Tag: Ireland (Page 4 of 11)

Mixing Work With Pleasure

October 27, 2015 / barros / 1 Comment

Last month I went to the Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015: a weekend of Traditional Building Skills Demonstrations and Conservation Talks for anyone interested in period buildings, architectural conservation and traditional building skills.

Since the kids also enjoy construction stuff we decided to make a family weekend out of this.

The location of the show was amazing – not less than the grounds of the OPW monastic site in Glendalough, County Wicklow. If you have never been there you should definitely plan a visit.

The exhibition was great with a good display of different trades and organizations.

Dry Stone Wall Construction

Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015 - Mud Wall Construction - Féile Butler

Architect Féile Butler building a mud wall (www.mudandwood.com)

Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015 - Plastering

George O’Malley Plastering

Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015 - trying stone carving

My son trying stone carving with McEvoy and Sons

Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015 - trying to lift heavy hammer

A very heavy stone carving hammer!

Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015 - Roofs and gutters

Custom Crew Construction – Roofing Restoration

A view of the exhibition

Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015 - Thatch

Thatching by Kyran O’Grady

Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015 - Hemp and Lime set

Lime and Hemp Display

We also had the UNIQUE experience of sleeping in a gipsy caravan – the kids loved it! Sitting by the fire and singing and playing songs with friends was something memorable. The caravan was comfortable and very well equipped, and the setting was amazing.

The talks part of the exhibition were very interesting, they varied from the use of lime in traditional buildings to the restoration of old slate and tile roofs.

Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015 - Laura Bowen

Talk by Architect Laura Bowen

To finish the day we went for a walk to the big lake and the waterfall – fantastic. Did I mention we also saw reindeer?

All in all it was a great mix of work and pleasure and I can highly recommend the experience to fellow Architects, Conservation Contractors and anyone interested in traditional buildings and beautiful destinations.

My work is often mixed with pleasure because I love what I do, but mixing all the family to the ‘party’ does not happen that often. But it was well worth it!

Isabel Barros

Homelessness in Ireland – Demand Action NOW

September 4, 2015 / barros / 5 Comments

We totally offer our support to Simon Communities’ new campaign #SimonForecast.

Every day men, women and children in Ireland have no place to call home. Thousands live in emergency accommodation nationwide and many hundreds more sleep rough or rely on the kindness of family and friends. We need to act now to ensure people who are homeless and those at risk have a roof over their heads.

The new campaign asks for the public’s support in urging the government to put the homeless and housing crisis at the top of the Cabinet agenda.

All is needed is to go to http://www.simonhomelessforecast.ie and take action to end homelessness today.

Irish Construction Costs 2015

August 21, 2015 / barros / 0 Comments

THIS ARTICLE IS OUTDATED – Click here for our most recent post about Construction Costs in Ireland (2019).

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Every year we share useful information to guide you on the costs for your construction project in Ireland. This will help you to estimate an approximate figure for your building costs.

You can check our other articles in this series here.

The construction sector is looking more positive than it has for several years, though there is still some way to go.

Tender prices increased by 5 per cent in 2014, following an increase of 3.1 per cent in 2013. Some reports predict that construction costs may increase by five percent in 2015 generally.

Average Irish Construction Prices 2015

The average construction costs table is generated using Bruce Shaw’s Cost Database and sets out typical building construction costs.

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Labour rates and Construction Materials Prices

Turner & Townsend‘s annual construction cost survey provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of construction costs in Ireland, in 2015.

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Turner & Townsend‘s annual construction cost survey provides labour costs and also the prices for some materials.

Wholesale Price Index

In May 2015 CSO recorded that all building and construction materials prices increased by 1.6% in the year since May 2014.

The most notable yearly changes were increases in Hardwood (+12.3%), Stone (+8.5%) and Glass (+6.4%), while there were decreases in Other Structural steel (-4.4%), Ready mixed mortar and concrete (-2.8%) and Concrete blocks and bricks (-2.5%).

Typical Exclusions

There are a number of other expenses that you should also consider when estimating your project. See some of the exclusions that may apply to your project here.

Additionally, if your project needs to comply with the provisions of the newly amended Building Control Regulations, you will have to consider:

Design Certifier Fees
Assigned Certifier fees
Increased Contractor’s Costs

Other Resources

In August 2014 TABULA published “A detailed study on the energy performance of typical Irish dwellings“.

This study contains indicative prices for upgrades to Roofs, Wall Insulation, Floor Insulation, Heating Systems, Ventilation Systems and Renewable Energy Installation.

The figures displayed are the result of market research carried out by IHER Energy Services Ltd in July – August 2014.