Author: aoife (Page 20 of 28)

Isabel’s Picks for December 2010

December 13, 2010 / aoife / 1 Comment

Isabel’s Picks for December 2010

ANGEL’S HEAVEN

A letter to Santa!

1. LIGHT PENDANT

Artist: Tom Raffield

Model: Pendant No. 1 in Walnut

Price Range: €350

Material: Steam bent strips of FSC Certified Walnut. Also available in Ash and Oak.

Features: Handmade, signed and dated

Available in Ireland from: Tom Raffield website

2. GREEN CEMENT

Manufacturer: Ecocem

Price Range: n/a

Materials: GGBS (Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag) Cement

Features: It is entirely recycled and involves no mineral extraction. It releases 16 times less CO2 during its manufacture. Stronger. More durable. More resistant to attack from chloride. More impermeable. More resistant to sulphate attack. More resistant to alkali silica attack More resistant to fire. Less prone to thermal cracking. More resistant to acid.

Available in Ireland from: Check out http://www.lowcarbonconcrete.ie/suppliers_map.php

3. CHRISTMAS CANDLE

Model: Angelito

Price Range: €5.99

Materials: 100% paraffin wax.

Available in Ireland from: www.zarahome.com

4. LIGHTING CONTROL

Manufacturer: Legrand

Model: Arteor TM Radio/ZigBee®

Price Range: n/a

Applications: Ideal for refurbishment, small new installations and increasing the number of control points, without damaging walls. It can control lighting, roller blinds, technical alarms and also scenarios.

Available in Ireland from: www.voltimum.ie

5. BAMBOO FLOORING

Origin: China

Name: Rustic Solid Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

Price Range: €25-€40/m2

Applications: Flooring. This product can be used with Under Floor Heating.

Materials: 100% Moso Bamboo

Features: Strand woven (Very Very strong) Uni-Clic Patented design with a micro bevelled edge. Pre-finished Stained Semi Gloss with 6 coats of German lacquer, Inc UV protection. 25 year structural guarantee.

Available to Ireland from: www.bambooflooringcompany.com

See More Picks

Useful Tools to Estimate Your Construction Costs

December 7, 2010 / aoife / 7 Comments

The first post of this series was published a year ago and revealed to be very useful judging by the number of hits every day.

Although the construction tender prices in Ireland have fallen by 11% over the last 12months the rate of decline is starting to slow down.

Please be aware that the high-risk strategy that some Contractors are using to persistently offer low tender prices increases the risk of insolvencies. That’s why you need to be very careful when choosing a contractor and make sure you have a well written Contract in place.

In this 2nd post we give you some more useful references to help you with cost guidance on your project.

Selfbuild Rates is an online system that allows you to calculate the true cost of your build.

Bruce Shaw provides a Cost Calculator in their website but please note their construction cost database does not include Residential Projects (only Commercial Offices, Warehouses and Retail).

Check your Price helps you estimate both typical labour only costs for all types of home improvement installations, renovations and repairs as well as the overall costing for complete refurbishment projects & building renovations. This website provides general building costs in UK for a number of different categories.

The British Magazine Homebuilding & Renovating lets you download the 2010 Build Cost Guide.

OnlineTradesmen.ie regularly publishes quotes received by other property owners for their home improvement and building projects nationwide.

The specifications for a project can vary immensely. A high specification will have a proportional impact on the final price of your project.

Remember that you should include in your Construction Costs the fees for all professionals involved in your project. This may be approx. 11% of the overall construction costs and it will include for architect’s fees, engineer, surveyor, BER assessor, etc.

Check out Construction Costs in Recession Ireland for more useful references.

Isabel’s Picks for November 2010

November 19, 2010 / aoife / 2 Comments

Isabel’s Picks for November 2010

FIRE, AIR, EARTH AND WATER

Finding the beauty around the 4 elements.

1. HANDSHOWER

Manufacturer: GROHE

Model: Rainshower Icon

Price Range: €65-€140

Applications: Shower head

Features: Rain spray; Eco function (reduces water usage); GROHE DreamSpray®; GROHE CoolTouch®; SpeedClean anti-limescale system. Available in 8 different colours.

Available in Ireland from: Grohe’s suppliers

2. AIR INLET

Manufacturer: Aereco

Model: EHT humidity sensitive

Price Range: €15-€50

Applications: Wall installation

Features: Modulates the airflow according to the local relative humidity rate. Easy maintenance. Anti-insect filter.

Available in Ireland from: www.heatmerchants.ie/

3. FOLDING SLIDING DOORS

Manufacturer: Schüco

Price Range: €450/m2

Applications: Residential and Commercial. Flush threshold profile available.