips, including: Site costs, pre-construction House survey for extensions/renovations Professionals you'll need to hire Costs relating to fees and taxes Curveball costs pre-construction Benefits of hiring a QS Costs o...

Cathal Keane of Graf and John Brennan of Molloy chat about on-site wastewater treatment system costs and rainwater harvesting tanks: ·      Retrofit of wastewater systems: upgrade cost examples ·      What determines the cost of the system ·      New build cost of systems, how much space you need · &nbsp...

Modern methods of construction mass timber and ICF are two options for those looking for quick, good quality builds. Self-build expert John Corless chats to Danius Prakapavicius of iDomus Brian Duffy of Amvic about: ·      What is mass timber construction? Layers and how it’s finished internally and externally, pros and cons. ·      ...

In a podcast recorded at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2025, self-build expert John Corless shares what to look out for when assessing your floor plans, including: ·      How to interrogate your floor plans ·      Ensuring the different rooms and spaces work well together ·      House size: ty...

The passive house methodology has become the go-to standard for build a new home, a renovate one, to be energy efficient; Seán McKenna of the Passive House Association and South West College chats to construction expert John Corless about: ·      How much more passive houses cost than building regs compliant homes ·      The five passive...

Construction expert John Corless and builder/estimator DJ Rasdale chat about the current state of play in Ireland for build costs at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2025, including: -         How much it costs for self-builders to build a house in Ireland -         Indicative cost per sqft for n...

Derek McIntyre of JML SIPS chats about the modern building methods that is Structural Insulated Panels: Are SIPS worth investing in? How much does it cost? What is it and what are the two main types? How are roofs built with SIPS - process and benefits. The DIY options of installing SIPS yourself Airtightness and insulation benefits Environmental credentials How it compares with blockwork, timber...

Chartered surveyor Keith Kelliher chats to Cathal Keane of Graf who’s just finished building his own home, and to quantity surveyor Jimmy Walsh of Modern Eco Projects, to uncover the hidden costs of a self-build, including: - Costs associated to being gifted land - Site suitability report, cost of the test and watchpoints, how long they are valid for - Average cost of an onsite wastewater tre...

In Part 4 of a four part series about build costs in Ireland, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher explains how to budget for your build and what pitfalls to avoid, including: Why the most common budget buster is not having a budget in the first place How to deal with price increases for materials when self-building Rate of inflation on materials 4 per cent per year Can ground conditions be budgeted f...

In Part 3 of a four part series about build costs in Ireland, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher sheds light on how much you can expect to pay for your new bathroom in Ireland today, including: Common things people forget to budget for Where people are spending unnecessarily Importing from abroad: Pros and cons and what savings can really be made Tiler costs Wall hung toilets for where, and what to...

In Part 2 of a four part series about build costs in Ireland, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher sheds light on how much you can expect to pay for your new kitchen in Ireland today, including: Cost components and how they can bust the budget Common things people forget to budget for Product options, weighing durability vs cost What you can expect to pay for a solid wood kitchen Ways to reduce cost o...

In Part 1 of a four part series about build costs in Ireland, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher sheds light on how much you can expect to pay for your windows and doors including: ·      Why is one house 50k and another 15k for the windows and doors? ·      Types of windows and doors products available to self-builders in Ireland · &n...

At Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Belfast 2024, Michael O'Donnell of Solarfix NI and Suzie McKee of Start Solar joined us to chat about photovoltaic (PV) panels, including: What are PV panels How they work What are the components What can go wrong on them How much do they cost What's the payback How to best use them Should you get a battery? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

At Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Belfast 2024, DJ Rasdale of Build Cost Estimations runs through a real life example of costing a build from start to finish, and provides an update on how much it costs to build a house in Ireland today, including: ·      Labour and material costs as of September 2024 ·      Cost estimations: how th...

A snapshot of what to expect at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Belfast 2024, including testimonials from self-builders who attended the event and special offers from a few of the 150+ companies exhibiting at the show; clips from: Kitchen Pod, Breedon Tiles, 3DNA, SolarFix, Viltra, NIE Networks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bathroom consultant Gareth Holland chats about how to go about your renovation or new build project, including: ·        How much to budget for your bathroom for a good finish ·        Dangers of buying online ·        Where to start when renovating a bathroom ·   ...

Andrew Acheson of Internorm chats about window and door design, including: How to compare windows How much self-builders are spending on windows and doors How to save money on your window and door design U-values explained in detail The case for triple glazed windows Aluclad options: uPVC vs timber Window replacement: what you need to consider Trickle vents in windows: pros and cons How quotes for...

Craig Jones of Land Options Ireland chats about how much it costs to build a house in Ireland today, including: Budgeting for your build: why a cost per sqm is the best place to start - and what the next steps are The typical budget busters on a build How to check if the site won't cost a fortune to build on How much reports cost How much to set aside for architect, engineer and quantity surveyor...